In the current global economic climate the prospect of starting one’s own business is something many people are thinking seriously about. In some of these cases people are driven to this option because they have lost their jobs.
In other cases people starting businesses may be looking for a way to earn more money. Others see starting a business as a way of establishing their independence and developing something they can fall back on when times get tough - something that is not at the whim of a large corporation or a company “boss”.
Encorpus provides small business consulting and strategies for business startups, product launches, marketing or business development. Encorpus customizes and personalizes every strategy, advisory session or business relationship to you and your company’s special DNA.
The internet is also one of the easiest and least expensive places to set up shop. All you really need is an idea and a website and you’re in business. Of course it is not as simple as that. Just throwing up a website to sell your handmade candles or do-it-yourself solar panels does not guarantee you will be successful.
Regardless of where you locate your business - online or offline - you should choose a field you know something about, one which you have some relevant experience in, and one you feel passionate about. For example, say you want to start a tutorial service from your home, tutoring pre-secondary school students in a range of subjects such as math, english, history and social sciences. To do this effectively you will need to know the regular school curriculum of your students.
For example, if you enjoy taking photographs or shooting videos, you might set up shop selling photography supplies and equipment. You could also get a start by shooting wedding photos for friends or videos for family reunions or other special events. In this way, you can concentrate on your special talent and start make a living too.
For example there will be advertising, marketing, bookkeeping, filing, computer maintenance, floor sweeping and coffee making - just to name a few. In a larger company there are usually people who are assigned these tasks. But in a small one person operation either you do them, you pay someone else to do them for you, or they simply don’t get done.
Not only does this eat into your productive time and make it much more difficult to make a living, but it will almost certainly eat into your personal time too. For example, if you are the main caregiver for your small children, you will probably find yourself burning the midnight oil more times than you thought possible. If you only want to spend a certain amount of time each week on your business, then perhaps you should keep your other job and develop the new one gradually.
Before you start your business, always keep in mind that you won’t be alone. You should check out your competition and know how your specific strengths and weaknesses stack up against those companies already doing business in the area. You should develop your own unique approach and offer something a little different in order to successfully compete and get your share of the market.