11 Foolish Excuses for Not Pursuing Entrepreneurship

Never let excuses stand in the way of pursuing entrepreneurship.

Question: What is the #1 excuse you hear from aspiring entrepreneurs who want to launch a business and what advice do you give them to keep moving forward?

Question: What is the #1 excuse you hear from aspiring entrepreneurs who want to launch a business and what advice do you give them to keep moving forward?

Question: What is the #1 excuse you hear from aspiring entrepreneurs who want to launch a business and what advice do you give them to keep moving forward?

I Need a Technical Founder

"It's a fallacy to say you need technical expertise to start a company. To succeed in the long run? Absolutely! But in order to start prototyping your business and learning about its effectiveness, all you need is a little effort. There are cheap tools that even a history major like me can use to build a functional site. We began Modify with a Weebly.com website and terrible photography!"


I'm Afraid of Failure

"There is always risk involved in starting a new venture, but it's important to understand that if the proper research is done, saving money is at the top of the list and they're willing to work very hard, the risk of failure is significantly reduced."


I Need Significant Outside Funding

"Many entrepreneurs think they just don’t have enough money to launch their own businesses. This is usually not the case. Bootstrapping isn’t just a money-saving technique, but the key to many successful companies. Bootstrapping helps you focus, gives you more time to focus on developing your product/service, requires you to prioritize, gives you independence and yields greater profit margins. "


I Don't Have Time to Make a Business Plan

"Many people say they don’t have enough time to develop their business plan. Move forward, incorporate your company (at very little cost) and test product ideas with a simple website and a few hundred dollars in Google ads. Very little time commitment is required, and the need for a long, drawn-out business plan isn’t always the answer to getting a startup off the ground."


I Don't Have Time

"People constantly say they haven't gotten around to starting their business yet or they are still doing “market research.” The reality is that they probably watch 10 to 20 hours of TV per week. Eliminate TV and non-productive time-sinks, and you will likely have plenty of time to start your venture. If you actually want to be an entrepreneur, you will have way more fun building your company."


I Don't Know Where to Start

"The No. 1 excuse is that they don’t know where to start. They get overwhelmed. My suggestion: Keep it simple. Simplicity always wins. Seek perfection with your brand. Never settle. Put up a site, get a phone number and get organized. Keep moving. Act, reflect, repeat."


I Can't Quit my Job

"I hear this all the time: "I can't quit my job!" Risk aversion prevents a lot of smart, creative people from taking the entrepreneurial leap. That's a shame. No one ever started a successful company without a healthy dose of risk. You need to embrace the risk and use it as motivation. The pressure of not having a steady paycheck will help you succeed. Necessity is the mother of invention."


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11 Foolish Excuses for Not Pursuing Entrepreneurship

Never let excuses stand in the way of pursuing entrepreneurship.

Question: What is the #1 excuse you hear from aspiring entrepreneurs who want to launch a business and what advice do you give them to keep moving forward?

Question: What is the #1 excuse you hear from aspiring entrepreneurs who want to launch a business and what advice do you give them to keep moving forward?

Question: What is the #1 excuse you hear from aspiring entrepreneurs who want to launch a business and what advice do you give them to keep moving forward?

I Need a Technical Founder

"It's a fallacy to say you need technical expertise to start a company. To succeed in the long run? Absolutely! But in order to start prototyping your business and learning about its effectiveness, all you need is a little effort. There are cheap tools that even a history major like me can use to build a functional site. We began Modify with a Weebly.com website and terrible photography!"


I'm Afraid of Failure

"There is always risk involved in starting a new venture, but it's important to understand that if the proper research is done, saving money is at the top of the list and they're willing to work very hard, the risk of failure is significantly reduced."


I Need Significant Outside Funding

"Many entrepreneurs think they just don’t have enough money to launch their own businesses. This is usually not the case. Bootstrapping isn’t just a money-saving technique, but the key to many successful companies. Bootstrapping helps you focus, gives you more time to focus on developing your product/service, requires you to prioritize, gives you independence and yields greater profit margins. "


I Don't Have Time to Make a Business Plan

"Many people say they don’t have enough time to develop their business plan. Move forward, incorporate your company (at very little cost) and test product ideas with a simple website and a few hundred dollars in Google ads. Very little time commitment is required, and the need for a long, drawn-out business plan isn’t always the answer to getting a startup off the ground."


I Don't Have Time

"People constantly say they haven't gotten around to starting their business yet or they are still doing “market research.” The reality is that they probably watch 10 to 20 hours of TV per week. Eliminate TV and non-productive time-sinks, and you will likely have plenty of time to start your venture. If you actually want to be an entrepreneur, you will have way more fun building your company."


I Don't Know Where to Start

"The No. 1 excuse is that they don’t know where to start. They get overwhelmed. My suggestion: Keep it simple. Simplicity always wins. Seek perfection with your brand. Never settle. Put up a site, get a phone number and get organized. Keep moving. Act, reflect, repeat."


I Can't Quit my Job

"I hear this all the time: "I can't quit my job!" Risk aversion prevents a lot of smart, creative people from taking the entrepreneurial leap. That's a shame. No one ever started a successful company without a healthy dose of risk. You need to embrace the risk and use it as motivation. The pressure of not having a steady paycheck will help you succeed. Necessity is the mother of invention."


See Also: Want to Invest in a Startup? Look for These Qualities

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