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Authors: Inc The Staff of Entrepreneur Media

Start Your Own Business (6 page)

BOOK: Start Your Own Business
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They Delivered
Here’s a business startup story that’s a great example of seeing a need and filling it.
Entrepreneur
magazine is located in Irvine, California, a planned community. Many years ago, there weren’t many fast-food restaurants in the business area. Most were across town, where the neighborhoods were. Two young men in Irvine found this lunch situation very frustrating. There weren’t many affordable choices. Sure, there were some food courts located in strip centers, but the parking lots were really small and the wait was horrendous.
One day, as they were lamenting their lunch problem, one of them said, “Wouldn’t it be great if we could get some good food delivered?” The proverbial light bulb went on! Then they did what many people don’t do—they did something about their idea. Coincidentally, they purchased one of
Entrepreneur
’s business startup guides and started a restaurant delivery business.
To date, their business has served more than 15 million people! It’s neither a complicated business nor an original one. Their competition has gotten stiffer, and yet they’re doing phenomenally well. And it all began because they listened to their own frustrations and decided to do something about them. Little did they know that research cites the shrinking lunch hour as one of the biggest complaints by American workers. Some only get 30 minutes, making it nearly impossible to get out, get lunch and get back on time. So while these young entrepreneurs initially thought they were responding to a personal need in their local area, they actually struck a universal chord.
 
AHA!
 
Your hobbies may lead you to business ideas. If gardening or antique toy collecting is what turns you on, take your passion and turn it into a real business. Sell your locally grown herbs or vegetables to restaurants or set up an online business selling your rare toy finds on eBay.
That is one way to get ideas—listening to your own (or your co-workers’, family’s or neighbors’) frustrations. The opportunities are all there; you just need to search them out. If your brain is always set in idea mode, then many ideas may come from just looking around or reading. For instance, if you had read an article about the shrinking lunch hour, and if you were thinking entrepreneurially, you would say “Wow, maybe there’s an opportunity there for me to do something. I should start researching it.”
 
Inspiring Moments
Inspiration can be anywhere. Here’s another classic startup story: Ever get charged a fee for returning a video late? Bet you didn’t do anything about it. Well, when Reed Hastings got a whopping $40 late charge, instead of getting mad, he got inspired. Hastings wondered “How come movie rentals don’t work like a health club, where, whether you use it a lot or a little, you get charged the same?” From this thought,
Netflix.com
, an online DVD rental service, was born. From its start in 1999, Netflix has grown into a big business with revenues topping $1.3 billion.
“Drive thy business
or it will drive thee.”
-BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
 
 
Getting an idea can be as simple as keeping your eyes peeled for the latest hot businesses; they crop up all the time. Many local entrepreneurs made tons of money bringing the Starbucks coffeehouse concept to their hometowns and then expanding from there. Take Minneapolis-based Caribou Coffee. The founders had what they describe as an “aha moment” in 1990, and two years later launched what is now the nation’s second-largest company-owned gourmet coffeehouse chain. Other coffee entrepreneurs have chosen to stay local.
And don’t overlook the tried and true. Hot businesses often go through cycles. Take gardening. For the last few years gardening products and supplies have been all the rage, but you wouldn’t consider gardening a 21st century business.
In other words, you can take any idea and customize it to the times and your community. Add your own creativity to any concept. In fact, customizing a concept isn’t a choice; it’s a necessity if you want your business to be successful. You can’t just take an idea, plop it down and say “OK, this is it.” Outside of a McDonald’s, Subway or other major franchise concept, there are very few businesses that work with a onesize-fits-all approach.
THINKING IT THROUGH
 
B
efore you start a business, you have to examine the potential, what your product or service is, and whether the opportunity exists to make a good deal of money. It may be a “hit and run” product, where you’re going to get in, make a lot of money, and then get out. That’s not necessarily a bad thing; fads have made some entrepreneurs incredibly wealthy. But remember, once you’re in the fad business, it’s hard to know when it’s time to get out. And if you guess wrong or try to make a classic out of a fad, you’re going to lose all the money you have earned.
 
