Starting a Small business
I'm doing research on how to start up a small business. I need info on setting up a business plan does anybody have an idea , any good website or an example of a business plan. Anything in regards to starting a small business is helpful. My small business will be base on car services in the tri state area. Thanks
Hi Originplus, Read some of InspirePub's hubs...she has some on business. Even though some may be focused on what youth have done in business, we all have to start at the same place when it comes to business.
I wrote a hub here
http://hubpages.com/hub/SBA---Free-Reso … l-business
In the section, "Write a Business Plan", the SBA shows a business plan outline, and examples. This is a truly free resource!I've just been reading an ebook written by a car salesman who became a giant in Webmarketing in 2005 maybe you could the next
Hi & Good Luck!
The business plan is normally something you create to impress an investor (or the bank!) to give you enough money to fund your startup. I have never seen a business that follows the business plan it creates!
Bank's business advisors/managers will give you free templates and guides to writing a business plan.
The really important things to get right, very early on, in your business are:
Getting customers - two things here - how you will find them (marketing) and how you will convince them to buy off you (selling).
Serving them well - think about how you would like to be looked after if you were buying your services - what sorts of things make the difference that will make your business stand out from the competition. This is really important to keep your customers coming back for more.
Book-keeping - get somebody to do it for you or you'll end up losing control.
Have fun!Congratulations on the courage to take charge of your life!
Success in Business is all about you. You need to be what your business needs you to be. It takes more than technical or marketing skill, although these are necessary elements.
I've had the privilege of working with successful business people in almost 30 years and there are certain common characteristics. All of these are learnable. Truly, take heart, the skills really are within you.
To be an entrepreneur, be sure to work on your business, not in your business. I agree with the comment about bookkeeping. Try not to get lost in the detail. Delegate what you don't need to do.
To your every success!
Gen
<snipped link>
I was searching for business plan samples last year when my sister and I were thinking of opening a retail shop. I found a website that has lots of actual samples of business plans to show you what types of information you need to include and how to include it. I went back and they have a section on automotive as well. Hope this helps.
http://www.bplans.com/sample_business_p … ess_Plans/
Bonnie1.One should survey at first about the locality, customer requirement and availability of supliers.
2. After that check your resources and investment capability.
3. Most important is human resources and your knowledge base.
Jyoti kothariThere are many Business plan Templates available. Just Google search.
We have a membership Community that offers all of the information needed to
build a strong Foundation for any Business model, plus a very strong Master Mind alliance.
Google: Beginners Marketing ClassIf you are a serious researchers I can help you via E-mail. I own my business and helped atleast 50 people to start there own business since last 20 years.Some of my hubs can also guide in this matter.
jyoti_kothari@yahoo.com
The government gives away alot of no payback grants to help boost our economy. I would research this further to see what you can find. Have you taken any business management classes? I took an accounting class online for personell developement and I learned how to manage all of the accounts in a small business. Regarding the business plan, be aware of your initial overhead costs. The grants will cover those. Set up a budget brainstorming your payroll expenses, and overhead. Compaire that to your research on net income of your type of business. I would check with your town office, and state as well to see if there are any permits you may need or extra licenses. The insurance coverages may be different for that type of business as well. There is alot of research to do. I hope some of these ideas were helpful to you.
Hello dude its great Idea to start a business. when ever you start as a small one other wise if any thing happen, you will lose your confident. so better start as small. There are lot of webs really helping how to start a business in small or large way.pls go through.
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Sara
For Sale By Owner
I want to do photo retouches for people's digital photos and make money doing it.
That'd be neat.I do a lot of graphic design and photo retouches. It can be a pain. Most of what I do is for website designs and family photos. I redid my wife's grandmother's picture for her funeral. Placed her by the river, and no one noticed it was a "fake."
I'm currently working on inserting a picture of my son in the family great-grandchild pictures from my wife's side of the family. I had a picture of him and one of the dog's and sent it out, her parent's loved it, but I need to get to work on the real one.Hi Gamergirl,
I do photo retouching along with photography. If you're good with photoshop and a Wacom tablet, there is a never ending list of clients who pay $50-$100 per hour for pro level retouching. It's a great source of income if you take the time to develop the PS chops.
Damien
Ooh! change my mind I wanna do that and the t-shirt business! and maybe a hat business
Not sure it will help, but eher is pretty comprehensive hub on the topic:
http://hubpages.com/hub/The-Business-Pl … ness-Plans<snipped> helps advertiser to achieve
target audience with cost effective and results
and <snipped> helps real people how to
make money blogging.I started <snipped> in 2007,to help
advertisers increase sales volume as well as blogger
to earn extra income without quiting job!Please check most
profitable marketing strategies,tools and resources at
<snipped promotional link--will ban if link again>
To your success
Felex Tan
<snipped>Well ...
