To go off on your own is right up there with the scariest things you'll ever do in life. You don't see many zebras wandering solo on Discovery Channel, right? We're evolutionarily conditioned to avoid uncertainty, but starting a business is about as far from a guarantee as it gets. There is safety in the numbers of a steady paycheck, so it's a daunting prospect to leave that behind for the distant promise of greener pastures. If you're determined to be that rogue zebra though, you might be wondering how in the world to get started.
When you're committed to an idea for a new business, it's time to take stock of your resources. What existing opportunities can you nurture? Who already believes in you? Chek Creative got its start by building websites for friends and family. In fact, our very first project was for Newbury Companies—the subject of last month's related post on Growing Business Relationships.
As readers will know, Newbury Companies has been with us since the beginning. They are a great example of how your earliest opportunities as a business can set the stage for future successes. When it came to collaborating with Newbury Companies on their most recent website launch, Chek Creative's development team "treated our relationship as a true partnership," says CC Developer, Alex Chekanoff. "He [Steve Newcomb, Owner of Newbury Companies] went with us because of our startup mentality... if we didn't know how to do something, we would figure it out."
Especially as a startup, it's crucial to keep putting your best foot forward and going the extra mile whenever you get the chance. Our own leader, Joe Chekanoff, puts it simply: "We exist now, in the way that we do, solely because Newbury Companies believed in me back in 2012."
No matter how many folks support you and your idea, however, it won't matter if you can't pull the trigger. For that, you have to believe in yourself. Joe describes an inevitable moment as an entrepreneur of realizing there's "too much work to stay at your old day job but also too little work to go out on your own..." That's when you either separate from the herd and go for it, or you don't.
Having good advice to come back to in those crossroads moments is invaluable. Read quality blogs. Go to functions. Buy a coffee for someone you admire in your industry—find out what went right for them and what went wrong. Mentorship was an integral step in the planning process for Chek Creative. When you get down to it though, everyone's advice is what worked for them, and everyone's a little bit different.
Your path is your path. To stay alive out there, which is 100% doable, be realistic about what's in front of you, seize early opportunities, and get prepared for those moments when the only thing to do is trust your gut.
