Ready, Set, Ready, Set, Ready, Set, whaaaa?

There are two kinds of failures in the world -- the ones who prepare and prepare and prepare, and the ones who do no prep at all.  Either approach is deadly.  For the Success, dear Watson, lies somewhere in between.

The first kind -- those who seem to "get ready" forever -- are the hardest to spot because whatever they are doing does look important.  And some of it probably is.  There is just a certain amount of work that goes into any major project.  In the case of starting a new business, for example, consider

• What type of business you want;
• How much it will cost, and why;
• What your funding options are;
• How to effectively market your business;
• How to interview your banker, and other stuff too.

The real goal is to just not get bogged down in analyzing and not do anything.

The reason for the upfront "get ready" part is so that you can "start".  So work through a solid start up handbook, like Start Up Right Now, figure out what you need, get it, and START.  Get off your keester and get going.

If you are not able to jump into the new business whole heartedly (and many entrepreneurs cannot), then take it step by step.  Identify what you can do RIGHT NOW.  Set a time frame for completing your marketing research, your product development, for learning how to set up your website.  THEN DO IT.

And don't accept any excuses from yourself.  Yes, Life happens.  Things get in the way.  The same is true when you open your business.  You can't close up shop because your lawn needs to be mowed, and you can't stop your progress now for that reason either.

The planning step is a very real part of your business.  But it is just one of the steps.  Make your entrepreneurial dreams come true in the New Year.  You deserve it.  As the mighty Wayne Gretzky says, "You lose 100% of the shots you don't take".