First of all ... congratulations for wanting to jump into the fray of being an entrepreneur!
2nd of all ... my condolences for you wanting to jump into the fray of being an entrepreneur!
:-)
Well ... I'm kind of kidding here! But as someone who has been running my own business for about 10 years, I can tell you that it can be the most rewarding thing you can do AND the most frustrating and maddening thing you can do too. But even with all of the ups and downs, I have never EVER looked back.
There are a lot of guides, courses and "training" on how to select and run the right business for you and I suggest you look into all of them.
BUT ... there is ONE resource that helped me understand how to be a better entrepreneur.
It's a book
The E Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber
This book reveals some interesting truths about the world of being an entrepreneur that can help you AVOID the mistakes that most entrepreneurs make when starting or running a business! I wish I read this before I went through the hassles I had when starting my businesses.
Seriously ... I think it's FANTASTIC you are looking to venture out on your own and I'm so excited for you - and I think its great that you're out there asking advice! Since you can learn from OUR mistakes and avoid them and perhaps put your business on a "faster track" to success than many of us had to go through!Great reply- I heard Michael Gerber is great- he came and spoke at one of our Sign rallys one year- but I did'nt get to see him.
I'm just getting ready to exit my business so I'm coming from a different outlook right now- I can't wait to be out!! (but I have an argumentative partner so mine is circumstances!)RDGatchel: When I started reading this thread, the first thing I thought of was E-Myth Revisited, and was going to suggest it! Looks like you beat me to it.
To the original poster: Do yourself a favor and read it, or download the ebook from itunes. I'm also someone who has been running a business for the last 10 years and this book would have saved me so much agony had i read it sooner.
LynI would like to second that. M Gerber writes some of the most practical information on starting and running a small business you will find. Not to mention his material is very inspiring during those tough times where you wonder if starting a business was one of the worst decisions of your life; which I think every entrepreneur deals with from time to time.
Damien
In the future scenario, there will be less of jobs and more of businesses with specialization in knowledge being the driving force. More and more people want to lead independent lives without being bossed over. So far the biggies have been exploiting the professionals by paying peanuts and amassing fortunes. Now in the next decade things are going to be different with employers being chosen by the employees-turned-small-businessmen.
So its only proper to increase knowledge base and attain mastery and start own businesses in even smaller known areas. How to set up a business, is not so important as adopting perseverance and being self-driven.It's an incredibly scary thing for many people to think about taking that leap from the security/comfort of being employed to being self-employed and responsible for putting the food on the table.
What is amazing nowadays is that more opportunities are becoming available for people to take the leap one small step at a time (I know mixed metaphors!) and work towards being self employed over a period of time.
If there is a dream that you want to pursue then look at ways you can do it one step at a time and move towards a position where you can decide whether full self employed status is for you. You may find that you love doing something part time so that you can earn extra money and that's great. Or you may discover that self employment or indeed employing others is for you.
But you must follow your own dream and not some other person's sold to you on a page that tells you that you can make a million by the time you come back from making a coffee - talking of which it's time to make one!
Take care
PaulOn what midnightpiper said, even though most business' don't follow their business plans, it's still invaluable to have one. It's not so much following it to the letter that counts, it's getting it all down on paper and out of your brain. Though I commend you for actually starting this way. Too many people don't and that's when the problems start.
And my recommendation would be for Gerber too. So I guess you know what book you have to buy hehe. It's amazing that a book written in 1995 is still so solid today and that nothing has beaten it yet. It just goes to show the rules of a successful business haven't changed, even if everything else in life has.
Good luck!Dear all,
I am in a business (gem and jewelery) since long time but find sucess after reading Cash flow quadrant, the next part of Rich dad poor dad, by Robert Kiosaki. Kiosaki too suggests reading E-myth.
for specific assistance you can mail me or read my hub pages.
jyoti kothari,
Jaipur/HyderabadLadies, gentlemen and hubbies.. sorry ... hubbers
Going through this forum, I know what everyone meant when he or she said why it is important not to give up when doing own business away from the comfort of being employed.
Before I decide to start my online business, I was with a decent 9 to 5 job. Problem is as I grew older my focus on the job started to dwindle. It started to get boring and monotonous. Then I thought, though the pay was generous, but I was not expanding myself fast enough.
