What made me think that I could start a business? A story inspired me.

Every entrepreneur has to deal with naysayers. In 2005, a lot of people told me that there was no way I could start a business. No one believed it was possible for me to transform myself from an English teacher to an entrepreneur. And yet I did. No one believed that Americans would buy and actually use reusable shopping bags. And yet they did!

The first leap to believe in myself and vision was the biggest leap. It can be lonely, but I didn’t feel alone. In my mind, I carried with me an archetypal story that made me feel like I was following in better footsteps. Here is the story that inspired me to start a business and put everything I had on the line to succeed.

The Pajama King

Peter Alexander had a hard time finding a job after he finished school. A really hard time. McDonalds turned him down. Apparently, burger flipping was not in his future, but as it turns out, that was a good thing.

This was in the 1990s in Melbourne, Australia, and Peter was demoralized. His mother and sister kept telling him they believed in him and encouraged him to keep going. One day, Peter walked into a clothing shop and asked about working there. The manager liked the way he was dressed and thought he might work. So, she took a chance and hired him.

He was a good salesman, and soon he started thinking he could improve the store displays. So, he asked to style one of the manikins. Sure, the manager said. He did, and the outfit sold out immediately. Then he did another one. Whatever he put on the manikin, it sold out in days, and soon she had him doing the shop windows.

It wasn’t long before the manager got a call from the corporate office. What’s going on there? Your sales are through the roof!

To her credit, the manager said, It’s this guy I hired. He’s doing our displays and they are genius.

Peter was brought into the corporate offices and started designing windows company wide. As his talents and results developed, he moved into product design and sourcing.

One night, he was talking to his mother (he was still living at home), who was not happy about her pajamas. As she described it, Aussie pajamas were all for old women—flannel nighties with smocked necklines. She knew she was an old woman, but she didn’t want to look like one. Why couldn’t anyone make pajamas that felt more modern?

Peter immediately imagined modern pajama sets for women. He went to his company, and they let him design and source some. He had them on order when, for some reason, the company decided that modern pajamas wouldn’t work, and they abruptly canceled the order.

Peter was incredulous. He’d spent months on this project and in his heart, he believed the women of Australia deserved better pajamas. It was a defining moment. Just as he was not destined to flip burgers, now Peter knew that he was not destined to work for a company that didn’t believe in his vision. So, he quit and acquired the order for himself directly from the vendor.

This was in early fall. When the order arrived at his mom’s house, there were boxes everywhere. His sister helped him make corridors between the boxes to get from the living room to the kitchen to the bedrooms. His mom and sister kept encouraging him. Peter got some photographs taken with models and put ads in the local newspaper in Melbourne. Good-looking pajamas for women just before Christmas.

As soon as the ad appeared, their mother’s phone started ringing. His sister and even his mom pitched in, taking orders on yellow pads, boxing and shipping pajamas in the evenings. He sold out before Christmas. Peter ordered more PJs for spring, moved out of his mother’s house, and became a premier pajama brand, or as his sister calls him, the Pajama King of Australia.

I was friendly with Peter’s sister when I first started my business in 2005. It was she who told me the story. I thought to myself, if Peter Alexander can be the Pajama King, maybe I could be the Bag Lady.

If a Story Inspired Me, It Can Inspire You Too!

A lot of people think you have to go to school to learn how to be an entrepreneur. Both Peter’s story and my own experience shows, you don’t need to a degree to start up a successful business. You just have to believe in yourself and go where your inspiration takes you.

Inspiration is not easy to turn into a business and yet, the best businesses are started by people who are inspired in ways that might seem crazy but turn out to be prescient. Here are five tips to help you be more successful if you’re thinking about starting your own business.

  1. Do something you’re passionate about, something that will get you out of bed every morning for years to come.
  2. Believe in yourself. No one can believe in you or your ideas if you don’t have the confidence to believe in yourself. Disregard the naysayers. You know what you are capable of.
  3. Prove your concept. Get data on what’s working as a commonsense balance for all that passion. Go slowly at first.
  4. Keep your promises. Be true to your word, even if you have to pull some crazy stunts to deliver for your customers.
  5. Respect everyone. Build relationships of trust and mutual respect with customers and vendors. Let them know you are care about them, and they will be loyal to you in return.

Peter’s story resonated with me and his story inspired me throughout my entrepreneurship journey. When you believe in yourself, anything can happen.

Let me know what business you’re starting. I’d love to cheer you on!