Which Excuses Are Keeping You From Starting or Growing Your Business?
Posted on 28. Apr, 2010 by Matthew Toren in Business, Entrepreneurship, Personal Development
Are you doing the work you want to do? Have you started that business you’ve been wanting to launch? If you have a business, is it as successful as you’d like? If you answered ‘no’ to any of those questions, what’s holding you back? What’s keeping you from starting your business or taking your existing business to the next level? While it’s true some circumstances are outside our control, those are the exceptions. Chances are, if there’s something holding you back, it’s you and the excuses you’re making to keep you from doing what it takes to get what you want. Of course no one likes to hear that, but it’s usually the truth. Read through the list of excuses below and see if anything sounds familiar. Then keep reading to get the scoop on how to overcome these excuses and get on with the business of being all you can be.
1. I’m afraid I’ll fail. This is the mother of all excuses. Many other excuses are actually this one in disguise. People often say that they’re putting off their dreams due to lack of money or time, for example, when if they did some soul searching, they’d find that they’re really just afraid of failing. The hard part is, there is always a risk of failure in business. So if you’re hoping to somehow eliminate that possibility before you take the necessary steps toward success, you’ll never take them. The people who are successful in life are not without fear. They have fear, just like you. The difference is, they act anyway. A useful tool to push through this fear is to ask yourself, “What’s the worst that could happen?” You’re not going to lose your life, your family or your health by starting or growing your business, so even if the worst does happen, you’ll end up with the most important things in life. Also, keep in mind that some of the greatest success stories include a lot of failures, so even if you do fail, that’s just one more step toward success. One thing is true no matter what: If you don’t try at all, you’ve already failed.
2. I don’t have enough money. Another reason to keep up the status quo, this excuse is especially effective these days – what with the economy and all. The truth is, while a lack of money might keep you from starting big, it doesn’t have to keep you from starting at all. Any step you can take toward starting or building your business is a step in the right direction and will empower you to do more. So take the steps that cost little or no money, like researching, networking, social media marketing, and planning. In the meantime, eliminate things that aren’t as important as building your future and divert the money to your venture. (i.e. cable TV, video games, lattes, lunch out, etc.)
3. I’m too young or too old. This excuse is just silly, but many still use it to hold themselves back. In reality, people of all ages have started successful businesses. It’s never to early or too late to begin working toward your dream. If you’re young, connect with people who are more experienced and ask whatever questions you have. They’ll appreciate your courage, drive and enthusiasm, and you’ll be surprised how much help you’ll find. If you’re older, play upon your life experience to drive your success. Connecting is a key in this case as well. If there’s something you don’t know or don’t understand, find someone who does, and don’t be shy about asking for help.
4. I don’t have enough time. It’s hard to justify this excuse when you know there are single mothers out there holding down full time jobs while taking on a full college course load. Chances are, your challenge has more to do with time management than the amount of time you have. After all, we all have the same amount of time in our day. The secret to eliminating this excuse is getting rid of all the stuff that isn’t helping you to get where you want to be. If you watch TV, play video games, or party every weekend, then you have time – you’re just not using it wisely. Another challenge people have with time is in thinking they need huge blocks of time to accomplish anything. If your schedule is such that you can only work on your business in bits and pieces, so be it. Don’t let that keep you from doing what you can. Again, every small step takes you closer to your goal, so take those steps.
There are a lot more excuses than these that people use to hold them down. The point is, these really are excuses. Each can be a legitimate concern, but often what it takes to get what you want is to see all the reasons it can’t be done and to do it anyway. Remember, action begets action begets results. In other words, do something in spite of all the excuses, and you might just start a chain of activity that will result in success. Make ‘someday’ today!
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25 Responses to “Which Excuses Are Keeping You From Starting or Growing Your Business?”
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pandora jewelry
28. Apr, 2010
I think i had the excuse number 1 in the start :-) I was thinking i will be failed, then why to struggle. But now i think that, that was a lame excuse.
Credit girl
28. Apr, 2010
“I don’t have enough time” has got to be my biggest excuse. Sometimes it’s just too hard to set aside time in our own busy schedules to actually progress and grow our business, which can be a horrible thing.
Jarrod@ Optimistic Journey
28. Apr, 2010
I love this post. I think that fear of failure and lack of time are the number one excuses most people make. I think a good question for one to ask is, “How important is this business to me that I can’t make time for it?” At some point somethings gotta give. We will be surprised at how much time we have for business when we sit down and manage our time better.
Great article, thanks for sharing!!
Andrew@BloggingGuide
29. Apr, 2010
Most of the time my excuse would be lack of time and fear of failure but I thought that in everything their is a risk involved. so take that step, if you fail, then there will always be a lesson learned and if you succeed, then that’s good, it’s your reward.
