| If you're like me, you have a lot of different | | | | people. His presentation was a "beginner's guide" |
| interests and you're probably very good at a lot | | | | for those new to personal finance. What he truly |
| of different things, which means you could make | | | | enjoyed was more advanced financial planning. He |
| money doing just about anything. You could | | | | realized that he wanted to work with people who |
| probably even make money doing nothing much | | | | had a highly developed, working knowledge of |
| at all. The question is: | | | | personal finance as he found all of our questions |
| What do you ENJOY doing? What do you enjoy | | | | to be boring, mundane and, ultimately, |
| so much that you could turn it into a business? | | | | frustrating!c) Quite often, the work will become so |
| Those are the most important questions for any | | | | hard and so draining that you'll have to find within |
| aspiring new business owner when trying to | | | | yourself a way to do it even when you don't |
| decide what business to start. When confronting | | | | want to. The questions then become: |
| these questions I've found, in my experience, | | | | What means so much to you that you have to |
| there's a few other things to consider before | | | | share it with others? What do you believe in |
| trying to answer them:a) When you start a | | | | enough to want it for others more than for |
| business, you suddenly become an "expert" of | | | | yourself? |
| sorts. People will look to you for advice and | | | | When I started my own dance troupe in early |
| information about your field of expertise. The | | | | 2007, the first few months were unimaginably |
| questions now become: | | | | grueling, both physically and psychologically. My |
| What would you be proud to be an expert about? | | | | partner was helping me choose songs for the |
| What are you willing to continue learning about for | | | | show while I was choreographing. I was designing |
| as long as you're in business? What questions are | | | | costumes while he was making them. Add to that |
| you happy to answer over and over again? | | | | web design, business card design, advertising, |
| I knew a man who opened a postal mailbox store | | | | writing marketing copy, fielding sales calls and |
| and began offering office supplies and services to | | | | teaching a class twice a week. |
| make more money. However, he was completely | | | | Even though I would have a miniature nervous |
| disinterested in learning about copy machines, | | | | breakdown every Sunday, the one thing that |
| different ways to bind reports or the various | | | | kept me going was the employment of my |
| bulk-mailing options for marketing mailings. When I | | | | dancers. The one thing I was most proud of, that |
| met him, this new part of his business was failing | | | | I believed in the most, is one's ability to make a |
| and he couldn't understand why.b) No matter | | | | living doing what they loved. I was giving that |
| what business you start, you put yourself in the | | | | opportunity to my dancers, showing them it was |
| role of Customer Service and Support. The | | | | possible. It didn't matter too much to me if I failed |
| questions now become: | | | | or the business failed. What mattered was they |
| What type of customers, if any, do you enjoy | | | | needed to know they COULD make money as |
| working with? To what degree to you want to | | | | dancers. They depended on me for that |
| work with them? What kind of people would you | | | | opportunity, and I believed in it so much I just |
| love to help over and over again? | | | | couldn't give up. |
| I once worked with a financial consultant | | | | If you're having trouble, like I have in the past, |
| interested in launching a public speaking career. I | | | | deciding what your passion is, ask yourself these |
| suggested he give a mock presentation in which I, | | | | questions over and over again. When you can |
| and others, would sit and be his mock audience. | | | | answer all of them clearly, simply and quickly, |
| By the end of the night, after being bombarded | | | | you'll have your answer to: |
| with questions about his slides, he realized that the | | | | What business do I really want to start? |
| presentation was targeted to the wrong group of | | | | |