how did you start your own small business?

[bostonkid92 10+ year member]

just like the title says, if you have your own small business, how did you start it, how did you know what type of business to start and how did you develop a customer base? I'm not quite sure what I'd like to do but I like buying and selling things. I do have a job right now, and I'm lucky enough to have it, but at the same time, I'd much rather work for myself.

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[calebkhill 10+ year member]

Same here @trumpet; @mylows; @double07;

 

[mrogowski 5,000+ posts]

Well, if you're selling drugs that could be considered a business, or a business to get into. Buying and selling, seeking new clientele, flexible hours, potentially lucrative - it's a win-win!

 

[bostonkid92 10+ year member]

Well, if you're selling drugs that could be considered a business, or a business to get into. Buying and selling, seeking new clientele, flexible hours, potentially lucrative - it's a win-win!

oh come on lol. i am wanting to start a LEGITIMATE business

 

[mrogowski 5,000+ posts]

oh come on lol. i am wanting to start a LEGITIMATE business

Oh, so you want to be an entrepreneur eh? Not everyone can be an entrepreneur. Like the force, it must come from within - the willingness to take risks, the drive to go the extra mile to get things done, the fact that the only spare time you will have for the foreseeable future is when you take a poop....

But Google is your friend. Do a search for entrepreneurships in your area - clubs, gatherings, etc. A lot of it is based on networking. From that you can establish a "need" in a given location.

Or, you can just move to Colorado and do that drug thing I was talking about.

 

[calebkhill 10+ year member]

Hard work is easy, taking the first step is difficult. What is the first step?

 

[bostonkid92 10+ year member]

Oh, so you want to be an entrepreneur eh? Not everyone can be an entrepreneur. Like the force, it must come from within - the willingness to take risks, the drive to go the extra mile to get things done, the fact that the only spare time you will have for the foreseeable future is when you take a poop....
But Google is your friend. Do a search for entrepreneurships in your area - clubs, gatherings, etc. A lot of it is based on networking. From that you can establish a "need" in a given location.

Or, you can just move to Colorado and do that drug thing I was talking about.

yeah, i'm not sure what the "needs" are in my area. it would be nice to know. i'm great at sales. I've sold so many different types of things, i'm just not sure what I want to specialize in

 

[mrogowski 5,000+ posts]

Hard work is easy, taking the first step is difficult. What is the first step?

yeah, i'm not sure what the "needs" are in my area. it would be nice to know. i'm great at sales. I've sold so many different types of things, i'm just not sure what I want to specialize in

Well, coming up with ideas is the first big step. Like I mentioned, doing a bit of networking with individuals and/or groups will certainly help. Hit the meetup.com site and search for business and/or entrepreneur groups in your area. Attend a couple of meetings, ask some questions. You'd be surprised how willing people are to share information. Talk with experts in their field and use your imagination - create something from nothing...

Hit your local government website for ideas and assistance on getting started. Many governments provide free seminars and other things to help start-ups. To be an entrepreneur you have to think like one. Perform a general needs assessment of your area to determine if there are any gaps in "supply and demand". It could be anything from bird feed to portable toilets. Reselling, manufacturing, import/export, etc. There's good money in old and dead people; recycling is beginning to get real hot; technologies - rapid prototyping; 3d printers; the ideas are endless...

 

[bostonkid92 10+ year member]

Well, coming up with ideas is the first big step. Like I mentioned, doing a bit of networking with individuals and/or groups will certainly help. Hit the meetup.com site and search for business and/or entrepreneur groups in your area. Attend a couple of meetings, ask some questions. You'd be surprised how willing people are to share information. Talk with experts in their field and use your imagination - create something from nothing...
Hit your local government website for ideas and assistance on getting started. Many governments provide free seminars and other things to help start-ups. To be an entrepreneur you have to think like one. Perform a general needs assessment of your area to determine if there are any gaps in "supply and demand". It could be anything from bird feed to portable toilets. Reselling, manufacturing, import/export, etc. There's good money in old and dead people; recycling is beginning to get real hot; technologies - rapid prototyping; 3d printers; the ideas are endless...

i feel like you have so much information to share, thank you so much. i love the sentence about how it could be anything. it really could be. how would I go about performing a general needs assessment of my area? the only thing that's really holding me back from getting it started is figuring out what I want to sell so that general needs assessment would really help

 

[trumpet 5,000+ posts]

I've not started my own business, but I guess I'm closer to that goal than most people since I've taken some business management and sales classes. The #1 point stressed over and over is to make a business plan and stick to it. By doing a business plan you'll have many things in place that new business owners often stumble on or don't plan for at all. Will you have inventory, are you going to be consulting, do you need employees and how many, if you need a location where should it be and what can you actually afford, and on and on. If you work from home there are many things to consider as well to help financially in terms of tax write-offs. Don't skimp on things that the IRS will punish you for by assuming you're too small to notice.

Find your niche and be the best you can possibly be. If lemonade is really popular then make the best lemonade and build upon that so people seek you out. You know that sales is all about connecting people with a product that fulfills a need they didn't know they had. The product doesn't have to be something you can put in a shopping bag. Electronic downloadable media is popular now and it's helping people get their ideas out there and make a bit of money selling access to the media.

 

[mrogowski 5,000+ posts]

i feel like you have so much information to share, thank you so much. i love the sentence about how it could be anything. it really could be. how would I go about performing a general needs assessment of my area? the only thing that's really holding me back from getting it started is figuring out what I want to sell so that general needs assessment would really help

Part of that could very well be done for you. Some levels of government provide forecasting for different industries, usually free to access. Sitting at the coffee shop pondering what you should "sell" may not cut it anymore. You have to pound the pavement to get the answers. Mind you, this is the information age - pound the keyboard. Since you are in Boston, I bet there are plenty of organizations that could help you cultivate a plan. I bet there are even a few that are government backed too. That could mean getting valuable insight into all facets of a start-up for next to no cost to you. If it were me, I would start there and see what, if any options there are. Then do the networking thing - talk with entrepreneurs who are right into it.

Or, you could just call up China and order in a batch of subs and amps and sell those....

 

[mrogowski 5,000+ posts]

Here is an excellent example of what may/could exist in your state:

Innovate Manitoba - Fostering Innovation Success in Manitoba

One of the Universities in Manitoba also has a "business incubator" that is funded by the government. I wouldn't be surprised if there is one in Ma too.

 

[momax_powers 10+ year member]

Finish this sentence "I wish there was a ___ nearby".....and theres the business you start

 

[pro-rabbit 5,000+ posts]

You must be ok with losing your entire investment and maybe a little more. If that scares you, then staying emplyeed is your better option.

If that is ok with you, you will need enough capital to start your business and to be able to keep the businees a float ...as well as your own personal bills.

 

[mrogowski 5,000+ posts]

Sausage Audio!