Flying, Floating or Sinking

22 Sep 2020 | Start-up

When you tell someone that you’re going to be an entrepreneur, what do they think?

When you tell someone that you’re going to be an entrepreneur, what do they think? Do they assume you’re nuts and why would you give up your well paid job to do so, or do they congratulate you and tell you it’s about time and how fantastically well your going to do. You will have many different judges on your decision to start, but the most honest judge is you and your ambition. Will your business, fly, float or sink?

Practically speaking, a great deal of your outlook often depends on your life circumstances. Whilst there will be those who beg to differ, starting a business when you’re young, without the baggage of life and family commitments and with plenty of time to learn from mistakes is often easier than when you’re in your forties, with a family, mortgage and a reputation to protect. However, you can’t put an old head on young shoulders and I confidently say that a 25 year old has not got the experience of a 55 year old, as good or as bad as that may be.

The point I am making is that there are equal attributes that will contribute to your desire to start a business and indeed how well you perform, but you need to recognize the sort of start up that you aspire to be. It all comes down to your passion and ambitions.

There are game changing businesses, like Facebook, Virgin, Tesla, Autonomy, Microsoft and many others, where perhaps your passion and ambition directs you to try and build a multi-billion pound, world recognised empire and this will take you down one direction as a start up. Equally, there are many alternative routes that your start up passion can take. You may have reached a stage in life where you feel confident enough to use your experience and expertise to create a fantastic lifestyle business that gives you a great living and provides the work/life balance you desire. You may find that a passionate hobby can become a business, where the money is not the driver, but the excitement and enjoyment of doing what you love is enough.

In the UK there are almost 5million businesses, ranging from your local village shop, right upto the 400+ companies in the £5bn Virgin Group; no matter, what size and status, they are all important and contribute to the business eco-system. Not are all big, successful and award winning, the vast majority (98%) are in fact small, owner managed ventures and many are struggling, around the fine line between success and failure.

Your ambition, passion, talent and determination will decide which category you fit into. Whichever group you fall into, one thing is certain; you made the decision to go it alone and it is a decision that most people do not regret, whatever the outcome.

I love being an entrepreneur and thrive on hearing people’s stories, so come and share your journey with me.

Get in touch at piers@pierso.co.uk, call me on 073 666 55 666 or find me on Linked In or Facebook. I might be wrong, but I am never uncertain and I’ll certainly lend you an ear!