Have no money, time, or mentors? You can still start your own business without those things.

I've been asking questions on twitter, and this one thing kept emerging when it came to starting a business.

People are not starting their businesses because they have no money. Or they have no time. Or they have no mentors. Or motivation.

But mostly, money.

And before we start to tackle each of these in turn, can I just say...

You know those are excuses, right? You know people have started businesses with nothing, and from nothing they got everything.

Right???

If you go to your heroes - Richard Branson, Seth Godin, Marie Forleo, Danielle LaPorte, Gary Vaynerchuk, Chase Jarvis, Jeremy Cowart or whoever you idolize, you'll find that they made something great out of nothing. My favorite authors had full-time jobs and still managed to publish their books. My favorite rebels bootstrapped their businesses for years before they could really invest.

And just FYI, back in 2015, when I started my business, I didn't have much, but I did have the passion to do something radical - create a brand that was all me. And even though I didn't have much money, or any to spare anyway, I invested $800 right off the bat, for coaching, because I knew I needed it.

My point is, if you really want something, you will find a way to do it.

And if you know you need something, just go out and get it.

YOU DON'T NEED MONEY TO START A BUSINESS.

This is probably the most shocking thing you will ever hear.

And it's true. You don't need any money or funding or sponsorship because there are so many ways to bootstrap your business, it's not even funny.

The problem here is one of the following:

you didn't know you could bootstrap, nobody told you
you don't believe bootstrapping your business would work
you're afraid that won't be enough to get your business off the ground
everyone in your industry is seeking sponsors, so you feel the pressure of conforming to the expectations of everybody else
you're making excuses and procrastinating out of fear (can you pull this off? what if you fail? is it a selfish thing to do? should you suck it up and just get a real job like your parents and grandparents did their whole lives? what if you can't handle it? What. would. happen. if. you. fail.)
you're too lazy to do all the work by yourself

So. I suggest you look at these and see what's really going on there. Once you do, you'll be able to take the next step, which is, hopefully, starting your business already. You know it's long overdue and the longer you stay in that middle place where you don't commit to anything, the more time you'll be wasting.

Decide your dream is more important than your damn excuses.

YOU DON'T NEED MENTORS TO START A BUSINESS.

We all work differently.

Even though asking other people to tell me how to do something is hilarious to me, maybe you really do need someone to show you the way. If you do, I suggest seeking the help of a consultant or joining a mastermind where everyone helps one another to figure things out and hold one another accountable.

However.

You may think that you need a blueprint, to follow some steps some expert gives you, but in time, you'll realize that what you have built is not yours. It's theirs. As long as you follow blueprints, you won't have an authentic and rebellious business. You'll have a business that's the same as any other.

So I propose an alternative:

Apply for coaching with me, and we'll find exactly the kind of business you're meant to start. One that fits your personality and your values. One that is just as unique and creative as you are. One that feels right and stands out.

Think about it. Sleep on it. I'll be here. :)

YOU ALWAYS HAVE TIME, SO WHAT'S THIS ABOUT?

I have had some people come to me and say, I have no time.

And usually these people just keep insisting that this is their truth and there's nothing they can do about it. But listen, this is the most defeatist thing you could ever say and it's probably making you feel helpless and hopeless.

It's NOT TRUE that there's nothing you can do. There's always a way. If you tell me you don't control your time, I'll probably laugh in your face, then apologize for making you feel bad, but inside I'll keep on laughing.

Who controls your time then? God? Other people? The smurfs?

Every one of your idols will say the same:

“You make the time for the things you really care about.”

So first I'll recommend some videos:

I Don't Have Time Is Not an Excuse by Gary Vaynerchuk
Never Enough Time by James Victore
I Don't Have Time by Chase Jarvis

And second I'm going to ask:

What's this really about? Is this really about you not having the time and resources to start your own business or... Are you scared?

Most of the time, it's the latter, and your brain just kind of jumps on any excuse so that it won't have to admit it's scared. But it is. And it's the most natural human reaction. But fear is not supposed to stop us. Fear is meant to warn you - there is danger ahead - so you can keep going and just be careful.

That's all you have to do, my friend, be careful and keep moving forward. I mean, if the existence of bears in the woods meant we could never go in woods, what a sad life that would be. Or if we never followed our deepest dreams because there was a risk of being laughed at, then what do we have to live for?

Don't stop moving. Keep going, no matter what. :)

YOU'LL HAVE THE MOTIVATION WHEN YOU FINALLY FIGURE OUT WHAT YOU REALLY WANT AND GIVE YOURSELF PERMISSION TO DO IT.

Sometimes people would say to me, I don't have any motivation.

Then I would start asking WHY.

Why aren't you motivated? Is it because you don't feel motivated inside or because your outside is not giving you reasons to be? (There are 2 types of motivation - internal and external, and we are most motivated when we have both.)

Here are some internal and external motivators:

maybe something's missing, like passion for the idea (internal)
maybe you're too tired after your 9-to-5 job (external)
maybe you haven't had success when you've tried before (external)
maybe you don't have confidence in the idea or yourself (internal)
maybe you have too many ideas and you can't decide, so going with anything would just lead to business FOMO (internal)
maybe you're not getting support from your loved ones (external)

Any or all of those could be tripping you up...

But once you find something that sets you on FIRE, you won't have trouble with motivating yourself. So our goal here is not to just start any business, not just to pick any idea and roll with it, and not to just ask the market what it needs.

HELL TO THE NO!

Our goal here is to start from what YOU love, what YOU do best, what YOU believe in, what YOU're excited and passionate about, what YOUR big dream is and what YOU can't wait to wake up and do, day in and day out.

Do you think it would be hard to get motivated then? I don't.

And if it's the day-to-day kind of motivation you're struggling with, watch this video where Gretchen Rubin explains about the 4 types of tendencies (hint: one of them is the rebel, yayyyyy). It's going to help you understand why you're sometimes resisting progress even when you really want something.

so what next?

That's totally up to you. You can keep making excuses and go on and on about the things you don't have, OR you can start seeing the things you do have at your disposal and finally take advantage of them. Literally, all around you there are opportunities and tools, it's never been easier to start a business.

I'd love to help you start your creative (rebel) business.

When you click on the link above, you'll be taken to my program for creative rebels who want to start their ultimate creative business, one that feels right and stands out. And if you don't need coaching right now or you really can't afford it, that's OK, just go back to the drawing board and figure out how you're gonna do it without the help of anyone else. Use the resources you do have.

If you know anyone who's making excuses, send this article to them.

And let me know in the comments...

What's stopping you from starting your business?