Hello there,
I’m so happy to have you here. 💛
This is my first post for The Authentic CEO, a series about the unfiltered life of growing a business, and I must admit that my hands are shaking as I write this.
Being vulnerable, letting the world see your ups and downs, and taking down that mask of I have all my shit together is terrifying.
But the last ten years taught me that authenticity is the key to a life well-lived. So let’s get this party started, shall we?
The first thing I want to talk about is how to start a business if you have no money, no previous experience, and don’t know how to do it.
Let me give you some context.
I’m the Founder and CEO of Parentool, an integrative parenting platform. When I first thought of creating what will become Parentool, I had 0 business experience.
When you plan on starting something independently, you will see how all those inner voices are trying to stop you from doing it.
Let me share my blockages and how untrue they ended up being.
I can’t do it if I don’t know the industry.
Since there is an app dedicated to parents, you might think it is a must to be a parent. Well, I’m not.
Since there is a mobile app, you might think it is a must to have technical experience. Well, I don’t.
And since it is highly medical and psychological, you might think it is necessary to be at least a psychologist or medical professional. Well, I’m not.
You get the idea. I had none of the skills needed to start this business.
But you need money. I can’t start until I have the money
You might think that I had the money.
Nope.
I worked full-time as an Employer Brand specialist for around 600 euros per month. I could barely afford my rent, food, and one yearly holiday.
But who the heck do you think you are to do it?
The inner critic is always going to be there. The impostor syndrome will hit you hard whenever you try to do something that gets you out of your stories.
When you start working on building a business, it gets even more challenging because you go through an identity shift. You start shifting your employee mindset to the entrepreneur mindset. And lord, it is a hell of a roller-coaster! (more about this in the next posts).
If no one in your family had any experience with entrepreneurship (like in my case), you might start feeling like a fraud. Like you take up too much space. Like you don’t belong.
And you start feeding yourself with all sorts of Oh, but I can’t stories.
Oh, but I can’t because I don’t know exactly where I want to go.
Oh, but I can’t because I don’t know how to start.
Oh, but I can’t because I don’t have enough time.
All these stories are trying to protect you. To keep you in your safe zone. It is the zone you already know by heart, and although it keeps you small, at least it is predictable.
My solution was to take my impostor syndrome next to me and do it despite it trying to stop me.
Nothing scares me more than feeling that I have wasted my life.
💡Pro tip: Whenever I’m terrifying of doing something, I ask myself:
If I would get the chance to get back to this planet and re-live my life exactly how I’m living it now, would I do it with an open heart?
So, how do I actually start?
- First, identify all these Oh, buts stories you are telling yourself. Those will be your first obstacles. Don’t overanalyze them, and don’t try to have the perfect solution for each and one of them. Just bring them to your awareness. That will make them easier to manage.
Mine were these:
- You will fail
- Who do you think you are
- Everyone will judge you
- You will lose money and will embarrass yourself
- You don’t have money
- You don’t have an MBA
- You are too young to do it
- No one will join your team
2. Define your vision
- WHY do you want to start this business?
- WHAT feeling are you trying to feel?
- HOW success would look to you?
Go deep. Don’t stop at the first thought.
In my case, I wanted to start Parentool from a place of trauma. I wanted to help all children find a connection with their parents and feel the unconditional love that I didn’t feel.
I was searching for the feeling of being seen and listened to.
And my definition of success was to see a spark of AHA in parents’ minds when reading our content.
If you want to do it for the money, let me give you permission to do it. It is nothing wrong with wanting more money. However, I want to challenge you to think deeper. Why do you want more money? What do you think they will bring to you? What is the feeling that you are searching for?
💡One note: from my experience so far, I noticed that people starting a business only to make money tend to give up earlier. You need an anchor to stay stable when sh*t inevitably hits the fan. A more personal vision and mission, I noticed, are stronger anchors.
3. Do the smallest thing that you can do every week
What I started doing was participating in parenting conferences and events. I spent my time trying to understand their main concerns, their vocabulary, and their interactions in different environments.
I used to go walk in the park or at playground places to observe.
Don’t rush into building a website, opening an SRL, or resigning from your job.
Take it step by step. Slowly. Poco a poco!
Hopefully, my story inspires you to leave your cocoon and become the beautiful butterfly I know you are.
Cheers for this messy yet incredible transforming journey!🍷
My mission with The Authentic CEO is to share with you the unfiltered life. The raw moments and behind-the-scenes and sprinkle them with some lessons and How-tos.
Let me know if you are curious about any subject in particular or if you have any challenges I can help with.
If you want to start a business but have no idea what should be the first steps, check out my eBook – From Idea to Launch, a step-by-step guide for first-time founders.
