Have you ever said the words: "I will never start my own business because it is so much hard work and if your business ends up being a flop, then you risk being financially in debt"? Did you say yes? I did also.

Believe it or not, before I started Sprinkled with Aloha, I believe the exact words to any question of if I would start my own business was always "I will never start a business because I don't understand numbers, marketing, etc, etc etc and I would not want to be the person in charge of everything and possible employees". I now look back and chuckle a bit because I now see the myths I had believed and that kept me not even considering being a business owner or entrepreneur for years. I wanted to talk about these because maybe you have the same beliefs or have been told the same myths? Maybe that is the only thing holding you back from going for your dreams?

1) You need to have a lot of money in order to start

FALSE. I once believed this also. I will fully admit that I used to believe the only way to start a business was by pulling out a loan. I believed that you would need all of that money to rent a space, build that space to what you want it to be, buy all of the software and tech you would need to run your business, etc. I figured out quickly this was false!

There are so many options to start where you are RIGHT NOW and I didn't know that until I actually just decided to just start. I started Sprinkled with Aloha with $800 that I put on the side from my job before I decided to leave. I used that to build my website and buy the basic supplies to bake and decorate cookies. Although I am still reinvesting my profits into the business and it is not paying me at this moment, our business has grown on just that small investment. So bottom line, is you CAN start now! You don't need the fancy equipment, fancy software, etc. You can just start with the basics and budget and invest as you go.

2) Don't talk about your business idea until it is fully ready

I always used to think that you need everything to be perfect before you launch! FALSE. What I found is that if you don't share what you're working on, you'll never know if it is a valid idea in the first place. By sharing what you are working on or sometimes even pre-selling what you're developing, you can get validation of your idea. You will immediately know whether or not people that are interested in this idea. For sprinkled with aloha, it was pretty evident that people will always be interested in cookies (i mean who would say no to a cookie!?!), however, what I was not so sure about was if people would be interested in my story of my "why" behind the cookies. Would they still be interested in following and supporting if I was talking about some dark topics such the stigma around mental health? I sat on the fence for a long time trying to find the perfect way to say things, but it wasn't until I was brave enough to share that I received validation that people were listening because they also felt alone on this topic.

3) You need a lot of followers to be successful

NOPE. You literally only need 1 person who believes in you, your brand, and your vision. That person will go and tell another person and so on and so forth. I started with a total of 10 followers (many of which included my closest friends, hubby and family). It now has grown to 482 followers by just word of mouth. Your people are out there! You just have to show up, be yourself and truly believe in your why you're creating your business. People feel that shit and know when you are passionate about something.

4) You need a business degree to be a business owner

100% FALSE. I used to shy away from the idea of being a business owner because I believed that I needed to fully understand all of the in's and out's of business and finances in order to run a business. I figured out quickly how untrue that is. You can learn soooo much by just doing! Good old fashioned trial and error. I also have learned the power of not being afraid to ask for help! There are so many generous people that are willing to share their knowledge, expertise and experience if you just have the courage to ask. I would be lying if I said I figured this all out on my own. Other local and global business owners, free online webinars and courses, and free information on podcasts have helped me get to where I am. Trial and error and just playing around and listening to the response from my customers and Sprinkled with Aloha Ohana did the rest of the work.

5) Making sales will make you slimy and greedy

If I am being completely honest, this was a hard myth to unlearn and I am still working on unlearning this. I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that I used to believe that to make sales meant I would be perceived as "pushy" or slimy like a car-salesman. But I've found that this is not the case. If you are coming out of a heart of service, then it is not this way at all. For me it is giving people the excitement and memory of cookie art that celebrates them and their uniqueness! In fact, by not sharing your gift to the world you are actually doing others and yourself a disservice because if someone is looking for something particular they will just buy from whoever was brave enough to show up and do whatever that is. So show up! It's scary, but trust me in that you'll be pleasantly surprised how much you are contributing by stepping into your power and doing your thing!

6) No one will buy from you if you ask the price you want

I used to be so afraid to tell people my prices because I truly believed that if they could get cookies somewhere else for a cheaper price they would. It was even harder to ask my price when I got my first no's. The root of this myth all has to do with the fact that I was insecure in myself. I was undervaluing that the people who were not willing to pay my price were not my people. The ones who didn't care about the price understood that they were paying from something so much more than just cookies. They were paying for the experience of knowing that the cookies were made specially just for them. They were paying for the heart and soul goes into each cookie. They were paying for the uniqueness of my style of art and the mission of what Sprinkled with Aloha stands for. So, don't be afraid! You'll find whatever your provide or make is not for everyone and that is A-OK.

I truly hope this post might spark that fire in you to maybe follow your dreams. You have to start somewhere, will you? What would you do if you could? Let me know in the comments below!

Love always,

Re