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Home » Business And Finance Articles » Seven Scary Reasons Not To Start A Home Based Business

Seven Scary Reasons Not To Start A Home Based Business

Thinking of starting a home based business can be a scary affair. After the thrill of getting that brilliant idea, it's usually in that first battle with the mind that people lose and give up. Our minds are terribly good at looking at the down side of things. Here are SEVEN SCARY reasons why people shy away from starting their own home based business and SEVEN SIMPLE steps to help you overcome those fears.

Fear of failure and making mistakes.

Nobody like's making mistakes and failing, especially if it concerns something major like starting a home based business. That's why many people take the easy way out and quit. After all, if you don't try, then you won't fail.

Fear of change.

Running a home based business (any business for that matter) often forces you to change and improve your attitude, working style, personal preferences and bad habits. Unfortunately, most of us would rather accept the problems we DO know than the possibilities we DON'T. We're often caught in a comfort zone â€" and it cripples our dreams and limits our potential!

Fear of commitment and responsibility

In many ways, it's easier to work for someone else. You needn't worry about the thousands of details that your boss has to consider. A home based business is a guaranteed crash course in commitment and responsibility! There is NO running away from the boss, NO hiding from the customers and NO switching off your mind after work!

Fear of hard work.

When we first started our home catering business, I had LOTS of problems adapting. I went from being a web developer in long sleeves and tie in a nice comfy office to an apron in a hot, stuffy kitchen, cleaning and chopping chicken, meat, fish and veggie, scrubbing the kitchen, pot, pans and stove, taking out tons of garbage and well... you get the idea... Yes, there were days when I was tempted to give all this hard work!

Fear of success.

I've got to be honest - one of the major reasons I shied away from starting my own home based business for so long was the fear of success! It seemed so much easier to just be my old self, holding on to my old goals. Mediocrity is a whole lot easier to achieve than success. I feared having to face ALL the seven scary reasons listed here!

Fear of competition.

You may be worried about competitors but the truth is that when you're a newbie, the big boys probably won't notice you. It's when you've been around for a while and maybe when some of their customers have made their way to you that they begin noticing. The good thing is that by then, you should have gained sufficient experience and be savvy enough to stand your own ground.

Fear of uncertainty.

No doubt about it. Running a home based business WILL mean lots of uncertainties, but isn't it be better knowing YOU were in control of these uncertainties instead of your boss or someone you don't even know?

Okay... that was pretty nasty medicine. Reality always is. Now that we've faced seven scary reasons not to start a home based business, here are seven simple steps to overcome them...

Reality check!

Know yourself â€" what you're good at and what you're not. Know what drives you and what you're passionate about. Starting a home based business around what you do best is the easiest way to start.

Do your homework

Find out everything you can about the business you want to start. Visit the library. Scour the Internet. Ask people who are already doing it or have done it. Mind you, make sure they've been successful at it, otherwise they're going to lead you in the wrong direction.

Don't walk with turkeys

You can't fly with eagles when you keep walking with turkeys! Every negative word you hear (from turkeys) will scribble its way into your subconscious. If you keep company with turkeys, your hopes and dreams are probably going to end up burnt to a crisp and served on the thanksgiving table.

Fly with eagles

Keep company with eagles â€" positive people who know what it takes to make dreams come true! Keep your heart and mind fixed on your goal. If you're sure your home based business is workable, then find ways to work it! Seek guidance and support from the eagles in your life. Never be afraid to ask questions and seek help.

Make your dreams real

The best way to do this is to write down every dream or idea you have. Writing them down makes your dreams something tangible you can see and work on. Vocalize your dream. Visualize yourself reaching your goal. Make sure you jealously guard your dreams against negative thoughts and words.

Small steps

When you think of how BIG a problem or task is, you give yourself BIG worries! Break every problem into smaller tasks and solve them one by one. Remember... to move a mountain, you do it one stone at a time, one rock at a time, one boulder at a time.

Persistence and patience

If a dream is worth dreaming, it's worth struggling for. Problems WILL arise but remember that every problem is an opportunity for you to learn to become stronger, smarter and more resilient. Take every problem in stride and keep your eyes fixed on your goal.

There you have it folks â€" SEVEN SCARY REASONS that may be preventing you from becoming a successful home based business owner and SEVEN SIMPLE STEPS to help you overcome them! Success comes one step at a time â€" cheers!

And here is another random article you might be interested in...

Characteristics of a Professional... Are You Serious about Your Job?

"I wish my people were more professional," executives and managers often commiserate to me. Even with those who don't voice it, that unspoken yearning often hovers just-under-the-surface of their conversation.

Ah, if only the people around us were more professional. Our lives would be easier, our businesses would grow more effortlessly, we'd find our jobs more fulfilling... the list of dramatic benefits can go on and on. But what does it mean to be more professional? More importantly, what can we do to make sure that we, and our associates, are becoming ever more professional?

According to Webster's New World Dictionary, a professional is a person who is "worthy of the high standards of a profession." And a profession is, "a vocation or occupation requiring advanced training... and usually involving mental rather than manual work."

