So you have a great idea, but don't know where to start? Well I didn't either, so I'm doing the research for you, putting it all together nice and neat, so all you have to do is click away! You can find all of my business resource posts under my I Have an Idea tab.
If you're familiar with my I Have an Idea tab, then you know that I'm all about small business. Particularly businesses started by housewives, straight from an idea that popped into their brainy little heads. But sometimes, actually, a lot of times, it's hard to get from the "idea" phase to the "reality" phase. And it's especially hard to go from point A to B if you've never started a business from scratch. But I'm here to tell you that you can do it, and it's not nearly as hard or frustrating as you may believe it to be. You wanna know why? It's because, whether you realize it or not, you've done it before.
You're a housewife, right? The majority of my readers are, and even if you aren't, hear me out. For the sake of this post, let's just pretend we all are. Done? Done. So you're a housewife, right? Well, how do you think you got here? Did you just wake up one day and realize your one and only full time job was to take care of the house and all the lives inhabiting it? No you did not. Just like in business, you had a well laid out plan. And if you had to sit down to write all about it, you'd include what your definition of housewifery looks like. You'd discuss what led you to the decision to stay home, what steps you took to make being a housewife your career, how you plan to grow in your career, how you manage the risks involved (unexpected financial strain, etc.), and what your immediate and long term goals are. You'd probably be able to come up with a solid Housewife Business Plan in a matter of minutes. Because it's what you are. It's what you love. Quite simply, it's your passion. Possibly for most, your life's work.
Well, same goes for starting your own business. Sit down and write out your idea. Follow it up with why that idea should become a reality. List the steps you plan to take or have taken to begin your business, discuss how you plan to grow your idea, how you'll manage the risks involved (including balancing your idea and family), and finish up with what your immediate and long-term goals are. It's a simple, well-formulated business plan and every business, large or small, needs one. In the long-run a business plan is imperative if you plan to attract funding. But in the short-run, a business plan is an important step in making your dreams come true. It's a visual reminder, an affirmation, that you can and should and will do it.
Here are some questions to consider when giving thought to a written plan:
- What is my idea?
- Is there a market out there for the product I'm creating?
- How is my product unique from similar ones in the same market?
- What steps should I take to make my idea happen?
- How do I plan to fund my idea?
- How do I plan to market my business?
- How do I plan to grow my business?
- How do I plan to fund growth of my business?
- How do I plan to manage risks involved in being a housewife who owns a business?
- What are my immediate goals?
- What are my goals a year from now?
One of the coolest things about writing a business plan, whether it's for your new "idea" or your career as a Housewife, is that you'll learn a lot about yourself in the process. And you're bound to gain a good bit of confidence once you see just how smarty pants you are.
And if you're really headstrong and no-messin'-around-serious, here's a bonus resource for you: The U.S. Small Business Administration has a whole section of their website devoted to writing a business plan, including templates!
Go Gettem' Girls!
