These are turbulent and uncertain times; now more than ever it is impossible to know what the future holds.

I was returning from a meeting of the charity of which I am one of the Trustees when I met Dean, a banker, at the station. He’d just come back from his daily commute on two trains to Birmingham. “I hate it” he said, “I can’t wait to retire”.

“How long will that be?” I asked. “Sixteen years” he said.

I don’t know about you but life’s too short and precious to be that afraid.

I get it. For many people the uncertainty and fear of failure is stifling. They don’t know what to do, so … guess what? They do nothing. They stay in what they think is their comfort zone. They think they’re safe. They are afraid. They let their fears dictate their inaction. They won’t take risks.

Or at least that’s what they think. In fact, they are taking more risks than they know because they:

• Don’t have any income generating assets
• Have only one source of income
• Serve a boss who controls their time
• Have no passive income; and
• Have a job they can be laid off from.

It is always instructive to learn from how successful people behave; they wouldn’t fall into any of these traps. They dream, they create a vision and a plan, and they make it a reality.

That can be a bit scary too; it is human nature to conjure up the worst-case scenario. But what if you stepped outside your comfort zone and did what you have always dreamed of? And what if you succeeded?

The reality is that starting your own business – even if it’s just a side hustle to begin with – is far less risky than it might appear. Sure, if your read the statistics most start-up businesses fail – but most of those failures are avoidable.

Imagine if you got behind the wheel of a car without taking any lessons? You’d crash – or a least not get very far. That’s what happens to people who get behind the wheel of a business without any training or coaching.

But the clever ones learn how to run a business first (like learning to drive a car), get a coach and then surround themselves with a team from whom they can continue to learn.

That is the less risky path.

Noel Guilford

PS Don’t let your fears hold you back; if you have a dream and would like to create your own business let’s have a chat.