Rebecca is a guest contributor to Grow Smart Business in the area of change management. She is a consultant and life coach with more than 15 years of experience helping organizations and individuals manage change.
This week Rebecca shares her tips on how to take the leap into starting your own business.
So you have the idea, but there seems to be a chasm between here and there? It’s big enough to make you turn around and head back to the safety of the old job? Please don’t fear! And don’t quit! You’re on the precipice of something incredible and the world will be better for your efforts!
All of us that own our own business, no matter how small or large have faced this same moment. I remember staring at my beautiful business plan and thinking “now what?!?!” For some reason the answer wasn’t there. So I turned to my coach, Joannie Jorczak, of Light the Way Coaching.
I told her all the things I need to do before I could actually “open.” She listened intently, and then politely disagreed. She told me I had everything I needed already. I didn’t need to wait for perfection. I could hang my shingle the next day. I gasped and thought….Really? Could I actually start NOW?
Not convinced, I also sought out the advice of my Ladies Who Launch incubator intensive. 10 women, in one way or another, told me I already had what it took. Okay, I thought, can they ALL be wrong? Probably not.
So the next week, I created my distribution list, packed with friends and family and former colleagues, and I sent my first email blast, announcing the soft launch of my business. My website wasn’t ready, my logo wasn’t ready, and the ink on my business plan was still drying. What was I thinking?
Within minutes my inbox was flooded with responses….mostly congratulations, some questions, but ALL enthusiastic and encouraging. And then there was THE ONE….”Hi Rebecca. I’m in. When can we start?” I had my first client. I had crossed the chasm.
So I want to tell you: Just take the first step, no matter how small it may seem. And here are a couple other things that propelled me on my initial journey:
Support Yourself: my coach, my friends, my family, and my incubator intensive at Ladies Who Launch all gave me the feedback that was missing. When you work for yourself, you have to seek this out. Also, there are so many free resources to help guide you online. No matter what topic, there is someone who has been there, done that. Sites like Network Solutions’ Grow Smart Business are wonderful resources for today’s entrepreneur.
Create Your Vision and a Plan to get there: I was very clear on the “end state” vision of my business, which is essential, but then I created milestones along the way to keep me moving forward on the journey (i.e. soft launch, branding complete, website complete, launch party, etc.)
Do One Thing to Move your Business Forward Every Day: No matter what, I did at least one thing to move myself forward. I made a call, I got feedback on my copy for the website, I told a friend what I was doing, I sent an email to a potential client, I got on Twitter, I posted on Facebook. I just kept putting one foot in front of the other.
Trust Your Passion: I am in continuous disbelief that I get paid to do this every day. When we are doing something we truly love, it does not feel like work, which should tell you it’s the right job for you. If this is truly something you love, trust yourself and go!
Rebecca Rodskog is a NYC-based change management consultant, coach, actor and mom of two. Visit her website at www.rodskog.com and tweet her at @beccalynn.
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