Questions

This is not a naive, general question, at least I hope it's not. I've been passionate about entrepreneurship, especially products and services, since almost 5 years. I have been thinking about different ideas that ranged from web apps to mobile applications and SaaS ideas. I guess all of these ideas sounded great to me and some of my friends, but I have never actually worked on them. I'd rather do something else, like learning general business skills or working on side projects for the purpose of gaining experience and promoting my personal brand. Last week, I've been offered a job. It will be a daunting one but it will pay off well. I will relocate from my hometown and work in a friendly environments. I said yes, and decided to relocate and organize my time between my regular job and the side online projects I'm working on. Until today. I was randomly daydreaming and checking the ceiling, when it suddenly hit me: a million-dollar idea. No, actually a billion-dollar idea. This doesn't mean I'm 100% sure of its success, but I was so excited about it to the extent that: 1) It gave me goosebumps. 2) It made me visualize the startup's mission and impact on people. 3) Possibility of my potential product's failure scared me, but it made me very determined to pursue it and see for myself. 4) It made me smile. So, in order to begin working on it, I have to learn web development and develop a prototype, as well as gaining advanced business knowledge and experience. Unfortunately, I won't be able to work on my idea and stick to a 9 to 5 job. I'm afraid I'll lose the vision I have when time passes by without working on it. I'm confused. Can you awesome people help me find the right person to consult and gain solid advice from? I trust Clarity!

Congratulations! I am happy that you finally had your “million-dollar Idea”. With a million-dollar idea at hand you must implement it so that it profits you in a major way. Now let us look at ways to implement it:
1. Look for pain points, do not wait for the ‘Eureka’ moment: A sustainable business should generate out of a pain point, which in other words, is an opportunity. Kar-Worx was born out of a pain point that was then used as an opportunity to cater to a dire need in the aftermarket service industry. Waiting for an idea to hit you is probably the worst idea! Talking to potential customers will help you gauge the shelf life of an idea and if it needs changes.
2. Share your business idea: Once you have a business idea in place and the necessary research material, pick a few customers or industry colleagues, may be from your family and peer group or a reference to share your ideas. Allow questions and healthy criticism to evaluate the credibility and potential of your idea.
3. Find a mentor: It is always good to have a mentor when starting up. A mentor, who guides you, supports you, be unbiased in his opinions and connects you to the right set of people. Most importantly, he/she should be able to give time to your business idea. A mentor could be your professor or even a peer member or an industry expert.
4. Make a business plan: Making a business plan is critical – concept, financials, requirements, and strategies should be penned down in detail. While working on getting the business up and running, it is important not to lose focus and pivot away from the plan. Having the plan in front of you will help adhere to the basic groundwork.
5. Understand your market needs & adapt to change: Doing a thorough market research of your target audience, demography, buying pattern, micro and macro factors that could affect your business goes a long way in getting you sales because you have already tested the viability of your product/ service. Adapting quickly to the findings of your research/survey one can help you cut loose of unnecessary losses, delays and stalling in the future. But remember you cannot always be right, so be ready for change.
6. Learn the technicality: Being an entrepreneur comes with a lot of challenges, having said that, it has its rewards too. For a service industry, trust does not come easy. For building good customer and vendor relations, what has helped me the most is spending time with my blue collared employees and understanding the nitty-gritties and technicalities of cars. Being technically sound goes a long way in creating a trust value with your customers. It can also be a great tool to help you get away with vendors, who try to outsmart you.
7. Networking & Trade shows: It is the most underrated tool when starting up a business. Meeting like-minded people from your industry, entrepreneurs and even entrepreneurs from other fields can help you with the required support, guidance, and even ancillary business needs that you may have overlooked. Go to all relevant networking meetups, trade shows in your city, webinars and industry groups, you could find potential customers, vendors and even promoters for your business. Attending major trade fairs has helped us gain access to a range of local and international vendors, who offer good quality genuine spares. We then pass on this benefit to our customers.

8. Pick a good team to initiate growth: Start-ups today are nothing like their counterparts in the 90s or early 2000s. Entrepreneurs want a team that is motivated, rich in academia as much as with work experience. Having a team that is self-evolving, contributing, and honest is key to ensure that the company is self-sufficient operationally. At Kar-Worx, there is a lot of give and take of information, latest trends, industry updates that helps company’s overall growth and ecosystem. Having a good cross–communication among the enterprise can do away with errors that could cost you a customer.
9. Create a website suitable to your business: Having a good website is like an extension of your company. Even the best salesman cannot get you as many customers as much a website can. The customer today has taken most of his/ her purchasing decisions online; having a clean, informative, and interactive design can help convert customers faster. While working on your website, you should also work on the branding image of your company, logo, colours, information, etc. If you are in the service industry like Kar-Worx, explicitly describing the services offered supplemented by digitals, testimonials, images of the workshop, basic pricing, etc. go a long way in getting online customers through the door.
10. Use free resources online to reach out to customers: Using resources online such as free listings, online directories, and social media to showcase your work can help save money and time in gaining your first few customers. For smaller projects such as product or company photo-shoot, creating, marketing, and branding material using different design software, which require specific skills, can be outsourced to relatives and friends initially. This is not only cost effective but more importantly it allows your creative input and flexibility to modify, which could cost you extra if outsourced to a professional agency.
Besides if you do have any questions give me a call: https://clarity.fm/joy-brotonath


Answered 3 years ago

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