So I was contacted by LinkedIn senior news editor Jordyn Dahl to share what advice would I have for those looking to start their own business. What would you go back and tell yourself if I were starting out today? I think this came at the right time as we are celebrating almost a decade of running Furry Feline Creatives. Growing the company from just a part time hobby to doing in full time. My advice is simple, you need to have a passion and a plan for what you are doing. When I was a computer engineer, I did not quit my job right away as I wanted to see the company grow while I'm working to fund the business. I did not take any loans and tried to avoid the pitfalls and danger getting into debt. My thoughts was: "If we can make products the best we can with what we have and manage to sell them, then we are in the right path to start". Expanding or adding extras will follow in the right time. We started our business without any real capital or partners.
Passion develops when you are faced with numerous challenges and rise above everything and still loving what you do. Passion is also knowing that by doing this business, I get to support my wife Cheri Ong and show the world her talents and able to spend more time with my children as we call the shots and the destiny to succeed is in our hands and not through someone else.
Plan - There is a saying that never bite off more than you can chew. Things happen at the right place and at the right time. And only you know when you are ready. Once the opportunity knocks, go get it!
If I was just starting today, I would go back and tell my old self that the time is now to start thinking what do I really want to happen. Success starts by just starting.
You can see the post on LinkedIn here.