Ask AT: What do you wish someone told you when you were getting started with your business?
? What do you wish someone told you when you were getting started with your business?
Starting a business isn't all that difficult, sustaining one is the hard part. Anyone can start a business, you can go online and post something you aren't using anymore for sale and BAM! You're in business. There are millions and millions of different kinds of businesses out there, some that have already been tried and some that are still just ideas.
From my experience, having been involved in starting so many businesses that I can't even count, I think the best advice I wish I had gotten from someone while I was starting out would be, don't worry about what someone else thinks about your business idea. Those people's opinions aren't going to pay your bills. If you feel like you have a sound business idea and you have done your homework, then go for it! You don't need anyone's approval or blessing.
I'm not saying that every business I've ever launched made me a boatload of money. I have had my fair share of failed businesses but for every failed business came a life lesson. I started out in the family business (grocery). My dad had been in the business all his life. My brother and I followed in his footsteps. I wasn't all that happy going into the business, but dad said we had to, so I agreed to give them 5 years and then I said I would be done. 12 years later I finally said I'm out and my dad said, "What the heck are you going to do?" My answer was "whatever the heck I want to do".
Since then I have owned night clubs, bowling allies, sundry shops, hail storm roof repair companies, custom home building companies, credit card processing, a lead generation company, charity poker room and probably 10 or 20 others that I can't think of right now.
Anyway, currently I'm the CEO and Founder at Nine9 "The Un-Agency". Nine9 is a business that helps models and actors get started in the entertainment industry and helps casting directors, agencies, and clients find talent. To all that want to be models and actors, you can be your own a business, you are that business and your talents are your assets. If you are wanting to break into the industry, you should take the advice I wish I got starting out and not look for the approval or blessing from others. Do what you feel in your heart and go for it. Go all in and take the time to learn all you can as fast as you can.
You're going to hear the trolls all over the internet saying all kind of negative things about why you shouldn't do this or that, but in the end, all they are doing is misleading you so that they can feel better about themselves. The trolls are the easy ones to ignore, because they are strangers and you don't know them. The tough ones are mom, dad, cousins, aunts, uncles, brothers and sisters. Most of the time they want the best for you and they want you to be safe and take the safe road in life. Safe isn't the way to big things though.
You are never too old or too young to take a shot at a business or to leap into the entertainment industry. I'm not going to say I wasted those 12 years at the grocery store because I learned a lot of life lessons and I can write this and help you learn from my mistakes. In the end you don't want to be late to the party, life is too short, and you should plant your feet firmly on the ground and do what you want to do as long as you have a plan.
Nine9 announced our new eBook titled #Nine9er: The Ultimate Modeling & Acting Handbook!
You can download a copy at https://nine9.com/ultimate-modeling-acting-handbook
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