“I want to do something on my own. But I can’t leave this job.
The market is not right.
My customers are not ready yet.
Will anyone pay for what my company has to offer?
May be next year then.”
Every existing and aspiring entrepreneur goes through this dilemma and many more.
You can never be prepared enough to start a business. From funds to resources to office space, everything seems like a necessity to go on board with idea. Now that we are 2 years into content development business (21D Solutions), I have realised that it’s never the right time and it’s never the wrong market. Here are a few elements that I used to believe one needs to start a business, but life taught me otherwise –
- Perfection in ideas. We always knew where our strengths lie, but we were not clear about what specifically to offer and who to serve. Whether to wait until we create something new, sort of zero to one, or to wait until we perfect our services. News flash! By the time you perfect a particular offering, the market would have evolved with so much new with their zero to one ideas. To fight a battle, you need to be on the battleground. Unless you dive into the market, head first, you will never know what it takes. So, got an idea? Start building to it. Create a social media page right now. Create a website. Start now. There is no harm in weighing your options, it’s smart; but when there is a need that you have a solution for, there are less expensive ways to test the waters and enter into the market. Keep learning but don’t wait for perfection.
Perfection is like tomorrow. It will follow as long as you live your today. - A mentor. I know, I know! A lot of people will offer to guide you. A lot of times it will occur to you that you need to find a mentor, someone who knows how it is to do what you are planning to do. In my experience, not required, infact I stay away from those who proactively offer guidance.
Don’t misunderstand. It doesn’t mean you should not seek advice or experience. Having someone you can share your concerns with, you can run your ideas by, who can help you, is a must. It could be your business partner, it could be your potential customers, your best friend, your potential employee, your ex-boss, anyone.
What I am suggesting is that many experienced people have lived their journeys a particular way and are quite stern in their ways. It’s good to know about it but it shouldn’t limit your vision. - A fully functional final website. This seems a very tactical one but more relevant than any other point. Trust me. You will never be happy with your website. Your thoughts will keep changing. I have seen so many people not launching a website because they are so particular about an underline. Don’t do that. Just go for it. You need to be out there before someone else overshadows you with you not even being there.
Timing is more important than your perceived perfection.
Just off the context, a few things that you definitely need is a good CA, some back up reserve for funds and market insights.
The Flawed One 
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