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Finding the Courage to Start A Business

By Allison Babb

Starting a small business can bring on all types of fear, confusion and lots of questions. And it indeed requires courage.

When I told my coworkers that I had submitted my resignation, one sentence came up very often in our conversations and that sentence was “Wow Allison, I really admire your courage.” But whenever I heard that comment, I thought about a quote that has become one of my favorites: Courage is not the absence of fear but rather the decision that something else is more important than the fear.

So if you are thinking about starting a small business, it is my experience that courage is not something that shows up after the fear of resigning goes away. Courage is not something you wait for. It’s something you step into. Courage shows up despite the fear being present.

Folks, let me tell you, my heart was pounding the morning I walked into work to resign because I knew it was a HUGE step for me. You see, I spent 18 years of my life at that company. I saw the company grow from 10 employees to over 1500.

The heart-thumping I was experiencing was part anxiety and part excitement, but frankly, a whole lot of fear as well. But through all of those emotions going back and forth within me that morning, I was resolute. There was something far stronger and deeper moving me forward. It was time. I knew I just had to quit that day. I had put it off for long enough and it was just time. There was no turning back. I kept saying to myself “Today is the day. Just do it.”

The good news is that the fear did not last forever. In fact, the very moment I told everyone that I was resigning, I almost instantly felt immense relief. It was like I had crossed over into a brand new spectrum of life and it felt great. I felt free. Genuinely free.

So to the question of where you find the courage, my response is that the courage is already within you. We were all born with courage. It comes out when you’re ready to let it out. It comes out when you dare to do what others may be afraid to do. It comes out when you dare to face your own greatest fears.

My two questions for you today regarding quitting your job would be:

1. What are you most afraid of giving up when you consider moving from employee to entrepreneur?

2. What would you be giving up when you consider spending a few more decades of your life where you are right now, and never becoming an entrepreneur?

Make 2 lists. One with the things that you will lose when you quit, and another with the things you’ll gain when you quit. Then begin to create your exit strategy. You’ll know when it’s time to quit when you become resolute in your decision that something else in your life is much more important than the fear. It is only then you will step into the courage that was always within you.

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WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Allison Babb is an author, speaker and Small Business Coach to solo entrepreneurs. Allison publishes the "Small Business Success" weekly Ezine on how to create a steady stream of clients for your small business at: www.GreatSmallBusinessAdvice.com

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