Every day, across South Africa and the world, men and women lament on starting their own businesses. Usually, they have an idea, they desire to be their own boss, they're tired of climbing corporate ladders, or they wish to create their wealth for themselves and their families. The reasons are countless.

However, many people never dare to take the first step. They'll tell themselves "It's not the right time", "The economy can't sustain startups right now" and so forth, as life continues along its path.

It's a cliche', but success does come with time and learning. 

So when is the right time to start a business? Many would argue right now, even during these unprecedented times of pandemic. There exists no perfect age, experience or booming economy that will give you the edge. All that actually exists is time in the market. 

Age is just a number. 

It's prevalent that age and experience make for exciting debates about entrepreneurship. On one end of the spectrum, several successful enterprises in the world were founded by entrepreneurs in their youth. Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg and Larry Page were all in their early 20s when they launched their dream companies. 

However, a recent Harvard Business Review study revealed that there, in fact, outliers in the world. As per the research, the most thriving startups in the world were founded by people who are on average, around 45 years old. 

Business owners should get their practice in early, while risks are low and school fees are affordable. 

For example, Apple, Microsoft, Google and Amazon all fall into this pattern. The growth rates of these conglomerates only peaked in terms of the market cap when their founders were middle-aged. Amazon's most significant growth rate occurred when Jeff Bezos was 45, and Steve Jobs only introduced Apple's most profitable innovation, the iPhone when he was 52 years old. 

In the local landscape, Adrian Gore founded Discovery Limited at the tender age of 28 years old and went on to win Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of The Year award when he was 34, however, it's worth noting that Discovery's growth also gained momentum after some time in the market. 

Practice makes perfect. 

Another cliche' that is true, and we're not trying to advocate that business owners should wait before launching their companies because entrepreneurs who have experience often thrive, as often the opposite is true.

The most thriving businesses which achieve scale usually are not the founder's first idea or attempt at founding a company. A successful business is commonly the result of past mistakes, pivots, and invaluable lessons learnt. Today we're witness to notable media hype around thriving startups which aim to change the world; however, the harsh reality is that overnight success actually equates to at least a decade in the making. 

It's because of this notion that the best time to start a business is as early as possible. It would be best if you strived to get your practice in early, while risks are low and tertiary education fees are cheap. And due to success coming with time and learning, the sooner you start, the further ahead you'll be. 

Moreover, let's not forget the context we're operating within as South Africans. Navigating through our blended economy takes time to learn. Crafting a business culture which aligns with and embraces our unique diversity also doesn't happen overnight. In fact, the nuances of our nation often require more practice than that of our international peers to get right. 

Let's explore three tips for launching a business as soon as possible and ensuring success.

1) Be deliberate in what you learn.

In Malcolm Gladwell's best-selling book, "Outliers", Gladwell describes the 10 000 hour Rule, which in short states that to master anything, you need to put in 10 000 hours of practice. However, it's wise to note that he's not referring to repetition solely. 

Gladwell is referring to deliberate practice, which means actively learning from experience and putting them the work. The lesson is crystal clear; business owners need to be doing things to learn from them, thus launching a business now to learn what works, what doesn't and to fill gaps for improvement is a wise move.

2) Constantly up-skill.

No entrepreneur knows absolutely everything they need to run a business when they launch, yes, even people who have spent years climbing the corporate ladder. Successfully starting and developing a business requires additional skills, and there are always gaps. 

Until the time where you're actively running your business, you won't know the required practices, methodologies and competencies needed to scale your company. Furthermore, it's wise to remember that often your first or last idea isn't always your best idea as an entrepreneur. 

3) Get into the market swiftly to test your ideas.

As soon as you have an idea, you should test it immediately. The quicker you can get your product or service the market, the sooner you'll find a customer base, and the faster you can respond to feedback. 

Developing a business is about failing, learning, shifting, pivoting, iterating and then repeating the entire process. There exists no perfect idea. Ideas need to be stress-tested, and this can only happen in the market with customers. 

If your dream is starting a business, don't wait. There is no perfect time, it does not exist. The stars are not going to align and the economy will never be excellent. You have yourself, your vision, your skills, your ability to learn and time. The sooner you start, the faster you'll determine what your business needs to thrive.