The Dream of Your Own Business - Your Kodak Moment
Are you the kind of person that dreams of owning your own small business? Even if you don't have any particular skills or experience, it might be possible to start your own small business. In fact, since the recession of 2008 has taken a toll on many businesses and big corporations, there has been an increase in do-it-yourself entrepreneurs. This trend is also opening up a whole new world for people who want to follow their passions without having to work for anybody else.
So, how do you start a small business? Most people will tell you that the first step is to make a plan. But what do they mean by that? And how do we actually accomplish this step? I've been asked these very questions myself and have tried to answer them as best as I can. You don't have to reinvent the wheel on this one. The early stages of planning for your small business are much like a film script—a script that doesn't get produced until the very end, when all of your dreams and plans come together.
To be honest, there isn't one way to answer these questions because they mean different things to different people. What I plan to do is lead you through the first three steps of the planning process, which are:
The first step is taking a good hard look at yourself as a person and as an entrepreneur. This isn't an easy thing to do because we all tend to overestimate our abilities and underestimate our limitations. But it's necessary if you want to have any shot of success in this venture.
The second step is the actual creation of a website for your small business. This is where we start to make our plan more of a reality by letting others know about it.
When you're making your business building plans, think about how you're going to advertise yourself and what kind of structure will best serve your customers' needs.
Many people fall into the trap of thinking that they can start with a few low-level jobs and then work their way into something better. When asked why they want to be their own boss, their answer is usually “I want to run my own show.”
The fourth step is promoting your website and getting the word out about your small business.
The fifth step is following through on your dreams of owning a small business by making it profitable and successful!
We'll get into more specific details about each of these steps later on, but first let's take a look at all five steps as a whole.
Step 1 – Be honest with yourself about what you can do and what you can't do. You may be thinking, "Well, I can do that part. I just don't know anything about building websites or making plans for small businesses." You need to look at this as an opportunity to get some experience on your side. So what are you going to do? It's a good idea to leverage any skills that you have, like a computer savvy or savvy with social media. Just remember, you're not going to be in the business of doing these things alone. You'll need help along the way and plenty of it!
Step 2 – Create a website for your small business that clearly communicates what it is and what it does. Be sure that your website is mobile friendly and professional looking. We'll talk more about this later on.
Step 3 – Once you've developed the skills and confidence to promote yourself, you can begin to market your website and business to the public. If you've done a good job of planning, this step should come naturally because you'll have a solid foundation for what you're trying to accomplish. If all has gone well, at this point in time it's time to start growing your business! (If something goes wrong don't hesitate to talk with us, we are here 24/7 - Drop us a line if there's anything we can help with. Build your business with us and make your dreams come true!)
Step 4 – Promote your website and get the word out about who you are and what your small business is all about! Soon you'll be on the fast track to making a success out of your small business.
Step 5 – Now it's time to work hard and make the dream of owning a small business come true! Believe me, it can happen, because I've seen people like yourself do it over and over again. Now that you know exactly what steps to take in order to turn this dream into a reality, let's talk about how you can keep yourself motivated in the process. So let's get started on that dream, shall we?
Step 1 – Be honest with yourself about what you can do and what you can't do. It's important to know where your skills and abilities lie. If nothing else, consider the fact that most people who set up their own business underestimate their limitations. Even if you don't have any particular skills or experience, there has never been a better time in history to start your own small business. You're just going to have to put in some hard work if you want it bad enough!
The truth is that it doesn't matter if you're skilled or unskilled because there's always room for improvement in every aspect of life. When I was younger I was unskilled at a lot of things, but I didn't let that stop me. Instead, I put in all kinds of hard work and eventually became skilled at what I did—and where I wanted to go!
So don't waste your time trying to do things you can't do or can only do poorly. Instead, find out how you can grow and get better by doing things that you know how to do well.
Step 2 – Create a website for your small business that clearly communicates what it is and what it does. It's important that people can easily see what your business is all about in as little time as possible. Don't expect them to give you a great deal of time for that, either. Even if you have a great deal of experience and skill, you have to be able to sum it up in one or two sentences.
Step 3 – Once you've developed the skills and confidence to promote yourself, you can begin to market your website and business to the public. If done properly, this small investment will be well worth it.
Conclusion
I think we can all agree that starting one's own small business is a difficult and risky undertaking. But there are a lot of people who see it as an ideal way to solve problems that are important to them. Even if you don't have anything to show for yourself, there's nothing stopping you from at least trying out this route.
If you use the small business planning steps outlined above, it should be much easier for you to navigate the waters of entrepreneurial life.