Starting off

switcher

Hi All,
This is my first time to post here but have been a long time viewer of topics on here and they have been quite insightful.

Here's the situation, I'm basically hungry to get a business off the ground, i have had a few small operations in the past when i was in college to get me by but nothing major. I currently have a good paying job but provides me with alot of extra free time which i feel i could be using to start a business. I have no clue as to where to start and have been searching for ideas for the last while but nothing seems to be cropping up for me.

I suppose i want to hear from people who were in my situation before, where did they find there magic inspiration? where did they get their ideas? Will it just arrive at my feet someday as i keep searching? I put alot of effort in looking on the net, papers, quizzing people etc, but i just have not found anything that has stood out and considered it to be worthwhile to work on as a project....If anyone has any ideas on where i should find such inspiration on finding ideas on starting up or how they got their ideas i would love to hear them....Thanks in advance,
Switcher

MrMatisse

I sometimes think its not about waiting for inspiration for smething that may be huge but acting on an a simple basic idea you may have had for a long time.

The hardest part is handing over your hard earned cash on a gmable that you might succeed, if you plan and work hard enough you probably will

Cianos

What's the rush? No point in jumping in to something just for the sake of it. Anything you take on you will want to put in years to make it in to a success...so it's worth being patient and waiting for the one you're happy to commit several years to.

In saying that you may not be an ideas guy, in which case you could keep an eye out for someone who is and combine efforts.

Take up some new hobbies and you will start seeing some business ideas in them if your looking!

switcher

Well i suppose there is no rush, but time is ticking away at the same time and i feel i could be learning and progressing with my business presently than hanging around waiting for things to happen. As they say there is no time like the present! As regards not being an ideas person, i would consider myself to be creative and have a notepad full of ideas which i have scribbled down through the years. However i'm maybe just a bit to cautious for my own good....

steve_

Its good to be cautious but dont let it dominate your thoughts. Theres always going to be risk and your going to feel uneasy but thats just your cautious kicking in. Dont be too critical about yours ideas. Just pick an idea you have and start with little steps, once you build up momentum things will starting ticking along. Do your research do your business plans get a feel for the idea before you dismiss it. Suspend judgement for a while and see how it goes. Trying to work out if and idea will succeed or not just isn't possible without action, you have to try it to find out, simply assuming and guessing wont work.

Chet Zar

steve_ wrote: »

Its good to be cautious but dont let it dominate your thoughts. Theres always going to be risk and your going to feel uneasy but thats just your cautious kicking in. Dont be too critical about yours ideas. Just pick an idea you have and start with little steps, once you build up momentum things will starting ticking along. Do your research do your business plans get a feel for the idea before you dismiss it. Suspend judgement for a while and see how it goes. Trying to work out if and idea will succeed or not just isn't possible without action, you have to try it to find out, simply assuming and guessing wont work.

Probably some of the best advice I've ever come across....

mac123

I have a notebook where I scribble down ideas as they come to me. I get inspiration from daily life, ideas just pop into my head all the time and I think I have had a few great ones and quiet a few not so great ones.

Im planning drawing up business plans for some of my better ideas over the next year and hopefully il get something off the ground after that.

Admor Tony

mac123 wrote: »

I have a notebook where I scribble down ideas as they come to me. I get inspiration from daily life, ideas just pop into my head all the time and I think I have had a few great ones and quiet a few not so great ones.

Im planning drawing up business plans for some of my better ideas over the next year and hopefully il get something off the ground after that.

The notebook is a good idea. Anyone in 'pre-start' mode, should begin with things you have a real interest in / are good at and critically can solve a problem, preferably with a unique angle.

Also, many 'pre-starts' launch into writing a Business Plan before they have sorted out their Business Model i.e. what exactly you will produce, who will buy it, how much money you will make etc.

If you can't produce a good Business Model, get a professional with expertise in this area to help you build it and robustly challenge it, then if it looks like you have a viable business idea, start into your Business Plan. This saves time, money & energy, in my opinion.

mikefm

The 'divine inspiration' moment rarely happens when you are looking. I met Liam Casey/PCH yesterday and he mentioned visiting a Trade Fair in China, as the creativity/innovation/scale will give you some food for thought...

calahans

If you have free time in the evening why not look at doing some business/marketing course (if you dont have the basics). As another poster said there is no point rushing with a bad idea, so you can use the time to get business ready.

As regards an idea think about things that annoy you and try to solve it. The chances are that other people have the same problem.