There seems to be a trend going on in my e-mail these days. I keep getting messages from folks saying they know they want to be self-employed but are totally stumped about what to do.<\/p>\n
I understand the frustration. There was a big gap between the moment I realized I wanted to be self-employed and the time I actually knew what I wanted to start.<\/p>\n
It wouldn\u2019t have taken me so long to figure things out if I had realized that getting good ideas is nothing more than an exercise in creativity.<\/p>\n
One of the best starting points is to ask this simple question: Who has a problem I know how to solve?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n You might come up with an initial answer such as, \u201cLots of people don\u2019t have enough time to do everything they want or need to do.\u201d<\/p>\n Start a list of possible solutions based on what you can offer. It might go something like this:<\/p>\n \u00b0\u00a0I love to run errands and know my way around the city.<\/p>\n \u00b0 I know how to download music on an iPod.<\/p>\n \u00b0 I know how to save money on car repairs and groceries.<\/p>\n \u00b0 I can organize a messy office in no time flat.<\/p>\n \u00b0 I love putting together itineraries for special interest trips.<\/p>\n \u00b0 I love helping seniors who aren\u2019t able to do things for themselves.<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve got a list started, decide which idea sounds like the most fun for you. (Yes, fun comes first.) \u00a0Then start thinking about the potential clients for such a service.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s say you choose downloading iPods.<\/p>\n Who could use such a service? \u00a0(The answer is \u201clots of people\u201d!)<\/p>\n The next questions are:<\/p>\n \u00b0 How can I connect with the folks who need this service?<\/p>\n \u00b0 How do I price my service?<\/p>\n \u00b0 Could I get some free publicity for this?<\/p>\n \u00b0 Would it hold my interest long enough to make it a viable profit center?<\/p>\n \u00b0 Would it be fun to do even as a short term profit center?<\/p>\n Asking and answering better questions is the way to develop tiny seeds of an idea. Alas, many people handle ideas with excuses and dead end statements such as, \u201cIf that was really such a good idea I\u2019m sure someone else would have thought of it.\u201d<\/p>\n Greet your ideas with enthusiastic questions and you\u2019ll find yourself with a promising enterprise waiting to be born. As Hope Wallis pointed out, “Opportunities are like pole beans. You have to keep picking them so more can grow.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" There seems to be a trend going on in my e-mail these days. I keep getting messages from folks saying they know they want to be self-employed but are totally stumped about what to do. I understand the frustration. There was a big gap between the moment I realized I wanted to be self-employed and…<\/p>\n