Seize the Noodle

Eat Ramen Noodles Now so that you can Eat Lobster Later

I love a good and tasty bowl of ramen noodles clearly since I wrote a book about it. These are a staple food for anybody trying to save money on their grocery bill and the staple for broke college students across the globe. These little pieces of gold are filling and are only $.10 per little package (or less!). But, I think that we can all agree that we would much rather eat an expensive buttery lobster ahead of eating a cheap bag of noodles. Am I right? When we decide to start our business and we jump right into our dreams we all have the end goal to make enough money to dine on lobster dishes without the financial guilt. I think it’s safe to say that people who begin their business want to  be successful and become rich! However, you won’t be able to eat lobster dishes right away! And if you do start off with money, you should use that money to expand your business. Grab your noodles, put aside the lobster dish and get ready to grind!

It is a myth that you have to have an MBA or a fancy degree to start a business. You also don’t have to have tons of money to start your business, you just have to be willing to eat on a meager budget. You should be willing to give up the luxuries that you are used to, in order to create the business of your dreams. Carpe Noodle my friends!  All of the successful people that you see on television bragging about their millions (or even their billions) have started where you are! They started sleeping on people’s couches, (sleeping in their office at one point like me😒) they didn’t have a big fancy client yet and they decided to grind and hustle in order to become as successful as they are today.

I was watching “Shark Tank” the other day.  Shark Tank is a television show that with a group of venture capitalists listening to entrepreneurs who are trying to get people to invest in their small businesses.  Mark Cuban is one of the Shark Tank investors.  Mark Cuban is a billionaire who started his career by starting his own technology business and he has gone on to be a very successful person. He comments on his young entrepreneurial life and talks about how he had to live off of Top Ramen and he had to live on friends couches to survive. If entrepreneurs ever come before him and don’t express that they are giving up everything for their business then Mark Cuban realizes that they aren’t willing to “Seize the Noodle” and he never invests in the people who aren’t willing to sacrifice their lobster dinners.

When you first start your business you need to be willing to start scrappy and you also need to learn how to be creative. You will have limited resources in the beginning and that is okay and to be expected. Having to start on limited resources will actually make your business stronger and it will help the foundation grow!  When you start with limited resources it helps you to figure out what is truly important in your business and keeps you focused on exactly what you need to become successful.

The founder of LinkedIn famously said if you are not embarrassed by your first product then you waited to late to start…

Don’t be afraid to be scrappy at the beginning of your business or even crappy, because done is better then perfect. Don’t be afraid to get creative with what you do have! Work hard, hustle hard and be willing to seize the noodle. If you ever want to be on a lobster eating budget then you need to be okay with starting a ramen noodle budget.