Most people believe that the only way to earn a living is to work for a corporation. They tolerate the daily commute, the monotonous work, the long hours, the office politics because they don’t have the confidence to build their own business. They would rather get a small paycheck and receive benefits than take any financial risks.
But a few people discover that it’s easier to run a successful business than they thought.
3 Reasons to Start a Business
- You may not get a job that suits your skills.
You may not earn a good income from a corporate job if you don’t have enough education or experience in work you’re interested in pursuing. For instance, if you love to write but have never been a journalist, worked as an editor, or earned an English degree, you will compete against people who have these qualifications. You won’t get the job even if you’re a self-taught writer who can write as well or better than someone with professional experience. The same bias applies to many other self-taught, marketable skills, like illustrating, computer programming, or digital design.
- You may have a child with special needs.
If you have to take care of a child with a rare disease such as Prader Willi syndrome then you will need to be at home to provide the care and support your child needs. You can’t outsource love and care because your child only feels secure around you.
- You may be a visionary.
It’s unusual to find a corporation that is open to a far-sighted employee. Unless you are part of upper management, your ideas on how to improve a business process are likely to be dismissed. One famous example is the story of Piggly Wiggly started in 1916 by Clarence Saunders.
When he worked at grocery stores, clerks would assemble orders for customers and weighed out dry goods from large barrels. His bosses mocked his ideas of organizing a self-service grocery. They argued that customers would not know where to find things and many would walk out of the store without paying.
Since nobody would listen to him, Saunders decided to start his own grocery store to prove his ideas. After raising the money, he opened his own self-service store at 79 Jefferson Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee. His radical idea worked so well that it’s become the business model for grocery stores. We’ve forgotten that a single person invented the idea.
3 Ways to Start a Home-Based Business
If the idea of starting a small business is intimidating, then you can always start with a modest home-based business that has the potential of growing into a larger venture.
Here are three suggestions:
- Start a blog.
If you like to write, then you could write regular blog posts about something you’re good at doing that others would love to learn. For instance, if you’re pursing a healthy lifestyle, share your smoothie recipes, your meal plans, and your favorite exercise routines. Once you have enough readers, monetize your blog through affiliate marketing, accepting advertisements, or selling your own e-books.
- Become a virtual assistant.
Many small business owners are desperate for help and looking for someone to take calls, organize appointments, book flights, reply to emails, order gifts for loyal customers, and so on. You could work for one major client or have several small clients.
- Launch your own virtual store.
You can build your own virtual store on a popular platform like Amazon. You could also sell on eBay. There is no shortage of free and paid books, manuals, guides, and other resources that explain exactly how to buy wholesale and sell retail.
You should start your own business if you have some good reasons to do your own thing. Starting with a strong why will help you overcome any obstacles. One easy way to start is to create a simple home-based business.
