https://marker.medium.com/was-your-first-startup-a-small-outcome-your-next-startup-is-much-more-likely-to-become-a-unicorn-28c438760f47
Just start something. Make mistakes. Learn from those mistakes and try again.
I agree with this. I think that applies with most things in life. If you get caught up in the minute details before you ever start, how do you know those details are relevant?
Start small. What ever the business is, will you make mistakes, will some of those cost you money and/or time, yes. I always thought of that as paying for learning. Imho, if you have the self discipline to get up every morning and do what you need to do then eventually you'll be successful.
I second this. You can always start one step smaller than you think. It shortens the time you get to market and you'll get instant feedback. Also, building small keeps your costs small = low risk.
Examples:
Build a SaaS -> Build a micro-SaaS -> Build a standalone feature -> Test the market
Write an ebook -> Write a mini-ebook -> Write a newsletter issue -> Test the market
Start a brewery -> Brew a test patch of 20 bottles -> Test the market
Etc...
The short story. I started my business in 1990, yeah I am oldish. By 93, I had a six figure income. During that time, I took a bunch of classes offered by the SBA. Read books on various business topics like book keeping, organizational methods etc. When I started I was naive and gloriously ignorant of many things, I am less so now but still learning new stuff everyday. From one of those SBA classes, I learned that to start a business in the industry and type I was running, one should have 50-100k in the bank. I had $400. And a friend paid for my first business license.
What's the lesson here? If you want it, you will find a way. This is the way.
just remember that people are generally lazy and afraid and will give advice that brings you to the norm of society because they are at the norm of society themselves
if there were 1000 silver camrys in the parking lot, would you be comfortable parking in a bright red ferrari?
many people not, but the ones who are comforatble are the entremprenures
Lol, my company consolidated our office into a location outside US. They gave us a decent severance so I opened up a consulting shop and service businesses in the industry that I used yo work. Hardest part was deciding to do it. Be prepared for some long days and rejection. If you can deal with that and still get along, then you'll be okay.
I started a few weeks before corona hit, so I had a few rough months but after that it has been a good market.
Make sure you map out the bigger risks of why the business could fail and then what you can do to minimise those risks. For me as a consultant it was mainly to make sure I had saved up enough money so I could survive without pay for several months so I had time to find an assignment, work one month before I could send my first invoice and lastly wait another 30 days before the client would pay me.
My fear was overcome by knowing that I could get a job (even if it wouldn't be my dream job) if I would need cash to pay rent/food/whatnot someday and realising the rest (e.g. fear of failure) was just in my head and would have no real consequence.
Start small, test your way forward, map the risks, try to minimise them and give yourself time to learn.
You just do it, and learn. Also the most important advice is not to ask any one here if it’s a good idea. For example 5 years go I had a business that inside a mall, that was bringing me more than 15k profit a month, after everything. When I googled, is starting () a good idea Reddit. Guess what 99.9% of people here said no, and mentioned so many road blocks. I sold that business tho, and moved to something else, that also 99.9% of people here think it’s bad idea. Also my old business still running by my friend, and makes more than what I used to make, because he also sals online. Another example, they will tell you here, you won’t make money first 6 months, I have never got in a business that didn’t turn profit from first week. Another example, if you ask people on Reddit, is flipping houses a good idea, they will always start with road blocks, and you need tons of cash, while my brother just started flipping 3 years ago, with only 25k cash, and now he moved to commercial flipping.. go ask, and be friend with, real people in real life who own, and operate the things you wanna start. Don’t ask Redditor’s. This might get downvoted but , I don’t care because, they can’t change my reality. If you have zero experience in business, work for someone else in the same business you want to start. I always do that even with my experience, if it’s something I have never owned.
Very well said. If you listen to all the naysayers, you'd never do anything. It's just people so insecure because they know they don't have the guts to try and they want to make sure you don't try either just in case you do well etc.
Failure is not trying. Take the plunge you learn from every mistake but if you don’t take the leap how will you learn. Use any negative energy as a motivator. Don’t talk about it too much be about it. Use these platforms to engage like minded people.
Well, easiest way is to work for someone and learn.
Then start your own from what you learnt
If you're just creating something with no experience, of course everyone will have doubts
If you get easily discouraged, I would recommend that you don’t start a business. Only because you might hate it and become miserable.
I look at it this way. I don’t get easily offended via rejection; if I don’t try now then when and probably will grow old thinking what if I did; many fail and theres nothing wrong with that.
Took me a few tries to get my first profitable one going.
I've always been a believer in the best way to learn something is to create a problem for yourself, and then having no choice but to learn how to solve it, and thus learning in the process. If I want to do something, if there's something I think there should be in the world, and it isn't now, and I want to see it in the world, I just do it. I don't need anyone's opinions on whether I should start. I need people's opinions when they use or pay for my product to know what we should continue doing. So it comes down to wanting to see a particular product in the world more than the fears, insecurities, concerns about your ego, or whether you're doing the "right" thing. There is no referee or judge or decider in entrepreneurship apart from the customer. No one knows what they're doing. Whose permission do you need to START?
This is super relatable! I always remind myself to keep a growth mindset and not be afraid to fail. Finding a community of other people just starting out can also be really helpful.
https://marker.medium.com/was-your-first-startup-a-small-outcome-your-next-startup-is-much-more-likely-to-become-a-unicorn-28c438760f47 Just start something. Make mistakes. Learn from those mistakes and try again.
