All right, this post is super brief but I just had to put it out there. I’m not usually a pep talk-giver (much more on the receiving end, to be honest lol), but hopefully my experience helps you in some way, even if only a little!
One of the hardest parts of being a new entrepreneur for me, and I’m sure for others too, was just starting the thing. The uncertainty of taking a risk this big can be scary and overwhelming. But if you’re like me, you’ll recognize the nagging feeling that no matter what, you just have to do this. You can’t NOT do this, even if it terrifies you.
I wanted to share the exact action I took that helped me get the ball rolling. It might be different for you and your business, but I’d probably still be in the pre-launch stage if I hadn’t done this, so hopefully it inspires you, too!
I’d had the idea to start a lifestyle site for a really long time and by this point, had toyed with every site-building platform under the sun. You name it, I’ve tried it, WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, the works. For the next few months, I did everything you’re supposed to, from figuring out a niche to learning about monetization.
I made some progress, for sure. The visuals of the site were finally finished and I had made a list of the people I wanted to interview and what my first few posts would be about. But then I hit a snag. I was basically in this endless planning stage. I think I just wanted the site—and everything else for that matter—to be “flawless” and was waiting for this imaginary “perfect moment” before actually launching it.
But all that did was made me procrastinate and delay it for weeks. It was so annoying, because each day I would spend working on it, it felt like I was never really making any progress, just adding more stuff to my to-do list everyday.
At one point, I just got really fed up. I picked up my phone and reached out to a well-known entrepreneur I really admire and asked to interview her. I told her about my plan for the site and that was that. Pressing send on that message felt like the first real progress I had made in months.
Just the act of telling someone besides my family gave me that push to actually turn this idea into something tangible and real. It was pretty nerve-wracking and I remember literally thinking, “well, there’s no going back now!” But more than being scared, I just felt…excited! I was actually doing this.
No two scenarios are the same, but if like me, you’ve been putting off actually starting your business because you feel like there’s so much you have to do and you don’t know where to begin, please know you aren’t alone. Even the most successful entrepreneurs have felt that. You can do this, seriously! I’m like the queen of procrastination, if I can do it, you can too.
Even taking a small action that scares you can help push your idea and your business forward. Sometimes it really is as simple as telling other people. When I interviewed Danielle Wiebe of Business Babes Collective about making the leap, she had some amazing advice:
“Announce it to your social media or tell someone so you can keep yourself accountable. So often people have these great business ideas, but then just keep putting them off, waiting for the “right time”. Give yourself a launch date and just put it out there! This way, other people will ask questions and keep you accountable. You need community to build your business, you cant do this on your own!”
Fellow entrepreneurs, what has helped you overcome the fear of starting? Share in the comments below! 🙂