Kelvin | Forex Indicator
29. Apr, 2010
I bet fear of failure is the number one factor that stop people from progressing. Sometime it is too comfortable in our own comfort zone that we simply do not want to spoil it.
I am glad that I have taken my first step of entrepreneurship 3 years back and have now reached another larger comfort zone. But I will be jumping out again to look for another larger one until I achieve my target.
Thks for sharing this great article
Romantic Room
29. Apr, 2010
Everyone will die someday. If you want to start a business, please do it before that day comes! :-)
Bryan
Samantha Milner
29. Apr, 2010
Hi guys,
I don’t have a fear when it comes to starting a business. I just have not really figure out which business is best for me. Right now I’m just browsing websites and getting a lot of information. So pretty soon I will be ready to put some of those ideas to work.
Kind regards,
Sam
X
online project management
29. Apr, 2010
“I don’t have much time”… I am a very busy person and that keeps me from starting business. Just realized how lame it is. If you are determined to do business, time is never a question. Thanks for the article. Very helpful. :)
Stephen
29. Apr, 2010
I can’t agree more. Everyone is scared to fail. I think the main thing that forced me to take action and face my fear was the fact that I told people my idea, and I felt it would now definitely be embarrassing to fail, so I worked as hard as possible.
My advice? Plan hard, think hard, and then JUST DO IT!
Kit Kat
30. Apr, 2010
I totally agree, the reason of no money is never a reason. I start off doing my business with nothing, what is do is to cut down on my own expense and to work long hours so that this start up is profitable. So no money is never a reason it is just an excuse.
used tires
01. May, 2010
Those are some really good points about excuses people keep using to procrastinate their next big career step. I think the most important thing people can do is manage their time more efficiently so they can do everything they want without having to cut back on anything.
Till then,
Jean
Wedding Planning Checklist
01. May, 2010
Reason #1 is usually the one for most people, while one of the other one’s that I have also heard as well is that I don’t have the skillset for it. But in this case, if it’s your business that you are referring to, then you can always just hire someone who can do the things that you can’t do.
Legitimate Work From Home Jobs
03. May, 2010
Lack of money and time are my most often used excuses. Recently, I heard someone tell me their reason for not starting a business based on their idea was “I’m sure someone else has thought of it”
Komodo Dragon
03. May, 2010
Speaking of the topic about “I don’t have enough time” that is always a pet peeve of mine when people say that. The reality is there is always time, and like you said it is all about how you schedule your day. I am willing to be that for over 50% of those people they have enough time during the day. Even if you have to sacrifice 30 minutes of your sleep time to get something accomplished, do it! There is always time, if we could all have some kind of sheet in front us that tells us how much time we dedicated during the day to a certain activity, I am willing to bet their was “wasted” time during that day. Off course we are not machines… but still… just saying.
Curtain Rails
03. May, 2010
There are many excuses that we can include in the list, like i donot have enough resources, this also one of the excuse that can be added in the list above.
Payday Loan Lenders
04. May, 2010
I would say that these are almost all the reasons I have heard from people who have good business ideas and have not yet brought those into action. Good One :)
sell used textbooks
04. May, 2010
My biggest problem is being afraid to take a risk.
Laptop Briefcases
04. May, 2010
I admit that I have used some of these excuses before when putting off working on my business. Most of the time I am just too lazy about it, but I tell myself it’s more about lack of time or money. If you are motivated, you can overcome any of these excuses. The trick is just figuring out what truly motivates you.
used tires
05. May, 2010
I think you have a point there, Komodo Dragon. People that don’t know how to optimize their time are often the ones complaining about not having enough time. Of course, it’s not easy but some people don’t even try.
Till then,
Jean
sell your property
05. May, 2010
As always I have found this post motivational. You always seem to show me that I am moving in the right direction. Just 3 weeks after starting my web design business, I have secured my first major orders, and am due to close a further 3 next week (worth around $1200) – all thanks to the content of your blog, and your continued encouraging words.
Karthick
05. May, 2010
Mostly I am afraid of these type of questions!!!!
and of course second answer is my choice. Without money You can do nothing.
Web Design Los Angeles
05. May, 2010
As you know starting business not an easy task, many from us wanted to start business but three common problem arises which you mentioned, people afraid, money problem and Time, but people like yours if constantly support with such encouraging post than sure people at least will try and go for venture.
teknoloji
07. May, 2010
6. Everyone would think im lazy or they would say “go get a real job”
Game Critic
11. May, 2010
@technoloji I feel that every single day!!!
Savannah Fence Company
12. May, 2010
Employee training. I can’t grow without more staff and they can’t work properly without training. It gets time consuming.