Starting A Business - Where Do You Begin?

Most people who have been bitten by the entrepreneurship bug know they want to start some kind of business, but rarely know where to begin or even what to do.

The answer is simple in theory, but difficult to execute.

The very first step in starting a business is to figure out what the heck you can offer that people will want to pay money to get.

How do you know what to offer? Start with yourself. You are always going to be your business' biggest asset. Ask yourself these questions:

• On what subject do other people consider you a subject matter expert?
  
• When people come to you for advice, what do they ask you about most often?
  
• What is your talent? What activity do you love so much that you wake up in the morning looking forward to doing it?

Think about this for a good long time. When you have some ideas, write them down and develop them. How can you turn your expertise into a marketable product?

For example, my neighbor "Brenda" is an incredible gardener. She doesn't just dig holes and plant flowers. She plans and designs her entire yard, and as a result has the most beautiful and peaceful retreat for miles around. This is a talent that most people don't have - but a LOT of people would want a yard that looks like my neighbor's.

A great idea for Brenda would be to start a landscape design business. Since she is a stay at home mom, she doesn't have the time to actually execute plans for other people. However, she can definitely make some money by acting as a consultant - visiting a client's home, mapping out the yard, and creating a list of plants and flowers that complete the design. Then the client can take the plan to any nursery and either do it themselves or hire a landscape person to do it.

Yes, yes I know there is such a thing as a trained landscape architect who does exactly what I've described here. Brenda isn't one, and she doesn't have to be. The idea is that anyone with a marketable talent has the opportunity to start a small business.

What's your talent? Is it a hobby at which you excel, like home decorating or golf? Is it something you've learned through experience, such as repairing household appliances? Nothing is off limits, because chances are there are many other people who have the same interests but haven't yet figured out how to do what you do best.

Get started tonight. Think about things. Ask your family and friends. This is the first step.