… on starting a business

Yesterday I announced that I was #openforbusiness on LinkedIn. It was scary, but exciting – both of those feelings my own, probably exclusively – since I was the one with the announcement. 

In the thick of congratulatory messages were notes from my network – not my friends, but truly the extended professional connections I’ve made in the past 15 years – who said they’re excited about this because they also have ambitions of solo entrepreneurship.  If you’re one of those people – or even if you’re just quietly taking note – I hope you wait less time than I did to bet on yourself.  I will not grandstand and say… “take a risk, what do you have to lose?” because I am very aware of all there is to lose when you step away from the traditions of Corporate America.  But I will also encourage you to ask yourself: “What might I gain?”.   

From where I sit, you’ll gain a lot of knowledge.  It could be tangible stuff like – how to build a website, how to apply for a LLC, the fact that you need insurance to operate a business – even if your business is just you and your computer.  But if you know all that already, then perhaps what you’ll learn is less of that which you can touch-and-feel.  You might be surprised – as I have been – that you could inspire someone else to do what they’ve been considering for a while, or that you have votes of confidence from people you didn’t realize were thinking of you at all.  Those kinds of things are arguably more impactful and long-lasting – and you might never learn them otherwise.

So, while I’m not encouraging everyone to ditch the 9-5 and join me, I hope that if you have also considered starting your own thing, you know there are lots of people ready to cheer you on – me, especially!