5 answers
Aaliyah
Student
Tennessee City, TN
2
Questions
Asked
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what are some thing i need to do to start my own business
#business
im a helpful person and i want to get to experience different things and getting to know to different people
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5 answers
Donald Knapik
VP/ Founding Member at DO iT, LLC
77
Answers
Paoli, Pennsylvania
Updated
Donald’s Answer
Hundreds of businesses are started each day around the globe. They range in size
from a few dollars of revenue to giant sums of money. For the entrepreneur,
starting out can be very challenging or if one has the appropriate backing and
experience, very easy. Some of the elements to consider are listed below, not all,
but a sampling of questions you might want to begin with:
Have you defined what your business will be, who are your likely customers and
why they are likely to purchase your product or services? Have you explored
other companies in the same field? How would you differentiate your business
from theirs? Is there a customer base for your business where you want to start your business.
Do you have the self-discipline, drive and dedication to your venture? Good ideas
are a “dime a dozen”, translating those ideas into goods and services (and making
a profit) is not for the easily discouraged. While success is particularly satisfying as
an entrepreneur, the amount of time, effort and difficulty will not be minimal.
Do you have the personal communication skills, sales ability and technical knowledge
necessary to market and sell your product or service?
Do I have the financial backing to embark on your venture? If you’re living at
home and are receiving food, clothing and shelter, insurance, transportation and
a space for your venture, that’s great. If you are missing any of these resources, it
will be necessary to provide them while you are starting your business. That said,
people have started businesses on a “shoestring” but it is VERY difficult to do and
contributes to the already high stress involved with a startup.
Do you have the core competencies to start the business? That is, the analytical
skills, financial tools, marketing strategy etc. It helps to list the resources you
need, the resources you have and the gap between the two. Filling in the gaps
with resources will be an important part of your business planning.
Once you have some of these questions answered, out, you’ll be ready to begin a
formal business plan, developing all the details of your concept and delivery
scheme.
Good luck in whatever path you blaze....Don Knapik
Talk with some of the people you do business with and ask them about their experience when they started their business.
Think about what would you be happiest doing that could be a business......start a list of pro's and con's for each idea.
Start subscibing to industry publications in your area of interest.
If there is a small business owners association near you...see if you can participate as a student.
Make a schedule for yourself on how you will move foreward on your dream
from a few dollars of revenue to giant sums of money. For the entrepreneur,
starting out can be very challenging or if one has the appropriate backing and
experience, very easy. Some of the elements to consider are listed below, not all,
but a sampling of questions you might want to begin with:
Have you defined what your business will be, who are your likely customers and
why they are likely to purchase your product or services? Have you explored
other companies in the same field? How would you differentiate your business
from theirs? Is there a customer base for your business where you want to start your business.
Do you have the self-discipline, drive and dedication to your venture? Good ideas
are a “dime a dozen”, translating those ideas into goods and services (and making
a profit) is not for the easily discouraged. While success is particularly satisfying as
an entrepreneur, the amount of time, effort and difficulty will not be minimal.
Do you have the personal communication skills, sales ability and technical knowledge
necessary to market and sell your product or service?
Do I have the financial backing to embark on your venture? If you’re living at
home and are receiving food, clothing and shelter, insurance, transportation and
a space for your venture, that’s great. If you are missing any of these resources, it
will be necessary to provide them while you are starting your business. That said,
people have started businesses on a “shoestring” but it is VERY difficult to do and
contributes to the already high stress involved with a startup.
Do you have the core competencies to start the business? That is, the analytical
skills, financial tools, marketing strategy etc. It helps to list the resources you
need, the resources you have and the gap between the two. Filling in the gaps
with resources will be an important part of your business planning.
Once you have some of these questions answered, out, you’ll be ready to begin a
formal business plan, developing all the details of your concept and delivery
scheme.
Good luck in whatever path you blaze....Don Knapik
Donald recommends the following next steps:
Carole Curtis
Career Couselor/ Certified Career Coachself employed
136
Answers
Rancho Palos Verdes, California
Updated
Carole’s Answer
HiAAliyah: I see you are interested in starting your own business: there are many things you can do before you decide on your business! 1. first of all you need to know what kind of business you want to start up. 2. If you know what you want to do you can get started doing some things that would help you with knowing how to to start up. Some of these things to start up if you know what kind of business you want are: 2 If you haven't already taken some business classes such as "How to start a business", these you can find at a community college day or night classes, or it you have done that and know someone who has started a business you can ask them to give you some ideas on what they did, it is always good to get that information from someone who has experience: 3. If you don't have any kind of college degree you can research the business major and find out other ideas that will help you. 4. another is to get a job in the career or job you would like to work in, and offer to volunteer in a job that someone you know is working in and ask if you can shadow them for a few days. If you know this person you sit with him or her and ask how they got started with their business. 5. When I started my business I started as a consultant and eventually worked into becoming my own boss, but I will say that took many years of watching and learning how to get started. 6.I started with business flyers about what I did and
business cards for you to have and give to people who are interested in your business. 7.I also started another business within a business. I worked as an image consultant for a company and within that company I worked as an independent image consultant selling their products which were all facial products and cosmetics and other items. 8.Your friends and family are very important to help gather people that would like to know more about your products or services. 9.I started my Career Counseling business after many different jobs that I was working at, and took away all the important ideas that I required from all the different job. So after all this I would hope you know what kind of business you want and research that career with friends family, classes, other jobs or volunteer, and make sure this is the business for you. 10. You can make sure this is right for you by taking some Assessments such as Interest test, personality test, and skills test and can get those at colleges& classes. I hope this information helped as some things that will help you get a good start!
