Starting From Scratch
The less you know about your industry, the more prep work you have in your future.
Q: How should I go about
starting a business in a field that is completely new to me? I have
no experience, contacts, training or education.
Name withheld
A: While education,
training, experience and contacts account for the way most people
choose the jobs they do and the businesses they run, none of these
is as important as the drive to do something that inspires you
enough to want to get up in the morning and do it.
First you should ask yourself if you're really motivated to
pursue your idea at a 9 or 10 on a 10-point scale. If you're
sure the idea is worth pursuing, try these tips for investigating
it more thoroughly:
- If there are books about your field or the problem your
business idea would address, read them.
- Take related community college courses. Additional
training, including advanced degrees, is available online.
- Join any related trade or professional associations.
They will likely have Web sites, which you can find using search
engines or by referencing the Encyclopedia of Associations,
available at most libraries.
- Talk with others in related businesses and consider
working for or apprenticing with them.
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Although gaining the knowledge, experience and contacts you need
may take six months or more, if you follow through on learning all
you can about the business, there's a good chance you'll
have the perseverance that's necessary to succeed in a new
field.
Paul and Sarah Edwards' most recent book is The
Entrepreneurial Parent. Send them your start-up business
questions at www.workingfromhome.com or in care of
Entrepreneur.