I’m sure you’ve heard and read many reasons why you shouldn’t start a business. Some of the common ones include: it’s not the right time economically; businesses are going down and making people broke; having no time to run a business; lack of money for startup; business will kill your relationships, etc.
However, people are starting and succeeding in business despite all these reasons against business. And a whole load of people are succeeding, with some of them running part-time businesses while still working.
If you do thorough research, you will find that there are just as many (if not more) reasons to start a business. Below are some of them:
1. This is the age of the entrepreneur: Have a look at the local dailies and you will see that all financial institutions are creating products to support small and medium businesses. Newspapers, TV, and radio have also jumped into the bandwagon and give business supplements and advice. Overall, there is also a lot of support for the startup entrepreneur, both locally and online.
2. All the information you need is at your fingertips (literally): With the ever popular Uncle Google, you can conduct your research, get training and information to start your business, set up a business, find customers, sell and make deliveries from the comfort of your home. You can also get support online from a mentor, coach, accountability buddies, and a host of online groups for different industries.
3. Freelancing is the new thing: Whatever it is that you do in your day job, you can take it a notch further and make money online as a freelancer in your free time. Platforms such as Freelancer, Iwriter, Elance, Fiverr and Upwork , just to name a few, give you a secure place to conduct your online business. You can choose who to work with and the hours that you want to work. As you grow your visibility and expertise on these platforms, you get to command higher fees and can even hire other freelancers to help you when you have more orders than you can handle on your own. For example, the cover for my book 12 Weeks to Startup (see image on the right) was created by a freelancer on Fiverr. If online freelancing is something that interests you, check out Walter Akolo’s blog www.freelancerkenya.com for tips on how to get started online fast.
4. It takes little time and money to set up a business: Unlike the past when setting up a business required a lawyer, finances, and a long wait as the AG’s chambers processed your registration request, today, all you have to do is go to a Huduma Centre (located in most Post Offices) and reserve your business name then find out where to. You can also register your business online on http://www.businesslicense.or.ke/ or follow the steps on http://www.wikihow.com/Register-a-Company-in-Kenya if you want to register a company. For information on how to register a sole proprietorship, go to http://www.dealpoa.com/sole-proprietor/ and http://www.kenyanbusinessreview.com/559/starting-business-in-kenya/. If you like knowing the laws and acts, here’s a copy of the Registration of Business Names Act.
Chapter 6 of my book 12 Weeks to Startup outlines the different types of business registration in Kenya and their pros and cons. Click here to get a copy of the book.
5. Freedom: This is one of the main reasons why people go into business. In your business, you make all the decisions, set your time schedule, decide on your income… You are free to implement all the things you’re unable to do in your job. Best of all, you get paid to do what you love, to sign your own paycheck, and to decide what works for you and what doesn’t. Financial freedom also allows you to be more creative and utilize your skills and talents in a unique way.
6. Leave a legacy: One of the best offshoots of your own business is that you can leave a legacy for your children, community, or the world at large. Your business will increase your visibility in the community and you can easily become an opinion leader in the issues affecting your community or country. Finally, as you grow, you can mentor upcoming business people or simply share your knowledge and experience with others in different ways.
7. Create your ideal lifestyle: Business is one of the easiest ways to achieve your financial goals. Since you’re able to determine your income, it is possible to live your dreams. If you want to live large and don’t mind publicity, you can merge your personality with your business and become a brand yourself like Richard Branson, Donald Trump, Oprah Winfrey, Dr. Phil, etc. The only things that would hold you back from achieving your ideal lifestyle are yourself and your own initiative.
Still not convinced? Read Entrepreneur.com’s list of 50 reasons to start your own business.
How about you? What motivates you when it comes to business? Share with us in the Comments section below.
Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at www.freedigitalphotos.net
