Do You Need Experience While Starting a Business? Everything that has been created in the world so far has originated from an idea. With the power of that idea, its creator began to take action. Even without any prior experience, they succeeded. Because imagining something even once is itself an experience.
Walt Disney, the creator of Mickey Mouse, decided to build Disney World. He wanted to create the world’s largest amusement park. He raised the billions of dollars needed and started a project that had never been done before. His brother, Roy Disney, was with him. However, while the project was still in progress, Walt Disney passed away.
Roy Disney continued the project and completed the world-famous Disneyland. When it was finished, journalists asked Roy, “Don’t you think Walt should have been here to see this completed?” Roy’s reply perfectly answers the question of experience. He said, “Friends, Walt had already seen this completed many times. What we are witnessing today was something Walt had envisioned countless times before it became reality.”
Indeed, Disneyland broke all records in the tourism industry. When an entrepreneur dreams of something and works to make it a reality, that itself is the true experience.
Experience cannot be purchased, nor can it be borrowed from others. It must be earned through practice. Even great industrialists like Ambani cannot pass on their experience to their children; they can only provide guidance. Their children must still gain experience on their own.
Ways to Gain Experience Before Starting a Business
If you want to gain experience in a particular field, there are certain ways to do so. A grocer’s son, by sitting at the shop, becomes familiar with financial transactions. He learns the art of dealing with customers. Gujarati and Marwari families provide their children with the opportunity to observe and understand business operations within their homes. This is a part of experience, but not complete experience.
Now, for those like us who do not have such an environment at home, there are some alternative ways to gain experience, which can even help us acquire it faster than those who naturally grow up in a business setting.
✅ Reading biographies and autobiographies of successful entrepreneurs –
Take note of key points and maintain a journal of insights. This journal will serve as a permanent guide for you.
✅ Engaging with entrepreneurs in your field –
Meet both small and large business owners in the sector you wish to enter. Congratulate them on their success and inquire about their journey, the challenges they faced, and how they overcame them.
✅ Listening to business speeches on YouTube –
Many successful entrepreneurs have shared their experiences through speeches available online. Listen carefully, take notes, and download important talks to listen to while traveling.
✅ Reading books like ‘How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling’ –
Written by Frank Bettger, its Marathi version is published by Goyal Prakashan. This book is highly beneficial for aspiring entrepreneurs.
✅ Working for a couple of years in LIC (Life Insurance Corporation of India) –
LIC allows flexible working hours and provides good income opportunities, giving you the time and experience needed to understand business strategies.
✅ Becoming an assistant or helper to a successful entrepreneur in your field –
Work as an assistant, helper, or even a driver for a year under a successful businessman in your industry. The exposure you gain will be far more valuable than an MBA degree.
Once you have gained practical experience through these methods, you can confidently move forward with starting your own business.