To many people one of the most attractive aspects of starting a business is that they can do things their way. There is no longer the requirement to do things someone else’s way or on their timeline. While this is certainly an exciting prospect, if you do not know what to do you are going to be very disoriented.
It is always best to learn how things are done properly before one gets creative. Even an experienced manager when taking over a new business, will not just go in and pull the rug out from under. He will learn how things are being done and observe what seems to work and what could be improved. Then to whatever degree he will start to plan on making changes.
Many times people are just so excited that they are all over the place and not really thinking logically. They have no idea what to do even when they have training right in front of them because they are so busy wasting their time. What develops is someone who is spinning their wheels, not making much progress and really not grasping the big picture. Inevitably they will quit because they never did settle down and figure it out logically.
It takes a little humility to admit you need to learn what to do. Then it takes some patience and discipline to actually take the time to learn how things are done. When you are going the right way however, there is ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ and you can actually begin to see how things work.
When you have had a career in business, you have enjoyed the benefit of their structure. They had systems, forms, and procedures in place and all you had to do was learn how to use them. However, when you are starting your own business, you need to develop the structure from the ground up.
Of course for a small home business things do not need to be nearly as complicated or sophisticated as they are for a big business, but on a scaled down basis, there are some basics that you will need to have, such as a business plan, an operating budget, a flexible work schedule, and a billing or accounting system just to name a few. These can be very simple done on spreadsheets or to-do type lists.
Of course included in the learning curve would be if you are participating in affiliate or distributorship programs. You would need to take some time to read their website to see what they are about, what the product is and some factual information that you can use in your advertising copy about both. You would want to familiarize yourself with their compensation plan so you know what to expect.
Now you are at the beginning and from here on out you are free. Once you understand what is necessary and correct, then you can make things your way – more efficient, etc. Now you can have fun developing your business in the way that you envision.