One of the best ways to determine whether your idea will succeed in your community is to talk to people you know. If it’s a business idea, talk to co-workers and colleagues. Run personal ideas by your family or neighbors. Don’t be afraid of people stealing your idea. It’s just not likely. Just discuss the general concept; you don’t need to spill all the details.
“Plan your hunches
and use your head.”
-LILLIAN VERNON, FOUNDER
OF LILLIAN VERNON CORP.
 
 
Just Do It!
 
Hopefully by now, the process of determining what business is right for you has at least been somewhat demystified. Understand that business startup isn’t rocket science. No, it isn’t easy to begin a business, but it’s not as complicated or as scary as many people think, either. It’s a stepby-step, common-sense procedure. So take it a step at a time. First step: Figure out what you want to do. Once you have the idea, talk to people to find out what they think. Ask “Would you buy and/or use this, and how much would you pay?”
Understand that many people around you won’t encourage you (some will even discourage you) to pursue your entrepreneurial journey. Some will tell you they have your best interests at heart; they just want you to see the reality of the situation. Some will envy your courage; others will resent you for having the guts to actually do something. You can’t allow these naysayers to dissuade you, to stop your journey before it even begins.
In fact, once you get an idea for a business, what’s the most important trait you need as an entrepreneur? Perseverance. When you set out to launch your business, you’ll be told “no” more times than you’ve ever been told before. You can’t take it personally; you’ve got to get beyond the “no” and move on to the next person—because eventually, you’re going to get to a “yes.”
One of the most common warnings you’ll hear is about the risk. Everyone will tell you it’s risky to start your own business. Sure, starting a business is risky, but what in life isn’t? Plus, there’s a difference between foolish risks and calculated ones. If you carefully consider what you’re doing, get help when you need it, and never stop asking questions, you can mitigate your risk.
FIT TO A “T”
 
E
very December in
Entrepreneur
, the hottest business trends for the coming year are profiled, representing a lot of research and a lot of homework. But that doesn’t mean these businesses will work for you. After all, you may not be good at these particular businesses. Or you could live in an area where the business is already saturated or not viable. Or they simply may not suit you, and you’d end up hating your business. And chances are if you hate what you’re doing, you’ll fail doing it.
 
You can’t allow the specter of risk to stop you from going forward. Ask yourself “What am I really risking?” And assess the risk. What are you giving up? What will you lose if things don’t work out? Don’t risk what you can’t afford. Don’t risk your home, your family or your health. Ask yourself “If this doesn’t work, will I be worse off than I am now?” If all you have to lose is some time, energy and money, then the risk is likely worth it.
 
AHA!
 
Is there a household chore that drives you up the wall? (One shudders to think of life before vacuum cleaners.) Common sources of frustration or irritation are great idea generators.
Determining what you want to do is only the first step. You’ve still got a lot of homework to do, a lot of research in front of you. Buying this book is a smart first step. Most important: Do something. Don’t sit back year after year and say “This is the year I’m going to start my business.” Make this the year you really do it!
chapter 4
 
GOOD TIMING
 
Should You Pa Launch Your Business
Part or Full Time?
 
 
 
 
 
S
hould you start your business part time or full time? Even if you ultimately plan to go full time, many entrepreneurs and experts say starting part time can be a good idea.
Starting part time offers several advantages. It reduces your risk because you can rely on income and benefits from your full-time job. Starting part time also allows your business to grow gradually.
“Starting part time is simply the best way,” contends Philip Holland, author of
How to Start a Business Without Quitting Your Job
. “You find out what running a business requires, while limiting your liability if it fails.”
Yet the part-time path is not without its own dangers and disadvantages. Starting part time leaves you with less time to market your business, strategize and build a clientele. Since you won’t be available to answer calls or solve customers’ problems for most of the day, clients may become frustrated and feel you’re not offering adequate customer service or responding quickly enough to their needs.
Perhaps the biggest problem for part-time entrepreneurs is the risk of burnout. Holding down a full-time job while running a part-time business leaves you with little, if any, leisure time; as a result, your personal and family life may suffer.
 
AHA!
 
If you’re a part-time entrepreneur seeking a full-time professional image, check out business incubators. For a small fee, business incubators provide office space, services such as answering phones, and access to equipment like copiers and fax machines. The biggest plus: Incubators also provide startup help, such as marketing and accounting assistance.
BOOK: Start Your Own Business
9.5Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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