Business, Marketing, and New Technology
Posts tagged self employed
Considering Becoming an Entrepreneur? Ask Yourself These 7 Questions
Jul 20th
Working for yourself sounds rosey, doesn’t it? No boss, no set hours, no boss, freedom to make your own decisions, did I mention no boss?
But it’s not as easy as it looks. Often the entrepreneur/business owner is the one who never gets a break, has all the responsibility, and works almost 24/7. Still, if you’re successful, it has its perks. Before taking that leap from the corporate world to one of your own making, consider these 7 questions.
1- What is your motivation? Make no mistake, you will hit rough times. Your motivation must be strong enough to carry you through.
2- What is your experience? You will probably have to acquire some new skills to make this work. How are your going to do this? Are you willing to put in the effort to learn?
3- How are you going to find customers? You must have a plan in mind for making contact, or a plan to find out how to do this.
4- Do you have the capital to carry you for the first year? The main reason for start-up failure is lack of cash flow. It takes time to get a business running, and you’ll need to be prepared with some means of support outside of the business itself.
5- What is your action plan? Do you have a map of where you are going and how to get there? Do you know what you are willing to do, and what you are not willing to do?
6- What resources are available to you for mentoring yourself? Make no mistake- you will need advice.
7- How dedicated are you? Do you have the will and determination to hang in there until success is at hand?
With a little planning, determination, and true grit, you can get there- go for it!
Make Money with Photo Booth Rental
Mar 22nd
Entrepreneurship runs in my blood. I’ve considered having my own hot dog stand. It seems like such a good idea. Hot dogs are easy to make. The add-ons are standard, and no one expects gourmet food. Just set it up at a street corner, or a park, or a civic fair of some kind, and rake in the money.
Even easier is having a vending machine business of some sort. At least in theory. I know a bit about this, as I’ve tried it. At first, you are thinking that the vending machine does all the work. It just sits there, 24/7, and people come and put money in it. Then all you have to do is go around and collect the money. Well, the catch is, you have to put stuff IN the vending machines. That’s the rub. If you have enough machines to make much money, you’ll find yourself spending all your time driving from one place to another all day long just reloading the machines. My mistake was to put chocolate in the machines, and since I was in the car for hours delivering chocolate, it would melt. So, now you’re dealing with finding some method of keeping the goods cool, while you travel. In the end, it just was not worth it to me. It was just a hassle. Who starts a business expecting to have MORE work and less money? Scratch that one.
Now, here’s a small business with real potential, and I bet you’ve never thought of it: photo booth rental. You know those photo booths at the beach? Where you and 3 other kids crowded into the booth and made funny faces? Well, those booths are portable now. People will rent them for personal occasions like graduation parties, weddings, reunions and birthday parties. You can get one, and rent it out!
This is even better than a hot dog stand because you don’t have to man it.
It’s better than a vending machine because you don’t have to stock it. (well, just a little)
Just roll it in, and roll it out!
Way cool!
Working From Home
Mar 14th
For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to be able to work from home. I guess I am a hopeless entrepreneur. I don’t like being told when to be somewhere, or that I have to sit in a certain place, for a certain amount of time. I resist with all my strength when someone trys to tell me when I can answer the call of Mother Nature, and when I cannot.
Perhaps it is in my blood. Great grandfathers on both sides of my family had their own businesses. My grandmother ran her own business, (she had a group of hair salons) both grandfathers ran their own businesses, (one was a carpenter, and the other was a Doctor) and my father had his own business (as a Doctor also). It might not be in me to do anything else. Anyway, needless to say, I have had a life goal of making sure that the 9-5 life was not mine. So I’ve spent quite a lot of time online and off, searching out ways to make a go of it on my own.
I have several businees started, and chugging along, but I’m interested I finding out what you guys are doing. Have you found any fairly simple, yet effective, ways to make income in unusual ways? How’s that working for you?
Entrepreneurs Need Systems
Dec 18th
Distractions are the death of your small business. Entrepreneurs often find themselves in the trap of running from one “urgent” thing to another. Putting out fires, so to speak. Many times these things are out of control, because there is no system in place for dealing with them before they become so urgent.
One thing that can be automated fairly easily is your marketing efforts. By getting systems in place like email automation, lead generation, follow-up, social media maintenance, and support services, you can ease the pressure of immediate things to be done.
Almost every part of the business process can be automated, and there are many different systems out there already in place that you can tap into. Focus on growing your business in a logical way that includes adding and using systems, so that your time is free to deal with the really important things. Not only that, your customers will benefit from the increased professionalism and attention that they will be getting.
Don’t leave your money on the table because you have no system or process for dealing with daily activities and maintenance.