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Building Your New Business Online . . .

Build It Right and They Will Come

Planning -- Understand the need to have a good working plan to act as a guide and keep you true to your vision. Include some alternatives in your plan. Allow for problems. Murphy's law . . . "If something can go wrong, it will." Let it rain . . . carry a big umbrella in the form of a back-up plan.

Have faith in your dream and in yourself. Believe that it's going to happen! Self-confidence and determination are necessary to get you through the rough spots (and every business has them at some point).

Don't be afraid to ask for help -- Recognize and be alert to times when you face a dilemma that you simply can't handle alone, and ask for help before serious damage is done. Support and guidance from trusted associates and peers, as well as recognized experts in your field are assets that should not be undervalued. An insurmountable problem for one person can be a walk in the park for another -- and don't worry, you'll get your chance to reciprocate.

Be active in your community -- Whether you work in a physical or virtual community, your participation and cooperation with other business people in that community will strengthen your own position and help to establish you as a team player and one who understands civic responsibility.

Be knowledgeable -- What you don't know, can hurt you. Do your homework. Research your industry. Learn about the neighborhood in which you will work, and the people who comprise the target market for your product or service. Nothing impresses consumers like merchants who are ready to serve their needs through good customer service and awareness of their product.

Be a good manager -- The best intentions, personalities, plans, and goals are nothing without good management skills. If you lack those skills, and have a serious desire to succeed in business, you have no choice but to take the time to get a little training in basic management. Courses in various aspects of management are found in virtually every community college in the country.

Have your finances in order -- Have a budget, and know how you're going to pay your way. Don't underestimate your costs of operation. You don't necessarily need to run out and take out a loan to finance your business -- many people start businesses on the proverbial shoestring. But you must be willing to make some kind of financial investment if your business is to grow -- if not in one lump sum, then have the ability at least to "pay as you go." I kept my own first entrepreneurial venture growing by working a part-time job on the graveyard shift three nights a week. (There was better pay on that shift.) It gave me that little bit of extra working capital to get me through every week and keep the bills paid until I was able to start making sufficient money with the business itself. Whatever works for you . . . "where there's a will, there's a way." Of course, ready cash is always the easiest way, if you're fortunate enough to have that option.

Time -- Don't delude yourself that owning a business means never having to feel pressured, short on time, or over-worked again. Realistically, you must be prepared to work longer hours and "live" your business for perhaps several years as it develops. Those balmy days in the Bahamas will have to wait. My husband has always said that owning a business is like buying yourself a job. I don't know if he made that up, or read it . . . but a truer statement was never made. Other than accepting the responsibilities and long-term obligations of marriage and parenthood, I can't think of one other thing that requires the kind of attention to detail and dedication that business ownership requires of a person. It can be all-consuming, if you let it. Save a little time for yourself each week -- it will help avoid burn-out.

With all these things being considered and addressed, you're on the right track to growing your business. But understand that you don't need to do it all alone. Networking, often misunderstood as a kind of social politicking, can in fact be your saving grace. Knowing the people in your community, local or virtual, and learning where their talents lie, can become your most valuable asset. A person who knows his/her community resources, human or otherwise, is never without an answer. None of us shine in all the areas listed above, and thankfully we don't have to. You don't have to know it all -- surround yourself with knowledgeable, diverse people . . . then watch and learn.

Building a business is just like building the "Field of Dreams" in the story that so inspired us. But like that Field of Dreams, your dream field must be built to specifications. The right people must be invited to participate, andthe right measurements must be used. And in the right time, if you build it right, they will indeed come . . .

Carol Daly is the owner of The Creative Enterprises Network
http://www.creativethought.com and several Internet sites providing services and/or retail merchandise. This article may be used with permission from the author as long as copyright information and bio paragraph are attached.

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