If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve thought about becoming a business owner. Maybe you have a great idea for a new product. Or maybe you’ve always wanted to try your hand at entrepreneurship.

Many of us have had ideas for a business or are drawn to the allure of being in charge of something we could build from the ground up. But there are challenges that come with being an entrepreneur: lack of experience, our relationships, money. Not to mention our doubts and fears.

Maybe you’re determined to start a business, no matter what. What’s it like to take that leap into entrepreneurship? To make a career pivot, push past the doubts, and start something new?

For Omar Zenhom, co-founder and CEO of WebinarNinja, it was quite the transition. Omar started his career as an educator and never quite considered owning a business. But certain ideas piqued his interest, and when the opportunity arose, he dove right in. Since then, he's launched the hugely successful $100 MBA podcast and co-founded a thriving business, WebinarNinja.

Throughout his journey, Omar's learned some valuable lessons. In his episode of Organize Chaos, he talks about his career, the numerous challenges he faced, and how he adapted to become successful.

Leaving a successful career

Omar’s father worked in car sales. As a kid, Omar noticed that his father did better business some years compared to others. “One summer vacation, you’re going to Disney World. The next, to the backyard. I just didn’t like that growing up,” Omar shared.

It led him to think about the kind of job he would want — something with stability. “You know what, I’m going to go for the most stable thing. Everybody needs teachers. So I’ll be a teacher.”

Omar spent 13 years as a university teacher. And he was quite good at it — by 25, he was already the head of his department. But Omar was always looking to move up in his career. So when the chair position above him opened up, Omar took up those responsibilities, assuming he would be promoted.

But after spending 18 months doing the job, he found out they were looking for an outside hire. “At that moment, I just felt powerless. I felt like, wow — I’m busting my ass here trying to make this happen.”

That's when Omar decided to build something for himself. So, he quit his successful teaching career to embrace an opportunity that had been waiting for him: e-commerce.

The allure of business

During his time as a teacher, Omar’s interest was piqued by the possibilities of the internet. He wondered what its applications could be, and he thought the best person to talk to would be his uncle, the only entrepreneur in his family.

“He kind of planted the seed of what is possible. The first thing he did was give me a book called 'Rich Dad Poor Dad' by Robert Kiyosaki,” Omar said. The two discussed the book in depth and continued to share ideas and knowledge.

Omar started dabbling with the Internet and running “experiments.” He had an eBay store where he would buy Air Jordans and then sell them elsewhere for profit. Omar even had a site that allowed you to submit shirt measurements and receive a perfect-fitting shirt.

With the insight from his uncle and through experimentation, Omar became e-commerce savvy. So when he decided to quit his job as a teacher, he decided to lean on his interest in the internet and embark on entrepreneurship.

“My frustration outgrew my fear.”
<blockquoteauthor>Omar Zenhom, co-founder and CEO of WebinarNinja<blockquoteauthor>

Finding confidence 

Omar started his entrepreneurial career through consulting. He wanted to teach them the basics of what was possible on the internet, including building websites, writing blogs, and starting e-commerce stores.

Upon starting his new career path, Omar admitted that he wasn’t entirely sure that he could be a business coach. So he decided to go to business school to get his MBA.

After one semester, his professor pulled him aside and asked “Why are you here?” And when Omar told him he wanted to get his MBA so that he could counsel people, his professor shook his head in disappointment.

His professor explained that he didn’t need an MBA to do that. Much of that information and experience could be attained outside of a formal education.

Omar was dumbfounded. But it led him to an important moment of clarity: he was only looking for reassurance that he could coach people. Omar had the knowledge and the experience but needed the belief that he could do it, an essential for any entrepreneur.

From that moment came another idea. He wanted to share his knowledge and experience with others through basic business lessons for new entrepreneurs.

Working towards perfection

At first, this idea took the form of a podcast. Omar would invite business leaders as guests on the show. After 46 episodes, the show wasn’t generating much traffic. Omar decided to pause and reflect on what was going on.

Omar’s wife, Nicole, helped him nail down a strategy. Essentially, they edited the show to take advantage of their biggest strengths.

As someone with 13 years of teaching experience, Omar could be the expert guest and host. Nicole loved listening to a podcast that taught daily language lessons. So, they combined these two ideas and created a daily show with short lessons about business.

That idea became "The $100 MBA" podcast. And since launching in 2014, the show has been downloaded over 180 million times and has been named one of iTunes’ best podcasts. Finding the thing that set them apart catapulted the show into a success.

All those years ago, Omar wanted a stable career. He never really saw himself going out on his own.

The many challenges he faced were the same ones that many new entrepreneurs come across when they get started. Omar’s story is the quintessential entrepreneur story. Finding your calling, making your way into business, pushing through the sacrifices, and casting your fears and doubts aside to build a successful company.