Stop making excuses

This month, Business Support Specialist Heidi Green tells us about making that leap and starting your own business.

How many times have you sat at work dreaming of being your own boss? What’s stopping you taking that leap of faith? Stop making the regular excuses, money, time, responsibility, fear of failure and think, do you want to make your dreams a reality?

Yes, it’s scary but if you really want to start a business, you need to stop telling yourself why you think you can’t. Start finding solutions to your problems!

Listen to others and write things down. Encourage honesty, and learning from others people’s mistakes will help you identify what does and doesn’t work.

Follow the KISS rule, Keep It Simple and Straightforward. Building your business organically is better than going in with something that confuses the market, you can always add things on as you develop the business. After all when you start out all you need to do is keep your promise to your customer and hopefully exceed their expectations.

Make sure you understand all the costs and make provision for tax and NI contributions. Think about business costs such as marketing, supplies and insurances and what happens in the worst case scenario that you can’t work, do you have health insurance?

Whilst you establish the business don’t quit the day job, make the transition gradually and let people know what you are doing.

Understand the legalities – do you need licences to operate? If you are running the business from home what implications are there?

Take the leap outside of your comfort zone if you want to succeed and stop the dreaming.

For further help and advice on business growth and funding opportunities, contact Heidi Green, Senior Business Advisor for Selby District Council via email at hgreen@selby.gov.uk or telephone 01757 292332.