Starting a business needs to start with looking in the mirror.

So you are thinking of starting a business?  Before you do make sure you are ready.  Starting a business is a very exciting time and people get caught up in the romance of the idea every day.  Most people see something that looks like a good idea and they go for it.  Most business failures start here.

There is a funny dichotomy of people that start a side business in addition to their income and people that start a business to replace their income.  You would hope that the people looking to replace their job would spend the time to make sure they are doing something they will enjoy.  The funny thing is the people with the “hobby” business tend to have fun and do well because they only do things they want to do and getting a little extra money is a bonus.



People who start out looking for “opportunities” will read magazines, go to franchise shows and do all kinds of things that are a big waste of time and money because they didn't get themselves ready first.   All they get is confusion, frustration and in the worst case a failed business venture.

The very first step is to look in the mirror and ask a few questions.  What is it that you are going to want to do every day all day.  What is it that you are willing to do to sacrifice your time with your family?  And no, working at home, hidden in an office, ignoring the dog and kids isn't “quality time at home”.

True success comes from doing something you really love to do.  In a perfect world we would all be making money for doing nothing and your internet store would just deposit money in your account.  No matter what people tell you, or what you read on the internet, there is no free lunch.  Even the best bloggers are continuously updating their programs, videos and websites.  The difference is they enjoy it.  If you enjoy sitting at a computer and thinking up new ways to sell ideas to people, then you might want to become a blogger.  Most people will burn out in a few days or weeks.

Another main cause of failure in any business is the lack of instant income.  When you build a store, start an internet blog or any other venture, there is a start up time.  The normal rule of thumb is 2-5 years depending on how much experience you have in that field.  Nobody posts a blog and suddenly has 50,000 unique visitors a month.

Building the business takes time and effort no matter how you look at it.  That is why looking in the mirror and deciding what you are going to do first is more important than finding out how people make money.  Go out and find out how people doing what you want to do make money, then you have a business you can enjoy and prosper in.  As J.D. Rockefeller said “If your only goal is to become rich, you will never achieve it."