How to Be Successful at Anything by Starting Small   1:21 The Importance of Starting Small 6:06 How to Start Small 21:07 #AskChristyWright Resources Business Boutique Conference The Business Boutique Conference is coming back to Nashville Oct. 24–26. If you want to learn how to grow your business and chase your dream, you don’t want to miss this event. To save $10 on any Business Boutique Conference ticket, use the code BBWRIGHT. If you have a success story you would like to share with the Business Boutique community, email me at podcast@businessboutique.com. New podcast episodes are available every other week. Give yourself permission to be a beginner. We have a bad habit of calling successful people an overnight success—as if they just woke up one day on top of the mountain. But, in most cases, that’s just not true. In reality, most successful people started small doing something unimpressive. Here are just a few examples I can think of: Television pioneer Oprah Winfrey started her career as a news anchor in Nashville, Tennessee—way before it was the cool and popular city it is today.1 Y’all, she was even demoted once from an anchor job she had in Baltimore.2 (I bet that person still regrets that to this day!) And then there’s self-made millionaire Dave Ramsey. He grew his business from a card table in his living room to a multimillion-dollar company with more than 850 team members—and he’s helped millions get out of debt and change their family tree. Did you know that world-famous author J.K. Rowling was living on welfare when she wrote the first Harry Potter book?3 And finally, let’s talk about Ellen Latham—a name many may not recognize. But I bet they recognize the name of the business she started: Orangetheory Fitness. The massively successful chain of fitness studios actually started in a spare room of Ellen’s house.4 Do you see what I’m talking about? The early stages of their careers did not look impressive by any means. But, eventually, because they were consistent and refused to let their humble beginnings define them, their careers surpassed even their wildest dreams. Related: Don't Be Sorry for the Struggle The Importance of Starting Small Let’s just go ahead and acknowledge that starting small is not fun. You’re probably not going to update your friends about it any chance you get, or post pictures about your journey on Facebook. But you know what? Starting small is actually one of the most important steps in building your business—or anything for that matter—wisely. That’s why it’s so important to give yourself permission to be a beginner. Aside from the fact that it works and is proven, starting small makes your dreams and your goals so much more attainable. As you begin to think about your big dreams and goals, what usually happens? Fear creeps in, doesn’t it? You start to doubt that any of your dreams are even possible, because they’re just too big and overwhelming. But when you embrace the idea of starting small, your dream doesn’t feel so crazy after all. How to Start Small The commitment to start small requires persistence, dedication and a go-getter attitude—qualities I know you’ve got in you! That’s why I want to give you a few do’s and don’ts that you can use as a guideline as you chase your dreams. 1. Don’t wait until you’re ready. “Ready” is a myth. Because let’s be real—do we ever feel ready for anything in life? Related: How to Be More Confident There’ll always be a new doubt or excuse that will try to convince you it’s just not time yet. But the truth is, the only way you figure anything out for yourself is by doing it—by learning on the job. Early on in my career, I learned something important: Say yes before you know how. When an opportunity comes your way and you don’t feel ready, qualified or educated enough, it doesn’t matter. Just get out there and get moving—ready or not. 2. Do take baby steps. When you break down your big idea and big dream into baby steps, you begin to see the imposs