This article was originally published on moo.com as part of a small business blog series for ‘Small Business Week’ in the USA: celebrating, helping and promoting independent small businesses.

You can find the original article here.

Getting started; making it happen

Every business has to start somewhere – even MOO. From big players like Google and Microsoft, to the local restaurant or bakery on your block, every business began with an idea. The guys at the99percent.com (from the creators of Behance) have written a book about what to do next; how to make ideas happen.

Their book, (“MAKING IDEAS HAPPEN“) deals with the obstacles of turning your ideas into actions and making them a reality. The ideas behind any business, whether big or small, are often just the beginning of a long road. “Taking the plunge” and putting your everything in to practice is often the first step that causes the biggest internal struggle; leaving your job to ‘go it alone’.

Online resources and Communities

There are plenty of resources online for providing advice and support, like StartupNation and Entrepreneur.com. For those starting off on their own, sites like FreelanceSwitch provide great tips, tools and advice.

We caught up with Dan Sharp who recently made the choice to ‘go it alone’ and set up Screaming Frog – a small and highly passionate search marketing consultancy. We asked Dan about leaving his job at an agency and starting his own PPC and SEO business…

What made you leave your previous job to ‘go it alone’?

“Ultimately leaving my old job was down to my desire to achieve more – I have always had a burning desire to run my own business. While my previous role working for a company gave me some great experience, it didn’t allow me to develop as quickly as I would like to achieve the targets I had set myself. I continuously needed a challenge and the confines of a company just don’t always allow that.

I have always admired people with ambition and an entrepreneurial spirit, so starting my own business was almost the natural path. By taking the plunge so to speak, it allowed me to have full control and direction of my own ambition.

And are you worried about the risks?

There is that risk factor, but if you believe in yourself and what you can offer then you have to give it a try. I have the freedom to take the path I think is right, while it’s certainly more demanding, it’s also so much more rewarding! While business is certainly not everything in life, running your own gets you closer to achieving your own potential.”

It sounds as though Dan has taken a big first step, and we wish him the best of luck for the future! Thanks Dan for telling us your story.