Start Your Own Business, It's Easier Than You Think
By Lisa Lake   ©2004 All Rights Reserved

Here we go again. The economy is slowing down and big companies are laying people off right and left. Rather than cowering in a corner waiting for the axe to fall, get out there and do something to make your future bright.

Start your own business. But isn't it nuts to start a business when times are tight? Not at all. Many of today's huge corporations started out in someone's basement during the height of the Great Depression when one in three people were destitute. Now those were tough times, yet great new businesses were born and thrived. And don't you need a big bankroll or at least a line of credit at your bank? Nope. Half the companies on the Fortune 500 started with just a few thousand dollars. Many began with only a few HUNDRED dollars. I know plenty of thriving small businesses that started with nothing more than an order pad and $20 worth of fliers announcing a new service. Here's the big secret to success. YOU suddenly become a NEW person when you start your own business. For most of us, getting out from under the demands of a boss changes something in us. When YOU are demanding things from YOURSELF, you suddenly become ten times more motivated than when someone else is telling you what to do. When I started my business from a corner of my kitchen, I found the hours flew by. I went from working 40 hours a week doing bookkeeping at an asphalt company to putting in 100 hours a week on my business. And you know what? It didn't feel like work. I was tired at the end of those 14 hour days, but I felt like I had just come back from vacation. This is one of those human things that people knew well back in the 1800s, but nobody seems to remember today. You're smarter, more clever, and harder working when you work for yourself.
Here's how to get started. 1. Pick a field you know and LOVE. If you don't know much about what you love, set out to learn. But don't--no NEVER--do something you hate just because you have a chance at succeeding. I suppose there are people in other cultures who can make that work, but we Americans fall flat on our faces if we don't feel a deep personal commitment to what we are doing. Go to your library, Amazon.com, and search engines. Look for books, web sites, and videos about your chosen field. Give yourself a crash course. Become a self-taught expert (or even more knowledgeable than you are already.) 2. Find a group of potential customers who REALLY want what you have to sell. AND, make sure they are a group you can advertise to with little or no money. Then promote, promote, promote. Don't sit at home and wait for the phone to ring. Go door to door, send out letters, call a talk radio station, write a letter to the editor, talk to an organization, or join a trade association. If you're really serious, do all of those things and more. Buy or borrow Jay Levinson's "Guerrilla Marketing Weapons" and find a half dozen promotion methods that work for you. 3. Keep track of your money. Most of the small businesses that fail do so for one of two reasons. The owner lost interest or the owner didn't keep good books. Buy or borrow "Small Time Operator" by Bernard Kamoroff. It tells you in simple language all the things you need to do to stay legal and keep track of money and inventory. 4. Don't give up. It takes most of a year to get a new business going. Most business owners tell me they got almost no business the first year. The second year was better. They ended up being pretty busy the third year. The fourth year they had more business than they knew what to do with. If the four steps above still sound too daunting, try working with a good reseller or networking business. They are like franchise opportunities for individuals. Usually you can get started for free or for very little cash (we're talking $30). The good ones give you lots of help with marketing, selling, and a great line of products.

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SEE ALL LISA LAKE'S smart tips for starting and succeeding in your own business at http://MyAdBlaster.com Her site features a list of powerful, low-cost ways to promote your business. Reach Lisa at lisa@DrNunley.com or 801-328-9006.

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