Today’s post is going to sound brutal.

But I see this time and time again…

People who’d love to earn money from a home-based business or side project, but who tell me they’re waiting for the right time.

I hear all kinds of reasons…

“The economy’s in a recession, there’s so much uncertainty right now…”

“I’m too busy with work/family…”

“I just need to save up some money….”

“There’s so much competition at the moment….”

“I’m just not in the right headspace.”

“I haven’t got the skills yet.”

And so those people shop around for ideas.

They buy books.

They follow people on social media.

They sign up to newsletters (like this one!)

But they don’t act…

Not yet.

Instead, they wait…

They wait for the right time, when everything will be perfectly in place – the time, the money, the family situation, the economy.

And they wait.

And they wait…

And they wait…

But the ideal time never comes.

If anything, things get worse, and more difficult, and more competitive…

They realise that the most opportune time to start their home business was actually back at the beginning when they first thought about it.

So in despair, they give up, assuming they’ve missed the boat.

But here’s the thing – the second best time they could start their home business is NOW.

Because yes, you might have missed the boat a bit…

However there’s always more opportunity ahead, and the best time to capitalise on that is IMMEDIATELY, not at some future time,

It brings to mind the proverb I quoted at the top of this post: “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”

Even if you think you’ve missed out on the best economic conditions… the lowest levels of competition…. the hottest trend… the fastest growing phase of a new technology….

You need to realise…

You will only miss out more if
you don’t act TODAY

It’s like planting an apple tree in your garden.

If you’d sown the seed 20 years ago you’d be looking out of the window at a beautiful tree with Spring blossom, looking forward to eating delicious apple pies later this year… but instead you’ll have

ZERO PIES!

That’s a shame.

But if you don’t go out and plant those seeds now, you won’t ever get those apples and you will never get those pies.

The apple pies will remain nothing but an idea… a thing you dream (a pip dream!) about when you look out of your window at your garden, feeling sad about missing out.

The truth is, there is never any point in waiting.

There will be no better time on the horizon.

There will be no magical opportune moment that will appear miraculously at the perfect time.

It always has to be NOW.

And if you miss that ‘now’, then the next best time is NOW…

It’s always NOW.

I know this sounds like I am banging a drum here, but it is so, so important.

The biggest trap to fall into when you are thinking about making money from home is to only ever stay in that ‘thinking mode’…

After all, it’s a lovely, safe mode to be in.

It’s easy to download free reports, sign up to services, watch webinars and go to seminars or workshops.

And it’s exciting to imagine all the great things a home business could do for you…

Generating an income in your spare time… paying off your debts and bills… putting deposits down on homes or second homes… jetting off on holiday when you feel like it… funding your kids or grandchildren through university…. taking up golf…. spending the day in the pub with your friends.

It’s like fantasising about winning the lottery.

But if you don’t enter a lottery, it stays pure fantasy.

And if you don’t actually put a business idea into operation and hit “LAUNCH” then you will never make that second income, and your life won’t change in the way you wish it to.

Yes, I absolutely realise that times can be tough.

I know what it’s like to start a business without having enough time, or enough space, or enough energy.

Heloise and I started Canonbury Publishing while I was still working a day job as a busy director in a company, and while she was nursing our newborn baby son – all from a tiny flat in north London.

But we knew we had to strike right then, while we had the idea for our business.

And I’m so glad we did.

Because there NEVER would have been the ‘right time’.

What’s more, it was by generating the kitchen table income from our first newsletter (What Really Makes Money!) that we were able to get a bigger house… and I was able to leave my day job… so that we could finally have the space and time to grow the business properly.

In other words, you can MAKE the conditions more ideal – that is, if you get something profitable started on a small scale first.

And let me reassure you of something…

Why You Haven’t Missed the Boat

The internet might seem a crowded, noisy place, where all the good ideas have already happened…. all the niches are filled,… and all the big players have edged out the little people.

But it’s really not the case.

The internet world continues to expand, innovate and grow, with so many strong niches and tribes, you cannot fail to find a place to grow an audience and sell services.

The digital era we are in today has made it easier and more feasible to start an online business than at any time in the past 30 years.

E-commerce platforms, social media networks, organisational software, artificial intelligence and numerous user-friendly digital marketing tools offer unprecedented opportunities to create content, reach a global audience, sell products or services, and build a part-time business from the comfort of your home.

There is stuff available to you now that I’d have been DYING to have at my disposal when I started out.

So honestly, you haven’t missed the boat.

But you will do if you don’t take action sooner than later.

Because none of us are getting any younger!

And if you want to enjoy the fruits of your home business project then you need to plant that tree ASAP.

So I hope this gives you the encouragement to give it a crack.

If you do have some big obstacles that are stopping you – or worries you cannot get your head around – then please do let me know what they are and I will try and figure out a solution for you in future issues. (I can keep your comments strictly confidential!)

Just comment to this post and I’ll do my best to help.