There are some key words here. Let's focus on these: High standards. The word "standards" implies that there are discernable ways that people consistently behave that set us apart as members of our profession. And the word "high" implies that we do these things better than the average.

To consistently behave in ways that are better than the average, i.e. to achieve high standards, is not easy. In our rapidly changing, ever more complex economy, achieving high standards is not an event which we mark, rather it is a continuous process which calls on us to persistently and positively change and grow. That's a major challenge. And that challenge calls for us to develop one of the foundational characteristics of true professionals: We must be serious about our occupations.

In other words, we must understand that our occupations are challenging, with high expectations of discernable standards, and we must consistently want to do better - we must be dedicated to succeeding.

There are those of your associates who make light of this foundational requirement. "The job is only a job," they may say. "A means to an end. Just do the basics in order to keep your boss off your back. Real life is lived outside the confines of your occupation."

I can certainly understand these sentiments. And if you share them, that's fine. You're just not a professional.

Understand that I'm not suggesting that you work excessive hours to the detriment of your family. It's not about the quantity, it's about the quality. A professional understands that we work 40 - 55 hours a week, and that we spend more time on the job than in almost any other endeavor. Our occupations, just in terms of hours, truly fill one of the biggest pieces of our lives. To be serious about our occupations doesn't require us to invest more time. Rather, it does require us to use that time more effectively. If we're going to live life fully, we need to be serious about that big chunk of time.

To allow it to pass us by untouched is to waste much of our lives. To coast through, oblivious to the daily challenges to become more of what we can become, is to squander rich opportunities for personal growth. To be anything less than serious about our occupations is, frankly, a shame.

If we are serious about our occupations, we'll see ourselves acting that out in a number of ways. In other words, our underlying attitude of seriousness will show itself in the way that we behave. Consistently, over time, we'll act in ways that show the people around us our commitment. Here are two indications of the degree to which we are serious about our occupations:

1. We'll want to do better in everything we do.

Better? Better than what?

Better than we did before. We'll exhibit a never-ending quest to improve our performance in every variable, every project, every transaction, every relationship, and every detail. I call this the characteristic of "personal discontent." Our personal status quo is never acceptable.

That's not to say that we can't celebrate and enjoy our success. We certainly should. But after we've congratulated ourselves for our excellent performance, we then need to take a deep breath, and recommit to doing it better next time.

Here's an example. I've been a fan of the Detroit Pistons professional basketball team for decades. For several years Isiah Thomas was the leader of the "Bad Boys," as the team was known. The team was world champions, and Isiah was recognized as the Most Valuable Player. It doesn't get any better than that. Most Valuable Player on the World Champion team.

But Isaiah was a "true professional." In an interview with a news reporter, he revealed that he often had insomnia, and would get up in the middle of the night and practice shooting free throws in the gymnasium he had built in his home - practicing one of the most basic skills in order to improve in it.

Even at the peak of his career, he wasn't satisfied with his performance. While he enjoyed his success, he knew he could do better. Isaiah was a career 80 percent free throw shooter - not a 100 percent shooter. He exhibited the quality of every professional - personal discontent.

That applies to managers, executives and leaders of organizations in the same way. I'm often asked if there are any attributes that identify a potential client for my company's services. What does a good prospect look like? I've found one necessary trait: an executive or executive team that is ambitious for the growth of their company.

In other words, a leader who is discontent. Regardless of the degree of current success, discontent in the executive office is the surest indicator of a company on the move.

It's true for every individual and every organization at every stage of an organization. A professional executive is discontent with his organization's performance. A professional manager is discontent with his team's results. A professional of any kind is continually discontent with his/her performance.

At every level, in every occupation, the professionals are always striving to do it better the next time.

2. We'll seek opportunities and relationships that will challenge us to grow.

James Allen said, "Men are often interested in improving their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves. They, therefore, remain bound."

That is decidedly not true of a professional. What is an observation of the mass of people does not apply to professionals. As a professional, we distinguish ourselves by our dedication to personal growth. It's the natural and logical progression from the state of continuous discontent.

It's one thing to be discontent; it's another to do something about it. And, while it is possible to be discontent about our circumstances, a professional realizes that it is his skills, attitudes, and behaviors that shape his circumstances. So, the solution to changing your circumstances is, ultimately, to change yourself. A professional understands this, and seeks continually for opportunities and relationships that will stimulate him to grow.

Again, this shows itself in a number of ways. Professionals take guidance and direction from their managers. Professionals work to implement the ideas and skills they gain from training programs and seminars. rofessionals are always reading something which prompts them to grow and develop. Professionals aren't afraid to try something different, to stretch out of their comfort zones, understanding that the stretch, while it might be uncomfortable, will cause them to build additional capabilities. Professionals seek cohorts that stimulate them to think by joining small groups and internet communities.

Add these two characteristics together, and you begin to gain a portrait of a true professional: Professionals are serious about their occupation.

Copyright 2006 Dave Kahle