Starting Your Own Business – When You Get the Ah-Ha Moment

Each day when you drive to work, do you have a feeling of restlessness? Or maybe it’s just feeling unsettled or uncomfortable. And while at work, does every little thing frustrate you? Sometimes these feelings are mental, sometimes physical and sometimes both.

When you feel this way, it’s time to sit down and assess your life. If these feelings seem to center around work, it’s time to figure out what’s bugging you. You might just determine that you’re ready to be on your own, to leave the world of working for someone else and start our own business. And when the time is right, the ah-ha! moment will be there to give you the courage to move forward.

So, how do you know when it’s the right time? Often it’s a process, and here are 4 questions to ask yourself. If you can honestly give the answers you’re looking for, you’ll be at the ah-ha moment soon!

1. Do I have the skills and knowledge to run my own business? You have worked for years for others. Frequently you question if you could do a better job than they are doing. Sometimes you know you can. All their decisions appear to be wrong, they don’t value you or your knowledge but you are aware that your contribution has a lot to do with where they are today. You have worked long enough and have learned a lot by watching, doing and contributing to another person’s success.

2. What’s bothering me? You finally realize, after all the restlessness and frustration you feel, that this is who you really are – entrepreneur/business owner. You want to have control of your life. No more working for “the man” and being told when to work, where to work and how to do your work.

3. What would I do? You have skills that can transfer to your own business. Now, consider your passion – something you would do for free if you didn’t need the money. That’s what you do – build your business around that passion.

4. Is now the right time? When you have the ability to deal with the risk, the belief in yourself and the confidence in your success – it’s the right time. Don’t wait for the opportunity to show up; create the opportunity.

I’ve spoken to many entrepreneurs, and most say that after they’ve done their due diligence (answered these questions), they still didn’t jump immediately. There was an event, a meeting, a comment – something that made them get the ah-ha. Some were monumental, like a job loss and others just a slight tap on the shoulder (arriving home late for dinner just one too many evenings), but when that ah-ha moment hit, they were ready. They were in control and they said goodbye to their “secure” job and entered the world of entrepreneurship.

None that I know have looked back with regret.