How To Start a Business

How to Start That Business
Just START!

Its natural to feel awkward when you want to begin a task unknown to you. Suddenly, different thoughts start sparking as to why you will fail, and don't forget naysayers are always around. It only becomes worse when you become your own naysayer instead of yeasayer.

However, if you can believe in yourself, evidences are; that you will pull through. Apart from the thoughts, another inhibitor is resources. The resources to start always seems not to be available especially for a business venture. The one thing Starters always highlight as their greatest challenge in starting their dream business is capital and so many budding entrepreneurs will often sigh and say "if only I had capital".

This "if only" has succeeded to bury many great companies that would have added value to life and improve societies. We refuse to start and finally die with our great ideas thereby enriching the cemetery. But this can be avoided "if only"you decide to chart a new course. Remember, destiny are shaped in our moments of decisions (Tony Robbins).

What you must understand is that every business no matter how great today started small with few pennies, examples are Econet, Dangote, Moonpig, etc. In 1984, a young man by name Michael Dell started his company in his university dormitory with just a thousand dollars, three years after, the company was worth more than 100 million dollars and 30 years later it has become a behemoth employing over 120,000 people and generating revenues in billions of dollars.

You see, capital will never come until you start. The secret is to start with the little you have no matter how small. The longer you wait for capital, the longer it eludes you.  This is very important because this is where many miss it. Start with your savings, and the little money from your family and friends and you're good to go. Just as Vusi rightly points out, you don't need capital to start a business, you need capital to grow a business. Now let me explain that.

To scale or grow your business to greatness you will need capital and capital are provided by investors, banks, foundations or business competitions and shows. All these classes of people or institutions are wary of their money, hence they must invest wisely. One thing to note is that investors don't most times invest in just ideas but in a veritable business venture, therefore there must be something on ground for them to look at.

When you decide to start, you boost your chances of getting investors in the following ways:
- They applauds your sense of initiative and the money you have invested giving them the confidence to invest in you and your business. Why would you want them to invest when you as the visionary have not?
- Starting shows how viable the business is giving them the incentive to provide capital.
- Starting proves your passion and commitment to the business.
- Starting provides the experience needed to run the business.
- Starting gives you presence in the market place making it easy to grow when the capital is available.

Decide to start today, whatever sector you may be interested in and grow your business to greatness. As you start ensure you have an online presence, seek for investors and participate in business competitions, etc.

Value Points

• Every great business started small 
• Look critically at the business you want to start and break it to the simplest form that your money can afford and start from there.
• Starting small provides revenue that can be reinvested into the business. 
• Starting small attracts investors and capital not the other way round.