Starting a Small Business
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So You Want To Be Your Own Boss?
There are many people who think about starting a small business and be their own boss. However, not everyone who starts their own business is successful. It takes hardwork, dedication, passion and commitment to take your small business idea and turn it into a reality. Statistics show that nearly 85% of all small business startups fail in the first 5 years.
There are many reasons people go into business for themselves, but for me it was being able to work from home and look after my kids. Not easy by any means, but it gave me tremendous flexibility to do all those things you need to do with small children - like go to the Doctor's every week!
Pros and Cons of Starting a Small Business with Family Members
When you are in the beginning stages of starting starting a small business, there are many things that you will need to take into consideration in order to make sure that your business does not fail simply because of who you are working with. If you do not plan ahead for this, you might later find that you have made the wrong decision. This is not something you want to figure out a year into the business.Pros
To start with, family will be more willing to financially back the business because they care about you and they know that it will benefit the family as a whole. In addition, you might get to work the same hours, which means that you will be able to spend time together that you would not have otherwise had. Building a family legacy is another reason why working with family in the small business is such a tempting idea.
Family is also more likely to tell it like it is, which is what you may need in order to make sure that everything with the business is running as it should. Private investors or regular employees may not be as forthcoming with you simply because they do not have the already existing relationship with you that your family has.
Cons
Of course, when it comes to starting a small business with family, there are going to be some things of concern that you will want to think about. To start with, everyone will be in everyone's business, which can get a little annoying after a while. There is also no escape from the family. You will work with your family and live with your family, which can be difficult for some people.
Also, it is a little hard to fake being sick when you are working with close family, especially if you are working with a spouse. Disagreements can also get a little out of hand since you never really know if they are mixing personal and professional frustrations into the same conversation. It will be extremely hard to separate personal from professional life with your family and this is not an adjustment that is done easily for many people.
As you can see, there are many pros and cons to starting a small business with your family. In order to make sure that you are making the right business move for everyone involved, you will want to think everything over and then decide what you should do. You will have to take the good with the bad if you are planning on working with family. But if the good part is good enough to outweigh the bad parts, then go for it!
The 5 Basics of Starting a Small Business
When it comes to starting a starting a small business, it is important to always remember that you have a lot of work ahead of you. Even with the best idea in the world that you believe everyone will love, there is still going to be a lot of hard work that you are going to have to commit to. The five basic steps of starting a small business will help you become prepared for success.1. The Idea
Everyone has an idea occasionally that they think is the greatest thing in the world. While you may think it is the greatest thing since sliced bread, it really does not matter what you like, it is about what everyone else likes. Of course, not everyone has to think it is a good idea, but most people do. Start randomly talking to your friends, family and even strangers that you strike up a conversation with and see what they think of your idea. Make sure that you are asking for their honest opinion.
2. The Plan
Once you are for sure that your idea is the best that it can possibly be, you will want to make sure that you are writing up your business plan. A strong business plan is going to be what will ensure that your venture becomes a success. It is also what you will need in order to convince investors to help you out, if you will need some outside help.
3. The Money
If you did not realize it in the beginning, after you have completed your plan of action, you will realize that there is going to be a lot of money needed to fund the start up of your business. You may already have a lot of money in the bank that you have been saving but if not, you will need to look for ways to fund your business. You can approach private investors, family and friends, or sell some things around the house for the money that you need.
4. The Follow Through
After you have all of the money that you need to really start your adventure, you will want to make sure that you are putting everything into action. This is where many people start to wear thin. Beginning a business, any kind of business, takes a lot of hard work. You will probably work harder than you ever have in your life and there will be times where it appears as though nothing is going right. You do not want this to affect you. You have to push through those times and you have to make sure that you are following through with the plan. If you pause, even for a little bit, you may find yourself falling so far behind on your plan that you simply give up.
5. The Success
When you have gone through all of the steps to starting a small business, you will find success. This is the time to celebrate and to relax a little, even though you can only relax for a little bit because you will need to get back to work in order to make sure that your business continues to grow and thrive and make you extremely wealthy.
Starting a Small Business
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by newarke
Damien is currently the Managing Director of Newarke Corporate Training and delivers Soft Skills training including Customer Service to various companies... more »
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