Beware of the drunken noddle means beware of all the BS people tell you, that you need to have to launch your idea.

What? That’s right, I said it. When you’re doing your research on starting a business or even just speaking with people, they’ll tell you, “Oh, you need to incorporate right away, hire employees, blah, blah, blah.” Or say you’re observing other entrepreneurs, looking at where they are and comparing it to where you currently are. It can all be a little daunting. A lot of times, when we’re doing all that research, we can educate ourselves out of our dreams. It’s really unfortunate, but it happens.

I don’t want that happening to you, though.

I remember the first business I started in college , Urban Excellence. I would pick up every single book looking for the exact step-by-step roadmap on how to start a business and grow it. I thought I would find a step-by-step blueprint or road map with GPS and turn by turn directions, I kid you not!

My mentor at the time finally said to me, “Felecia, put down the damn books.” He said, “You’re never going to find the answers that you’re looking for in a book because no one has ever done what you’ve done before. Even if they have, the environment is no longer the same. You’re not going to find a blueprint.”

No one is ever going to provide you with step-by-step instructions on what to do. Even when you buy a franchise, the environment in which the original business was created can never be duplicated. You have to think about it this way, when Oprah or Richard Branson started to build their businesses 30 years ago, the internet didn’t even exist yet! So the exact steps that they took can never be duplicated because the world is completely different now.

You have to put down the books (except any of mine, lol) and be confident in the steps that you’re going to take. A lot of what makes a successful entrepreneur is just stepping out on blind faith. As they say, leap and the net will appear. Make a decision to catapult your life, and make changes as you go. As mistakes happen, embrace them and just keep moving forward! Eventually, you’ll find your way. You’ll find your stride, but you’re not going to find a step by step guide in a book.

Even though I don’t want you to educate yourself away from your dream, I’m not saying don’t do any research. You definitely want to understand the industry that you’re getting yourself into. But in order to start a business on a Ramen Noodle budget, there’s some BS you’ve heard that you’re going to need to throw out in order to start, grow it organically and build a successful and sustainable business.