A reader recently shared something with me that many people can relate to:
“I’m thinking about changing careers and starting my own business. I’d love it if you wrote about courage to take risks, success, pivoting when needed, financial freedom.”
right?
It’s amazing when you think about all the areas of our lives.
Career, family, finances, relationships, health, friendships, hobbies and most importantly, your state of mind.
A LOT.
Actually, life a lot. Getting through the day takes a lot of energy. So let alone trying to start a business or change careers.
It’s no wonder why so many fail before they even start.
Not because their ideas are bad. It’s hard to get started.
I have started (and failed) many (side) projects in my life. Let me share with you what has worked for me.
What are you really afraid of?
When someone says, “I want to start a business,” the idea sounds simple. But their minds immediately jump ten steps ahead:
- What if I lose money?
- What if nobody cares?
- What if I’m not good enough?
- What will my family or friends think?
- How can I find a time when I’m already tired?
All real concerns.
But watch what happens. You worry about the problems of running a business before you even did the first thing!
You have no customers, employees, overhead or investors. You have a point.
So deal with the stage you are at. Don’t get ahead of yourself.
These people start imagining what their wedding will be like after three dates.
You don’t have to quit your job, invest your savings, announce a career change, or know what you’ll be doing in five years.
You just have to see if your idea is worth taking a step further.
It takes a lot of pressure off.
Do you need to sew everything yourself?
See, the internet loves dramatic stories.
So he started a business with 50 dollars and now it is worth ten million dollars!
Oh, great.
You rarely hear about all the people who did the same thing and ran out of money.
The truth is, you can too bet on yourself without sewing all your life.
Keep your job. Protect your savings. Work on a project for a few hours a week. You can even be quiet for a while. Your friends don’t need to understand and your colleagues don’t need to know.
I started writing on the side while working at our industrial laundry. I had no audience and hardly anyone read my early articles. I didn’t make a big announcement. I just wrote and published every week.
Starting quietly gives you room to learn. You can make mistakes without realizing that everyone is watching. And you can change direction without explaining yourself.
Your first move should be to create options without destroying the life you already have. And you don’t have to start from scratch. The skills you’ve developed in your current career will carry with you.
Look at everything you can do, not just your job title. Then ask: How can I use these skills to help a specific person?
This question could lead to a service, newsletter, product, course, consulting proposal, book, or a whole other career. Choose a direction and create something useful.
How do you stop preparing and start running?
Preparation is effective because there is no risk of rejection. You can research tools, compare platforms, redesign a logo, take another course, and tell yourself you’re “working on it.”
But nothing entered the world.
A more useful way to start is:
- Write why you are doing this. Want more independence, another career, extra income, or a place to share your ideas? A weak cause will not survive a difficult week.
- Choose one person you want to help. Not “everyone who wants a better life”. Think of a real person with a problem that you understand.
- Determine the smallest useful result. One article. One sample project. One free session. One landing page with a method to join the email list. Something that another person can see or use.
- Price limitation. Decide how much time and money you are willing to spend on the first version. Weekends and 100 euros is the real limit. “Whatever” mundane projects become valuable distractions.
- Select the launch window. Give yourself 48 hours or a weekend to make the first version real. The deadline forces you to make a decision and ignore the decoration.
- Get feedback before expanding. Show the work to people who can use it. Ask what is helpful, confusing, or missing. Then improve it.
The first version has one task: to teach what to do next.
Don’t build a full business. Don’t create ten products. Don’t spend three months creating a website with seven blank pages.
Run one useful thing.
What if the first version fails?
It probably doesn’t work the way you imagine. This is normal.
Maybe no one registered. Maybe people like the idea but don’t want to pay. You will probably find that you hate doing the work. These results are useful because they save you from spending another year on the wrong version.
When you’re thinking about a project, everything is still theory. The launch gives you the facts.
You may find that the problem is wrong, the proposition is vague, or the audience is too broad. Change something and try again. This is how business and careers develop: you act, you watch what happens and you adapt.
A new career is like learning a new language. You make stupid mistakes. As long as they’re not permanent, who cares?
Betting on yourself
I ran Start at 48 this month and I have to say it’s been amazing to see how fast some of the students are moving.
This has been the most successful course I have ever done in terms of engagement.
After I published an article about betting on yourself, I received several emails from readers who wanted to join Launch at 48 but missed the cohort.
Therefore, I decided to lead one additional group. Registration will continue until August 2.
It will happen indeed be the last cohort of the year. If you also want to stop preparing and finally launch your project, you can join us here.
Whatever you decide, start as small as you can now.
An imperfect project in the world gives you something to build on. The thought in your head gives you nothing.
