Into an endless sea of opportunity!

I have a few questions for you:

  • Do you wake up Monday morning and wish it were Friday already?
  • Do you feel unsatisfied with your current job and wish you had more flexibility?
  • Are you tired of getting a paycheck for doing something you hate?
  • Are you a stay-at-home mom who is antsy to finally do something for herself?
  • Are you a professional who is looking to change career paths entirely?
  • Are you burning out in the corporate world?
  • Have you ever thought of turning your hobby into a career?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you just may be ready to get off the fence and START YOUR OWN BUSINESS.

start your own business

I can’t believe that in all my Blog posts about getting off the fence and unlocking you passion, I haven’t called out specifically to those of you younger and older women, stay-at-home moms, or career women to inspire you to change directions and start your own business. And while this path may not be for everyone, I will tell you with great certainty, that each one of you, with the willpower and proper guidance, can do it!

Let’s just say you answered YES to any of the above questions. You should know that very few things in life will bring you more self confidence, more gratification, or more financial gain than being your own boss. My point of today’s Blog post was to awaken the sleepy or perhaps complacent side of yourself, shake things up a little, and show you that it’s not that difficult to get moving.

women entrepreneur

So, today I will give you a just few tips from my upcoming book The  99 Things Women Wish They Knew Before… Starting Their Own Business to get you moving. This is not a crash course on Women’s Entrepreneurship 101. Today is not about writing business plans, motivating employees or finding investors. Rather, today is about getting off the fence. Today is about deciding that now could be the time. Your time. That starting your own business, be it a small home-based business or something larger, could be your calling, as it was mine.

Here are a few quick tips to get you on your way…

  1. You Don’t Need Money to Start a Business… You Need Heart. A bank or a family member could hand you a check for $50,000 to start your own endeavour, but if you don’t have the fire, the passion, and the heart as well as the business idea, you might as well throw that check right into a burning fire. Think about all the successful people you know… Richard Branson, Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey…  Don’t they make it all seem so easy and effortless? Can’t you just see the sparkle in their eyes, and feel the fire in their soul? It’s infectious. But your heart has to be in it.
  2. Love the Work You Do, and Your Road to Success Will Be a Lot Quicker. There is a quote that I love. It goes… “Find a job you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.” – Confucius. We’ve all heard this expression. If you find something you love to do, it will never feel like “work.” This is so true. So, before taking the plunge, think: “Am I going to love this in 5 years? In 10 years? In 20 years?” I know that may be hard to imagine, but you have to envision yourself doing it day in and day out, for a very long time. If you can’t, you haven’t unlocked your passion. You can read a Blog post about unlocking your passion. That I DID write about. 😉
  3. Think Big. Start Small. Ok, so you’re thinking about it, so why not make it the best it can be? Why not aim for the stars? But before you go quitting your day job, you can still plan the dream and move with caution. In fact, most successful businesses today, such as Microsoft, started with this motto… “Think Big, Start Small.” There is a tremendous amount of commitment required on your end to make it successful, and there is no shame in starting small. So think gardening, ladies. Think of some of the most beautiful trees or flowers you’ve planted. The earth is laid, the seed is planted, and with the right amount of light and water, slowly, you start to grow a big, beautiful plant. Your business will need the same kind of nurturing. Plant the seed, give it the love and attention it needs, and slowly you will watch it grow.

So if you’ve got the itch, I say scratch it! Summer is a great time to grab a pen and paper, or your computer, get outside on a park bench, or head to Starbucks, and start mapping out your plan.

I wish you all the success in the world in starting your new venture. What an incredible opportunity! What an incredible journey it will be.

You will be embraced into a huge club of MOMPreneurs, Entrepreneurs, and risk-takers. It’s a fun club to be in!

Are you ready? If you are, buckle up, and get ready for the ride of your life.

Happy Canada Day to all my Canadian readers!

Tell us, have you been thinking about starting your own business? Have you always wanted to be an entrepreneur? In what field? What’s your dream? What does your vision board look like? What are you doing to make it a reality? We’d love to hear!

xoxEDxox