I still remember sitting under that flickering fluorescent light above my cubicle where I’d let my mind drift off to my grand plans of escape. In between daydreams, I’d scribble down my ideas for the businesses I would start to eventually get me out of the 9 to 5 grind that wore on my soul…

And then – BAM – like someone cracked open smelling salts right under my nose, I would crash back to reality hit with all of the reasons I didn’t think I could ever really do it.

If you have that entrepreneurial or creative spirit drawing you in, but the practical side of you is rattling off the reasons you’d fail, maybe it’s time to lay out the TRUTH about starting your own business as we debunk the myths that might be holding you back.

1. You need to have experience.

This was one of my biggest roadblocks in the beginning, too. I was fresh out of college, a novice to the workforce in general, let alone the world of business ownership. I had hardly worked for a business, so how on earth was I going to start one?!

But here’s the thing…

You only gain experience by giving yourself the chance to HAVE experience. When you dig into the track records of successful entrepreneurs that you may admire, you’ll quickly see that the big wins they’re known for today were not their first rodeos.

Milton Hershey, the king of all things chocolate, fell flat on his face trying to create three chocolate companies that flopped before his big win.

Sir James Dyson, the man behind the famous vacuum cleaners, created 5,126 prototypes that failed before he finally created one that stuck (or should I say, sucked 😊).

Walt Disney (you know, the legend valued at $35 billion) was fired from a newspaper for having lame ideas and little imagination.

Oprah was fired as a news reporter, Spielberg was rejected from film school, and Ford had two flop automotive companies before he hit his home run.

Are you catching my drift here? Experience comes with EXPERIENCES! Don’t fear the failure. This is where you get to break free from a world that values you based on that resume you dread putting together and into a world where you dictate your own worth.

No more waiting for permission. You don’t need a list of accolades, you just need to start.

2. You need a lot of money.

I get it. You can hardly keep up with the bills and your base camp is already built on a foundation of loans from college, your car, and maybe even a house. Where does a business loan fit into the equation…

Well, maybe it doesn’t have to!

Remember how I talked about sitting in that cubicle scribbling down business ideas? Some of those ideas would always stop me in my tracks because the start-up costs would be astronomical. The overhead to keep these things afloat would eventually sink me.

But in the world of online business, the opportunities are now endless! There are OPTIONS, and this is a key step in determining what business is right for you. Gone are the days of needing loans or keeping up with overhead costs to run a business.

I got my start in a multi-level marketing (something I used to turn my nose up at because I didn’t understand it), and it gave me the platform I needed to build a side hustle while still working in my full-time job (without the risk). Through hard work, I was able to build that side hustle into a seven-figure income that changed our family’s life!

Through the world of multi-level marketing, I was introduced to online businesses. With a slightly higher start-up cost, I was able to keep my initial business in a place of residual growth while building my additional online business.

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Don’t rule out branching out on your own just because your pockets aren’t busting at the seams these days.

Whether we work together to help make your dreams a reality or you grind to bring your vision to life, you can create something epic with little to no money or risk!

3. You have to quit your day job.

This is one of the most common myths that I hear from my perspective and current clients…

“But I’ll have to quit my job.”

Pump the breaks…

Sure, if you’re planning on opening a brick and mortar store that you’ll essentially be taking up residence at as you get your business off the ground, fine, maybe it’s time to go all in and quit that j.o.b. But if you’re branching into entrepreneurship, you don’t necessarily have to cut the cord quite yet.

It’s still so vivid to me – sitting down to talk to my now husband about this side hustle I was working on and wondering if I should go all in on it. I’ll never forget what he said that completely opened my mind to a new way of thinking… “You can go all in without quitting your job, yet.”

What?! How!?

In nearly six years of doing this, I’ve finally learned that “all in” isn’t a timetable or time commitment, it’s a frame of mind. Going all in on my business was a CHOICE. It was a commitment to keep pushing and grinding until I was able to leave my job with less risk.

Instead of choosing either/or, I set a goal of making a certain amount of money per week (for me it was $500 based on my savings at the time and expenses) in my side gig before pulling the plug on corporate. That way I could map out what it would take to get there and have a vision for where I wanted to go.

You don’t have to quit your job if you’re dependent on that income to survive. You just have to be willing to make the sacrifices and have the grit required to get to where you ultimately want to go!

4. It’s not the right time.

I just checked my watch (yes, I still wear one of those and it’s not a mini-phone on a band, it’s an actual watch) and I can’t find the spot on there labeled “right time.” It’s probably because it doesn’t exist.

I legit had a laundry list of all of the reasons that I couldn’t start my own business… YET.

“But I should wait until this big project at work is done…”

“And I want to have more money in the bank as a cushion…”

“But I should really ready the 72 books on how to start a business, first…”

The kids will never need you less. Work will never “calm down” enough to make a difference. Your bank account isn’t going to magically grow without some major change in how you bring in cash flow. You’re never going to be less scared or more ready.

The “right time” isn’t an actual thing. It’s a wet blanket that we hold onto for dear life to put off diving into our dreams knowing that failure could be lurking right around the corner. And newsflash: it will be! Failure is par for the course. In fact, it will be your greatest teacher in the process! Don’t fear it. Welcome it and learn from it.

I love this old Chinese proverb…

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”

5. You don’t have what it takes.

Are you sure about that?

Here are a few questions that might help you to determine if you have what it takes to start your own business…

a. Do you have a pulse?

b. Do you have a dream?

Okay, we’re done here.

But in all seriousness, the rest can be forged for. The grit can be found deep in your gut. The fear can be overcome with action. The will to press on can be cultivated in your heart. The unknown can be embraced through faith. The guidance you desire can be sought after in community. The direction you wish for can be emulated by watching the people who have gone before you. The knowledge you need to succeed can be Googled.

Everything you need is either already inside of you or waiting for you to grab ahold of it.

Some people proceed knowing that, with openness to the failures and bumps that are along the road ahead, others will stop before they ever even began. The latter group will someday look back on a life never truly lived.

You get to decide which one you are.