Anna Maria Richards
Thinking about starting a business? Unsure of what market to get into? With so much to think about from finances and marketing to branding and creating a solid business plan, it can be easy to get overwhelmed. The best thing to do is strip things back to basics and think about your idea. Do you have a product to offer? Or a skill that you want to leverage? Or are you unsure what to do and you’re looking for inspiration on how to choose your market? If so, let us help by giving you the simple steps to follow to ensure you’re perusing the right business idea.
Think About Lifestyle
It’s important to choose a business that compliments the lifestyle you lead or would like to lead. Are you an introvert who enjoys driving and the freedom of the road? Do you like working long hours? Perhaps long-haul trucking is the perfect niche for you. Maybe you’re a social creature with a passion for food and trying out new recipes? Opening a café, small restaurant, or food truck may just be your dream business. The key takeaway from this point is to remember not to let your business plan take over from your life plan.
Assesses the Risk/Reward Ratio
How risk adverse you are will be a major determining factor in the business that you choose. Introducing a revolutionary product/service/concept comes with a lot of risk compared to improving a product/service/concept that has already been proven in the marketplace. That said, if your idea proves to be successful, the profit you can potentially make goes up too. You need to assess the risk/reward ratio of your idea and dig deep to see how you feel about each potential outcome.
Be Real
You have to be real when choosing a market to get involved in. Is there potential to make a healthy profit or would you be basing your decision solely on a passion that you enjoy? Remember that you’re setting up a business with the goal of making money so you need to know the potential is there. Investigate the market, know who your competitors are and see how they’re performing financially. Is the top performer making less than what you’d like to make? Be real about the opportunity to make profit and you won’t end up wasting valuable time.
Utilize the Internet
The Internet has changed the business world forever. Leverage this resource in whatever way you possibly can to test your idea before heavily investing in equipment and the other tools that you need to run operations. Selling a product? Create a landing page and drive traffic to it via social media or a PPC campaign. What percentage of people hit that ‘buy’ button? Maybe you want to peruse a company that will allow you to incorporate your passion for water sports? Get active in the social media groups and pages that are set up in your local area and ask for feedback on what kinds of activities people would be interested in doing. There are so many ways you can utilize the power of the Internet to get your business off the ground – and that’s before you spend a cent on advertising and building a website.
