The 5 pieces of equipment you (really) need when starting a small business
Starting a Business
Believe me, there's never a right time to start a business!
by Holly
Over the years I’ve met thousands of people who have come up to me enthused with an idea, smiling from ear to ear as the notion of being their own boss seems to make them glow from the inside. I then ask the dreaded question, they know it’s coming and they brace themselves… ‘so when are you starting your business?’
Their faces drop, the shoulders hunch and they brush off the question with a laugh. The excuses (all well intended, true and so forth) flow. You see, I think everyone believes there will be a time, a perfect moment, for the adventure to begin of starting your own business and the truth is, there’s never a good time!
Just like having a child, there will never be a perfect moment, but I do believe I know the key to this timely question…
You see we’re all very busy with our normalities of life and your first thoughts, which were that you couldn’t quite possibly fit starting your own business, are not without good reason.
Did you know on average we have 561,000 hours on this planet with 187,000 asleep, 117,000 on daily chores and 198,000 working! No wonder we feel we don’t have the time to start something totally new. But this is where we’re wrong.
‘I think everyone believes there will be a time, a perfect moment, for the adventure to begin of starting your own business and the truth is, there is never a good time! Just like having a child, there will never be a perfect moment.’
It actually should be one of our only objectives, to use the precious time we do have, doing what we love. Isn’t that the point? And if you agree, then it’s the way you look at your time that matters.
For instance, if you were able to work on your idea for 60 minutes a day, possibly broken up into two 30 minute blocks at the beginning and end, you’d be able to practically give your new business a whole day a week. Imagine that!
You’re a busy parent, would it be possible to organise the kids with activities on Saturday morning, allowing you a precious four hours on your dreams? That would mean by the end of the month you would have given yourself two days on building your business!
Is there a possibility that you could side hustle your way to giving up the day job? Have you had that conversation with your partner, boss or bank manager? A huge percentage of business owners start this way, as it allows you the security of a pay cheque, whilst you ‘GO FOR IT’.
If you’re a parent, you’re well aware how many seconds there are in a minute, thanks to having to occupy a little one who has the attention span of a nat! Time, at that point of trying to find the 50th activity in an hour, seems to be endless!
But if you can carve an amount of regular time into your busy diary, do not underestimate the power of what you can achieve! If you gave yourself that hour a day I mentioned, then in one year you would have given yourself 45 working days – which is 100% enough time to start your business!
Use your time wisely (think of an hour with a two year old and what you manage to conjure up!) and set yourself lots of goals, the brain loves good old deadlines! Did you know Julie Deane came up with her business name for The Cambridge Satchel Company in five minutes? That’s all the time she allotted, and she created her logo design in Microsoft word art! The logo is still used today, and her products are sold in Saks 5th Avenue, Selfridges and Harvey Nichols to name a few and her company is worth millions!
‘If you can carve an amount of regular time into your busy diary, do not underestimate the power of what you can achieve! If you gave yourself an hour a day, in one year you would have given yourself 45 working days, which is 100% enough time to start your business!’
You see, I don’t see that our lives, whatever we do, stop us from building a business. I think it’s the perception of our time, it’s how we use it, carve it up and utilise it.
The point is, there is enough time to start your business. There is enough time to do what you love and totally and utterly, love what you do!
Don’t Dither, Do it!
‘My new business’ notebook – Alfamarama.
Let go of the fear!
Serial entrepreneur and co-founder of Coffee Republic Sahar Hashemi OBE shares her advice for taking the leap and starting your business!