If someone made a movie about how you started your own business, would it be a horror flick?

Starting a business can be scary. That’s the reason why so many would-be entrepreneurs and freelancers are afraid when faced with this idea.

When you work for yourself, you could face:

1. Dealing with Monsters. These monsters can be clients who make unrealistic demands or who are just mean whenever they communicate with you.
2. Becoming a Zombie. You will have to put in long hours to start your business. This includes working late nights and early mornings.
3. Seeing Ghosts. You meet a new, promising client at a networking event. You swap cards and contact each a few times over the next few days or weeks. Then suddenly, there are no more calls or emails from the potential client. You try to reach out to them, but there’s no response. Without any explanation, this person seems to have vanished.

The good news is that running a small business doesn’t have to be a nightmare.

Here are 3 reasons why people start a business and pursue their dreams.

1. You already have a career that you love. Making lots of money is great. But, it can’t be your only goal. The trick is to find time to do what you love, use your talents to help others and find a way to get paid for it. If people want to give you lots of money for doing this, then that’s a plus.
2. The chance to give and receive gratitude. It’s a great feeling when your clients or customers thank you for meeting a need or request. It’s also cool when customers do what they can to help and support you and your business.
3. Knowing that you’re not alone. Entrepreneurs and freelancers thrive when they have a good support system. You need to be able to talk about the “weird” situation you’re facing and have someone say to you “Yeah. That same thing happened to me, too.”

It’s okay to be afraid when you’re starting and while you continue to grow your own business. Do your research and take time to carefully think about the decisions you make along the way.

Just don’t let your fear paralyze you and cause you to do nothing. That’s the scariest mistake of all.

Good luck and Happy Halloween!