Tightrope: Action is the key ingredient in starting a start-up
— -- I often get e-mails from folks complaining about having trouble finding the best business to get started in. And others lament about how difficult it is to start a business once they figure out what to go into to.
It's a lot easier to start a business today than it was when I started more than 30 years ago. Today's start-up entrepreneur has better access to what it takes to succeed, including financing opportunities and training from courses offered in universities and colleges. In addition, home-based business are now more accepted, so you don't have to rush out and invest in office space. And above all, there's the Internet, where you can get a successful business going or learn how to run a business.
If you are looking to make a lifestyle adjustment or to fulfill your life's dream while making a living, you just might find it as an entrepreneur. Why not take the skills that you have and go for it?
Consider the following two people, who used their skills and background to become entrepreneurs.
My friend Andrea had achieved success as the executive director of a non-profit fair housing agency. She believed her calling was to eradicate unfair housing for low-income families.
But after being diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor, she knew her high-stress career in social work was over.
Not long after winning the battle with cancer, Andrea needed a way to make a living that was conducive to her new lifestyle. She decided to try using her skills and knowledge as a social worker and establish a consulting company.
Today Andrea does fair housing consulting with government agencies and private non-profit organizations.
"I needed the flexibility to rest and nap during the day and yet I still needed to make a living," she says. "Becoming an entrepreneur allowed me to do both and create an environment of wellness."
Then there are people who love what they do so much they want to spread it to a larger audience.
Another friend, Sandy, spent 10 years as a counselor for the social services department of a local hospital. She advised patients who were suffering from health-related traumas, stress and grief. Sandy watched with joy as her consulting abilities turned patients around and gave them a life renewed.
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