Entrepreneurship

What is your vision? Without a vision, you cannot be an entrepreneur. In order for an entrepreneur to succeed, they must know what they are working to achieve.

Is your vision concrete? Is it finite? Is it achievable?

Is it clear in your mind?

Take the time to clearly define your vision. This is vital when starting your own business.

My friend, Deby Cowdin, runs a successful small business out of her home called From The Blue Bag. She sells recycled alcohol bottles that have been flattened and turned into functional dishware.

Deby has a big white board up in her office with pictures of all of the things in her vision. The most notable is an appearance on the Oprah show.

Every day Deby can see her board as she sits at her desk doing her work. That is how she keeps her vision foremost in her mind.

Okay, you have a vision. It is clear in your mind. You have written it down. You know what you are going to achieve.

Now, let's break it down into goals that you can strive for.

What is your goal? Where do you want to be in 1 month? In 6 months? In one year?

Consider your resources--time, money and whatever else you would need to reach your goal.

Think hard because this is what you are going to be spending your time on.

Now double check, does your goal help you reach your vision?

Entrepreneurs may look very different on the outside, but inside they have many traits in common.

They are goal oriented.

They do not take no for an answer.

They are problem solvers.

They are risk takers.

They are leaders.

They know their own minds.

They are opinionated.

They are forward looking.

This is the next step. How will you reach your goal?

You need to plan a step by step strategy to get there.

Realize that your strategy may not work exactly as planned and look for areas that you may need contingencies.

This is your plan of action. What baby steps will get you to your goal?

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Writing a business plan for your business is critical. It will help you organize your plans and is required for any loan or grant applications. It also forces you to think through your plans in a businesslike, strategic fashion.

Writing a business plan takes some time, and research. The first time will probably be a bear, so don't do it by yourself. Get help from your accountant, and a mentor. There are also some great sites to help online, and many are free or almost free.

The best place to start is the Small Business Administration. They have lots of resources for small businesses including an outline for the business plan. This is a U.S. Government site but anyone can use the information.

If you like to use a book, the Dummies Series has a Business Plan for Dummies that is easy to follow and only costs about $20.

In Cleveland, Ohio, a high school Spanish teacher, Susan St. Aubyn loved to cook, so she decided to turn her love of cooking into a business. She started a business with one sauce that she was always asked to make by her family and friends.

Now, less than a year later, her business has expanded to six gourmet sauces. She is selling to one large local grocery chain, and several smaller stores, as well as stores in other states as well.

Susan believes that this will be her last year as a teacher, and she will be able to make a full time living selling her sauces.

I have been an entrepreneur now for three years. I am the owner of a small local art gallery, Lake Erie Artists Gallery, in Cleveland, Ohio. Being an entrepreneur is completely different than working for someone else.

As a small business owner, I am responsible for everything. And I have so many hats that I can't possibly count them all. I am the owner, the sales manager, the bookkeeper, the maintenance person, etc. I can only rely on myself, there is no one else above me. However, it is freeing to be able to make your own decisions, and mistakes. It is exciting, scary, and a wild ride.

Businesses go up and down because of many factors that are often out of your control, and you have to learn not to take things personally. You should know yourself well, admit your weak areas, and as much as possible, delegate those tasks to others.

If you want to start a business, choose something that you love and have a passion for. That passion may be the only thing that keeps you going at times.