Are You Ready to Run the Race of Running a Business?

You’ve seen the signs and made the decision: You’re going to start your own business.

Immediately, you’re sucker-punched by your fears. But the more you think about it, the more you convince yourself that you just might pull it off. Your confidence grows as the days go by. Finally, you’ve reached the point of no return, and you’re ready to push off the starting block with everything you’ve got.
But before you tear apart the racetrack, make sure you can reach the finish line. Ask yourself these hard questions.

6 Ways Your Current Job Can Help You Launch a Company

You can start your dream business -- at your current job! Here are six reasons why your current job is the best launch pad.

1. Moolah

Right now, in your current job, you’re being paid, right? This means your dream gig doesn’t have to make money next week! You can test your business plan, and develop an entrepreneurial mindset while you’re in the flight simulator. You have a business plan, right?

6 Ways to Kill Your Startup

Sometimes the best way to learn how to do something is to understand how NOT to do something—to think of things in reverse. Ben Stein (of Ferris Bueller fame) achieved this with great effect with his book, How to Ruin Your Life. Buried in the book’s tongue-in-cheek humor and masked by its sardonic tone were some life lessons that I’ve actually found to be quite valuable.

In homage to Ben, I’m hoping to take a similar approach in my advice to entrepreneurs in the early stages of their businesses. Below is a list of seven ways to ruin your startup. I hope that, by doing the exact opposite of the points below, you’ll find some valuable lessons on running and starting a business effectively.