This is probably the most over looked basic question that a person considering starting a business should ask himself or herself. You should sit down and make a list of the advantages having your own business would bring, and also what skills do you bring to the table that makes you think that you can successfully run your own business.
In this section I am going to lay some tough love on you. This is not meant to discourage you just to better prepare you for the realities that await you when you hang your, “Open For Business” sign. The business world truly is a jungle. Survival of the fittest is the law of the land. There are wolves in sheep’s clothing waiting to prey on inexperienced entrepreneurs at every bend in the road. Not to mention the lions, tigers, and bears oh my how can a new business person survive?
Your best weapon to carry when entering the wild, wild world of business is knowledge.
When we decide to start our own business we tent to get all fired up. Our emotions get the best of us and we get carried away musing the possibilities of our future financial freedom. We are so excited to get the project up and running that we start spending money on all the things we are going need for our new successful business. Maybe you buy a desk, a computer, get business cards printed, maybe a fax machine, a business phone number, you pay to register your business name and get a federal tax ID number wow!
This is all new cool and exciting but what about the boring stuff. Things like writing a business plan, researching your niche market, putting your goals down on paper. Yuck!
One of the key elements of a successful small businessperson is the willingness to do the unglamorous tasks that running your own business requires every day. Weather it is making sales calls, writing letters, submitting articles, tracking ad results. These repetitive tasks are the backbone of your business.
To run a home business you must be prepared to wear many hats. You will be the CEO, the CFO, head of R&D, sales manager, accountant, secretary, and janitor, plus many other titles that are necessary to make it all happen every day. You will be, “The Man” or “The Woman” as the case may be. Do you really want that? Are you prepared to accept all that responsibility? If the word YES did not jump into your head STOP, before you invest any of your time or money.
Owning your own business can be a very rewarding experience. If you prepare yourself with the realities of what running your business will entail the chances for your success will greatly increase. I remember reading an article on the blues legend BB King. In the article the interviewer stated to BB that it must be great to make a lot of money doing what you love, and having all those fans around wherever you go. BB’s reply can be applied to any business. BB said it only took me twenty years to be an over night success.
When you look at a business that is successful today there has been possibly years of trial and error behind the scenes. Most of the time we only see the finished product and try to emulate it without realizing what it took to get that business to that point. When our business fails to achieve the same level of success in an unrealistic time frame people give up and jump into another venture. Do you want to know why only a few people ever make it with their own business? They start a business doing what they love to do.
Just like BB King, if he didn’t love what he was doing do you think he could have stuck it out through twenty years of terrible money and poor working conditions? If you start a business doing something that you are passionate about, that you enjoy, that alone can get you through the lean times. Add realistic expectations and a willingness to continue to learn and seek help for the aspects of your business that you are not great at, in a few years you could be an over night success.
je Dunn publishes the “Internet Business Monthly”, visit them on-line for Powerful and Initiative sales and marketing Tips, Techniques, and Resources for your Home Business.
Info is available at http://www.internetbusinessmonthly.com
