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1. The Background:
A lot of work goes into starting a business: You need to draw up a business plan, find investors, get loans, and look for employees. Before all that, however, you have to come up with your idea for business. This could be a new product, service, or method, but it has to be something that customers will pay money for. Finding that great idea takes thought, creativity, and research. If you’re looking to be an entrepreneur, keep the following in mind when trying to come up with your business idea.
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2. Think about what goods or services would improve your life.
Keep a list of your personal strengths and weaknesses in mind. When you look at that list, does anything come to mind that would improve your life? Spend some time considering your own experiences. With some time and creativity, you can probably identify several products or services that would help you.X
3. Decide whether you’d like to provide a product or a service.
A new business idea will likely either be based around a product or a service. Each requires some thought and creativity. They both have advantages and challenges that you should consider before focusing on one or the other.
- For a new product, you’ll have to develop a good or improve upon an existing one, then invest in manufacturing to produce it.
- Producing a new product is expensive, but a successful product can be very lucrative.
- Providing a service will eliminate the need for developing and manufacturing a new product.
- However, you’ll probably have to hire more people since it will be tough to grow your business if you’re the only one providing a service.
- Both choices will involve marketing and advertising, so plan on investing time and money here no matter which you choose.
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4. Identify a problem within the existing industry you are familiar with.
Frequently, businesses or inventions began because someone was frustrated with the current way of doing things. A good way to come up with a business idea is to look for these problems. If you’re feeling frustrated about something, it is possible that others feel the same way and this gives you a potential market. Perhaps no one in your locale provides repair work for lawnmowers. If no one does, you’ve identified a lack that you could remedy by providing that service.
5. Build upon an existing business idea.
Rather than a problem with the current industry, you might notice something that a business does well. Look into that and see if you can improve upon it. By taking an idea one step further than the current industry does, you can carve a niche for yourself in the market.
- Google is a great example of taking a good idea and improving it.
- When Google first started, there were plenty of other internet search engines.
- Google, however, developed an extremely accurate algorithm that improved the quality of search results.
See also: How to Make Money Operating Nearest Home Depot
6. Look towards the future.
Successful entrepreneurs are innovators. They don’t stick with old methods or technologies, but instead look into the future and imagine what will be successful, then make that vision a reality. You can do this by asking yourself what the next logical step is in a product line or in the evolution of a service that is provided.
- Since distance learning is becoming more popular, for example, you might think about starting a company that specializes in software that can help remote teachers.
- By looking at current trends and taking them a step further, you can arrive at an idea that will be ahead of its time and, potentially, revolutionize the market.
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7. Conduct preliminary consumer research.
While market research is usually only used after you have an idea, you can do some early research to discover what people value. This can help you come up with an idea based on people’s wants and needs.
- Investigate the internet and see what common keywords or internet searches are.
- This will show you what people search for most often and this knowledge can spark an idea for you.
8. Apply your skills to a different field.
Another way to come up with a new product or service is to use skills you’ve acquired elsewhere. Oftentimes, you can creatively apply skills learned elsewhere to improve a different field. Leo Fender, for instance, worked as a radio repairman. He used his skills in electronics and amplification to build the first electric guitars. When considering your business ideas, take all of your skills into account. You may have a certain talent that will revolutionize a different field.
9. Write down all your ideas.
Every idea, no matter how small or how seemingly pointless, could have value. Get into the habit of writing down every idea you have in an “idea notebook.” Carry this with you at all times because you never know when inspiration could strike. By doing this, all your ideas can be kept in one convenient place. Flip through it regularly to see if you can expand on any of the thinking you’ve captured.
- Though you can keep your notebook with you, you should consider inputting what you write to a computer.
- That way, if your notebook gets lost or damaged, you have a backup.
- Digital storage will also allow you to catalogue your ideas more concisely and accurately.
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10. Investigate if someone has already come up with your idea.
If you’ve thought of an idea, it’s very possible that someone else has also thought of it. As soon as you think you have a business idea, investigate if someone has already done it. You definitely don’t want to put months of work and financial investment into an idea, only to find out at the last minute that some has already done it. To avoid this, make sure you do thorough research and find out if your idea is truly original.
- Use an internet search engine first. Type in the service or product you have in mind.
- You may not get an exact match, so follow all leads to determine if someone has already started a business like yours.
- Search the US Trademark and Patent office as well.
- This is a complicated process that is much more difficult than doing an internet search.
- You may even need to talk to a lawyer who specializes in patent law to properly navigate this system.
11. Investigate your competition.
If you do find out someone has already come up with your idea, don’t panic. Plenty of new businesses have a lot of competition when they start, and they beat it by providing a better service or product. Now you have to investigate your potential competition.
- Become a customer of the competition. Buy their product or service so you can see firsthand how they operate.
- This way, you can examine your competition closely and find ways to improve upon their business.
- Talk to the competition’s customers. Conduct formal or informal surveys of your competition’s customers.
- Ask them specifically what they’re satisfied and unsatisfied with so you can adjust your own business to their concerns.
- Look at your competition’s online presence. There may be review pages or blogs that discuss your competition.
- Read these carefully to find out if people are unhappy with anything your competition does.
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12. Pitch your idea to family, friends, and colleagues.
Before investigating shoppers, consult with people who you know will tell you the truth. Present them with your idea and tell them how it improves the current industry. Ask if they would buy your product or service, and ask for honest answers. This way you can get an early assessment of your idea from a few trusted individuals. They can either encourage your idea, provide constructive criticism, or tell you if they don’t think your idea has a future. Whatever the feedback, you need to hear it.
13. Talk to potential customers.
Once you’ve formulated what you think is a good idea and told a few close friends, you need to go out and see if there is a market for you. You can do several things to determine if anyone would actually patronize your business.
- Conduct interviews in person. Go to areas where people who might be interested in your business would be.
- If you’re developing a new kind of fishing lure, for example, go to several sporting goods stores and talk to people in the fishing section.
- Give a very brief description of your proposed business, and ask shoppers if they would be interested in that sort of business.
- Be sure to keep your interactions short- while some people may be interested in talking further, most will probably get annoyed if you take too much of their time.
- Send out surveys via email. There are easy ways to design a simple survey using a program like Google Forms.
- Try sending the survey to your personal contacts and asking them to distribute it among their own contacts.
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14. Identify risks and obstacles.
All business plans include risks, whether financial or personal. You could face numerous obstacles, from lack of funds, to a falling out with your business partner, to the breakup of your personal relationships. Prepare yourself for these potential risks. Look down the road and see what obstacles you might encounter. By thinking about potential risks, you can improve your chances of successfully overcoming them with your business intact. There are a few business problems many start ups will encounter, so keep the following in mind to get get around your obstacles.
- Only work with people you trust. A bad partner or supplier can wreak havoc on your business. Avoid this problem by working with people you know you can trust.
- Always make sure you have enough financing before continuing.
- Many start ups fail because of lack of funding.
- To avoid debt or bankruptcy, avoid moving on with your idea if you lack funding.
- Be willing to change. If you establish your business successfully, the market can still change around you. Keep up with these changes to stay competitive.
- Move on from failure. Many start ups fail. You have to understand that this doesn’t have to be the end, and you can continue with a better idea and better funding.
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Conclusion:
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Another viable option is to let your imagination run wild at first, but then bring it back to reality during the idea elimination process.
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Don’t be afraid to come up with a few bad ideas. You’ll probably have multiple ideas that don’t go anywhere before you actually have one you can work with. The key is to persevere.
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Make sure people are interested in your business. It won’t go good if people aren’t interested in it.