Fear of the unknown

Doubt. Indecision. Like big hairy spiders, these two monsters can sap your resolve to move forward.

Doubt. Have you the very best business idea or model? Will it work? Is there something better? But I don't know enough? What do I know about computers or the Internet? I don't think I can do this. I can't do this!

If you believe you can't do something, you are absolutely right. You can't. Believe you can, and you will find a way. Stop looking for perfection. First of all, it doesn't exist. Strive for it, by all means. But don't wait to find it before you even start, or you will never get out of the starting blocks.

As I have said before, find something you will really like to do. Then just do it. You don't know how? Or you don't have all the answers? Do you really suppose any of us does? The old Nike slogan is one of my favorites: "Just do it!"

Little certainty

There is very little certainty in business, especially in the beginning. Starting a business is about sacrifice. The saying that there is no free lunch is very true; if you want the enormous rewards that business can bring, not just monetarily, but also in terms of personal satisfaction, you have to be prepared to invest your energy, perhaps some money, and most certainly your nerve.

Planning a business is one thing. Many people do that. They have great ideas, and then they don't follow through. You see, planning a business is a lot like parachute jumping. If you think about it, jumping out of a safe, warm aircraft trailing a piece of cloth attached to the end of some strings seems like total insanity.

But some people accept the challenge, a personal quest to overcome fear. They train, jump off towers and learn how to roll properly on landing, and then