Are You Actually Ready? The Honest Business Startup Checklist
Are you actually ready to start a business… or are you just desperate for a change?
In this honest, anti-hustle episode of Optimized Entrepreneur, Jeremy Hanson walks through the checklist nobody wants to make—the one that tells the truth before you risk your savings, your peace, or your family. Because the biggest decision isn’t your logo, your LLC, or your niche.
It’s whether you should do this at all—right now.
This episode breaks down the difference between feeling ready and being ready, and it helps you identify whether your fear is a normal growth signal—or a warning sign you’re about to step into quicksand. Jeremy covers the real-world foundations most people skip: the household safety net (not just “business runway”), separating personal and business money mentally before you even open a bank account, and the uncomfortable question every entrepreneur should answer: can you afford to fail without losing your home?
Then it gets deeper—because businesses don’t just test your skills. They test your relationships, your emotional regulation, your ability to live with uncertainty, and your ego. You’ll walk through a relationship reality check (including the difference between a partner who’s on board and one who’s just not stopping you), plus the mental and emotional inventory that helps you spot if you’re starting a business to build toward something… or to run from something.
Jeremy also lays out the red flags that signal “not yet” (or “never this”), and a simple decision framework to sort your readiness into three categories: Ready, Not Yet, and Never This—so you can move forward wisely instead of impulsively. Finally, you’ll get two practical safeguards: the Support System Test and Jeremy’s Six-Month Rule—a preparation runway designed to turn excitement into real commitment.
This isn’t motivation. It’s stewardship.
Because the optimized entrepreneur doesn’t start the fastest.
They start the wisest.
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Most people start a business on excitement and hustle—and pay for it later. In this episode, Jeremy Hanson delivers the honest readiness checklist: finances, relationships, mental resilience, red flags, and a decision framework to know whether you’re ready, not yet, or chasing the wrong path.
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