Please really consider taking an interest and personality assessment These two assessement 's will give you great information to work with
I have a couple of books that might help also with you research, one is "What color is your Parachute by Richard Bolles
Book: "Do what you are. by Tieger & Barron this will help you think about the career you think you want or not.
business cards for you to have and give to people who are interested in your business. 7.I also started another business within a business. I worked as an image consultant for a company and within that company I worked as an independent image consultant selling their products which were all facial products and cosmetics and other items. 8.Your friends and family are very important to help gather people that would like to know more about your products or services. 9.I started my Career Counseling business after many different jobs that I was working at, and took away all the important ideas that I required from all the different job. So after all this I would hope you know what kind of business you want and research that career with friends family, classes, other jobs or volunteer, and make sure this is the business for you. 10. You can make sure this is right for you by taking some Assessments such as Interest test, personality test, and skills test and can get those at colleges& classes. I hope this information helped as some things that will help you get a good start!
Carole recommends the following next steps:
Lison H Miller
Business Account Executive
6
Answers
Raleigh, North Carolina
Updated
Lison H’s Answer
There are a lot of different routes you can take but I would say 1st make sure whatever business vertical you choose that it is a passion that you have. A lot of people start a business for the wrong reasons. The best advise I can give you is to choose a passion or habit that you do now and ask yourself "If this was my career would I be willing to do this everyday for free?" If you can answer Yes to that question then you will be very successful in your career path. After you make that decision then the next step would be for you to research businesses like yours and see what they do, reach out and ask for advise, research the market place and see what age demographic would be interested in your product/service, and go from there. I hope this helps.
Mya Linden
Associate Marketing Manager
6
Answers
Mountain View, California
Updated
Mya’s Answer
Hi Aaliyah H,
I'm happy to hear that you want to start your own business. Finding a love for entrepreneurship at a young age is very exciting!
I would advice you do some research since starting a business is no small task. I would find areas in your life you enjoy and research around what type of business you would like to own. I would also recommend talking to business owners in your town or community to gain empathy and insights around their daily lives and to see if it's something you find a passion in.
I see that it says you are a student. There are a lot of student business competitions where teams create business plans and pitch the ideas. I think this could be a great way to test out your business ideas and to learn more about the work that goes into starting your own business. I would recommend researching and chatting with an advisor to see what your school/community has to offer around business competitions.
Lastly, I would recommend taking business courses in school, especially around entrepreneurship.
I'm happy to hear that you want to start your own business. Finding a love for entrepreneurship at a young age is very exciting!
I would advice you do some research since starting a business is no small task. I would find areas in your life you enjoy and research around what type of business you would like to own. I would also recommend talking to business owners in your town or community to gain empathy and insights around their daily lives and to see if it's something you find a passion in.
I see that it says you are a student. There are a lot of student business competitions where teams create business plans and pitch the ideas. I think this could be a great way to test out your business ideas and to learn more about the work that goes into starting your own business. I would recommend researching and chatting with an advisor to see what your school/community has to offer around business competitions.
Lastly, I would recommend taking business courses in school, especially around entrepreneurship.
Sophie Snowden
Strategy, Strategic Partnerships, Business Development, Marketing & Sales
2
Answers
Seattle, Washington
Updated
Sophie’s Answer
Great question! It can be really helpful to talk to other entrepreneurs before starting your own business. There are usually local resources like Small Business Development Centers or Entrepreneur Networks you can check out and attend any in-person or online events through them. You can also join LinkedIn groups or attend free webinars online related to Entrepreneurship or Small Business.
Most often people who start their own businesses say "I didn't realize how much work it would be!" so getting connected to local network and peers can be so helpful to inspire you, to keep you motivated and to support you with tips like budgeting or legal considerations.
Most often people who start their own businesses say "I didn't realize how much work it would be!" so getting connected to local network and peers can be so helpful to inspire you, to keep you motivated and to support you with tips like budgeting or legal considerations.