How I Started a Business

I had this business idea for what felt like forever let's say about two years ago. I had been planning to execute it from home by creating a small studio where I could make traditional beads and rent them out to people who needed them for photoshoots, cultural events, and other occasions. The plan was simple: make beautiful traditional bead pieces and rent them to people who wanted to use them for pictures or events.

But I stayed calm, waiting for the right opportunity.

I kept postponing the idea. I'll do it later. I'll start when the time is right. I'll start when I have everything I need. I kept telling myself these things, and before I knew it, months had passed.

Then I came back to school, and something interesting started happening. Every time there was a cultural event, I noticed that people needed traditional beads and accessories. Suddenly, the idea came back to me again.

I thought, See! This is my opportunity. This is exactly what I have been waiting for. Let me finally use it.

But guess what?

I still didn't act.

I kept thinking about it without actually doing anything. I was probably waiting for the perfect time, the perfect amount of money, the perfect materials, or the perfect circumstances. I didn't realize that while I was busy preparing in my head, other people were also thinking about similar ideas.

Then one day, I saw a post in our cultural group.

Someone had posted that they had traditional beads available for rent.

Honestly, it weakened me.

I remember thinking, so someone else has already started this 🤦🏽‍♀️.

At that moment, I realized something very important. An idea can stay in your head for years, but that does not mean it belongs to you alone. When God places an idea in your heart, you are not necessarily the only person He has given that idea to. There may be several people thinking about the same thing.

The difference is not always who had the idea first.

Sometimes, the difference is who acted first.

That realization changed my mindset.

I understood that I could not continue sitting around, thinking I was preparing to start when, in reality, I was simply postponing. Preparation is important, but there comes a point when you have to stop preparing and actually begin.

You may not have everything figured out.

You may not have enough money.

You may not have the perfect equipment.

You may not even know exactly how everything will work.

But sometimes, you just have to start.

Start with what you have and improve as you go. Start small. Learn along the way. Make mistakes. Adjust. Grow. Everything may not fall into place immediately, but taking that first step gives you the opportunity to make things work.

As I speak to you now, I have finally started the business.

However, there is now a lot of competition. And sometimes, I think about how different things might have been if I had started when the idea first came to me. I could have built my customer base earlier, created awareness, gained loyal customers, and established myself before other people entered the market.

But instead of allowing that thought to discourage me, I choose to learn from it.

The lesson is simple: Don't just prepare and sit around. Start now.

You don't have to wait until everything is perfect. You don't have to wait for someone to give you permission. You don't have to wait until you feel completely ready.

That idea in your head might be an opportunity, but an opportunity means nothing if you never act on it.

So, if there is something you have been planning to start for months or even years, maybe this is your sign.

Stop saying, "I will start later."

Start now.

Don't just prepare and sit around. Start NOW.