It’s true. There is never a good time to start your own business. As we get more established and go through life, we gain more, consume more and have more people dependent on us. Think back to your life just after school. You were likely single, didn’t own much and could devote energy into whatever pleased you most. It was a good time. You were free and optimistic about the future. In your 20’s and 30’s you were career driven and were among your company’s top performers. You were making more money now, but of course, that came with more responsibility. On the personal front you may have met that special someone and gotten married, bought a home and had a child or two. Life was good. Now in your 40’s and beyond you find yourself with many commitments. Mortgages, car payments, school tuition, grocery bills, insurance, house projects, or even caring for ailing parents. On top of all that, you need to find time to take care of yourself by eating right and exercising. When you add this all up, it can be exhausting and overwhelming even to the best multi-taskers.
Somewhere during all this commitment, you grasp that your years are numbered and the realization hits you that you are not living the life you had envisioned when that fresh faced kid graduated school. Something feels wrong or incomplete.
You dream about owning your own business. You fantasize about experiencing the freedom it brings, never having to answer to a boss, escaping from the corporate bureaucracy and workplace politics forever.
This describes a high percentage of people that I meet with. They work so hard to create a great life for themselves and their family only to find out later, they are not truly happy. I spend as much time as they need to talk things through and show them all the hundreds of franchise opportunities that are available today.
Sadly, for most, the process ends there because there is never a good time to start your own business.
It’s hard, it takes courage, and it takes the support of your family. You are not alone. I have never worked with someone that hasn’t had some type of breakdown where tears are shed either with me or with their spouse. It takes that level of emotion to be moved to action.
For the few that break through, they spend some time getting their affairs in order by having a plan to handle family commitments, getting loans from family or friends or ever leveraging retirement accounts. The best investment you can make is in yourself. The people that believe in you understand and will come through for you. After all, it’s the only investment where you can control the outcome.
My advice? Start early. Start now. Because the reality is, there is never a better time to own your own business. Understand the realities of day to day life but don’t use that as an excuse to live a life of regrets. 2017 is a great year to investigate your options. If not now, when?