Let’s check the next item on our to-do-list. Write down the material assets you already own. Do you have a computer? A desk? A telephone? It’s possible that these are all you’ll need to get started.
Check around your home and/or home office to see what you have on hand that could be used to help get your business going right away. Look at everything as a possible business tool. You probably already have pens, pencils, notepads, paper clips and plastic storage bins you could use.
But if you don’t have any of these basics, there is still hope. Perhaps you have a friend who will let you use their computer. You could offer to do something for them, such as write a term paper or babysit, in exchange for the favor.
Don’t forget about public resources, such as the library. This will give you access to essential equipment to get you started.
Yes, you can launch a business from a public library computer. Just be sure you know how your personal information is handled, and make sure you log off every time you use their computer.
I don’t recommend the public library except as a last resort. But if you can’t do it any other way, this is a possibility.
The next thing you want to think about is how you work best. Are you a “people” person? Do you prefer to get out, mingle, and network to find business, or would you rather work by yourself?
This is an important part of determining your strengths and weaknesses. If you prefer face-to-face contact, you probably won’t see your best results by staying at home behind a desk all day.
Likewise, if you love writing and creating, and find that the hours fly by when you’re left alone with your computer, you need to concentrate on building your business with this in mind.
So make a list of your personal preferences for working conditions, and while you’re at it, write down your strengths and weaknesses. Be honest with yourself. What are your best selling points, and where do you need to make some improvements?
The fifth thing you need to do is organize your workspace. Whether you have to work from the kitchen table, use a corner desk in the living room, or have a fully-equipped home office to get started, organization is crucial.
Time spent looking for your favorite pen, a list of phone numbers, or a notepad with all your ideas on it is time you could have used to be making money.
Many successful businesses have been started out of a basement, or spare bedroom, but they wouldn’t have gotten anywhere without organization. Don’t waste valuable time going through stacks of papers, wondering what you did with the notes you jotted down for a fantastic domain name, but now you can’t recall. You’ll really be disappointed if you miss out on that URL by a few days because you couldn’t remember exactly what it was.
Or worse yet, you put the notes aside, thinking you’d take care of it later, but when you finally decided to act on the idea, find that someone else had come up with the idea, too, but they had taken action.
How do I know this? – Because I didn’t follow my own advice, and that happened to me.
So let me pass along to you something an attorney, who was a client in my research business said to me one time. I told him about an idea I had, and he was impressed. He thought it was a great idea, and said, “You need to take action now. If you’ve thought of it, someone else will too, or possibly already has.”
I put it off, didn’t do anything about it, and sure enough, within a few months, I heard an advertisement for “my” product.
This was before the time when the internet began to be so popular. Now things happen in an instant. You might check on a URL this morning, decide to think about it, and find that the URL is gone this afternoon.
We’ve covered five things you need to do before you ever start a business. Number six is crucial, and something that many people find extremely difficult to do. In fact, it may be one of the biggest reasons why they don’t stay in business for very long. You must – repeat – must -treat your business like a business – if you don’t, no one else will either. Establish office hours, and make sure everyone knows you’re really at work.
Otherwise, family and friends may take the attitude that you can do whatever you like, when you like, just because you’re self-employed. This is your job –whether you’re doing it after working for someone else all day, on the weekends, or you’ve left your job, and decided this is how you’re going to earn 100% of your income.
You can’t work on web sites; develop digital products; host radio shows, or even think about business if you’re on the phone with your sister who wants to complain about her marriage; the neighbor who wants to gossip about the newest member of the neighborhood; or best friend who is jealous that you’ve made the leap to the world of the self-employed while she’s still working as a temp because she can’t find something she really wants to do.
But unless they’re willing to help you buy groceries, pay the electric bill, and put gas in your car, they’re taking up valuable time when you need to be working on ideas that will generate income for you.
Don’t let people take money out of your pocket by robbing you of the time you need to work on your business.
Number seven on my list of things to tell you about is to set some goals. How much income do you need? Are you replacing an existing paycheck? How many clients will you need to get you started toward that amount?
Where do you want your business to be a year from now? What do you see yourself doing a year from now? Five years from now?
Make a list of your projections, and put them in a safe place. You should review your list every six months to a year, because as your business grows, you’ll probably find you need to refine these goals. You can see where you’ve exceeded your expectations, and where you need to make improvements.
