I wanted to start a company that can make a difference in people’s lives. When an opportunity came to do just that, I seized it and I never looked back. 12 years down the road I realized I did well in my personal mission to alleviate poverty, but more can still be done.

I figure early on that the key to providing transformational jobs is to make good business. The road to profitability was not easy but I managed to do it anyway.

The company that I started, Greymouse, is a virtual workforce provider. It now employs almost 70 people with offices in Fiji and the Philippines serving dozens of clients mostly from Australia.

I am sharing my story and some pointers to help aspiring entrepreneurs who are still hesitant to start their businesses. I am also writing this for social entrepreneurs out there who do not have any idea how and where to start.

Start from things you already know so that you can hit the ground running.

Start with the things you are familiar about

My professional training was around business systems and Information Technology. I also have experience in International business and corporate compliance systems. I knew then that if I start a business to push an advocacy, it would be around these things.

This should be the same for you. Expertise on the industry you want to get into is very important. It makes you familiar with the opportunities and you have the capacity to develop solutions to emerging needs.

The idea to start Greymouse started way back in 2002. Back then BPO was just an emerging industry and the technologies needed to have that reliably set up is still far behind. But I know the industry well and I knew where it was all leading to.

Start from things you already know so that you can hit the ground running.

…without the courage to just jump into the water and swim towards the deep end, dreams will remain dreams.

Just do it

I could list a hundred reasons why I should NOT have started Greymouse. I faced a lot of challenges back then, and I could have used many of them to excuse myself from pursuing my dream. But entrepreneurship is all about the courage to do it.

You can have the best business plan ever made, and have more than enough funding to get the venture started but without the courage to just jump into the water and swim towards the deep end, dreams will remain dreams.

My “why” became the very thing that helped me get through the hardest times.

Solidify your “why” for the business

It is easy to give up on a business especially if you are having trouble hitting your targets. Profits can dry up, opportunities to grow can get elusive, and customers can leave. All these can push you to your limits.

This is when your “why” matters. Personally this is why I feel money is not enough to keep you going. Your “why” is about what you want to achieve with your business. What are the things you are very passionate about? What do you want to build? What is that “something” you love to talk about with everybody?

For me it was poverty alleviation. It was empowering people and their communities through employment. It was also tapping potentials of people and connecting their talent with businesses that is in need of it. My “why” became the very thing that helped me get through the hardest times.

Entrepreneurs never got it all right the first time. But the one thing they always get right is that they decided to pursue a dream, they decided to start. Perhaps now is the right time for you!