Eric’s Blog – So You Want Your Own Business? (Part 1)

Everything I’m sharing here comes from real-life experience — not business school, not textbooks, and certainly not from someone pretending they’ve got all the answers.

These are lessons learned from years of trying things, getting some right, getting plenty wrong, and discovering what actually works in the real world.

And believe me…

I’ve made more than my fair share of mistakes along the way.

The good news?

If I can help you avoid even a few of them, then this blog has done its job.

And all I ask in return is simple…

👉 When you make your first million, remember where you heard it first…

…and feel free to send me a Porsche 911.

Preferably brand new.

Although I’m a reasonable man — I’d also consider a low-mileage one-owner model if you’re trying to keep costs under control!

Where It All Began

I first dreamed of having my own business as a teenager.

Back then, I believed something many people still believe today:

👉 “If you own your own business, you must be rich.”

Friends thought it.
Family thought it.
Most adults seemed convinced of it.

What I later discovered was this:

Some business owners do very well.
Some scrape by.
And some quietly wish they’d stayed employed.

We can’t all become the next Alan Sugar or Richard Branson…

…but there’s absolutely nothing wrong with giving it a go.

Trying Anything and Everything

So that’s exactly what I did.

I tried a bit of everything.

One of my earliest ideas was selling and fitting something called an “Eye Spy Viewer.”

You’ve probably seen one before — it’s the little lens fitted into a front door so you can see who’s knocking before deciding whether to answer… or pretend you’re not in!

I convinced a joiner friend to help me:

• He drilled the hole
• I fitted the viewer
• Job done in about 15 minutes

Looking back, it actually wasn’t a bad little business idea…

…but sadly it didn’t make us millionaires.

After that, I moved on to:

• Selling shirts from the boot of my car to workmates
• Buying and selling second-hand cars
• Chasing every opportunity that looked half promising

All while still working as a printer during the day.

I was motivated.
I was determined.
I was always busy.

But none of those ideas made me rich.

At least not financially.

What they did give me was experience — and that turned out to be far more valuable.

The Conversation That Changed My Life

Then one simple conversation changed everything.

I used to work with a bloke called Ron. He’d left the printing trade and gone into sales.

One evening, my wife and I bumped into him while we were out.

We started chatting.

And what he told me genuinely stopped me in my tracks.

He’d doubled his income.

He had a brand-new company car.

And he had an expense account.

That conversation stayed with me.

In fact…

…it completely changed the direction of my life.

Ron introduced me to a correspondence course called The National School of Salesmanship and before I knew it, I’d signed up.

(What I didn’t realise at the time was that Ron had his own little side hustle going — he earned commission every time someone joined the course. These days we’d call that affiliate marketing!)

Still, I threw myself into learning everything I could about sales, people, communication, and business.

And looking back now…

that decision probably changed my future more than anything else.

What You Can Learn From This

Here’s the biggest lesson I can share with you:

👉 You do not need the perfect idea to get started.

Most successful businesses don’t begin perfectly.

Most entrepreneurs don’t know exactly what they’re doing in the beginning either.

The important thing is to start.

Every failed idea teaches you something.
Every attempt builds confidence.
Every mistake gives you experience.

And experience is often the thing that eventually leads you to the right opportunity.

Thinking About Starting Your Own Business?

If you’ve got an idea for a side hustle, small business, online project, or even a full-time venture — but you’re unsure where to start — we can help.

Our new Life Coach service is designed to help people turn ideas into real opportunities with practical guidance, encouragement, and honest feedback.

You can get help with:

• Choosing the right business idea
• Building confidence
• Creating a simple action plan
• Understanding how to get started online
• Finding low-cost ways to launch a side hustle
• Exploring ways to turn a passion into income

You can also receive a free overview of your business or side hustle idea to help you see its potential more clearly.

👉 Visit our Life Coach page here:

Life Coach Service

Next Time…

In the next blog, I’ll share what happened when I stepped fully into the world of sales…

…and why learning how to sell may be one of the most valuable skills you’ll ever learn — whether you run a business or not.