The white swans tip toe across the stage in unison. Their toes pointed and arms raised high. Their famous tulle costumes giving them the air of dancing straight out of an Edgar Degas painting. Fascinated, you walk down the aisle to get close to this amazing display of grace and beauty. In your mind’s eye you can picture yourself up there with them, twirling en pointe and defying gravity as you leap across the stage in effortless jumps.
You draw closer and your brow furrows, what is this? Each leap is accompanied with a small grunt, and a thump and creak from the stage. Holding the pose their muscles quiver, like a racehorse that has finished a long race; every muscle is defined under the enormous strain they are bearing and they look…emaciated. Sweat is running from their arms and legs and their breath is coming in gasps. All thoughts of becoming a beautiful ballerina flee in the face of the reality if what is required to accomplish this “effortless” tableau.
Get Real
One of the messages out there that you might be getting is that quitting your job and starting your own business is easy. The truth is, if you have not set realistic expectations from the beginning you may give up as soon as it starts getting hard. Just like watching from the seats and thinking it is effortless, you should be getting up close and seeing the strain and pain that goes with getting it all together. Talk to as many business people as you can is one way to get an idea of what will be required, why not drop a line to one (or some) of the Jump Juice participants and start asking questions. Pop into local shops and ask them questions about their business. Learn from what they say and add it to your expectations of what may be required of you.
Yes this is a challenge that will stretch you – but being active in discovery will pay off 100 fold in the future.
Over to You
What kind of things have you heard from a business owner that has made you think about your beliefs in starting a business? Drop a note or comment below…let’s chat!
Lotsa Love
