Sometimes I look around, and I see that everyone's eyes are on the big businesses, the ones that have already taken flight. The brands that have funding, offices, teams; brand with nice website. I won't lie, I admire them too. I have a love for business. I love what business can become. But what I have discovered is that none of these businesses started where they are now. They put in years. Many of them started from nothing, just like me or maybe just like you.
I remember thinking I needed so much to start something meaningful. A big idea. A team. Money. A miracle. But one day, I had an idea, when I looked down at my hand - my mobile phone. That simple device I've been carrying around for many years was much more than a piece of technology. Now i see it like a gateway into unlimitied opportunities and now i see it as my startup.
I do not have a registered business yet. I am not making a windfall of profit. But I have begun. That is the piece so many people miss. Beginning doesn't have to be loud or violent. It could be as simple as hopping on a mobile phone or computer and creating something small that generates value. Something like writing, designing, selling, recording; it is abundantly possible to add value with whatever your device can do.
If you have a mobile phone or a computer, you have more than enough to begin. The internet is teeming with opportunities. People are starting businesses in their bedrooms, making global connections, acquiring skills that were once obtainable through expensive lectures. I have used my mobile phone to read, to write, to plan, and I've even used it to share contents online.
That may not seem like much, but it is. Every tree begins as a seed. You don't wait until you have a tree in your yard to say you grew something. You appreciate the moment you put a seed in the soil. To me, that is what I am doing now. So yes, I still call it a startup. People might pick it apart all day long and say it looks like nothing - but it is mine. It is my beginning. And one day, it might develop into something significant. But even if it takes years, that is alright - because I have started already.
