Archive for March, 2008

Tips on How Entrepreneurs Start a Home Based Small Business

Posted in Business with tags , , , , on March 26, 2008 by Paul Conant

There are many ways by which entrepreneurs get on the road to success. Some entrepreneurs choose to take advantage of franchise opportunities and from there, move on to greater glory.

There are a lot of things that can be said about franchising. For one thing, franchise opportunities let you penetrate the market with an already-established brand name. People already know the product or service so you won’t have to go through the trouble of making a name.

Of course, you have the responsibility to make a name for your business and not just the product. This means you’ll have to sell yourself. After all, people can get the product or service from other franchises, so what makes you any different? You’ll have to show them that you are different from other businesses even if your products are the same. You’ll have to do your best to convince people that getting the product from you is the best decision that they can make.

If you don’t think that taking advantage of a franchise opportunity is the thing for you, maybe you should consider starting a small, home based business.

A lot of new entrepreneurs put up small home based businesses for different reasons. Here are some of them:

1) Lack of funding – most entrepreneurs have small home based businesses because of the simple fact that, as a beginner, most do not have the funding to rent office space.

When you think about it, a small home based business is perfect for a budding entrepreneur. He or she actually gets to save money on the rent of commercial space. We all know how hard it can be to manage finances when you are starting a business, so saving all the money you can is a very good idea.

2) Convenience – for entrepreneurs, small home based businesses can be very convenient. When you think about it, they can stay at home all day and still make a living.

Entrepreneurs find small home based businesses convenient in other ways as well. Much legality is eliminated when you base your venture at home. Getting a lease on a commercial space may sometimes prove too complicated, as compared to having your business at home.

3) Customer base – some entrepreneurs start small home based businesses because of the fact that they may already have an established client base there. Some restaurants, for example, get started because of a person noticing that his or her cooking is very popular around the community.
Now, by starting a restaurant in the home, he or she would already have a customer base, willing to pay her for her cooking.

Many people know just how hard it can be to start your business as an unknown. By basing your business at home, you know that you will already have established connections and you know that people will find it more convenient to go to you for their needs.

Remember that you need to plan properly. Most entrepreneurs’ small home based businesses fail because of poor planning. You need to learn how to separate your business finances from your home finances, and learn how to record each correctly.

In order for you to be able to properly handle your business, you might want to consult three people: an Accountant, a lawyer, and an advisor. Between these three people, you can get the big picture of what to expect when running a small home based business as an entrepreneur.

You have to be strong. Many people can tell you that business and personal life don’t mix very well. But history has shown that entrepreneurs with small home based businesses often succeed at becoming globally competitive.

Three nerds in a garage have as much chance at succeeding in a business venture as an executive in an office with a view. Technology today has made possible that all resources be within your grasp. All you actually need to do is find the will to take the first step.

There you go: those are just some tips to get you started on that first step. By remembering to take calculated risks, you should be fine in getting your small home based business of the ground, entrepreneur.

What are you waiting for? Go for it!

Entrepreneur Defined

Posted in Business with tags , , on March 10, 2008 by Paul Conant

The Key to Entrepreneurship is to Become Resilient!

-Paul Conant

In the field of business, the people involved are called the entrepreneurs. They are also referred to as businessmen. They own and run their own businesses. In the strictest sense, the definition of what a real entrepreneur is varies.

The only certain thing is that, entrepreneurs are very much involved in today’s American business arena. Tracing history back, it is said that the term entrepreneur has been conceivably recognized as an adamant part of the economic world only in the mid 1970s. The concept has then started to evolve with various meanings depending on the understanding of the society that gives meaning to it.

In an online dictionary as defined by the Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, in the year 1913, entrepreneur has been defined as the person who makes some products for his own benefit or account. This gives about the idea that the term has successfully evolved way back in the year 1913. Now such definition may quite be blurry.

How can a person be called an entrepreneur when he does nothing with that product aside form creating it? What term will be labeled to a person who takes other people’s products and make a success out of them? Will they be not branded as entrepreneurs too? According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, an entrepreneur is someone who organizes, who manages, and who assumes the risks posed by the business or enterprise world. Now this definition of an entrepreneur is richer in content compared with the first one. Risks—these are literally faced by entrepreneurs as they pursue with any type of investment in the market.

In a much formal definition of Ashoka, an entrepreneur goes to refer to an organizational society that promotes nothing but social change. Social entrepreneurs are those individuals who open up some new and major possibilities in the areas of health, education, environment, and all other areas of the human needs.

To drive a stricter point, the business entrepreneurs are those who lead the innovations in the world of commerce while the social entrepreneurs are those who drive social change in the society. In more ways than one, such definition all the more points out that those business entrepreneurs not only start with any type of business but they do promote change within the business range.

