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My Wife Thinks I'm a Coward!

WJK

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Thanks again for the great advice. I have been digging deep about what I want. I want a lot of things in life. I have figured out my problem which involves motion without action. I often think about what could go wrong too much than what could go right. My skills have boiled down to being good with people. My networking and communication skills are great. I think I would do really good in sales but before I even get there, I will have to do something. I've researched the courier industry enough and all I need to do is to take action before I overanalyze it.
Don't jump in both feet. Test the waters first. Get some success under your belt before you fully commit. Do a bunch of A vs. B tests to see what works. Small failures and incremental mistakes are correctable. They just take a small change of direction and your costs are naturally limited. Many people throw all their resources into a business decision without making sure in advance that it has a good chance of working. For people like you and me, it worth taking the extra time and steps to up our odds of success.

We've had a few people in our area that do deliveries and courier services. Most have come and gone pretty quickly. The ones that have stuck around have a nitch in the market. They don't try to be everything to everyone. They have regular clients who really need their services.

I looked at a courier contract for one of our military bases in our state. It was picking up medical samples and taking them to the lab in the neighboring town 24/7. I had too many things going to bid since it would have been a full-time job to be on call like that. But it was interesting...
 
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MaxKhalus

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I have a friend who has a courier business and wants me to be his partner. I have already gone on a ride-along with him and I liked it. He's willing to train me before I become his business partner and we'll be meeting again next week for another ride-along.
Working 2 jobs has been a challenge although not too much. I normally have time but my energy wears out too fast. I'm planning on quitting one of the jobs once I get into business.
I think things will be very different in 5 years. A lot of stuff will be automated for sure, maybe even the courier industry. However, my goal right now is to utilize my existing business connection (my friend) so that I can learn how business is done. Hopefully, I'll be in a different industry or among those who will be in the automation business.
I really appreciate your comment!
Not taking action because you don't know what to do? Or because you can't get yourself to work?

If it's the second, it may be time to build some work habits. Everything you shared helps to set the direction (the first question), but when it comes to action, how you do it is more relevant.

A simple way to take action is to take small actions. Even if it's making a to-do list, reading an article, or message someone. You then use that motivation to start another small action, compounding them into a bigger one.


It's funny how the most productive days of my life started that way. Those days, I didn't plan to do much.

Anyway, hard to give an accurate solution with a generic question.
 

ZCP

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Well said. Great challenge as well!
Will you take the challenge?
When will you start the challenge?
What day will you complete the challenge?

Less talk, more do.
 

Salama2017

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Will you take the challenge?
When will you start the challenge?
What day will you complete the challenge?

Less talk, more do.
Yes, I will take the challenge.
I will start the challenge today (07/10). I will give myself 5 days to turn $1 to $2. I had thought it'd be easy but for someone who's so risk-averse and overthinker, it can be a challenge.
I will complete the challenge by Wednesday (7/14). I'm selling stuff that I had bought to sell but never did.
 
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Salama2017

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Not taking action because you don't know what to do? Or because you can't get yourself to work?

If it's the second, it may be time to build some work habits. Everything you shared helps to set the direction (the first question), but when it comes to action, how you do it is more relevant.

A simple way to take action is to take small actions. Even if it's making a to-do list, reading an article, or message someone. You then use that motivation to start another small action, compounding them into a bigger one.


It's funny how the most productive days of my life started that way. Those days, I didn't plan to do much.

Anyway, hard to give an accurate solution with a generic question.
I can get myself to work. The problem is not knowing where to start which often leads to overplanning and eventually, to inaction. I know what I want to do. I have researched a lot of ideas only to abandon them after a while. I have given up a lot of times only to come back with new ideas that I end up losing interest in.
But it now makes sense to take small actions every day. I've also been reading Atomic Habits and now I can see how important discipline and habits are when it comes to success in both life and business.
 

Salama2017

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Don't jump in both feet. Test the waters first. Get some success under your belt before you fully commit. Do a bunch of A vs. B tests to see what works. Small failures and incremental mistakes are correctable. They just take a small change of direction and your costs are naturally limited. Many people throw all their resources into a business decision without making sure in advance that it has a good chance of working. For people like you and me, it worth taking the extra time and steps to up our odds of success.

We've had a few people in our area that do deliveries and courier services. Most have come and gone pretty quickly. The ones that have stuck around have a nitch in the market. They don't try to be everything to everyone. They have regular clients who really need their services.

