Four small business owners share how they overcame doubt after leaving stable jobs. Speaker B faced a $20,000 payroll shortfall while supporting two kids in college. Speaker A dealt with family criticism after leaving massage therapy. All describe sleepless nights, naysayers, and the eventual breakthrough when revenue grew and they found happiness.
Chapters
I, I wanted to become a massage therapist years, about 7 years before I lost my job in my last life and started massage therapy school.
I was told that now is not a good time to start a business, that I should just stay put, stay in a company, stay where it's safe, stay secure, and don't try to go it alone. You know, I've had the nights where it's 3 in the morning, it's Thursday night, I got payroll coming up the next morning, and I've been I'm like $20,000 short, and you can't give up. Two kids in college, I'm having a real hard time making the bills every day, and really deep down inside I go, going back into corporate is not something I wanted to do.
The biggest doubt I've had about being a business owner is whether or not I'll make it. It's whether or not I'll succeed at this.
It kind of took me back to when I started my own business 20 years ago. I remember laying in a hotel bed in California and having like some night with being paranoid about becoming an entrepreneur because becoming an entrepreneur is a scary thing.
And in that I got a lot of, you'll never make, you'll never be able to retain it, maintain it. So I became a massage therapist and became a very good one and became very busy and popular. And then I said, I want to go deeper with the work. So as soon as I dropped my massage license and stopped doing massage, my mom especially thought it was the worst decision I'd ever made in my life.
So starting my own business was very— it was nerve-wracking. I went from a salary position with benefits to providing everything for my own family.
And I had the naysayers, I had the in-laws, I had the parents, I had the brothers and sisters going, "You're a good engineer, you really know what you're doing. Why do you need to take such a big risk?" Somebody very close to me came up and said, "What are you going to do if this whole thing doesn't work out?" I doubted myself thinking maybe the market wouldn't actually support what I do. And the plan will blow up, the plan will fail, everything will cost twice as much money and take twice as long.
I remember this guy, this guy, and he was a great guy, lovely guy, but he was just a little bit pessimistic. And he came in and he says, you know, why are you doing that? It's never going to lead to anything and it's never going to go anywhere. And I kind of remember listening to it and it sort of sinking into the back of my mind. And then, then sort of, I guess, quietly thinking, I am going to do it. I am going to make it.
And it was really interesting because I— so I did it anyway. And I'm definitely a person who talks to my parents and is very close to my family. And I was a little taken aback, but I knew I was supposed to be doing what it is I'm doing. And so I kept doing it, and lo and behold, I started making more money. I started being happier.
And it was a very stressful 6, 6 to 12 months getting everything going, but looking back now, I would never go back.
