What did your friends and family say to you when you told them you were off to start your own business?

And how did it affect the way you went about creating your business?

When I first started telling colleagues and friends of my plans to start my own life coaching business back in 2004 [this is where I started 5 years ago], I remember all too well the sucking of the teeth and the “you’re very brave” comments.

Everyone around me told that going freelance and becoming self-employed was all very well but beware the feast and famine.  Working for yourself may give you control and freedom to do what you want, but clients come and go like a roller-coaster ride.

The first few months, I would have to spend all my time marketing. I would then get some clients and then the work would dry up. And I have to do a few more months of hard marketing all over again.

But the reason I decided to start my own coaching business was because I wanted to work part-time.  I wanted to create a new career around my children’s school terms so that I worked when they were at school and took my foot off the peddle when the holidays came around.

And if I was to be faced with a feast and famine roller-coaster ride, this just wouldn’t work.  I wanted to be in control of when and where I worked in the business and didn’t want to fall in to this trap that was being described to me.

So, although I listened to their advice and kind thoughts, I secretly challenged these opinions and decided that it didn’t have to be that way.

Five months later and I was contemplating going back to corporate life.  They were right!  It was tough out there and my marketing was getting me nowhere.  I hadn’t even experienced the feast – it was just famine all the way!

I had hit rock bottom and fortunately the only way was up.  Which is exactly what I decided to do!

I am sharing this story because I firmly believe that it doesn’t matter how great your business idea is, how brilliant your business plan is or how unique your product is – if you haven’t got the right business attitude, there is every chance you’ll fail.

Sounds dramatic, doesn’t it?

But let’s flip this over the other way.

It doesn’t matter how competitive the marketplace is, how average your business idea is or how inadequate your business plan is – if you have got the right business attitude, there is every chance you’ll succeed.

And probably succeed beyond your expectations, too.

Give me a great business idea or a person with a great business attitude and I’ll put my money on the attitude any day.

So my tips for you today is to surround yourself with people who support you and believe in you, be clear on your “big picture” and go for gold.

Because with the right business attitude, you’ll win every time!

Got a comment to make?

How would you describe the “right” business attitude to have to make your business a success? Leave a comment here with your ideas.

Earlier this week I found myself driving round a roundabout 5 times.

My sat nav was telling me to take one exit and yet my gut instinct was telling me to take the exit before.  I was running late for a networking event that I was speaking at and rather than risk being even later, I decided to follow my sat nav’s advice and ignore my gut instinct.

I should have followed my gut!

My sat nav, like all good sat nav systems, took me the long route round, sticking to the bigger roads.

The good news I wasn’t too late but I did make me question why I decided to base a decision on an electronic device rather than my own instinct.

Our gut instinct is an incredibly powerful force. And especially so in our own businesses.

Our gut instinct can kick in when we meet someone for the first time at a networking event.  You can’t quite put your finger on it, but there was something about the way they said your name, you didn’t like.

Our gut instinct can kick in when you speak to a prospective client for the first time.  It may have been the way they answered the phone or the off-the-cuff comment about their business partner that just made you squirm in your seat slightly.

When you get these gut instincts it’s important to sit up and take notice.

You don’t need to act on it there and then.  I certainly wouldn’t recommend you make your excuses and hide in the toilets for the remainder of that networking event. Or complain of static on the line and put the phone down on your prospective client.

But listen carefully to what your gut is telling you.

If the person you met at that networking event approaches you the next week with a business opportunity – think carefully and remember that initial reaction you had.  Is this someone you can trust and do business with?

If the prospective client becomes a client – perhaps ensure you have a clear objective and agenda for working together so that there is no room for any misunderstanding to happen.

Just because you may be hungry for business and desperate to generate some cashflow, don’t just take what is offered to you there and then.

Trust your intuition.

You could just end up going round and round a roundabout, confused on which exit to take.

Got a comment to make?

What are your thoughts about acting on your gut instinct in business? Leave a comment here with your ideas.