Written by: Britta Lübbing, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Imagine this. Imagine a dream of yours. It can be a big or a small one. Imagine yourself in that dream. How you appear, how you speak, how other people perceive you. Imagine how what you do in your dream has a positive impact on other people. Let’s say your dream is to have your own café. Imagine how the coffee you serve puts the biggest smile on your customers’ faces. Or your dream is to have your own fashion label. Imagine how your customers gain confidence and happiness by wearing your designs. Imagine how they stand in front of the mirror and feel strong and beautiful. Maybe your dream is to travel the world. Imagine how the stories you tell inspire your family and friends to set off on a journey as well.
I am fascinated by the fact that dreams do not exist. They are nothing but an illusion in our minds and our hearts. In the purest understanding, a dream is not —, yet it is also not nothing. Have you ever told somebody about an idea, and the both of you ended up talking about this idea for hours — leaving the conversation excited and energetic? See what I mean?
Even more fascinating, I find how to get from a dream, an illusion, to an existing plan. How to get a dream on paper. Followed by execution. How to get outside with a roadmap in your hands, set foot in a path that nobody has ever walked before.
During my studies, I decided that I wanted to have my own business because having my own business equaled freedom, which meant I could make money with what I love, with who I am. I know, a very overused term, so let’s clarify that I knew being a business owner would not make me feel like a unicorn for the rest of my life. Through several examples in my family, I understood the hard work, responsibilities, and sacrifices it took while also seeing the freedom and financial gain. I have never minded working hard or taking risks. I do mind living a life that looks good on my CV. Honestly, I think a CV is the shittiest concept of a roadmap that has ever been invented.
Hence, with this goal in mind, I have spent many hours exploring, brainstorming, learning. I was particularly impressed by young Entrepreneurs, founders in their 20’s who had decided that they were capable of more, then went for it. So apart from knowing that I wanted to be an entrepreneur myself, I also wanted to aim to be super successful at a young age.
This became such a strong driver that I had to leave many limiting beliefs behind, which I see my peers struggling with.
“What do I know to think that I can start my own business?”
“I am too tired or too lazy to spend time on my business ideas after work.”
“I don’t have the money.”
The more steps I am taking, the more I see possibilities lying around like money bills and people literally not picking them up but instead crawling themselves to their day job they hate.
My path so far has been anything but straightforward. I learned that launching a business is neither as easy as the following:
“Alexa, I want to launch my own business but have no idea how - can you help me make my dream come true?” But also not as difficult as too many think.
I wonder why we as a society tend to build such weird and complex constructions around many topics.
“If you are “x” or in “y” situation, you cannot do that.”
“If you are young, you need to start as an employee.”
What happens to all the dreamers out there believing all this noise at some point instead of in their vision?
I want my peers to skip the boring and frustrating job hunt and instead start creating their own individual roadmap. This is why I recently decided to position myself as a Business Coach, which can be seen as a bold move because you could argue that I don’t have enough practical experience. I say that too many young people are not founding businesses - not because they wouldn’t be smart enough to figure out how but because they think they are the wrong ones to do so. This is a problem I am convinced I can solve, and ultimately, I don’t care about the title at all but about the message that I want to spread.
You deserve to have your dreams on paper. There is a version within you capable of believing in your roadmap and showing up for yourself. You are strong enough to leave behind and surrender what doesn’t serve you - explore & create the unknown.
But Why Should I Launch a Business in my 20’s?
According to Google, the likelihood of being born is one in 400 trillion. If you think you are just a normal person who only deserves an average life, I encourage you to use your brain cells. How can you treat your existence like garbage if the probability of you reading this is almost 0%?
Despite that, I think you shouldn’t fall into the trap to believe that „You only live once“ and should therefore “Be the best version of yourself.” (I will stop citing Pinterest quotes from now on, promised!)
Our universe is 13.8 billion years old, the earth 4.5 billion. Scientists believe that humans have inhabited our planet for around 2 million years. (See Yuval Noah Harari: 21 Lessons for the 21st century, p. 319) What am I trying to say? While there is a zero percent chance that you are here, you matter even less compared to the grand existence of our Universe.
