Are you thinking about starting your own business, and launching out on your own without the security net of a boss, a team of experienced managers, and a track record? If so, you're probably familiar with that sinking feeling: start-up fear. Before you succumb to the fear, doubt, and worry that grip you in the gut, ask yourself: What would be worse - never leaping into an idea you're passionate about because you're afraid to fail, or leaping into that idea with everything you've got, knowing you could possibly fail?

I stared down start-up fear and the prospect of failure in 1984, when my twin brother, Arnie, drove to my job in the middle of a workday and announced, "I've decided to [go into] the organic baby-food business. We've discussed it for years. It's still a great idea. Since no one else has done it, I say, 'Why not us?' I'm doing it with you or without you." Then he drove away, leaving me frozen with self-doubt, fear, and confusion.

Many questions hit me like a brick wall as Arnie's red van disappeared down the street. What if I lived my life and never "went for it" - never stuck with something through thick and thin, no matter what? What if I were to look back on my life and face all the reasons why my dreams didn't come true and my ideals were never expressed? What if I only dipped my toes in the water of life, but never threw myself into the cold and invigorating current just because I anticipated it would be too daunting or uncomfortable to reach my goal of getting to the other side?

The fear of such a safe, drab, worry-filled life overwhelmed my fear of making a mistake, of failing in some way. To be clear, the start-up anxieties did not go away. But my determination to go for something I believed in became the deciding and dominant factor. I'll never forgot that moment, and it colored all of my business decisions afterwards.

The result? My brother and I cofounded Earth's Best Baby Foods, the first nationally distributed organic food to sit next to its mainstream competitors on supermarket shelves. Earth's First was also the first organic baby food company in the United States, and is now a $150 million enterprise owned by the Hain Celestial Group.

If you are a training and development professional thinking about starting your own independent operation, you can benefit from the same rules and guidelines I learned while launching our start-up. Here are five powerful tips to either overcome your start-up fears, or honor them.

  1. Ask "what if." What will happen if you leap into the start-up? What will happen if you don't? Spend quiet time contemplating the answer to these two questions. I recommend you write down your thoughts so you can revisit them and add to them. I guarantee you will be surprised by your answer.
  2. Don't isolate. Don't torture yourself by worrying, fretting, and plotting in private. Break out and talk with the smartest people you know. Network. Get perspective. Be curious. Engage others who took the leap or chose not to. Ask a lot of questions. Bouncing ideas off of others is always stimulating - and the next steps forward might reveal themselves.
  3. Know and honor your nature. If you are like most entrepreneurs, you are an optimist. This predisposition often leads to trouble on one hand, but opportunity on the other. What about you? Are you preoccupied with failure, or more certain of success? If your answer is "failure," consider that this could be a sign that there may be a mismatch between you the adventurer and the prospective start-up venture you're imagining. Return to the "What if" question, and imagine that you're saying goodbye to your idea. Sit with that for a few days. Given your nature, is that a good decision or a bad one?
  4. Don't plan on avoiding trouble. Instead, strategize on how you'll meet it head on. If the idea of battling dragons is not exciting and motivating for you, and if you can't imagine working 24/7 or at least 12/6, your start-up fears might be your friends. They may be warning you off from a career idea that's a bad fit. Start-ups are demanding in ways that are likely to outstrip your imagination. If you're not fired up with passion, you may not have the necessary energy to deal with the many obstacles and hardships that will come your way. Just as you can't be halfway pregnant, you can't be halfway starting up.
  5. Identify strengths and weaknesses. In lieu of your start-up idea, are you resourceful enough to plug the holes and address your weaknesses? Are you a collaborator? Are you an energizer - someone who can fire up supporters and build strong networks? If you're inclined to put your head down and push forward, think again. It's much more useful to surround yourself with people who have expertise that you don't have. Doing so alleviates a great deal of start-up fear. Remember, as an entrepreneur you don't have to be "everything." You just have to try to anticipate everything (no one does perfectly) and be resourceful, finding the help and support you need to go the distance.

When it comes to start-up fear, my advice is to make use of that fear. Listen to it. Understand it. Talk to it. Learn from it. But don't let fear get the best of you. Empower yourself by not eliminating your start-up fear, but by meeting it head-on and overcoming it.

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Ron Koss is co-author, with his brother, Arnie Koss, of The Earth's Best Story: A Bittersweet Tale of Twin Brothers Who Sparked an Organic Revolution (Chelsea Green Publishing, March 2010), a business memoir that recounts the founding of America's first nationally distributed organic foods company.