The 9-to-5 grind can make you feel like a just another cog in the corporate machine, constantly punching the clock for someone else's vision. One day, while dreaming of the world outside the cubicle, you have your big "Eureka!" moment-you've come across an idea so perfect that you need to start your own business around it.
Coming up with the idea is the easy part. Now, you're thrown into an entrepreneurial world where even the experience businessperson can feel overwhelmed by all the details.
It's hard to know where to even begin. So here are some tips to starting your own business:
- Craft a primitive budget: do you have enough capital to get this idea rolling? First things first, figure out roughly how much it'll cost you including all expenses, and where that money will be coming from. Call in favors from everyone you've even leant money to in the past in need be.
- Does the business world need you?: is there a large enough demand for your product? Ask around before even attempting to start your business-check with similar businesses in the area, or around the country. Find out how they started, and what kinds of clients they target, to get an idea of where you'll fit in the market.
- Create a strong management team: your team members should share your vision of the business, and a certain amount of proficiency and credibility. Rely on your connections to find the perfect people for the jobs that will bring their expertise to the business. Remember that you will eventually have to set aside your ego and let them control certain aspects of the company, so your have to feel comfortable around your management team.
- Start small: instead of immediately trying to market your product to 5,000 companies at once, focus on a few dozen specialized local companies to network with. This way you can call them each personally, mail them your marketing materials, and then arrange a meeting.
- Quality matters: you want to be able to set your self apart from all the other businesses similar to yours. Having an eye-catching yet simple to navigate web site and presentation material is key to succeeding in the modern business world. Creating quality marketing tools doesn't have to cost you a fortune either; consider hiring a design art or marketing student from a nearby university to help out. You never know, you could even meet your next Junior Executive.
- Come up with a good business plan: keep it less than 25 pages, and include information about your management team, who your customers as, and most importantly, why the world needs your business. At this stage in the game, don't over-focus on the financial side of things yet. A business plan outline can be found at http://www.sba.gov/starting_business/planning/basic.html.
For more tips, including an A-to-Z guide to starting your own business, and 21 ways to draw customers in, go to http://www.sba.gov/starting_business/planning/basic.html.
Jessica Klein is a member of the 'Mount Real Research Team', whose aim is to seek out and distribute business information to the virtual public. She is a freelance writer based in Montreal, Canada who loves writing about anything from accounting to zebras.
For more info about Mount Real, visit http://www.sba.gov/starting_business/planning/basic.html.
Your business card is a valuable piece of real estate... Read More
Authors/publishers are great at getting their books written. Entrepreneurs know... Read More
If you're a beginner, starting a website doesn't have to... Read More
Looking for an old friend? Want to know if your... Read More
Please don't think I am calling you a "moron" to... Read More
Who doesn't have issues with organizing their inbox!? I receive... Read More
Seven Questions to Improve Your Business, Your Relationships, and Your... Read More
It is possible for small companies and individual business people... Read More
I believe some people create and publish websites for the... Read More
Do your remember when you first ventured out in the... Read More
1) Prepare a realistic business plan.Think of this as your... Read More
Are you scratching your head after business events wondering why... Read More
At Macquarie University in the early '90s, three Australian early... Read More
Being appropriately dressed is essential in making good impressions in... Read More
How do you focus on your urgent e-mail and organize... Read More
I have some good news and I have some bad... Read More
A lot of people are insecure about buying something or... Read More
Every event you hold can be extremely successful. Apply these... Read More
Imagine if you were going to address a stadium full... Read More
Attraction marketing is about making a customer for life not... Read More
Never in history have more entrepreneurs launched more new businesses!... Read More
Business etiquette is essentially about building relationships with colleagues, clients... Read More
Talking is the least important half of any conversation. Listening... Read More
Do you find great joy in being a coach? If... Read More
You're busy with your business today, aren't you?You're pushing your... Read More
insured cleaning company Morton Grove ..At Macquarie University in the early '90s, three Australian early... Read More
Which one are you? An effective IT project manager, able... Read More
What follows is a bold statement, but sometimes it takes... Read More
1. Maintain regular working hours and stick to them.2. Get... Read More
You need sales and you wanted them yesterday. Here are... Read More
Looking for a manufacturer or supplier of home furnishings in... Read More
1. Locks and Padlocks ? Locks on all outside entrances... Read More
We all are project managers. Some of us manage projects... Read More
In my career, I have had a total of 3... Read More
Proofreading may not be terribly fun, but it's one of... Read More
Advertising executive Alex F. Osborne first coined the word "brainstorming"... Read More
Authors/publishers are great at getting their books written. Entrepreneurs know... Read More
1.) Brainstorming for an idea - You must select what... Read More
10. Procrastination Condemnation - Lose the Labels! All those things... Read More
You have seen their ads and you may have wondered... Read More
There are lots of benefits for some businesses to import... Read More
Buckling under the weight of chronic corporate restructuring, and frustrated... Read More
The Internet is a fast growing medium, trancending the personal... Read More
Who doesn't have issues with organizing their inbox!? I receive... Read More
Many new coaches struggle to attract their first client. Often,... Read More
'Tis the season to give. And finding the right gift... Read More
If you have a business on the Internet you should... Read More
Seven Questions to Improve Your Business, Your Relationships, and Your... Read More
I'm sure you've seen it happen every year: your business... Read More
1. Great Things Take Time ? Three years passed between... Read More
Top Quick Tips |