Article by Mike Anderson (NSBC Founder & CEO)
Is your dream to operate your own business. If so, now is the time to ‘Think Differently’ and ‘Take Action’. The great start-up boom is coming. Are you ready?
Have you ever looked at the legendary entrepreneurs and wondered how they got to where they are? Where did they start? Many successful entrepreneurs have started from humble beginnings – little or no funds. You may think you cannot start a business with only what you have right now, but it takes fewer resources than you think. Combined with passion and tenacity, you could be well on your way to becoming the next legendary entrepreneur.
How many people in life have said these words and will continue to do so, ‘I hate my job’, ‘I can’t get a job’, ‘I would like to start my own business but have no start-up capital’? I can think of many, many people that use this mantra everyday of their lives. But, until you think about it differently, you cannot change the status quo. What you put out is what you get back in. If you have the desire to become an entrepreneur then you need to change the way you think and act accordingly.
Taking control of your own destiny by owning your own business isn’t just a way to wealth – it’s a way to pursue your life’s dreams, find personal fulfilment, and take control of your own life. This path isn’t an easy one, but it’s one that all of history’s greatest entrepreneurs have had to follow.
For most South Africans, starting a business is a daunting and almost impossible task, but for many, thinking beyond a job and opting for the entrepreneurial way of life is the only way of the future and it doesn’t need to take money to achieve this.
A person’s natural reaction is to immediately point out the negatives; it’s almost a knee jerk reaction in response to the possibility of failure and the lack of funding. The ones that dare to fail are the ones that will succeed in the end. A successful person will take each failure as a lesson, a lesson that will stand them in good stead for chasing their dreams and achieving success in the long run.
To me the biggest tragedy of all is that the people who have the drive, know-how, passion and talent to succeed as an entrepreneur simply never try. Why? Because from a young age we are indoctrinated with the ideal that failure is indeed that, Failure. The world’s most successful entrepreneurs know that each failure brings them closer to business success and achieving greatness.
With unemployment so high at 32.6% and 1 in 3 job seekers not able to find a job, the #LaunchMyStartup initiative will without doubt make a positive difference to thousands of families throughout South Africa. The initiative, powered by the National Small Business Chamber (NSBC) is about promoting and encouraging entrepreneurship as a viable career option and then showing exactly what they need to do – to start-out and become successful. For many this is an exciting option and an opportunity to become an entrepreneurial legend.
Entrepreneurs will often have amazing business ideas, but they put them on hold due to a fear of failure, a lack of capital and/or waiting for the conditions to be perfect, and as we know the conditions will never be perfect. They also assume that their idea will never get far off the ground unless they have major funding behind them.
Many of the world’s greatest entrepreneurial success stories started out in a garage with no money. Don’t let the lack of funding stop you! Yes, there will be long stressful days with little to no sleep. But those that want it bad enough will make it. If you have decided that the entrepreneurial way of life is for you, then take action and create another legendary story.
Starting a business with little or no money but plenty of passion, perseverance and persistence is the way to go. Don’t let no start-up capital destroy your dreams. It’s time to change the mind-set and go from zero to hero.
If you are serious about taking control of your own life, become closely associated with the Launch My Startup initiative. This journey will give you all the insights, tools, startup guidance, how to register a company, business ideas, learnings, access to professionals etc.
So, if you ready to go, let’s get you going. To see more, click here.