Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.
Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States
Mastering others is strength. Mastering yourself is true power.
Lao Tzu, Chinese philosopher
Every entrepreneur I know started with an itch they couldn’t scratch. A tiny voice in their head that kept getting louder and louder until one day they could no longer ignore it.
Something needed to be done.
Every person I know who wanted to start a business and didn’t pull the trigger had the same set of hesitations.
“I’d love to quit my job but can’t right now.”
“There are too many competitors.”
“I don’t have time.”
“It’s too expensive.”
You may have had these thoughts yourself. It’s not unusual to be intimidated and conjure up every excuse why you can’t do it: you’re not prepared, your idea isn’t good enough, or you’re too busy with work and family.
The fact is, like starting a family, it will never be the perfect time to start a business. You’ll never be completely prepared and you won’t have every skill needed in advance to run your business successfully.
But fear not! You’ll pick up the skills and insights you need to be successful along the way. And timing? Well, that’s the main point of this book.
The best time to start a business is now. Right now.
The first part of the book, Theory, will explain why this is true.