Choosing the Best Small Business to Start
By Karen Wardle
What business should I start? It's not always an easy questions to answer. If starting
your own business is something that you have been thinking about for some time, then you
have probably toyed with many different business ideas.
There are as many different types of businesses as there are personalities of the
people running then. If you have the entrepreneurial spirit and a strong desire to start
your own business then this checklist may help you to narrow down your choices.
When trying to think of the best business to start, the first thing you should do is to
perform a personal inventory. We all function better at tasks that we are good at, or
those for which we have a natural ability.
So, ask yourself;
• what are you good at?
• what experience have you gained at work, school or through sport?
• what are your likes and dislikes?
• what are your personality traits?
• do you prefer to work in a team or on your own?
• what are your natural skills and abilities?
Performing a self assessment will not necessarily provide you with the perfect business
to start, but it should indicate which businesses will not be ideal for you. Then, work
through the following list and apply these questions to some of the business ideas that
you may be considering.
Your Market
• who will buy your product or service?
• how much will they pay for it?
• what advantage will your product/service offer over the competition
- ex why should customers choose you?
• the industry that the new business is in - is it in a growing industry,
or is it on the decline?
• do you have industry contacts?
• if not, how difficult will it be to enter this industry as an unknown
- with competitive industrie,s for example fashion, you may find it very difficult to
enter a competitive market as an unknown.
If you don't know the answers to these questions do you know where to find them? You
should never launch a product or service without first researching your market.
Products/Service
• will you be producing a product or providing a service?
• have you thought about distribution methods?
• do you know which methods are most cost effective?
• how will you get your product or service to your customers?
Location
• will you operate your business from home or from leased premises?
• if you plan to lease or rent can you easily accommodate additional
staff, stock and customers as your business grows?
• do you need parking facilities? Is is available?
• can the premises be fitted out to suit, without too much of an
investment from you?
Suppliers
• who will they be?
• is there a minimum purchase amount?
• what is their lead time?
• are they reliable - can they provide a consistent and reliable service?
• do their costs enable you to make a profit?
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