Kirk Hoaglund ⋅ Minneapolis, MN Clientek, Inc. ⋅ 35 years experience

Nathaniel:

Let me echo Suzanna. The is no FAIL there is only LEARN. My version of this is to replace "I hope I don't fail" with "Think how much I will learn."

I started my small company in 1992. I had $10,000 to my name, no experience running a business, and, especially, no experience with finance. That is now 27 years behind me...and counting. I never looked back, weathered some tough stuff, but always came out stronger and a bit smarter.

The best way to start is to -- start.

Kirk

Suzanna Molino ⋅ Sparks Glencoe, MD writer, editor, author ⋅ 35 years experience

Good morning Nathaniel,

I have homework for you. :D I don't know you and yet I believe in you because you have a vision to open a business ... yet ... the first thing to do is remove those last 5 WORDS you typed: "... but I don't want to fail." Those kind of words and self-talk limit our visions and plant "failure" in our minds.

What if you simply affirm positively as you wrote in the first part of your sentence: "Opening a business and I have experience." (period!)

Boom. That's it. You have an idea, you have the experience, so go do it and BELIEVE in yourself!

MUCH SUCCESS to you and thank you for your service to America.

Suzanne Molino Singleton
writer, editor, author

ACP AdvisorNet Staff ⋅ New York, NY ⋅ 10 years experience

Hi Nathaniel,

Happy Fourth of July! Thank you for your service and for submitting your question. You can apply to our mentorship program here: https://mentoring.acp-usa.org/apply/protege/auth. Although our mentors come from Fortune 500 companies and aren’t necessarily small business owners, they can certainly help you with different aspects of your business. For an example, a mentor with a marketing or sales background can help you map out how to best brand your business or increase revenue. Also, as a second option, I recommend using our community feature. You can then search for advisors within this website who may have more experience with this. You can search by area and expertise. Feel free to send them a message and coordinate a meeting.

Best,

Yasmina

Lowell Sandoval ⋅ Seattle, WA SpgFix, LLC. ⋅ 34 years experience

Nathaniel, how is the business doing since July?

I’m available as a mentor if you want to hold a call sometime or send an email. I have performed most roles in Fortune 50 firms as well as playing in the startup markets.

If interested contact me at Lowells@enablemeiot.com .

Lowell Sandoval
CEO, spgFix, LLC.

Edward Canada ⋅ Orlando, FL Andromeda Consulting Group Orlando ⋅ 18 years experience

Hello Nathaniel -

I currently work in small business consulting as a strategist and growth specialist. What industry are you looking in? What's your short-term and long-term goals? Where are you looking to start it up? What's your target market? Do you already have clients?

Feel free to reach out to me - would love to know more about your situation!

Sincerely,
Ned Canada

Nathaniel korpusik ⋅ Savannah, GA U.S. Army, Specialist ⋅ 8 years served

Thanks so much for the words of wisdom. I have changed my question to reflect the advice and form a positive mindset.