Tag Archives: starting a small business

Decide and Plan for a Small Business, Getting Help with Your Small Business, Inspiration & Quotes

The Real Barriers to Starting a Successful Small Business

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I’ve lost count of the number of people I know or have met who have a major talent that they could “bottle up and sell.” 90 percent of the time they are also very unhappy in their current jobs.

Business Woman
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“Why not start your own side or small business?” I ask.

Here are the most common answers I receive:

– I don’t have the money to invest
– My job takes up too much of my time / too tired
– I don’t know how or where to start

But I have a theory.

The real reasons behind why most people don’t start up a small business are:

– lack of motivation
– lack of inspiration
– lack of knowledge (self-education)

Somewhere along the way you got the idea that the only way you could ever make money is to work for another person. Maybe it was your family pushing you toward a particular “way” of living life. Maybe it was college indoctrination where you and your peers are taught to compete for the best jobs. Maybe it’s just a limiting belief that you have about your skills, talents and ability to make or manage money.

But the truth is that anyone can start a successful small business — even if it’s just something you do on the side for the time being. It’s about offering value to the world — when you do that consistently and reliably they give you value in return.

Here’s what you really need to get started:
– the Knowledge/Know-how (self-educating yourself on the type of business you’d like to run, marketing, communication, how to use technology like social media to your advantage)

– Inspiration (the idea, the innovation, the thing that gives you butterflies when you think about it)

– Motivation (a push in the right direction)

K.I.M. for short. Keep it moving.

So this start up a small business website is mainly targeted at resolving those three barriers to starting a successful small business.

You have the basic steps outlined, conveniently to the left (see that nice little menu over there?) — that list alone can help you start forming your business plan. But you also need help with motivation, inspiration and self-education to start your own successful small business.

So subscribe to our posts below or sign up for the email list for updates, advice and tips.

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About the Author:

Louise Gaillard is a prolific writer, marketing consultant and author writing about small business, marketing and social media success.

Decide and Plan for a Small Business, Getting Help with Your Small Business, Inspiration & Quotes

When Starting a Small Business Family Members Can Be Your Worst Opposition

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Woman talking by phone
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When you’re starting a small business, you might assume that your family members will be your staunchest advocates. Surely they’ll be the first in line to buy your stuff and give you a positive review. Surely they’ll call you up and say “congratulations.” Surely they’ll call and offer you some assistance to help your business grow…

But a lot of new small business owners (myself included) have a very, very different experience. In fact, the reaction from family members when you’re starting a small business can be downright cold!

Resisting the Negativity

If you find yourself in this type of predicament, your biggest challenge is going to be overcoming the negative thoughts, beliefs, words and actions of your family members. These are the people who know you best, so they also know how to really hurt your feelings if they really want to. You can probably think of one person in particular right now who seems to get a kick out of annoying or hurting your feelings.

Listen up: you have to do whatever you have to do to stay motivated to achieve your goals. If that means that you have to separate from your family members for a while, then so be it.

Second tip: that person in your family who gets a kick out of seeing you down and out? Don’t tell him or her anything about what you’re planning to do.

Third tip: Understand that when someone reacts negatively to you trying to better you life, it’s because they’re unsatisfied with their own life. They don’t want you (or anyone for that matter) doing better than them. That’s their problem — not yours.

Things don’t always happen immediately when you’re starting a small business; it takes time. That’s why it’s so important to stay around positive people who motivate you to keep pushing forward. Unfortunately, that doesn’t always include members of your family. Take the advice of the late great Napoleon Hill who suggests that all entrepreneurs join a mastermind group of like-minded people who all want each other to succeed.

 

StartUpaSmallBiz.com is a simple and easy-to-navigate site aimed at helping you to achieve your small business goals. Perfect for newbies and intermediate level business owners. Sign up for our newsletter to receive more motivational updates about starting a small business.
Decide and Plan for a Small Business, Make Money Online

Online Business Tips: Choosing a Product to Sell

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Selling products online successfully depends largely on how aggressively you promote your website, but even more important is the product that you choose to sell. In the early stages of planning your new website, take plenty of time to brainstorm a list of products that you might want to sell in your online store, then ask yourself a few questions that will help you make a final decision in the matter.

How Many Competitors?

You do not want to set up the millionth website selling bedazzled cellphone cases. Yes, phone cases may sell, but you will be getting a very thin slice of the pie—if anyone happens to find your website. So before you decide to select a product, find out more about the competing online sellers, if any exist. If you do find a number of competing sites selling the same items, explore whether the site is doing a good job of presenting their products. Do they have high ranking on search engines? Would you have some sort of strong competitive advantage compared to these other sites such as a much better price or better quality?

Where Will You Source It?

You have two main options for supplying an online store: you can either manufacture the product yourself or order from a distributor. So before you choose a product to sell online, figure out how you will source it and how quickly you will be able to either manufacture or receive it from your distributor.

Do You Have Knowledge of the Product?

Another question to ask yourself: do you have any expert knowledge of the product that you plan to sell? While it isn’t necessary, it is a competitive advantage. For example, if you have intimate knowledge of automotive parts, knowing the ins and outs of each type of part is very important to potential buyers. They may ask you questions via email or phone and if you can answer as an authority the chances of a sale increase. Also, when you know plenty about the product that you’re selling online, it is easier to write informative product descriptions that entice sales.

Does It Ship Easily?

The next question to ask yourself is how easily you’ll be able to ship the product to buyers. The shipping process should be as simple, straightforward and affordable as possible if you want to maintain a profitable online business. If you plan to sell large, fragile, perishable or odd-shaped objects just keep in mind the complications that may arise, as well as the additional costs.

When you’re done answering these questions for all of the products on your list, evaluate them all side by side. Make your final decision based on how well you believe you can profitably market, ship, source and sell the products in your online store.