1. Start right now

What are you waiting for? Jump right in!

2. Begin where you are

It turns out the best place to start is at the beginning. Take whatever resources and learning you have at this moment and begin. You will be surprised how much you already have to start with.

3. Now is the best time

Its easy to convince yourself that tomorrow will be a better day to start or things will be easier if you wait for more resources to appear. I promise you the perfect moment will never drop into your lap.

4.You don’t have to know everything to start

Just as you can drive down a highway at night only seeing whats visible in the headlights, you can move your venture forward with only a reasonable amount of planning. Plan a direction, get moving, then…

5. Stay flexible

If you’re creating something truly unique, no roadmap exists for you. Pick a direction to head but stay flexible. Take time out to evaluate your work and shift direction. Your goal should be to make small shifts, but to do it often.

6. Gather allies

If your doing something interesting, your new venture may be one of the hardest things you take on in your life. You need support, whether its someone working besides you or someone that has your back. Don’t forget the importance of emotional support here. The stereotype of a lone wolf entrepreneur that changes the world is bullshit.

7. Talk about your idea with anyone that will listen

You aren’t just looking for good feedback here, talking out loud about your idea will help you better understand it. Seeing someone else get excited about your idea helps keep you excited about it. Holding your idea under an NDA is likely to kill it. Give your idea room to breath, don’t smother it.

8. It’s going to be ugly for a while

If the first version of what you’re making isn’t embarrassingly ugly you’ve waited too long to show it to people. Become comfortable talking about and showing what you’re working on as quickly as possible. Your usually your worst critic, most people won’t notice the small imperfections if they connect with the bigger idea you’re presenting.

9. Give yourself permission to fail

You have plenty of fears to overcome while building your venture, don’t add fear of failure to the mix. The last thing you want to do is become paralyzed by fear, unable to take risks and make hard decisions. Remember that if your venture fails you aren’t a failure, you’re just ready to take on the next idea.

10. Don’t marry your idea until it puts out

Often I see people fall in love too quickly with their ideas. I’m of course talking about myself here. When you become too attached to your idea you lose objectivity, flexibility of thinking, and creativity. Don’t lose sight of your idea by staring at it too hard.

Seriously, stop wasting time reading on the internet. Why are you still here?

Get started right now!