The Want-To Is Not The How-To
5 Things To Get You Started
If you’re a creative like me, (and most entrepreneurs definitely ARE) then you are never short of things on your want-to list. Our brains are CONSTANTLY going hither and yon from one idea to the next. It can be a hot mess up there in our head’s sometimes!
But let me remind you all of something that I am sure you already know… all of those want-to’s most of time amount to a bunch of nothing. They swim around up there taking up space and keeping us from actually tackling much of anything.
I was that person for most of my life. I was paralyzed with a combination of too many ideas and too little knowledge. I didn’t know how to put one foot in front of the other and actually make anything happen for myself. I was reaaaaallllly good at making other people’s things happen - I could take their bull right by the horns… but I was terrible with my own bull(s$%!).
But that finally changed. Thank GOD above that I figured out how to just start saying yes to things that were floating around up there. I was well into my 40s before I ever took a chance on myself - and it was about damn time. So if you’re still a young thing and ready to go, fantastic! If you’re getting up there in years like I was and have finally found some get up and go, HOORAY that’s so great!
But before you go off into the sunset with just your sack full of gumption, let’s talk about a couple of practical things.
Just because you want-to doesn’t mean you know how-to. Most of us don’t when we first start a thing. So my BEST advice to you is to be honest about that fact. Be honest that you are inexperienced, ill-equipped and in need of some help.
Set yourself up for a good outcome, loves. Find someone in the field you want to be in - or someone who just excels in business in general - and ask them questions. Most successful people want others to succeed and are willing to share their knowledge - to a certain degree. You should not expect them to spend hours and hours with you - and you should not expect a weekly coffee date because: successful people are busy, ya’ll! What you can do is send a polite email or text (if you know them personally) expressing your admiration for what they have accomplished and ask them if they could field a few questions for you. Most of the time they will say yes - and they may even be willing to sit down with you to discuss in more depth. If you get really lucky, you will find someone generous with their time who will be a support for you all along the way. (I have that and I am eternally grateful to my mentors)
There are also other FREE resources for business mentorship. I utilized that heavily when I was first starting out and it gave me the tools and the courage to start. If you haven’t heard of them, check out Score - they were a tremendous help to me as I started Salt and Charm and subsequently The Starling and The Ibis. I can not say enough good things about them!
Set yourself up with good legal and financial support. This is not where you want to skimp, loves. Get a good CPA to set up your accounts and take care of your taxes. Find a good business attorney to help you get set up with client contracts and operating agreements. DO NOT assume that people are as civil and level-headed as you are. I can promise you they are not. You’re going to trust someone one day and not have your legal ducks in a row and that trusted someone is going to bite you right square in the ass and teach you a lesson that you could have avoided.
Replace your nightstand romance book-stack with business and trade books. Educate yourselves, people! Sure you know your stuff - but I’m going to bet that you don’t know everything there is to know about making your idea into something that is profitable and sustainable. I’m going to bet that there are holes in your logic, levels that you have yet to attain, and tricks of the trade that you didn’t know existed. Instead of listening to radio garbage during your morning commute, find some good business/trade podcasts to fill your ear holes with. This is where you are going to find inspiration, courage and the tools to take your want-to over into how-to.
A lastly (for today) - watch you mouth. Speak LIFE into your ideas and your worth. Find those things that you naturally excel at and make them really work FOR you… our creator knows a thing or two about making skilled and beautiful creatures and there is absolutely no point in not leaning into those things that are innate in you. You are capable and valuable and insanely talented, loves. Now it’s time to let everyone else know about it.
Excellent article. Every aspiring entrepreneur or newbie should read this!