STARTING YOUR OWN BUSINESS

Starting Your Own Business

BY

BASOLA A. VICTOR

How many times in your life have you seen something in the media that stirs that "Dream" inside you about having your own business? Or, maybe you were at a party talking with someone who had their own business. "...you know - I`ve been thinking about getting into my own business. Every once in a while I get the urge to do it".
This time - it clicks - and you`re at the point where it seems like there is nothing to stop you. Now you can have your Dream - your own business and all you have to do is to take the chance...that next step towards fulfilling your Dream!

Once you decide to take the plunge there are a whole host of questions that need to be answered so that you can just Get Started. Having the Dream of owning your own business is essential because at times it is the only thing that will make you keep going. Also, your Dream can give you the will & drive needed for the bad times.

One thing is certain - you will have to learn how to "work" the business. Learning how to "work" a business is the real test of being a good business person. A business plan is a good starting tool but you have to remember that "business is not a straight path". In other words, what you think today will most likely not take place, tomorrow, in the same way that you had planned. It won`t happen exactly the way you planned or on fact not at all.

As you "work" your business you will probably find that you will have to significantly revise it. The business plan is a good start but does not give you the "feel" of actually working the business. It is only a tool used to project where you think you are going. Where you wind up will almost definitely be in a different place.

Then how do you learn to "work" a business? That`s a good question. First of all you have to have the inner ingredients like adaptability, thinking on your feet, willingness to work with everybody, knowledge of a product or service, contacts, advertising, distribution methods etc. Then you need a whole host of intangibles that will have to be learned along the way.

These intangibles are not taught in school. You must learn them in the path you both take and are taken on. If you could simply take a class on how to be a good business person then there would be a lot more people in business for themselves. But, that`s not how it works. You have to learn how to "work" a business by working it.

Business is not just selling. You need to be more than a good sales person. You also have to deliver. Further, you have to be a good buyer, negotiator, bookkeeper, cash flow manager, advertiser, budgeting guru, analyst, chief cook and, you guessed it, bottle washer. You have to do everything from accepting the accolades to taking out the trash. Whatever you can`t do - you will have to pay for.

Basically your success will come from within. You are a unique person on this planet with a host of skills. As you develop you will realize & actualize your talents. You will develop a business sense that is your own - no one else`s. Be careful that the cost of your education in learning the business is not too expensive. Then you will be out of business.
Make money first. Don`t spend it until you make it.

Keep in mind that people work with people. So - your customers will want to work with you. To them you are almost irreplaceable . If the customer doesn`t like you he/she won`t work with you. People will want to buy from you because you are you. You have those special ingredients that he/she wants. There is plenty of competition out there but the customer has selected you to deal with.

Remember one very important factor - if the trust in the relationship is gone - the relationship is over. If you and your customer can`t see eye to eye then it`s time to part ways. This is an irrevocable fact in business.
You have to be willing to work until the job is done - as many hours as it takes. You are IT. If you don`t do it - it won`t get done. You are not an employee getting a paycheck for doing a particular job. You are a person who makes money by doing whatever it takes to get the job done. You are the essential ingredient in your business.

Those first few dollars that you make will probably be the sweetest. It won`t be the money that you make but the fact that you now realize that you CAN DO IT! You will work long and hard hours to keep your business going. If you find that the business keeps calling you back over and over...and you respond willingly - then you know it`s the business for you.

One word of caution - be careful not to create your own monster. If the business loses its fun & you lose the drive for the business - go back to the drawing board and rethink your position. When the spirit of what you doing is lost it is time for a change.

Keep in mind that good business people are more than the dollars they make. Dollars are for paying bills, keeping score & building wealth (considering the staggering odds). Beyond the dollars that you make is that something that keeps you pushing on in business even when times are not so good. That something is actually bigger than you because there is no limit to the actualization of your Dream.

You have to ask yourself...how am I making a difference? What is that something I have that no one else does? When will I fully understand it? Where is my baby taking me? Who will I be when I get there?
These questions will eventually be answered as you proceed down the path. At each stage of revelation you will realize that you are fulfilling YOUR DREAM.