START-UP FEARS By Jay Jacobson , March 22, 2006 http://kinetic.org Why are so many people so terrified of pursuing their dreams? Having created several businesses, when talking with people I often hear, "Oh! I want to start a business! I have always wanted to do that!" What a crappy thing to say. When someone says that, all I can think is, "Well?!? What is stopping you?" Any excuse, just like talk, is cheap. My expertise is in the technology world, which is not for everyone. I readily admit that I do not know anything about retail (although being heavily opinionated, I will sometimes spout advice like I know what the hell I am talking about). I appreciate that businesses in different sectors are all very different. A flower shop is quite a departure from an enterprise software company. Even more abstract, a service-based company is radically different from a product-based company. Okay, I get that. However, there is at least one common denominator: someone stopped making excuses and took some action to create the business. Hey, entrepreneurship is not for everyone; it has plenty of drawbacks. If you think (or demonstrate through your actions) that total self-responsibility is a drawback, then entrepreneurship is not for you. If you enjoy the false comfort that your paycheck and fancy bennies will be provided by someone else, then entrepreneurship is not for you. If you are not totally comfortable taking big risks with your financial and emotional stability, then entrepreneurship is not for you. After all of that, for the folks that still think they want to create a business, quit talking and start doing. Do something. Do anything. Just start "doing!" Are you thinking to yourself, "I can not right now because...?" If so, then perhaps it is time for you to face the reality that you are going down the wrong path. What you are pursuing is not your real passion. Take a proverbial step back and reevaluate... is what you think you want what you actually want? If so, why are you making excuses and not doing it? When you answer that question to yourself, are you still making excuses? There will always be more reasons "why not." At some point, you have to put them all aside and actually take action. You do not have to be careless, but you do have to make it happen.