Finding the Right Business for You to Start

This current phase of taking your entrepreneurial leap is usually filled with false starts. Whatever you do between now and when you open for business is all part of the process. It will often seem to have no direct correlation to the business you finally start, but it does.

As Rosabeth Moss Canter says,

“The middle of anything looks like failure.”

I took my leap at age 25. Between the ages of 18 and 24, I worked in a machine shop, sold corporate travel, had a mail-order company, and invested in and sold real estate. None of this had a direct correlation with a training company, but I can recall dozens of experiences from those different endeavors that are now all part of what I know as an entrepreneur.

The idea is to move forward. Try a lot of things. Learn lessons. Just do something. Get to work, get a job, work harder than everyone, and the inspiration will come. This is your experimental and testing phase. It’s as much about figuring out what you don’t like as it is figuring out what you love. 

As you embark on this somewhat messy next phase, your job is to keep your eyes peeled for your inspiration. Think about a need you see or a problem to be solved. 

A list of entrepreneurial “light bulb moments” that were turned into businesses is laid out for you in chapter 13 of Entrepreneurial Leap: Do You Have What It Takes To Become An Entrepreneur. I hope it gives you the inspiration that leads to your own such moment. 

I’ve come up with my best ideas both from books and when brainstorming with friends and colleagues I respect, who bring different perspectives or areas of expertise to the table.

Here are a few quotes that helped inspire me:

• Marketing guru Joe Polish says,

“The way most money is made is by transforming other people’s bad news into good news.”

• Richard Rossi says,

“Wherever there is anxiety, there is opportunity.” 

• Dan Sullivan says,

“When people are feeling confused, isolated and powerless, there is an opportunity.”

Next Steps

Take a minute right now and think of one thing you can do to move yourself closer to finding the right business for you to start. (Meet with a friend and brainstorm, read a book, watch an inspirational video.)

You can also check out the MyBizMatch tool, which will help you determine what business you're best suited to start in your entrepreneurial leap.

You can also read this article on my blog!