Ultimately, you are a product of coincidences with no major impact. Congratulations! Why are you not doing whatever the hell you want? I can literally hear you thinking right now. “Yes, Britta, but —” There is no but. Only you are too full of yourself instead of understanding that you are a nobody who can have it all. Is that scary? I get that, so let’s check the risks of the journey ahead of you.
Looking at how usually we, as human species, evolve in our lives in the 21st century, what would you say is the age where you have the least to lose? When do you have the lowest timely or financial responsibility towards others? What is the age where you are most likely to earn the smallest amount of money, therefore having the worst living standard in your life?
Why does being broke and independent make you a perfect Entrepreneur?
Because there is not really anything to lose, and if we have nothing to lose, there are simply no real risks. My current risks are that I put my salary into something that won’t work out financially (learning-wise, it will be a huge win anyway). Okay. Others drink and party and waste their money likewise.
“It is not the right time.”
Do you think there will ever be the right time? I recently read this sentence that I liked, and it was about the fact that you will never start with the perfect idea anyway. You’ll start with something that has the potential to become great, but most likely, the first version(s) will be crap. If there is no perfect thing from the beginning, there is also no perfect time for it. You can either start with crap in 10 years, or you can do so now.
“I prefer a secure income.”
I was hoping this argument had lost its credibility after the 1.5 years we went through. There is simply nothing like security. Companies have been very eager to let their people go to save their skin since the pandemic has hit. If I am happy about one thing, then it is the knowledge that I am not dependent on a job even though I still work in one. If you want security, build your income streams yourself.
“I don’t know enough.”
I understand why you think that because this is how we have been educated. You go to school, college, corporate career, and the further you evolve, the more you know, the more valuable you are to society, the more you earn, and so on. Just that our world has changed, and if I look at company hierarchies and people in senior roles struggling with digitalization, then I know this is a lie that is supposed to keep us from taking over the world (I am a bit sarcastic here). It is not about knowing enough. It is about knowing the right things for the right people. You cannot know anything. Nobody does. But you can figure out a tiny problem that a tiny amount of people have in this world and help them solve it.
“I don’t have enough money.”
I wonder if Steve Jobs or Bill Gates would have started Apple and Microsoft - had they been 20 years older. The answer is likely to be no. Their vision to create was so much stronger than their doubts, their passion and idealism so much more powerful than other people's opinions, and their belief in their dreams gave them the strength to create something out of nothing. They were okay with what they had. They just made it work. Because our living standard usually has not been very high yet in our 20’s- we will find it easier living from a small budget. You can call people in their 20’s naive, and I believe that’s our power. That’s what makes us innovative, passionate, and creative enough to challenge the status quo, hence push for change. On top of that, you don’t need to go all-in from the beginning. As I mentioned before, I have my business on the side next to a full-time job. My job still pays my bills. It is where I can test myself and my skills in a safe environment like a driving practice area - my business is my wild adventure, my creative outlet that I aim to push to high-speed sooner than later.
I have this vision of a world where more young people dare to dream loudly. I want to believe in a world where more people create roadmaps and start walking. Step by step by step. Where there was nothing but an initial thought that became the journey of a lifetime. Never forget your zero percent likelihood of being here, and you mattering zero percent. I think that is a freaking amazing gift, to begin with. Your time to fly high starts now!
Britta Lübbing, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Britta is the founder of Bttrflymovment, a platform, and community dedicated to supporting and connecting people in their 20‘s who are looking for a way to unlock their potential fully. After studying Business and getting a taste of a 9-5 corporate career, she quickly realized that this lifestyle would never allow her to „swim in the ocean“ but rather lead to jumping from one aquarium into the next bigger one.
Furthermore, she had friends and fellows around her with great ideas, ambition, and talent seemingly stuck not knowing how to make their dreams come true. Britta’s passion for Self Development, true connection, and a fulfilled life eventually led to the vision of a safe space that would allow young people to transform from a caterpillar into a butterfly and also allow them to connect to like-minded people with shared expectations for life. Bttrflymovement was born.
Britta loves to write, share and inspire through her journey according to the motto: Be the change you want to see in this world!
