Still juggling excuses to justify your struggling business? You are not alone, not by a long shot. But it’s time to face them, once and for all! Let me start by saying this: I wanted to use a much stronger title then one that said “excuses” and “struggling”, but I had a sneaking suspicion the editors wouldn’t permit it. So let me simply say I get it. I really do. But… you need to get what I am saying, too!
Many of our struggles as entrepreneurs are a direct result of the excuses we make up. It’s almost like a convoluted badge of honor that goes something like this “You think you have it bad? I have it really bad.” Come on, enough is enough already. Here's the big six excuses that I hear day in and day out from entrepreneurs, and how to fix them:
1. The competition is too established. What you are saying here is that you are simply throwing your hands up into the air and admitting that you don’t believe that you can compete head-to-head with them. The fix for this? You need to realize that, in business, you don’t need to go head-to-head. In fact, it is to your advantage to make new rules and approach your business in a whole new way. Drop the excuse and change your approach.
2. I don’t have the money. Humbug! Cash is simply a shortcut to getting things done. Without cash, you can still achieve the same results; you’ll just need to get really innovative. Stop using cash (or the lack thereof) as an excuse, and start getting innovative. Haven’t you heard – necessity is the mother of invention, after all!
3. I am too old (or too young). This is a common excuse, but there is no “ideal” age at which to start or grow your business. You are alive, so there is no better time to do it. And the only thing guaranteed is that tomorrow you will be a day older, so start now. There have been successful entrepreneurs that run the spectrum of ages. Colonel Sanders started in his mid 60's and Mark Zuckerberg started as a teen. Both made enterprises worth tons of money. Tons!
4. I don’t have enough experience. Are you kidding me? Experience takes you down the path of repetition. Experienced entrepreneurs often get into the dangerous trap of repeating the past, just because it worked back then. But that doesn’t guarantee that it will work now. Consider that lack of experience to be your greatest asset, because it can bring about new approaches that experienced entrepreneurs are blind to.
5. I don’t have enough time. This is one I hear all the time. “If only there 28 hours in a day, I would be rich!” Here’s the deal – everyone has the same exact amount of time in every day. You simply need to choose your priorities. When you don’t have enough time, you are simply choosing something else to devote your time to. It’s a choice, not an excuse. (Just for grins, keep tabs on how many hours you sit in front of the television or Facebook for a week. That will show you how much time you really have available to dedicate to your business!)
6. I’m just not there yet. This may be the most insidious excuse of all. It puts you on the hamster wheel for life! And, as I know from personal experience, you will never be “there.” Entrepreneurship, like anything else in life, is about the journey. The rewards will come, but they won’t always be monetary (which seems to be almost the only measure of progress that entrepreneurs use). The rewards may be that you simply demonstrate courage, or that you achieve entrepreneurship.
Stop using excuses and just go for it. Saying you are not there yet is just one more excuse. You are there. Right here. Right now.
By Mike Michalowicz, Author of The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur
