Have you been bitten by the entrepreneurial bug? Are you an 8-to-5 employee bored to death at work wishing you could do something more in your life? If you’ve already got a rough sketch of your business plan but still undecided if you will push through, here are some signs to check if you’re ready to pave the way to entrepreneurship.
1. You’re sure of what you’re getting into.
You have thought about the pros and cons of entering into business and have carefully assessed your suitability to the industry that you’re pursuing. You have also weighed the consequences of losing that constant paycheck from your day job and have calculated the risk-reward ratio of getting into business.
2. Family, friends, and relatives show deep support.
If you’re family, relatives, and friends have been showing support by devoting their time and resources to helping you set-up the business, then it means that they are very confident in what you’re establishing and believe that you have the right skills and dedication to go through the start-up phase.
3. Have learned enough from being employed.
After working for someone else’s business for how many years, you must have learned so much already. Much better if you were able to rotate across different departments so you’ll have an idea on how the operations, sales & marketing, finance, and administrative departments work hand-in-hand to accomplish the company’s objectives. It’s also better if you’ve had exposure in several companies as it gives you an idea of how different organizations deal with problems and issues they encounter.
4. You’re searching for that purpose in life.
You’ve suddenly lost passion in your day job and feel that you want to do something more in your life – something that you love doing and at the same time be a source of income for you. It may also be something that can help the community by giving jobs to people or making environment-friendly products.
5. You know a product or service not yet available in the market.
This is what marketing professionals call the blue ocean strategy. Identifying an untapped market and enjoying the benefits of being the only product to serve a specific customer segment or a specific need. Of course you would still need to ensure high-quality products, especially if the product concept can easily be replicated.
6. You know that the business idea is market- and technically feasible.
You have done both a market and technical feasibility, have found that the business has a potential market and have developed strategies to gain and expand market share. In addition, you have designed an operational framework that will serve as guide on how you’ll run the business.
7. You know where to find financial resources to start the business.
Last but not the least, you have to know where to get capital funding and sources of emergency funds just in case your business would need that additional cash to sustain itself. No matter how spectacular the product concept is, it will not succeed without properly planning the business’ finances.
A-S
Business News