4 answers
Brandon
Student
Prosper, Texas
1
Question
Asked
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What would be a great business model, when it comes to starting a new business from the ground up; as well as a good product to start selling as a beginner?
What would be a great business model, when it comes to starting a new business from the ground up; as well as a good product to start selling as a beginner? #Spring 2025
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4 answers
Hugh Butler
Account Executive
1
Answer
Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
Updated
Hugh’s Answer
Hey Brandon! It's awesome to see your entrepreneurial spirit shining brightly. I've started a few small businesses and freelanced for a while. In the beginning, I thought I needed certain qualifications or years of experience, but that's not true.
Focus on a problem and how your product or service can fix it. Don't be afraid to change direction based on customer feedback. The entrepreneurial journey can be long and tough, but helping people by solving their problems is incredibly rewarding.
Mistakes are part of the process, so don't fear them. Learn from each one and keep improving. If we stop learning, we fall behind. Remember, thinking you know everything is when trouble starts. Keep learning and understand what your customers need and how you can help.
Having a passion for your product or service is great, but what really matters is solving problems for others. Be a solution-focused person, and your entrepreneurial spirit will lead you to success!
Focus on a problem and how your product or service can fix it. Don't be afraid to change direction based on customer feedback. The entrepreneurial journey can be long and tough, but helping people by solving their problems is incredibly rewarding.
Mistakes are part of the process, so don't fear them. Learn from each one and keep improving. If we stop learning, we fall behind. Remember, thinking you know everything is when trouble starts. Keep learning and understand what your customers need and how you can help.
Having a passion for your product or service is great, but what really matters is solving problems for others. Be a solution-focused person, and your entrepreneurial spirit will lead you to success!
Juanita Joubert
I am a writer, financial accountant, social media manager, and publisher
25
Answers
Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
Updated
Juanita’s Answer
Wow, this is a great question. Unfortunately, it's not that straightforward. Starting a business takes research and dedication and it needs to be something you are truly interested in, otherwise you will find yourself starting something that you will never see through. So, the first step I would suggest is finding what you are truly interested in and then researching the market to see what other businesses are out there. Remember that you can start the same business as someone else, but what you offer regarding products or services is what will set you up in the business world.
Regarding products to sell, the same applies. If you are interested in electronics, then you wouldn't want to sell cosmetics or beauty products, would you? So, you would need to find products that are hot on the market and then start promoting and selling them to your target audience.
It's all about the work you put in from the start and the research you do regarding the things you are interested in. Once you find the 'niche' for your business or the products you want to sell, then you will see how easy it is to start and operate a business you are passionate about.
I'm sorry for not directly answering your question but talking out of experience. Never start a business that you are not passionate about and you don't see yourself doing for the next 50 or 60 years, because then you will end up not putting in 100% effort.
I hope that helps you and I want to wish you the best of luck with your future business. I am sure once you get started, you will be very successful.
Regarding products to sell, the same applies. If you are interested in electronics, then you wouldn't want to sell cosmetics or beauty products, would you? So, you would need to find products that are hot on the market and then start promoting and selling them to your target audience.
It's all about the work you put in from the start and the research you do regarding the things you are interested in. Once you find the 'niche' for your business or the products you want to sell, then you will see how easy it is to start and operate a business you are passionate about.
I'm sorry for not directly answering your question but talking out of experience. Never start a business that you are not passionate about and you don't see yourself doing for the next 50 or 60 years, because then you will end up not putting in 100% effort.
I hope that helps you and I want to wish you the best of luck with your future business. I am sure once you get started, you will be very successful.
Corey Stone
Product Designer
7
Answers
Lawrence, Kansas
Updated
Corey’s Answer
Hi Brandon! I don't think there's a single best answer to this, because it really depends on the person and the situation they are in. Here's some advice though:
1. Choose an topic you're interested in and passionate about, because then you'll already have a lot of knowledge about it, and it'll be more fun to work on. For example, if you love cool t-shirts, maybe you get into selling custom shirts; or if you love motorcycles, maybe it's something motorcycle-related, or some video game or whatever.
2. Ask yourself what products or services fans of that topic might want badly enough that they're willing to pay for it -- these are called their "pain points". (And you can do some informal "user research" by asking those people open-ended questions like, "What's the most frustrating thing about {{the area of interest}}." You could ask in person or on instagram or whatever.
3. Then once you know what "pain points" people have in your area, think about how you might solve for them, ie, what product or service could you create and offer?
4. When it comes to actually creating the product or service, be brave and embrace the unknown! Especially with AI, it's easier now than ever to learn how to do new things, and create products.
Good luck!
1. Choose an topic you're interested in and passionate about, because then you'll already have a lot of knowledge about it, and it'll be more fun to work on. For example, if you love cool t-shirts, maybe you get into selling custom shirts; or if you love motorcycles, maybe it's something motorcycle-related, or some video game or whatever.
2. Ask yourself what products or services fans of that topic might want badly enough that they're willing to pay for it -- these are called their "pain points". (And you can do some informal "user research" by asking those people open-ended questions like, "What's the most frustrating thing about {{the area of interest}}." You could ask in person or on instagram or whatever.
3. Then once you know what "pain points" people have in your area, think about how you might solve for them, ie, what product or service could you create and offer?
4. When it comes to actually creating the product or service, be brave and embrace the unknown! Especially with AI, it's easier now than ever to learn how to do new things, and create products.
Good luck!
Wow! This is very good input! Thank you very much for your advice. I'm starting a business here soon and trying to get as much advice and information as possible. I will also be going to school in the Fall for my Business Degree to help expand my knowledge even more. Again, I really appreciate you taking the time out to write this information to me and I will be sure to refer to this as I continue my business venture.
Thank you
Brandon
David Otero
Founder
3
Answers
Passaic, New Jersey
Updated
David’s Answer
Excellent question. Disregard everyones answer. They will only confuse you. Are you ready for the big secret? I hope you are:
It's CREATIVE DESTRUCTION, what is that you say? Well when Microsoft wanted to compete with other operating systems or applications, they just made it free. Kill your competition with free, free, free. Until they can no longer stay profitable. Google did this for over a decade with mostly everything. Amazon is doing the same thing. Create a new business model that kills the old. Usher in the new model. Period.
Is it ethical? My friend. In business, people are out there to devour you. If you are smart you could join forces, but people have this ambition within them to get all the credit and succeed. Look at LIMEWIRE, the peer-to-peer file sharing app. It was a success, no matter if people stopped them in their tracks.
Bitcoin is poised to do something similar. People will argue money is a scam until the best man wins. To start a new business model nobody has tackled yet you need to look far into your future. Your offsprings future. What future do you see here. Reverse engineer some aspect of it. Let faith guide you all the way to the finish line.
This is oversimplified, but you get the point.
It's CREATIVE DESTRUCTION, what is that you say? Well when Microsoft wanted to compete with other operating systems or applications, they just made it free. Kill your competition with free, free, free. Until they can no longer stay profitable. Google did this for over a decade with mostly everything. Amazon is doing the same thing. Create a new business model that kills the old. Usher in the new model. Period.
Is it ethical? My friend. In business, people are out there to devour you. If you are smart you could join forces, but people have this ambition within them to get all the credit and succeed. Look at LIMEWIRE, the peer-to-peer file sharing app. It was a success, no matter if people stopped them in their tracks.
Bitcoin is poised to do something similar. People will argue money is a scam until the best man wins. To start a new business model nobody has tackled yet you need to look far into your future. Your offsprings future. What future do you see here. Reverse engineer some aspect of it. Let faith guide you all the way to the finish line.
This is oversimplified, but you get the point.