Lots of people have the idea to start a business.  Lots of people would just like to work for themselves.  Many people are stuck in jobs that they hate for fears that are just not real.  For many people, the thought that they are not qualified to be an expert stands in the way of starting.  Maybe you can relate; you would feel like a fraud, or that you just don’t have all the answers.

When I first started my painting business in college, I thought I knew it all.  I had worked for one summer for a college painting company called Triple ‘A’ Student Painters.  They had “hired” me to “manage” an area close to my home town the summer prior.  I was responsible for sales, hiring, training, production, supply management, marketing, and everything in-between.  BUT (and it is a big but), I had gone through training to be prepared for this.  They sent me to painter school for one week over my spring break.  You read that right, ONE WEEK.  I learned it all.  Now I’m a bright guys, but I was in no way prepared to do all the things I needed to do to paint homes for people…but I did it.  By the end of the summer, I had earned about $1500 plus paid off my equipment, and now, I was a professional!

During the first two or three years of starting my small painting businesxs, I had lots of questions.  I did not do a lot of things the right way.  But I learned…constantly.  When I came up to something I had never done before, I would go to the guys at the paint store, and they always had tips and insights for me.  When things took longer than I thought, we just put in more hours.  I can only imagine how many hours were wasted those first few summers.  I had all sorts of guys working for me, and I had no clue how to train and manage them well.  Today, my company has a full on training system that takes someone from a band new employee up to a manager.

The reality is, you WILL make mistakes.  You WILL do things wrong.  However, if you only did things you knew how to do, you would never grow.  I will admit that you should have some level of confidence and ability in what you are doing, but there are a lot of things that you will and should learn along the way.  I may not learn something new every day, but I most likely still learn something new every week.  The trick is to remember it so you don’t have to learn the same lesson twice…but if you are anything like me, you will do that too.

So, the question still remains:  Are you qualified to start your business?  I believe you probably are.  Do you know more than most people about the topic?  Are you willing to study whatever it is to get better at it?  Will you surround yourself with a team of people that will compliment you?  That, is where the magic is.  Hire a team that is smarter than you in different ways.  Don’t surround yourself with people just like you.

Nothing will happen without a little action and forward motion.  Take a step in the right direction.  You might just surprise yourself.

For more ways to grow your business, to hear stories from successful small business owners, and more from Nick May,  listen to the #1 Small Business Podcast from Denver, Colorado, Small Business Naked