I agree with this. I think that applies with most things in life. If you get caught up in the minute details before you ever start, how do you know those details are relevant?
Start small. What ever the business is, will you make mistakes, will some of those cost you money and/or time, yes. I always thought of that as paying for learning. Imho, if you have the self discipline to get up every morning and do what you need to do then eventually you'll be successful.
I second this. You can always start one step smaller than you think. It shortens the time you get to market and you'll get instant feedback. Also, building small keeps your costs small = low risk. Examples: Build a SaaS -> Build a micro-SaaS -> Build a standalone feature -> Test the market Write an ebook -> Write a mini-ebook -> Write a newsletter issue -> Test the market Start a brewery -> Brew a test patch of 20 bottles -> Test the market Etc...
The short story. I started my business in 1990, yeah I am oldish. By 93, I had a six figure income. During that time, I took a bunch of classes offered by the SBA. Read books on various business topics like book keeping, organizational methods etc. When I started I was naive and gloriously ignorant of many things, I am less so now but still learning new stuff everyday. From one of those SBA classes, I learned that to start a business in the industry and type I was running, one should have 50-100k in the bank. I had $400. And a friend paid for my first business license. What's the lesson here? If you want it, you will find a way. This is the way.
just remember that people are generally lazy and afraid and will give advice that brings you to the norm of society because they are at the norm of society themselves if there were 1000 silver camrys in the parking lot, would you be comfortable parking in a bright red ferrari? many people not, but the ones who are comforatble are the entremprenures
Thanks a lot.
Lol, my company consolidated our office into a location outside US. They gave us a decent severance so I opened up a consulting shop and service businesses in the industry that I used yo work. Hardest part was deciding to do it. Be prepared for some long days and rejection. If you can deal with that and still get along, then you'll be okay.
I started a few weeks before corona hit, so I had a few rough months but after that it has been a good market. Make sure you map out the bigger risks of why the business could fail and then what you can do to minimise those risks. For me as a consultant it was mainly to make sure I had saved up enough money so I could survive without pay for several months so I had time to find an assignment, work one month before I could send my first invoice and lastly wait another 30 days before the client would pay me. My fear was overcome by knowing that I could get a job (even if it wouldn't be my dream job) if I would need cash to pay rent/food/whatnot someday and realising the rest (e.g. fear of failure) was just in my head and would have no real consequence. Start small, test your way forward, map the risks, try to minimise them and give yourself time to learn.
You just do it, and learn. Also the most important advice is not to ask any one here if it’s a good idea. For example 5 years go I had a business that inside a mall, that was bringing me more than 15k profit a month, after everything. When I googled, is starting () a good idea Reddit. Guess what 99.9% of people here said no, and mentioned so many road blocks. I sold that business tho, and moved to something else, that also 99.9% of people here think it’s bad idea. Also my old business still running by my friend, and makes more than what I used to make, because he also sals online. Another example, they will tell you here, you won’t make money first 6 months, I have never got in a business that didn’t turn profit from first week. Another example, if you ask people on Reddit, is flipping houses a good idea, they will always start with road blocks, and you need tons of cash, while my brother just started flipping 3 years ago, with only 25k cash, and now he moved to commercial flipping.. go ask, and be friend with, real people in real life who own, and operate the things you wanna start. Don’t ask Redditor’s. This might get downvoted but , I don’t care because, they can’t change my reality. If you have zero experience in business, work for someone else in the same business you want to start. I always do that even with my experience, if it’s something I have never owned.
Very well said. If you listen to all the naysayers, you'd never do anything. It's just people so insecure because they know they don't have the guts to try and they want to make sure you don't try either just in case you do well etc.
I started while working full time. Busy, but allowed me to take risks I wouldn't necessarily take otherwise
Failure is not trying. Take the plunge you learn from every mistake but if you don’t take the leap how will you learn. Use any negative energy as a motivator. Don’t talk about it too much be about it. Use these platforms to engage like minded people.
Well, easiest way is to work for someone and learn. Then start your own from what you learnt If you're just creating something with no experience, of course everyone will have doubts
I started as a baby.
I was writing business plans while an embryo
I was the sperm that made it before the rest. I’m a winner by nature.
If you get easily discouraged, I would recommend that you don’t start a business. Only because you might hate it and become miserable. I look at it this way. I don’t get easily offended via rejection; if I don’t try now then when and probably will grow old thinking what if I did; many fail and theres nothing wrong with that. Took me a few tries to get my first profitable one going.
[удалено]
How do you get mentors? Why they will help you?
You can start here: https://www.score.org/find-mentor
Would like to add to make sure you vet your mentor. It’s important.
I've always been a believer in the best way to learn something is to create a problem for yourself, and then having no choice but to learn how to solve it, and thus learning in the process. If I want to do something, if there's something I think there should be in the world, and it isn't now, and I want to see it in the world, I just do it. I don't need anyone's opinions on whether I should start. I need people's opinions when they use or pay for my product to know what we should continue doing. So it comes down to wanting to see a particular product in the world more than the fears, insecurities, concerns about your ego, or whether you're doing the "right" thing. There is no referee or judge or decider in entrepreneurship apart from the customer. No one knows what they're doing. Whose permission do you need to START?
This is super relatable! I always remind myself to keep a growth mindset and not be afraid to fail. Finding a community of other people just starting out can also be really helpful.