‘SO YOU WANT TO START YOUR OWN BUSINESS OR NON-PROFIT’
I spoke at the Virginia Women Veterans Conference about how to think about becoming and entrepreneur
or solopreneur. Great audience with lots of interesting ideas for their own future efforts. Here are some of the
basic issues you should think about as well as some resources to help you move forward.
QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF
- What is my vision?
- What is my definition of success?
- What makes me unique?
- What do I need to learn to decide about owning my own business/non-profit?
- What support do I need and from who?
BASICS
- What can you do now to plan, build, and launch your idea?
- Can you market yourself well or learn to do so?
- Are your finances in order and can you cover the first 1-2 years costs and living expenses while you build success? Or can you start your business on the side?
SOME IDEAS FROM SUCCESSFUL WOMEN SOLOPRENEURS
Be sure you really love what you’ve chosen to do. Your passion will help you cope with the reality that pretty much every task and project you undertake along your journey will take at least twice as long to complete as you anticipate. Linda Rivero Global Action Women
Get comfortable with ambiguity. Don’t let not knowing stop you.
Ask for help. Diane Cohen Coaching2Connect
Know what you don’t know! So many of us feel we have to be wonder-women that we don’t honestly assess our own weaknesses and plan accordingly. Joan Porte, CTC www.joanstravelpartners.com
Pay careful attention to cash flow. My annual earnings have been great since year one, but it is only now (year 3) that my cash flow isn’t causing me palpitations. Carlisle J. Levine, Ph.D. BLE Solutions
Have a solid support network built upon experience and trust. Don’t discount the information given from others but use all information to draw your own conclusion. Jennifer Rose Oltman
Separate Family from Business (physically, mentally). Have a designated work space for your business location. Competition – keep a record or file on your competition and always know what they are doing and not doing. Saudra Boulware
Determine if there’s a demand/need for your service/product and who your target audience is. Wendy Price www.whpresearch.com
RESOURCES
PATRA’S TRANSITION RESOURCES
Veterans Expert for Job-hunt.org: (sample article)
http://www.job-hunt.org/veterans-job-search/career-self-analysis.shtml
Military Transition Guide:
http://www.slideshare.net/ClearedJobsNet/military-transition-job-seeker-guide
