By Edris Tucker, AFC® 

Financial Coaching Program Manager , CommunityWorks 

4/21/2025 

We’ve probably all heard someone say, “I don’t want to be rich; I just want to be comfortable.” 

Besides the low-key shade on the rich (and that belief system itself can hinder your financial wellness) there are other problems with this sentiment. 

The desire to be “comfortable” is at odds with entrepreneurship, one of the fastest roads to wealth. If, as an entrepreneur, your “big, audacious goal” is to skip over all the messy to be lazing on the beach sipping Mai Tais 24/7, you might not quite be in the right headspace. 

Entrepreneurship is about taking risks, being the first to do the thing, standing out, forging new paths… all of which is generally uncomfortable for most people. But a wise entrepreneur knows and recognizes the need to make those risks calculated, not just bold, leaps of faith. 

If you want to be an entrepreneur, quitting your job to start your business is not your best move, despite the cultural influences to the contrary. 

Preparation is the key. And cashflow is king, even above cash in the bank (unless you have a gazillion). You need a plan to deal with the uncertainties of entrepreneurship and you need to create structures and systems to execute those plans for predictable revenue and bottom-line results. 

Particularly, when times are uncertain, as they are today, being able to take advantage of opportunities requires an extra dose of resiliency (reserves), margin (cashflow over and above your needs and the costs of personal and business credit), and courage.  

Confidence is boosted by past evidence of your ability to follow through on plans. Your reputation for sticking to it (perseverance, persistence, determination) will help cement relationships that could make all the difference in your business’ success. 

So, what if you don’t have those things? No reserves, little cashflow, minimal margin, if at all, and marginal relationship capital? 

What if the business you are passionate about starting centers on an industry within which you have no experience nor transferrable skills? 

What if your track record of repayment and money management isn’t great and you had a late payment just last week? 

It’s not the end of the world. But it is time to pivot. Take ownership of your development and control what you can control. 

Be willing to WAIT (Willingness to Accept Intermediate Tension) while you grow your capabilities. You don’t have to do it alone. Nobody is asking you to give up your dreams, just that you build some foundations underneath them. 

What can you do in the meantime? 

• Analyze where you stand. What are your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats?  

• Talk to your future customers. Find their pain points, their needs. Can you align your capabilities with the problems other people are willing to pay to have solved? Where are the gaps to making you their “go-to” person for the arena in which you wish to serve? And where can you find them on and offline? 

• Build your skillset. Take courses, classes, workshops, training or even volunteer or apprenticeship opportunities to strengthen your knowledge. Read books. Find a mentor. Study. There are numerous free or low-cost resources available.  

• Create a budget to align your money behaviors with your purposes and priorities.  

• Learn the credit game. What is your credit score and what does that mean? It’s not about hiring someone to “fix” your credit (which is often a waste of money in the long run). It’s about understanding the rules and what changes you must make to be rewarded by the systems that count in so many ways in your economic life. 

• Improve your relationship with money. You have access to financial coaching – for free – through CommunityWorks’ financial coaching program. Click here to Get Started [link: https://www.communityworkscarolina.org/coaching/financial-wellness] 

Starting a business under the best of circumstances involves risk. But you can give yourself the best opportunity for success in your business by creating a foundation of learning and preparation that will shield you from some of the uncertainties that will inevitably arise for your business.