robclas

I’ve done this for years. Beer is an acquired taste. The more you drink it, the more you enjoy it.

“Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” – Ben Franklin

Some were mildly successful. A few were disasters. Right now I’m running something I started last year with great success.

It’s not for everyone. Be prepared to fail and then try again. My first few ventures were mildly successful but they were part time and by myself. I failed on my first few full time ventures with partners. Finding a partner that works out can be difficult. Having a bad partnership can ruin a business. Having a good partner can help a lot.

Probably the most important thing to do when you start a business is to be honest with yourself about whether or not the business you chose is worth starting. Sometimes the strong desire to be in business for yourself can cloud your judgement about the business idea itself. Better to be patient and start a business that works than to go through the agony of starting a business that fails. A good way to eliminate the ideas that are destin to lose is to make a simple spreadsheet of financial assumptions to make sure you can realistically profit. You’d be surprised how many people skip this step. If you don’t know what numbers to put in your spreadsheet, you need to research.

It’s important that you are realistic with the assumptions. I found myself manipulating numbers unrealistically in the past because I wanted an idea to work so bad. It’s important to stay honest and avoid wasting months or years of your life on a loser when you could be running a winner and having the time of your life. Leave bad ideas behind as quickly as possible.

What helped me was planning specific things I wanted to accomplish the next morning. You wont get up that early for long if you don’t have good reasons. I would plan out exactly what I wanted to do and accomplish with the extra hours the next morning. I’d do this the night before. It’s much easier to stay in bed when you don’t have a motivating reason to get up early.