In the spirit of National Entrepreneurship Month, here is why now is the best time to start your business. If you didn’t know, November has been set aside as the month in which we celebrate those who have the guts, drive and determination to venture out and start their own business. This month we’ll also celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week (November 17-23), National Entrepreneur’s Day (November 18th), Global Women’s Entrepreneurship Day (November 19th) and Small Business Saturday (November 29th).

With all the focus on entrepreneurship and small businesses, it might be the perfect time for you to start thinking about making your dreams of business ownership a reality. Now really is the perfect time to start your business and here’s why:

Low Barriers For Entry

Never in the history of our country has it been easier to start a business. For many businesses, the startup investment needed has dropped substantially and the U.S. Government has realized that small businesses and entrepreneurs are the engine that really drives our economy. This means that both money and assistance for new businesses are easier to find than they were years ago.

You’ve just got to make sure you set realistic expectations for your new business. Starting small and growing your business organically will take less startup capital, but will probably be slower to grow. If you have big billion-dollar business dreams, you’re going to need a lot more funding, but the potential reward will likely come sooner. It all depends on the amount of risk you’re willing to take on.

The Tools For Success Are Fantastic

If you haven’t noticed, there are some pretty fantastic business tools available these days, which are either incredibly inexpensive or completely free. You can now download and have access to everything from accounting software to website development tools to email programs on a shoestring budget. 10 or 15 years ago, just those three items alone would cost tens of thousands of dollars, but today, most budding entrepreneurs can easily afford these tools for a very small price.

The advent of smartphones and social media sites has also made finding new customers and marketing to them so much more affordable. For a local business, running a targeted ad through Facebook is a much better use of marketing dollars than placing a traditional ad in a newspaper or on the radio. Put simply, the tools available to entrepreneurs today make starting and running a business more straightforward, more affordable and more fun.

Entrepreneurs Come In All Shapes And Sizes

While the image of a moneyed, techy, white male in Silicon Valley might inadvertently pop into your head when you hear the word ‘entrepreneur’, that visual only represents a very small slice of the people who actually start businesses each year. In the U.S., entrepreneurs come from every race, age bracket, weight class and income level and are almost as likely to be female as they are male. There are no rules about who can apply to become an entrepreneur – a great business idea and a great drive to succeed are all that is required.

That’s the beauty about starting your own business – anyone can do it. There are no prerequisites and your unique entrepreneurship story is one that people will want to hear. So if you’ve been second-guessing yourself and telling yourself that you don’t “fit the mold” of what an entrepreneur looks like, it’s time for you to get some new glasses, because there is no mold for entrepreneurs.

Time Is Of  The Essence

It may be tough to hear this, but that great business idea that you’ve been sitting on for years? Someone else has probably thought of the same idea and is working to turn that idea into a business right now. Time is of the essence and the longer you wait, the more likely it is that someone else is going to come along and turn your business idea into their reality.

What are you waiting for? Don’t miss your chance to do what you’ve always dreamed about. Start taking action today to make your business dreams a reality. Even just one little step each day is a little step forward and moves you closer to your goal.

There Is No Better Time Than The Present

There will never be a perfect time to start a business. The economy will be bad or you’ll have a family emergency or there will always be some other reason not to get your business off the ground. There will always be excuses not to start your business, so you might as well bite the bullet and become an entrepreneur today.

If you’re ready to take the plunge and start a business, there are thousands of places to get the help you need. Here are just a few of the official websites new entrepreneurs should take a look at:

Small Business Administration – sba.gov
Chamber of Commerce – uschamber.com
S. Copyright Office – www.copyright.gov
S. Department of Labor: Office of Small Business Programs: www.dol.gov/osbp
S. Patent and Trademark Office: www.uspto.gov