Starting your own business can be an answer to several problems presented by the current financial crisis. Yet it can be hard to get started, if you don’t really have any idea what to do. There is a wealth of business opportunities to do out there, it is just when you think about it too hard, you don’t recognize them, and the brilliant business ideas don’t come to your mind.

Of course the opportunities for business you have will heavily depend on your qualification, experience and motivation, and most of the time it is the quickest, safest and most successful way to start with something you feel comfortable with and have gained an expertise in. So, this should be the first option to check out.

This may not always seem possible. Still I would recommend to stay as close as possible to your passion and skills, even though these skills may not be obvious at first sight and may appear to be hidden in other jobs and chores you did.

For example if you are a stay-at-home mom and want to become a work-at-home mom, just make a list with all the activities you have been doing, including all volunteer work, sports, friends, hobbies, parties and of course  all the chores and tasks around the house and the children. If you are not a stay-at-home mom, do the same thing drawing on your work, social and private life, volunteer engagement, leisure activities etc.  You should come up with a considerable list of activities. For those activities consider which skills you need to do them. Try to be very specific here.

Do you enjoy cooking, which dishes do you do well? You organize parties, events, birthdays for your kids? Which kind of organizational, productive or social skills can you recognize? Do you enjoy working in your garden? Do others complement you on its design, the flower and plants? Then you list may read something like “I am good at baking cakes and cookies. People love to eat them.” Or “The kids love the parties I organize for them, I am good at dealing with groups of kids, entertain them and create and facilitate games they enjoy.”  Or “I am good at making gardens look nice. “ etc.

The list of skills will give you a skills profile. Then prioritize your skills in the order as to how much you enjoy them and start brainstorming which kind of business you could develop from this.

Cake delivery service:

Product: Cakes and cookies for birthday and other parties. I will specialize on whole grain, low sugar products, which still taste excellent.

Customers: Busy people in the neighborhood and organizations in the neighborhood. Advertising through posters in church, community center, supermarkets, school, YMCA, leaflets for households in the neighborhood, internet and word of mouth, as well as continuous free contributions for charity events.

Process: There is a list of cakes I do very well and would start off with. I will elaborate the recipes to make them fool proof. I will rent a space in a bakery to do the baking or get a permit to do it at home.

Logistics: I will deliver the cakes. If the business grows I will hire students to deliver for me.

Growth opportunity: My recipes and detailed process description will allow me to teach others to produce my products in case the business grows. I could hire people to bake and students to deliver the cakes, or I could start a franchise the whole concept to expand into other regions.

A very powerful way to go though this exercise of finding ideas for small businesses is to do this together with one or more friends. Invite some friends for the purpose and brainstorm together, in groups of two or more. You can do this alone, too, and of course you don’t need to go through all the points with your friends. Any feedback and ideas you can get may inspire your thoughts and give you new perspectives. 

The steps to go through are:

1. Which skills do you see?
   Start of with a feedback: where do your friends see your strengths and skills?  What do they think you are good at? If you do this alone, think about moments what you got complimented for, and what you could imagine your friends might appreciate in you. Make a list of all your skills and strengths and put it somewhere where it is visible for everyone (e.g. hang on the wall). Write down every feedback you get from your friends, even if it doesn’t feel right for you. It is part of the impression you create on others and therefore valuable.
2. What would you buy from me?
   Which products might others buy from you because they trust you have the competence to sell them? Which services would others buy from you because they feel you have the authority to offer them? What are their (unmet) needs in terms of products and services? Make a list of all potential business ideas, and hang them on the walls. Keep them all, no matter how much resistance you may feel towards them.
3. Business ideas from my list of skills
   When you feel you have done enough of this, introduce your list of skills, starting with the ones you enjoy most doing. What kind of business ideas could follow from those? Maybe that will trigger further ideas or specify the ones mentioned on a deeper level.
4. Dos and don’ts
   Appreciate all those creative ideas, business opportunities and the feedback you received. Don’t comment, unless it is positive. Don’t talk too much. Let your friends do the job for you. Thank them for their help and ask them what you can do for them. Don’t make the sessions too long and only work with people who enjoy doing this with you. If you do this alone, same rule: appreciate all business ideas that come to your mind, even if they seem stupid or unrealistic at first.
5. Evaluate and simulate ideas
   Only after having heard all the business ideas evaluate them according to how much they appeal to you and how feasible they are. Rather than discard a business idea too early, try to do some market research and specific simulation planning as to how you could do it and what you would need to do in order to make it happen.
6. What if?
   If you have a list of small business ideas and plans, then go ahead and evaluate the consequences of each of the options on your finances, job satisfaction, family and personal growth. If you see conflicts coming up, ask yourself how this may be overcome. At this stage you may want to get specific help regarding market information and “how to’s”.  Use your whole network, the internet, professional institutions to obtain the information you need.

Usually by this time, you will have your top favorite business ideas, which you can then elaborate and check your top business ideas further.

If you know others who are interested in starting their own business you may want to suggest a small business initiative and support each other through ideas, feedback on ideas, advice and sharing of experiences and knowledge. Maybe something like this already exists in your area? You don’t need to reinvent the wheel and learn everything the hard way on your own. Plus: it is a lot more fun, and as a team you may generate unique and creative business ideas!