In my experience there are two things that hold an entrepreneur back from taking action...
But before you read them please understand that EVERYONE experiences these things in their life at one time or another. So this is NOT a judgment call but simply an observation.
Realize that if you react defensively to either of these (more likely to happen if you are stuck due to the first one) then you may just need to "take a step back" from your situation to be able to assess things less emotionally.
Ready... Here are the 2 things that hold most entrepreneurs back:
1. Fear - If you are worried that you will fail or that you aren't "ready yet" or you are literally paralyzed because you "don't know where to start" and feeling overwhelmed - then this could be why you are stuck.
2. Complacency - If you are comfortable where you are and If you have the calm attitude of "I'll get to it tomorrow..." then this might be the reason you are stuck.
To move past these roadblocks try the following:
1. Find your "Reason Why". Re-visit your personal goals and reconnect with why you are doing this. Get excited by your future - so much so that it pulls you towards it. Include your personal goals - like the financial and time freedom you will accomplish and what that will mean to your life. And make sure it's more than just about you... Why will the world (aka the world of your customers and clients) be a better place because of what you do?
2. Inventory your strengths and resources. What are you great at and passionate about? What resources do you have available to you that give you the edge? What could you start doing TODAY that would both begin to move you towards your goal AND that excites you to be able to do?
If you found these tips to be helpful - let me know how else I can help. Perhaps you need some guidance on how to put together your business model or your marketing plan or to simply create a business that replaces your current "job income" so you can REALLY get to work building a business that creates financial and time freedom for you!
In any case - I wish you massive success!
This is a typical question for those who have yet to venture into operating a business, assuming the business you mentioned is profitable and without shrinking demand you should already feel comfortable to operate it and expand it because growing a business, except for pivoting and or seeking investments, is really nothing more than hiring more sales people, putting in more hours, being friendlier to your customers.
Obviously each of these implies its own "to-do" lists but you can start tackling it with follow up calls, end of work surveys, referral discounts, offering limited time only options, match competitor prices, etc...
I hate to say this, but many questions are better asked over the phone and better explained and results. Give me or any applicable person here a call and let's talk about your business in particular and what approach can help you change your mindset by applying easy to track changes into your business :)
I've seen that syndrome over a hundred times while mentoring and teaching courses and everything can sum up in a single term: Motivation.
The low level of motivation is the reason for you to keep asking that question without taking action.
Lack of motivation is caused by different factors, and could be tackled with different actions. The easiest way to fight that is by leaving yourself no choice.
"Just do it", as a popular brand says in their motto. If you work full-time, quit. All of your income should come from your business venture, so you better get that going ASAP.
If everything is too vague, break it into groups and subtasks. Define everything in details and set milestones. Deadlines are always a good motivator. Announce them publicly to everyone - if you count on your name, you better not fail that.
If you are afraid of the competitors, find your unique selling point. Beat them with a killer feature and sell it at your best.
Whenever my mentees or students have doubts, I outline them the alternative. A boring 9-6 job, a mean manager, tedious tasks, lack of progress. Planning in iterations with pressuring deadlines leaves you no time to think of "can I" since you're too busy to execute the plan and progress further.
