I’ve had a passion for startups and innovation for a very long time. Actually, ever since I was just a little kid I’ve had that entrepreneurial spirit. I was the kid selling candy at school and mowing lawns on weekends and during summers. I always knew I would own a business someday, and am a huge fan of anyone starting a business or innovating in any way.

I believe in people following their passions and solving problems. We have amazing people in this world with great ideas. A business exists to solve a problem or fill a need, and this is how we are able to grow as a society.

I often say that in today’s world, you really need to be starting something, or be a part of starting something. We grew as a nation with people either doing something or being an apprentice to doing something. Businesses solved problems and filled needs. You learned the skills so you could do it yourself someday. We’re getting back to that in many ways, except it’s a much bigger playing field now with so much more capability.

You don’t have to be stuck in a cubicle at a company where you feel like just a replaceable number. It’s a time like no other. The tools and resources available are infinite! You can now start a business, have a website, invoicing system, and office tools all in the same day, and for free or ridiculously cheap. You can broadcast to tens of thousands of people, also for free or ridiculously cheap. Yes, it’s not necessarily easy, but it is possible.

I started my company while painting garage floors. I worked for two bad companies in a row and decided I’d had enough. I began doing anything I could to learn: listening to podcasts and audiobooks, reading marketing materials while waiting for a floor to dry, staying up as late as I could to work on my business. If I wasn’t doing my day job, I was working on building a business. I used any free time I had and found all of the amazing resources available to start my business.

Too many people complain about their life or something they want, not existing. There’s no excuse not to go out and do something you want or have a passion for. If you’re not happy and want to start your own thing, go and do it. Make it happen! If you see a problem no one is solving, go and solve it. Now is your time.

Stop looking for permission. It’s time to start something, innovate, solve problems, make the world a better place!