The way to begin making money, is to begin. That may sound foolish. But the hundreds of thousands of people in this country who would like to make a lot of money are not making it because they are waiting for this, that, or the other thing to happen. Some are waiting for business to get better. Others are waiting for the right moment. For the most part, however, they are waiting for no reason in the world except that it is easier to put off until tomorrow those things which should be done today. Business is a game of “put and take”—you can’t “take out” until you “put in.”
People often put off starting in business for themselves because they cannot see clearly ahead. So they go to friends for advice. It is characteristic of people, when advising friends, to be super-conservative. Benjamin Franklin, you will remember, asked his friends what they thought of his chance to succeed in publishing a newspaper in Philadelphia. Without exception they advised against it on the grounds that there were already too many newspapers. They did not it on the grounds that there were already too many newspapers. They did not take into consideration Franklin’s ability nor his capacity to succeed. Had they stopped to analyze the situation they would have advised him to go ahead by all means. The fact that there were so many newspapers made the opportunity for a better newspaper that much greater! As a rule most of the advice to those contemplating a business venture is “don’t.” If you ask the advice of enough people you are almost sure to end up by doing nothing.
The only person really qualified to advise you as to what you can do is yourself. You know yourself better than any one else does. You, and you alone, know how determined you are to make a success of the undertaking. And in the last analysis, about 90 per cent of being successful in business is that indefinable thing which for lack of a better name we call “guts.” If you have the “guts” to work eighteen hours a day if need be; if you have the “guts” to go without pocket money in order to carry your business over the rough spots; if you have the “guts” to stick when others say you are just wasting your time, it is a pretty good bet that you will succeed, because that is the stuff from which success is made.
So do not be overconcerned with the real and imaginary difficulties that loom up so large at the outset. It is not necessary that you see the harbor at the other end of your course before setting sail. If you sail straight, and keep moving, you will get to your destination. But you won’t get there, or anywhere, unless you start. Once you have started, most of the difficulties will give way before your enthusiasm and determination to succeed. You may end up in an entirely different business from the one you started. You may have to change your plans a number of times. But what does that matter? The all-important thing is that you have started.
In the following pages you will read about hundreds of people who, like yourself, had the urge to make a thousand dollars. Some earned it making things, and others selling things. Some made it quickly and others slowly. But you will find one thing true of every story in this book. Each person began making money when he or she started. Had these people not come to a decision, and started in a business of their own, they would never have made any money. Their success began with their decision to start— and so will yours.