| Here are three common disabling beliefs which prevent | | | | margins than cars. |
| people from starting small businesses because of the | | | | · A bicycle sales and repair shop would find far |
| fear of failure. | | | | more customers in a poor environment than in a rich |
| Many think they are not well enough educated, come | | | | one. |
| from a poor background which holds them back, or | | | | · Trades and services (plumbers, electricians, |
| think they need loads of money to get started in a | | | | decorators) will be more likely to succeed with the low |
| new small business venture. | | | | costs of the poor environment and traveling to a |
| Let me show you why I think these are not true. | | | | better environment to provide those services. |
| Lack Of Education | | | | Poor Education, No Capitol AND a Poor Environment! |
| Many believe you need a good education to make a | | | | A few examples of people who succeeded with their |
| lot of money or to start up successful small | | | | small businesses may help to prove my point. |
| businesses. | | | | With all three - poor education, no capitol and a poor |
| Far from being held back by poor education, it may | | | | environment, one guy in Africa has found great |
| actually be an advantage. Just as blind people often | | | | success. He lived on what most people reading this |
| have much better hearing, people who have less | | | | would consider to be a rubbish tip, but with very little |
| education often compensate in other ways. | | | | education and no capitol at all, makes a great living for |
| They may communicate more effectively to a wider | | | | himself. With no more than a stout pair of ordinary |
| population, they often exhibit greater dexterity and | | | | scissors, he turns discarded empty drink cans into |
| ability working with a wide range of materials and | | | | really stylish flowers. Selling them to locals and tourists, |
| have great ability to judge risk and reward. | | | | he makes a fine living. |
| A good education can even be shown to be a | | | | Now I am not suggesting for a moment that this is a |
| disadvantage to entrepreneurship. | | | | workable small business idea for you, but it does prove |
| It is normal for well-educated people to find it easy to | | | | my point. If he can be so successful, by his terms, in |
| get a job. This means they are making money for | | | | Africa, then really it can't be so hard for you can it? |
| someone else, in exchange for a smaller proportion of | | | | Another example, which you are equally unlikely to |
| money back. (If employers didn't make more money | | | | repeat, is that of many 'pop stars'. I won't go into detail |
| from their workers than they paid them, then they | | | | here because I prefer not to get sued, but if you look |
| couldn't continue to employ them.) | | | | carefully at the early lives of, for example, Madonna, |
| Having had a good job for a while, to give it up on a | | | | Eminem, Bob Dylan etc. you would find they have |
| small business enterprise usually means risking losing | | | | bettered themselves considerably with very few |
| that job, and the money that comes in with it, which | | | | external resources. |
| may be needed to start the new venture. This brings | | | | Lastly, how about Nancy Engel. Starting from flat |
| us to another myth- | | | | broke with very little education, she bought $30 worth |
| Lack Of Capital | | | | of assorted spices. Mixing them together, she labeled |
| Many believe you can't start a new moneymaking | | | | them Italian Spice Mix and took them to a local flea |
| venture without a lot of money to get started. I don't | | | | market the next day. By the end of the day, she'd sold |
| believe this! | | | | all her stock and pocketed $200. By repeating this |
| The old saying "If you ain't got nothing you ain't got | | | | simple formula, her small business is a great success. |
| nothing to lose" really is true. | | | | What if you are fortunate enough to live in an |
| If you have a lot to lose by risking a new small | | | | outstanding environment, have received an excellent |
| business venture, you may be so cautious of failure | | | | education and have access to seemingly limitless |
| that you fail to succeed. | | | | funds - would that ensure success? History is littered |
| So many seriously rich people started from flat broke | | | | with examples of people in just this situation, who |
| or in many cases from serious debt, you have to | | | | started business ventures which failed completely |
| conclude that a lot of capital is not necessary. | | | | leaving them financially broke. |
| J. K Rowling is one of the richest individuals in the UK. | | | | I believe you are just as likely to succeed, or fail, |
| While she was writing her first novel she had barely | | | | regardless of your environment, education or funds. |
| the price of a good meal to sustain her. She even had | | | | Small Businesses Idea, Plus Action |
| to type the book out twice (with a second hand | | | | So enough of what you don't need to succeed - what |
| typewriter!) to send a copy to the publishers because | | | | about what you do need? Almost every example |
| she couldn't afford to have a photocopy done. | | | | shows that after an idea which the entrepreneur |
| Living In A Poor Environment | | | | considered worth pursuing, action is required. It sounds |
| Many believe you need to come from a rich | | | | obvious, but without action, all you have is an idea, and |
| background to become rich. Baloney! | | | | by themselves, ideas rarely make you successful! |
| People have worked their way up from living in tin | | | | By action I don't mean simply telling everyone you |
| shacks to owning hotel chains. It is just as easy to sell | | | | know about your idea, I mean actually doing something |
| goods to people in the ghetto as it is in the richest | | | | to make your idea happen. |
| street in town. | | | | So now you see why I believe that it is quite normal |
| Indeed it is often much more profitable to sell cheaper | | | | for people to succeed without access to good |
| goods than more expensive goods. | | | | education, good environment or good funding. |
| Here's a few examples- | | | | I believe you can change your life massively with no |
| · Burger vans have far higher profit margins | | | | more than a few good small business ideas and a little |
| than many top restaurants. | | | | action. |
| · Skateboards often have far higher profit | | | | |