Take Action but Think
Say you want to quit your job and start a business.
The perks are obvious: be your own boss, work on your own terms, earn considerably more money.
All you have to do is just start.
Sounds simple?
Not quite. Now assume this:
None of your family members have ever run a business and they discourage every bold move you make.
All your friends want to do is watch movies and eat junk food.
And you’ve worked as an employee your whole life.
Now think again—Just start?
Start what? Where? How? With whom?
If we don’t know the answer to even one of these questions, we could get stuck for years working on the wrong thing.
The 'what' problem:
If you seek advice on what to start on the internet, you'll hear:
Count on your experience
"Do what you’ve already done in your job, just solo."
The most conventient advice to give.
Here’s the catch:
99% of people think about starting a business because they hate what they do.
If someone truly enjoys their job, they’ll keep doing it regardless of the pay, or the timings.
We’re drawn to starting our own business because we want to do something we actually like.
So if we listen to the content kings and start the same thing that we did in our jobs, chances are we’ll quit in a few months.
Following your passion
By this point, I hope you realize that business consumes your time like nothing else.
So we have to be passionate about the business we’re building. It can’t just be about making money.
I’ve gained a little experience wrestling with business ideas over the past few months, and I can say this:
Ironically, we need to be so passionate about what we’re building that we forget about money—to actually make money.
Figuring out our passion is hard.
Let's try out a few scanarios:
You learned guitar for a few months as a shy teenager: “ Am I passionate about playing guitar? Naa...I just wanted to impress a girl in the neighborhood.”
You binge-watch Netflix after work: “ Am I passioante about filmmaking? Not really. I just really wanted to know how Squid Game ends.”
You’ve stayed skinny your whole life: “ Am I passioante about fintess? I got lucky with my genes. I don't even like going to the gym.”
We often have no clue what we really like.
Suppose you take action and create a guitar-learning digital course.
Want to take a bet that you wouldn't lose interest midway and get back to watching the riveting climax of Squid Game? We all would want to.
If you blindly follow your “passion” without thinking, you'll keep hopping from one thing to another and eventually give up.
So how do we take the ideal step?
Know it’s a long game
Taking action emphasises on the present. Change the ‘now’.
What you want is the opposite. A future with freedom and autonomy.
So why the hurry?
Strange as it may sound, realising that building a business takes a long time takes the pressure off. There’s nothing to lose.
The finish line is so far off, you almost forget it. That's good. Whatever you're doing to get there becomes the focus.
Enjoy the process.
2. Equip Yourself:
Starting a business isn’t as straightforward as landing a new job.
You’re both the creator and the executor. And truth is you may not yet have the skills to be that person.
Learn what you need to:
How to code
How to promote
How to price
How to create
Learning is not going to delay the outcome, it's getting yourself prepared.
3. Spot the signals early
Start teaching a digital guitar class. Ask yourself how each step of the process feels.
The trick is to spot the signals of boredom early. If the work feels like a chore, don’t wait to burn out. Move on.
4. Live your life:
Don’t forget to actually live.
If you make the business your entire obsession, you’ll lose steam.
Think of entrepreneurship like fitness. The stricter the diet, the harder the crash.
Be metronomical. Dedicate focused time to your work, and then enjoy the rest of your day.
To sum it up:
Don’t just take action.
Learn.
Figure things out.
Take thoughtful action while enjoying yourself.
See you next week!