I looked at a courier contract for one of our military bases in our state. It was picking up medical samples and taking them to the lab in the neighboring town 24/7. I had too many things going to bid since it would have been a full-time job to be on call like that. But it was interesting...
Thanks for the advice. My plan is to rent vans and trucks before I go all in. I've seen people get stuck with $30k delivery vans in an industry they don't like. My friend has advised me to first rent and test the waters. I'm currently searching for medical courier gigs with my small SUV.
 

Salama2017

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Might I suggest you change your goal?

When you say ideas will work out, what I hear you say is that your business will be the absolute best business you could possibly build.

Alternatively, that your business will grow and scale and be profitable and be fastlane.

I'm sure you want to prove these friends wrong for not talking things over with you. I'm sure you want to reward your wife's faith in you.

Those are heavy burdens to bear on your first foray into entrepreneurship.

Enter into your first business with a different goal. Set the bar lower. In this first venture, focus on becoming the best business owner you could be with the venture.

Focus on growing the skills that you do not have in order to run a business.

In time, you'll find out whether this business venture is the right one for you or not. But if it isn't, don't look at this as a failure. Even if you lose money, don't look at it as a failure, treat it as an education.

And if it does not work out, then attack the next one with equal vigor armed with more experience.

Some people fail seven times before they make it big. Very few actually hit success the first time out.

So change your mindset, and you might find it easier to move forward. Your goal is to learn by doing.
Thank you for your time and advice. And you're right - I feel the pressure from all sides. Before writing this thread, I had convinced myself that entrepreneurship wasn't for me. That's when my wife saw the cowardice in me. I'm the only one in the family that's interested in business. So you can imagine the pressure and negative talk that I get to experience. However, this is not an excuse for why I haven't started a business. As you mentioned, my goals are often too big and this is where it gets confusing and overwhelming. I also noticed that I've been focusing too much on the results of a good business than on the process and skills that are essential in building a business. I am willing to learn and I am thankful for all the advice I am getting here. Thanks again.
 
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S.Y.

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Thank you for your time and advice. And you're right - I feel the pressure from all sides. Before writing this thread, I had convinced myself that entrepreneurship wasn't for me. That's when my wife saw the cowardice in me. I'm the only one in the family that's interested in business. So you can imagine the pressure and negative talk that I get to experience. However, this is not an excuse for why I haven't started a business. As you mentioned, my goals are often too big and this is where it gets confusing and overwhelming. I also noticed that I've been focusing too much on the results of a good business than on the process and skills that are essential in building a business. I am willing to learn and I am thankful for all the advice I am getting here. Thanks again.


Who can help you move forward?

I had a business idea in the food industry. I saw a potential value skew but I procrastinated on that. After some thinking, I realized I was shying away from the grunt work of marketing. Marketing was a very important part of the value skew. And it had to be visually appealing - think Instagram.

So what I hired a marketer and voilà. I started to have momentum.

Sometimes it boils down to being overwhelmed because you think you have to do everything. Big goals are good. They will keep the fire burning. And you don't have to achieve everything yourself.

Look at Richard Branson. He epitomizes that.

If you cant move forward at all, pause. Your main role is to get things done, not to do them. You know what you want to do, who can help you do it?
 

ZCP

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Yes, I will take the challenge.
I will start the challenge today (07/10). I will give myself 5 days to turn $1 to $2. I had thought it'd be easy but for someone who's so risk-averse and overthinker, it can be a challenge.
I will complete the challenge by Wednesday (7/14). I'm selling stuff that I had bought to sell but never did.
Day 1 progress?
Day 2 Big 3 to accomplish the goal?
 
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Mark98

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I've been on this forum since 2017. I've learned a lot from MJ's books, the forum, and other recommended reads. Yet, I haven't started anything.

My life has been full of excuses. I was in a lot of debt. I promised myself to start a business once I clear debt. I wiped out all the debt and then promised myself to start a business once I have $20k in savings. My wife and I worked hard to save and now we have over $30k saved up.

I'm now running out of excuses. All I do is read but never take any action. I work 2 jobs and been saving a lot for retirement.

However, I still want to start a business. I'm thinking about becoming an independent courier but I'm worried I'll lose interest in that too.

I feel like a certified fakepreneur or action-faker. I have all the resources that I need. My wife now thinks I'm a coward. She works so hard and supports me 100%. I feel like I'm failing her.

How did you get over this fear of trying? I have millionaire friends who start different businesses every year. They don't like discussing business ideas with me because I never try anything. I haven't given up and this is why I'm seeking advice on how to get over this fear of trying and failing.

Thanks in advance!
 

husnatty

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Just get ABC of your idea and start the rest of the information you will get as you proceed. The thing is people think a lot before starting. Don't dig too much
 

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