12 Ways to Start A Business


They are right there in the vegetables you brought in from the yard. in the stack of papers next to your laser printer. in the back of your truck. and at the back of your mind.


You don't need to be a genius or an MBA to spot those ideas and turn them into profits, either. Identifying business opportunities is often as easy as identifying problems many people share and finding a way to solve them.


The business was an immediate success, and after several years, he sold the business for a quarter of a million dollars. Even then, however, he continued to make money from his idea by writing a booklet about how to start a pet waste removal business and selling the booklet on the Internet.


Other business owners have turned their hobbies, interests and skills into satisfying and often lucrative businesses, simply by seeing a need in the world around them and finding a way to fill it. You can, too.


Do what you love to do


Businesses don't just happen. They are made. Whether you plan to profit by twisting balloons into smile generating shapes or orchestrating the growth of multimillion dollar, multinational companies, your success relies on what you bring to the business. If you love what you do, your passion for the business will drive you to be knowledgeable, creative and persistent. On the other hand, if your feeling for what you do is lukewarm, your success will be, too.


Turn old standbys into new products


Truly new concepts are few and far between. Most new products or new business ideas are simply spin offs of old ones. Inline skates is one good example. Essentially, they Cheap Michael Kors Outlet are ice skates on wheels. Or, depending on your point of view, streamlined roller skates. Other business ideas are nothing more than new ways of marketing mundane products. Florists were around as relatively small, local stores for years but then Jim McCann, who started with a single retail shop in 1976, acquired the phone number 1 800 Flowers and developed a network of florists. The company saw an opportunity to grow online, and started selling through the early commercial online services, and then the Internet.


You may not have the money, management ability, contacts or desire to launch a major http://www.cheapermichaelkorsou... new product like inline skates or the energy or desire to turn your single store location into a multimillion dollar sales organization. But you don't have to launch anything that large to start a business or introduce a new product. You need to think about what people want to buy and how they would like to buy it.


Years ago when my kids were little, I made money selling beanbags. The twist? I designed them in the shape of frogs and I filled them with birdseed instead of beans to make them pliable and less lumpy to the touch. To attract attention at craft shows, I displayed them in various human poses (sitting up, laying on their side resting their head on their hand, or hugging each other, for instance). I could produce them quickly and kept my costs low by making the frogs from inexpensive fabric remnants. That allowed me to price the frogs low enough to make them great impulse buys for parents who wanted to buy a small, inexpensive gift for a child.


You can spin almost any skill or industry knowledge into marketable new products or services.


A neighbor turned his skill at fixing cars into a repair and tune up service. His angle? He was mobile. Customers didn't have to drop their car off at the shop. Instead, the "shop" (a van outfitted with tools and auto parts) came to them. Another acquaintance built a business by purchasing large quantities of chemicals and repackaging them in smaller quantities.


And then, there's the grandmother who couldn't find a product to organize her handbag. So, she went out and created one, and turned the product into a million dollar business.


Look for mundane money makers


You don't need to create exciting new products or services to go into business, either. Millions of business owners profit by selling routine and sometimes unglamorous services such as window washing, car repair, sandwich making, building maintenance, house cleaning and plumbing. The key to making money with the mundane is to sell something your customers can't do, don't want to do, don't have the time to do, or can't get done well elsewhere.


Tip: one way to making really big money with mundane services is to develop a unique and reproducible method for marketing and delivering the service and then open up multiple offices, or franchise the concept. If you plan to franchise your idea or sell it as a business opportunity, retain an attorney early on who is familiar with franchise law and can help you steer clear of the pitfalls.


Turn that hobby into cash


Do people ooh and ah at your handiwork? Whether you are a whiz at creating floral arrangements or at writing software, look for ways to turn your hobby into a business. You might want to manufacture your items in quantity, license them to other manufacturers, sell them by mail order, at flea markets or on consignment, or open your own retail outlet selling supplies to others with similar interests.


Ask the reference librarian at your public library to help you find trade magazines pertaining to your hobby, and read those to generate new business ideas.


Reach out and teach someone


Do you have a skill others want to acquire? Do you have a knack for explaining things so others can understand them? If so, don't give your expertise away. Start charging for it!


For instance, if you are a karate expert, you might teach at a karate school or open your own karate school. If you're a talented artist, you could teach art at home or in a school.


Tip:: Make extra money selling books, supplies, or other items your students will need to buy to complete the course.


Sell training seminars to corporate America


Don't limit yourself to training individuals or private groups of people. Look for ways to polish up your act and cash in on the $50 billion corporate training market.


What kind of training do corporations buy? Everything from sales, management and computer training courses to self [url=http://www.cheapermichaelkorsoutlet.us.com/]Michael Kors Cheap defense courses.


To locate training opportunities, contact the human resources department and ask to speak to the person in charge of training programs. Introduce yourself to that person and make an appointment to discuss the company's needs and your ability to fill them. If you get the assignment, be sure to have handouts for the class so they know how to reach you for more intensive training on their own.