Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. Starting a business isn’t easy and it’s important to assess one’s self before starting down that road. The following contributed post is thus entitled, 5 Things to Ask Yourself Before Starting a Business.
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More people than ever before are starting up their own business. They start businesses out of their own house, catering, baking, designing and creating. They begin online businesses like ecommerce stores. They turn their blogs into a business. They work as writers, designers, social media managers and virtual assistants online. People are still opening brick and mortar stores and salons. Some work alone, others employ staff. The internet has made things much easier to start up on your own, without lots of money or training.
This has, unfortunately, lead many people to think that it’s easy. They rush in with nothing more than an idea. They start with nothing, throw themselves in and quit their jobs straight away, believing that they’ll make a success of things quickly. They don’t realise how much time, effort and hard work goes into starting their own business and unfortunately, this means that many small businesses fail within the first year or two.
If you want to start your own business, great. There’s no reason that you shouldn’t. But, there are some things that you should ask yourself before you get going. Here are five of them.
What Do You Want To Do?
If you are considering starting your own business, chances are you’ve already got an idea of what you want to do. But, it’s always a good idea to give it a little more thought and ask yourself more in-depth questions. If you’re going to sell a product, how? Will you create it yourself and sell it on existing sites like Etsy? Or would you rather launch your own website and store? If you are selling a service, do you need further training? Or do you already have the skills that you need? If you want to launch a real-world store like a salon or a shop, where will it be based?
If you don’t yet know what you want to do, write a list of your skills and ask yourself if anyone else would be willing to pay for them.
Do You Have Time?
How are you going to run your business? Will you quit your job? Or will you be working around another job? Do you have a family that needs you? Starting a business takes time and commitment, especially in the beginning when you can’t afford staff and you are doing most of the work yourself. Ask yourself if you’ve got time to commit before rushing in.
How Will You Finance Your Business?
Some businesses can start with very little. You might already have what you need to get going. Others, don’t. You might need startup costs or even small business equipment loans. Ask yourself how much you need to get going, and where it’s going to come from. Loans, investors, your own savings and crowdfunding are all options. If you face a loss of income while you start out, can your family cope?
Is There a Market for Your Business?
A big question that you need to ask is, do people want your business? Is there a gap in the market that you can fill? Is there too much local competition? What is your target market and where will you find them?
Is It the Right Time?
Look at your current situation. If you’ve got a young family, personal debts or a large mortgage, is this the right time? Or, would you be better taking the time to improve your personal finances first?
