Posted on March 16, 2011 in Starting a Business

Building a small business? Have you cleared the debris?

Author: Allison Babb
Allison Babb is an author, speaker and Small Business Coach to solo entrepreneurs. Allison publishes the "Small Business Success" weekly Ezine on how to create a steady stream of clients for your small business at: www.GreatSmallBusinessAdvice.com

The first thing you do at any construction site, is clear the debris. Are you ready to build a successful business? Here are 5 different types of debris you will need to clear out:

"As an entrepreneur, you set your own agenda. Your ability to create your own plan and agenda is key. And failure is simply an exercise in learning and growing."

Leave the past behind

I would say that I spend a great deal of my coaching on "mindset." Sure, I teach the mechanics of business building, but mindset is powerful and gets in the way. How you think about your ability to succeed comes from your past.

If your past includes a lot of negative feedback on why you can't succeed, you'll need to work on developing a new set of beliefs about your ability to succeed. I've seen incredibly talented people struggle to succeed because of their own self-limiting beliefs. Be sure to clear out the debris of "negative thoughts and limited thinking" in preparing for building your business.

Move from employee to entrepreneur thinking

As an employee, someone else tells you what to do. Someone sets the main agenda and your goal is to not fail. As an entrepreneur, you set your own agenda. Your ability to create your own plan and agenda is key. And failure is simply an exercise in learning and growing.

Although you're not going after failure, you're also not avoiding it at all costs. In fact, you embrace failure as part of the process and see it as a teacher. Thomas Edison failed thousands of times before finally creating the light bulb we now take for granted. Be sure to clear out the "employee thinking" debris in preparation for building your business.

Become determined to learn

I've had many people tell me that they really don't want to be doing a whole lot of learning to create a business. They want the quick path. Becoming an entrepreneur is like anything you want to become - you learn how to do it correctly and successfully.

Get your hands on as much information as you can on business ownership. You can never learn too much. Be sure to clear out the "I don't want to learn" debris in preparation for building your business.

Develop persistence

One of the key questions I ask people is how strong is their desire to reach this goal of business ownership. I ask that because your persistence will only be strong as your desire.

Those with an unwavering burning desire for the freedom of self employment will not be stopped by failure, roadblocks, and putting in the extra time and effort it will require to get started. Be sure to clear the "lack of persistence" debris in preparation for building your business.

Leapfrog vs ladder climbing

In the corporate world it often takes many years to go from first time employee to senior management. We all know this as "climbing the corporate ladder." But as an entrepreneur, you can leapfrog your way to success. Get rid of the mindset that you have to start small, take small steps, earn pennies before you earn lots.

Thankfully, my eyes were opened by some really successful entrepreneurs who coached me out of the "ladder climbing" mindset that was preventing my growth and success as an entrepreneur. Be sure to clear the "ladder climbing mindset" debris in preparation for building your business.

Allison Babb is an author, speaker and Small Business Coach to solo entrepreneurs. Allison publishes the "Small Business Success" weekly Ezine on how to create a steady stream of clients for your small business at: www.GreatSmallBusinessAdvice.com