One of my past students called me yesterday. We had a wonderful conversation. I'll keep things anonymous for the moment but when she's ready I'll let you all know what she's up to. A few months ago we were discussing her plans for a business. She has a great idea in an under-served niche of a huge market. The biggest problem she had identified was the problem of raising enough capital to start buying the necessary equipment. We talked around the subject for a while as I tried to get a feel for how much she was looking for.

I suggested that, rather than trying to raise a few tens of thousands to purchase several machines and then go out and try and sell her product, she should go find a customer first... and try and get them to pay, if not up front then certainly on a lease.

She called me yesterday to say that her first customer was about to sign a contract and they wanted to pay monthly for the service. Now all she has to find is enough to buy the first machine (a few...

I'm often asked what the biggest obstacle to starting a business is. The answer is... Inertia. We don't do it because we don't do it. We keep not doing it for a few big reasons and a hundred little reasons but primarily we don't do it because we keep not doing it.

Rather like this blog.

I've been thinking about starting a blog for years. What's stopped me? Nothing. The technology is trivial (at least it is for me) and everyone tells me I've got loads to say so why not start? Today. Because tomorrow seems like a better time and we all know tomorrow never comes.

So here I am, sitting on a bench in central London, about to start a meeting. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, the students on the next bench are being too loud and now, this moment, this minute, I choose to overcome the inertia...

and start.

Seize your moment, this moment, and start.