I wanted to do something which I can sustain myself fast enough and do not much money to build capital. I was fascinated about all the stories on success stories of people becoming millionaires on the internet.
But after 6 years of striving, still I am getting no where.
Can anybody give me a helping friendly hand ?The problem with internet businesses is that there are so many scams out there. It is important to learn how to look for the right opportunity and what to avoid in the process. After over 20 years of researching in home based businesses, I have been into many of those that are either scams or "just over legal" which turned up bombs for me. Since, I have used those experiences to help others avoid those kinds of mistakes and help them learn how to look for these types of businesses and what to look for. There are some excellent opportunities avaliable out there if you know what and how to look for them.
Yes, I have a successful home based business. No, I am not trying to recruit anyone. I don't even know what country you are in. I am offering some advice from personal experience that may be helpful. I won't spam the forum with a link to those articles but they are easy to find through my profile page. I do not earn anything from these articles nor do I wish to. I don't even use adsense and such in HP. If you need advice on this matter, feel free to look them up or contact me for a link to these articles.
BonnieGoing slow but steadily is the secret of the fastest route.
Yes, yes, yes my friend..
My name is Andy Hunt and I was in the exact same position as you just over a year ago!
I hoped from failing in one business to another, until i realised that it was not that there were any bad businesses (but i guess that there are..), but what i discovered is that I WAS THE PROBLEM!
I had come from a back ground of Quantity Surveying, then onto owning my own million dollar turn over security business... then after a near fatal car crash, lost it all..
Then 2 years later I tried to take those same skills and apply them to my online business - I FAILED... over and over again.
All because I had no clue how to market myself..
Once you realise and learn this fundamental key to success in the home business arena, your problems will be solved my friend.
Please feel free to contact me at any time and I will show you what I have done, which after discovering..
I started working from home full-time in 120 days!
Much Success.
Andy Hunt
(Just Google " ANDREW J HUNT" and you will find me at No. 1 )
I started a business plan hub series to share my experience on the subject.
http://hubpages.com/hub/Tips-to-writtin … ness-plan_
Hope it helps.
DaveThe Best Way to start any Business (Small or Big) Is to go for a Bank Loan (Even if you have all the required Fund). The Reason is that they will ask for a Business Plan and if they are satisfied then only you will be granted a Loan. This will ensure that your Business Plan is Good enough to Fetch PROFIT.
Following are some of the TIPS to get loan from Bank:
1. Keep in mind that to stay in business banks need to make loans. Do not be afraid to ask for one. That is what the loan officer wants you to do. To increase your chances of getting a loan, look for a bank that is familiar with your industry and who has done business with companies like yours. Seek out banks that are active in small business financing. Some banks lend on a conventional basis (lending money without government support), while some banks participate in government programs (in the form of government participations involving direct government funds or loan guarantees). However, be aware that banks often demand stiff collateral requirements for start-ups.
2. As an entrepreneur, make sure that you are thoroughly prepared when you go to your banker's office to request a loan. You need to show your bankers that a loan to you is a low-risk proposition. Have on hand a completed loan application, copies of cash flow and financial statement projections covering at least three years, and your cover letter.
3. Learn to anticipate every question that he or she has. Remember, the combination of information and preparation is the most powerful negotiating tool in the world. A confident and thoroughly prepared borrower is four times more likely to have his or her loan approved than a borrower who does not know the answer to some of the basic questions a banker asks. To show the extent of your preparedness, your business plan should also include answers to your banker's questions. These questions normally are:
• How much money do you need? Be as exact as possible; although adding a little extra for contingencies will not hurt.
• How long do you need it for? Be prepared to go into detail about what the money will do for you and why your business is a good risk.
• What are you going to do for it? Businesses use loans for three things: to buy new assets, pay off old debts, or pay for operating expenses.
• When and how you will repay for it? Your cash flow projections should provide a repayment time frame. Convince the banker of the long-term profitability of your business and your ability to repay the loan by using your financial projections and business plan.
• What will you do if you do not get the loan?
4. Do not take an apologetic and negative attitude. Keep your negativity in check. Present yourself as an entrepreneur who can and will repay the loan. Boost your image by providing your loan officer with any promotional materials about your business, such as brochures, ads, articles, press releases, etc.
5. Dress in a professional manner for the interview. This is a business transaction, so treat it as such.
6. Do not stretch the truth in your loan application. Broad, unsubstantiated statements should be avoided. The lender can easily check many of the facts on your application. If you cannot support statements with solid data, then don't make them. Do your homework and spend time doing research to be able to support everything you say, including every single number in your projections. It is best to keep projections, assets lists and collateral statements on the conservative side.
