How Starting a Business Can Bring Out the Entrepreneur in You

by Nazir Daud

What is entrepreneurialism? Have you ever thought how entrepreneurs get where they are? Did starting up a business ever crossed your mind? If you have an eight-to-five job have you thought of working any hours you wish?

Entrepreneurialism is not only working the hours that you want to work, but usually involves working more! It's also about taking the risk and having the initiative to realize your dreams. It's not an easy way to make money at the start, so don't consider it if you are dreaming of getting out of bed at noon and enjoying cocktails on the yacht. That comes later - much later. It does mean that you don't have to keep the boss happy (unless you are married!).

It could also mean enjoying the things that you love and having the time to enjoy them, but also means passing it all up until you are able to do that. But to top it all, it means earning a higher income in the longer term with a business of your own. It usually takes anywhere between three and five years for a business to start making serious money. If you are luck to breakeven in the first couple of years you are doing well.

Having your own business will definitely give you a lot more freedom to do as you wish in due course... but there is a price to pay. If you do decide to take the plunge into entrepreneurialism and find a gap in the market, you will realise a new world of possibilities.

The things you will be able to do if / when you are successful are usually only dreams of a regular employee, but have you ever thought about making it a reality? Most people will tell you that a business of your own is the key, but how do you go about it?

There is no more job security and it would then be up to you to maintain your family in a good standard of living. However, if you have the spirit of entrepreneurialism in you, then you will be able to provide your family with a much higher standard of living than they have enjoyed to date; and the security of knowing that your fate is in your own hands.

Think about what you are doing now: you are working hard for the company, not really for your family. With the work that you do, who is earning the most? The answer to that question is obvious. Not you! How about setting up a business of your own? This is the day that you can open up your eyes to a different perspective of work, and make the decision to work for yourself.

The first step to becoming an entrepreneur is to make a choice. You decide whether you want to work for yourself or somebody else. You should decide whether you want a better quality of life, not only for you but for your family. In fact, entrepreneurs usually involve their families in the business and it is a great gift to pass on to your children someday.

The second step is learning what kind of business you're going into. What field will you enter? What kind of business fits you? What type of entrepreneur are you? Note down all your strengths, weaknesses, interests, desires, and the hobbies that you like. What is your passion? What interests you the most?

Make sure that it is something that you love. It should be something that you enjoy doing. It should not feel like work! Most successful businesses will relate tales of founders who lived and breathed the business that they started. Most successful entrepreneurs would say that they enjoy their business life as much as they enjoy real life.

In becoming an entrepreneur, the third step involves researching your chosen business, and finding gaps in the market that have not yet been filled or can be handled much more competently. This is the most important part of the entire process: you cannot be an entrepreneur by being a 'me too'. You have to lead the field, and do something new or a lot better.

Without enough research, your new business will only lead to an expensive hobby. Chances are, instead of the business supplying you with a steady income, you will be providing unnecessary expenses for a business that might fail in a very short period of time. Research involves checking out the market and the competition, and deciding that if competition is high, you look elsewhere. A gap in the market is what you should be looking for. Entrepreneurialism is all about finding that gap and taking advantage of it.

You cannot just decide to be an entrepreneur, nor are you born to be one. You must know how to take advantage of an opportunity, and also how to find that opportunity. However, when you do, you must put yourself into it wholeheartedly and stay with it until you own a chunk of that market segment. That is entrepreneurialism.

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A Lesson in Small Business Opportunity - Discover Your Calling Now!

How many times have you, or someone you know, said something like "I've always wanted to have a business of my own. Something I'd really enjoy doing. Be my own boss."

The farther down this page you read, you'll start to feel that there are many people in this world that are either bored or tired of being tied down in an office from morning to evening and doing a routine and cumbersome job. There are yet some more that are always on the look out for extra opportunities to make an additional income that will substantiate their regular incomes.

Due to the lack of awareness of opportunities or being tired of trying out many opportunities that promise to make a quick buck and ending up in not gaining anything has made these people continue their routine jobs without venturing any further. The dissatisfaction among people for not finding the right kind of opportunity has pushed them into further hating what they do and are always looking out for a change. They fear taking up anything new as they would be treading into unknown waters and may even lose out on their regular source of income.

Such people should become aware of the many opportunities that are available to them both in the form of work at home options as well as being out there and being able to make some income for themselves. The greatest advantages of venturing into a small business opportunity is that it can be done both part time or full time and can be done with very minimal or no investment risks from the convenience of their own homes.

There is countless number of small business opportunities for individuals to start off but, not all of them are worth pursuing. Many of them are ones that promise to make a person rich overnight and these are the ones that one should really be wary of. There are various categories of businesses that one can pursue depending on their interests and the time that they have to invest.

Some of the small business opportunities that are available online would include the following:

• Setting up auctions online

• Exporting and importing

• Multi-level marketing (MLM)

• Participating in surveys

• Becoming part of advertising programs

• Becoming an affiliate member in a program, etc

There are many ways to do work on the Internet and earn some money. Whatever the direction in which a person wants to venture, it is important that they do a lot of research before they start off with anything. It is important for them to find out if the money made from the business opportunity will be worth their time or effort. It is also good to get testimonials from others who are working the program.

This, though difficult, is one of the best ways of avoiding getting cheated. One of the best ways to reach out to such people is to enter forums and discussion boards that can get a person in touch with others with the same ideas. Once a person has a general idea about what kind of a small business opportunity they want to embark on, they should go right ahead and take action.

It should be remembered that many programs even though it may appear simple at the onset would require lot of perseverance and putting in the right kind of efforts to make it work for them in the long run. Therefore, remember that whatever the small business opportunity that you get into, nothing comes without putting in the necessary effort and working in the right direction will help bear the necessary fruits and bring success.

There is another option.

Interested in finding out more about the business that will allow you to have both financial freedom and the freedom of TIME? Visit my website from the links below for free information.

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Opportunity Knocks 1000 Times

You've heard people say that opportunity only knocks once. I say it knocks a thousand times, or at least it can. The problem is, we often don't listen, we don't see, or we don't want to work. The biggest problem, though, is that opportunity really isn't opportunity, if you're not ready for it.

A couple I know had a business handed to them for free. The owner didn't want to deal with it anymore, even though it made money. He had other things going on in his life. He couldn't just call it quits, however, because the lease on the building had nine months to go. This is where my friends enter the story. Why did they have a business given to them?

They listened, and let the man tell his story.

They looked at the business, and saw the opportunity.

They worked, doing what it took to benefit from their "good luck."

The owner agreed to give them the business if they would simply take over the lease on the building.

Get Ready For Opportunity

The biggest reason "opportunity knocked" however, includes the others, and goes beyond them: They were ready.

They had a little bit of money to handle the transition, they had previous experience with a small business, and they were willing to learn what they needed to learn.

A friend once said that our mutual acquaintance John was "so lucky" to get a $6,000 car for $2,000 at an auction. I mentioned that John went to the auction regularly, that he had made himself familiar with car values, and that he always kept some money available for such opportunities. It didn't seem to register with my friend.

He could have been "so lucky," too, but he had to be ready. He could have saved $2,000, or obtained a credit card with a high enough limit, or arranged with someone to borrow the money and split the profits when deals like this came up. Not having done any of these things, there was no opportunity here for him.

When you want opportunity to come knocking, aren't there always ways you can prepare? If you want to be lucky in love, you comb your hair, right? If you want opportunities in the stock market, start studying, setting aside money to invest, and exploring the possibilities. Get ready for opportunity, and it will come more often.

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