Don’t Hold Back your Entrepreneurship; Just Do it

“Has taking the plunge into entrepreneurship been a goal of yours for a while but you just never get round to it? Isn’t it time we just did it?” This is the conversation we had this past weekend at an entrepreneurship forum that we run. It was all about conversations themed around the transition into business. There continues to be far too many people who want to take this step but simply hold back. I’ve written about the financial angle previously but today I want to share with you some common soft issues that hold people back.

Starting anything is very hard when you are already putting pressure on yourself about the destination, or comparing yourself with others. In most environments, you will be deemed to have achieved something when you have delivered a result. Goals have their values. Action without vision can be very useless at times, but let’s not get too fixated to the point of analysis paralysis. We often look at our lives in terms of where we should be, and then set the goal. We say, “By the end of the year, I will have gotten a promotion. I will have acquired land. I will have bought a house. I will hit my targets at work. I will get a raise. I will save or invest a certain amount.”

The Role that Goals Play

Goals are important but they can also be a problem. We tend to focus only on the end result, which means that sometimes, if we haven’t gotten that house, raise or made those investments, we believe that we have failed. Then we try to do better next year and fall into the same trap of setting yet another end result. The truth however, is that more than anything, it’s about who you became and the process that you went through. The house may be smaller or bigger than you anticipated, but you became something. The process meant something.

One of the goals may be to start a business. How about we forget what it is supposed to look like and forget that person who started five years ago? Do what you have to do to just get onto the bus. I use that phrase to illustrate the importance of committing to the process. You don’t have to have the perfect vision as it unfolds along the journey. I continue to do what I do for the love of the process as well as the vision. If the process is not doing something for you, you will give up when things are rough. Process creates character that can be used again and again. Even if the first idea or business does not work, you will carry on those lessons to the next thing.

“But why?” – Your Reason for it

Don’t wait for a perfect reason to become an entrepreneur. Many people told me that they are in the “perfect place” and that’s why it’s hard to move and even explain to people why they want to disrupt this. There are people who are in great jobs, have great incomes and everything looks good externally. You may be finding it hard to explain to a spouse, family, colleague why you would want to go down this road. People have asked me over time why I went into business. For a while, I didn’t think my core reason was valid enough so I used secondary reasons e.g. I observed parents who were in business, wanted to make an impact, wanted the independence etc. These reasons definitely played a part but the truth is I also just felt unsettled. Not exactly something you can describe logically.

Are you feeling disturbed? Do you feel that something is not right? Do you go to work and feel like you’re just existing? For some people this is an indicator that it’s time for a new job or career. Others mask it in a new car or new wardrobe. Maybe you know that you want to unravel this bug through a business venture. This reason is valid enough. You don’t have to have all your ducks in a row. You probably have an idea of what you could possibly start with. Start with that. From many people’s experiences, once you do make this decision, the conditions you need have a way of showing up. It could be a client, a partnership or network, an idea etc. Or it could also be an incident like retrenchment that nudges you over the edge.

The Role of Experience in Entrepreneurship

Lastly, many people feel that they do not have the experience. Whatever experience you have up until this point is important. You may just need to look at experience differently. Everything has taught you something and prepared you for something, especially the mistakes. A typical CV is made up of titles. People move from assistant to manager to senior manager to director. In business, the market or your clients don’t care that much about titles. They care more about what you can do. What skills or abilities do you have? Now, define your experience not through titles but through that. Instead of identifying yourself by the title of senior accountant, relate with the fact that you are good in numbers, analytical, have good communication skills, etc.

In our forum, we had an exercise where every participant had to speak about themselves without putting in their job titles or roles. It was then that they understood what they were truly selling as entrepreneurs. It was difficult at first, because we’ve been conditioned to think with titles. Entrepreneurship doesn’t recognise titles. It recognizes ability. The business you want to start may just require great communication. You could have picked that at work, clubs in university, hosting family gatherings, or even while raising a child. A lot of the experience also comes as you engage in the process. There is a difference between being a lawyer at work and starting a law firm. If you are starting a law firm you will need a great deal more than knowing the law. Your greatest asset may be your communication skills or ability to build a network.

Too many people are trying to start a business but are not taking any steps. Don’t try. Do it. Get onto the bus. Act on that “disturbed” feeling. Your experience to date is valid. As one of our speakers aptly put it, the world lacks something when you don’t respond to that inner call.

What do you feel is your calling? Is there a need in the marketplace for which you feel passionate about providing a solution? Share your vision in the comments section below, and click here to browse through the album from the entrepreneur forum.

Waceke Nduati-Omanga runs programs on Personal Finance Management and Entrepreneurship. 

Find her at waceken@centonomy.com| twitter @CekeNduati| Facebook.com/CekeNduati