7. Be sure all your documents are neat, legible and organized in a cohesive and attractive manner. Type all your loan documents. Handwritten documents look unprofessional. Don't forget to include a cover letter.
8. Do not push the loan officer for a decision. Doing so might result in a rejection. Your banker cannot make a decision until all your documentation is complete. To ensure a speedy decision, make sure that your application is complete.
9. Be confident. An attitude of confidence enhances your chance of getting the loan. Show that you can make a success out of the money that the bank will lend to you. Visualize in your mind the positive results of your bank application.
10. Keep trying one lender after another until you get your loan. To improve your position as you change bankers and banks, the best way is to ask for a referral from a successful entrepreneur. Before you decide to approach a bank directly, find an associate, friend or acquaintance that is in good standing with the bank to give you a good referral. Bankers tend to deal more favorably those who were referred to them by their best customers.
11. Failure to discuss risk in your application. You must remember one thing: there is no business without risk. If you do not discuss risk, the bankers will assume that you haven't thought about risk. Let's face it - try as we might, we cannot plan for everything, for every contingency, for every turn of events. Bankers would want to know if you have planned for the major risks and how you intend to manage it.
Then, there is also the risk of too much success. The demand for your products or service may exceed well beyond your expectations, and they would want to know how you intend to handle success.
12. Remember that the first loan is usually the hardest to get. Bankers prefer to lend money to borrowers who have borrowed at least once and have paid back at least one loan on time. They are not venture capitalists that make high-risk loans regardless of the profit prospects of your business. Bankers prefer to lend to low-risk, low profit ventures than to high risk businesses or those with no record of accomplishment.well, you need to figure what is hot selling and how does your interest ability match with those markets.
hopes that help:
ProsonI used to run a Small Business/Startup Consulting firm. Business Plan help was one of the most requested topics of my free initial consultations. Writing a business plan is a skill, and takes time to master. Start off small, and describe your business as you would to a friend. Then, change it to match a colleague. After that is done, amend it some more, and write it as if you were pitching your business idea to a stranger. Finalize everything, and make it good enough to present to someone with cash-in-hand, wanting to sponsor your concept or product.
If you need any further help, try using Business Plan Pro 2008, or one of the many other B-plan software packages.
If that doesn't help, shoot me an email, and I'll see what I can do to help!Hiya,
I wish you luck in whatever venture you will select.. but I suggest you also try to utilize social networking sites in promoting your product. It helped me a lot. Hope it helps you too.
Good luck!One thing you MUST not over look or leave to the last minute is Merchant Accounts. I have been involved in the payment processing industry for several years and sooooo many merchants and small business owners forget to address this serious admin task. It can cost you anywhere from 2-4% of your sales, so it is essential you do your due diligence and research properly before choosing a merchant account provider. You may like this article I wrote on one my sub sites if you are Canadian: <snipped promotional link>
I believe in doing things and not only talking. Any other business that someone desire to do, He/she need some words uplifting and encouragement. So easy to given up hope when things didn't work out as plan. Proper planning and right kind of people to support really a great help.
Well you can have many options to start a small business ,but little market research and competition surveys ahs to be made before jumping on to any business plan .One which I can recommend is bakery business .
Well, its 8 months later from when you were doing research, hope your Business is a success!
~thranax~If you have some innovative idea, a better chance. Convert your idea bubble into a solid business plan. You may refer to hub an idea can....billions in real life.
A part of my income is to write business plans and marketing strategy plans for companies I be more then happy to help people out ( I just don't have time to do it for you). I would need information on how you want the business to be run etc to be able to point you in the right direction.
In America 2.0, which I am designing, it will be much easier for someone to get into a small business and stay in a small business. Founder America 2.0, Inc.
- Small Biz Reviewsposted 15 years ago
0Being your own boss it the best! There is nothing better than knowing that you are in control of your destiny. Then again, there is nothing scary then knowing you are in control of your destiny.
We hope you are having success with your desire to start a business! Hi everyone,
I think starting a business is about 2 major points to check and do:
- Is your business project giving to people something different and with a better value than the existing market?
- Have you test your market?
The current economic climate is having an impact on businesses large and small. Several people who lost their job think about launching their own business.
What is clear is that the uncertainty means that researching a business’ market has never been more important.
Testing your market could be cost-effectively done if you do it online. With this method you can test your core target with your precise questions for a reasonable cost.
Good luck to all of you
EricTo start a small business, create an LLC and file paperwork with your state's secretary of state.
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