Dale Tucker, a personal entrepreneur, goes to define the term as an individual who decides to take hold and control of his own future and therefore become a self-employed person either by creating his own business or by working with a team just like what multi-level marketing means. On the other hand, Mark Hendricks suggests that for one person to be called an entrepreneur, he needs to be particularly daring. He must be able to meet the challenge of either winning or losing in the business. He therefore must be open to the possibilities of the results of the competition.

So how can an entrepreneur be tailored to be one? What business skills are required in order to become an entrepreneur? There are pointers that must be looked into before someone may divulge into any business venture. The following are some of the qualifications to look into:

Planning and organization. These include the setting up and the attainment of specific goals, qualification to enter into a commitment, and then being able to keep up with work schedules.

The capacity to handle money. Budget must be carefully determined, loans must be secured, funds must be raised, and all of the finances must be recorded. For all these things, an entrepreneur must be an expert.

The selling of products and ideas. An entrepreneur should be acquainted with the proper way of selling. In the world of business, the products whether they take the form of materials or ideas need to sell out in order to gain profit.

Management. Anyone who does not have the management skills is not fit to be an entrepreneur.

The ability to work with people. A good rapport is always needed in an entrepreneur. If he is unable to influence people then he will not likely succeed.

The ability to be a risk-taker. In the world of business, wins are not always secured. There are only two possibilities: winning and losing. Whichever phase confronts him, a good entrepreneur knows how to handle it.

Characteristics Of Entrepreneur

Posted in Business with tags , , , , , , on March 7, 2008 by Paul Conant

Characteristics Of Entrepreneur

Important Characteristics Every Entrepreneur Must Have

Are you planning to start and run your own business? Do you know the right qualifications and characteristics an entrepreneur must have to succeed? Does your profile match that of a successful entrepreneur? In this article we will explore and discuss the essential characteristics that every entrepreneur must have. There are several important traits and values that are common among successful entrepreneurs. Before you go and start your enterprise, it will be very helpful to think and reflect whether you have what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur. If not, you can also start developing these character traits.

1.  Successful Entrepreneurs are Self-Confident – to succeed in the highly competitive business world, confidence and trust in oneself is an indispensable trait. Self-confidence means trusting your own powers and capabilities. The world of entrepreneurship is not alien to failure and disappointments. To survive in such a cutthroat world, an entrepreneur must have the ability to look within himself and find the drive and persistence to pursue his enterprise. An entrepreneur must have the gumption to face any adversity and tackle any problems that may be encountered in the world of business.

2.  Successful Entrepreneurs are Risk-takers – being an entrepreneur means having the ability to trust your hunches and acting on them. Great business ideas sometimes start as a hunch which enterprising individuals acted upon. There is always the risk of loss in any endeavor, and entrepreneurs have just the right confidence to take calculated risks to achieve their objective.  However, an entrepreneur’s risk-taking does not depend on luck, but on sheer effort and hard work.

3.  Successful Entrepreneurs know the value of money and are careful about their finances – to succeed in any business; an entrepreneur must understand the value of money and the cost of things. Typically, successful entrepreneurs learned how to earn and value money at a young age. Most of them started out by earning loose change as teenagers mowing lawns, doing groceries, babysitting for neighbors, etc.

4.  Successful entrepreneurs have the so-called head for business – many entrepreneurs are gifted with intuition: they know what product or service is going to ‘click’ next. However, this ability does not involve clairvoyance or extra sensory powers of some sort, but rather, keen observation and understanding of what is going on around him. A good entrepreneur is always on the look out for new ideas and new ways to make money.

5.  Successful Entrepreneurs are competitive – the world of business is a very competitive environment. An entrepreneur must be aggressive enough to pursue his goal despite having many rivals and competitors. An entrepreneur must know how to stay ahead of his competitors, either by introducing new ideas and exploring new ventures, all in the spirit of expanding his business.

6.  Successful Entrepreneurs are honorable and have a good work ethic – although it is a fact that the business world is ruthless, but the successful entrepreneur will strive to make every business deal honorable. The mark of a successful entrepreneur lies in a good personal work ethic that ultimately leads to good business practices, excellent reputation and good association with industry peers and business partners.

7.  Successful Entrepreneurs know the importance of leisure time – hard work and determination are very important values every entrepreneur must have. However, a good entrepreneur knows when it’s time to take a step back from all the rigors of business and enjoy some downtime with their family. Besides, we all do need a little relaxation to refresh the body and mind before plunging back into the challenging (and stressful) world of business.

These are just seven of the most important characteristics of an entrepreneur. Of course, the characteristics every entrepreneur must have are not limited to the ones mentioned. Having these characteristics is not a guarantee that an entrepreneur will be successful. But with these characteristics, an entrepreneur has just the right ingredients for success. All one needs to do is to find the right mix of these values, excellent timing, perhaps a bit of luck and, of course, faith in oneself. So, do you have what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur? Go over these characteristics and values mentioned and reflect if you do have these.