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Leer más →Fear of starting a business: how to work with it instead of waiting for it to go
Fear of starting a business doesn't disappear before you begin. It shrinks when you begin small. This is the most honest way I know to face it.
If you're afraid of starting a business, good news: you're normal.
Bad news: it won't go away on its own.
Most people wait until they stop being afraid before they start. And since that moment never comes, they never start.
What exactly are you afraid of?
"Fear of starting a business" is too vague. Underneath there are usually more specific things:
- Fear of running out of money.
- Fear that nobody will buy.
- Fear of what others will think.
- Fear of leaving something safe.
- Fear of not being ready.
Write it down. Once you name it, the fear stops being a fog and becomes a problem. And problems can be worked on.
Reduce the risk, not the fear
You don't need to be brave. You need to be smart about risk.
Afraid of running out of money? Start while you still have a job. Save a few months first. Keep costs to a minimum.
Afraid nobody will buy? Validate before you build. Find three people to pay you for something small.
Afraid of what people will think? Most people are too busy with their own lives to think about yours.
Afraid you're not ready? Nobody is. You learn by doing.
Don't wait to stop being afraid. Make what you're risking small enough that fear can't stop you.
Start small
We started with €300. It wasn't bravery. It was what we had.
But it had one huge advantage: if it went wrong, we'd lose almost nothing. And that let us try things calmly.
You don't need to give everything up to start. You need to take the first step.
Decide with data, not anxiety
Before you start, set yourself a deadline and a signal:
"For six months I'll give it a serious go. If I get X customers in that time, I continue. If not, I change."
That way you stop deciding every night at 2 a.m. It's decided. You just have to do it.
Fear is useful too
Not all fear is bad. It makes you careful. It makes you check the numbers. It makes you think twice before spending.
The point isn't to eliminate it. It's to not let it drive.
Put it in the back seat. Listen when it's right. And keep driving.
P.S. On not making decisions at the wrong hour: never trust a decision you made at 1:23 a.m.