Business Alone

For many entrepreneurs, getting started in business on solid footing is an elusive task. Preparing a business plan just doesn't seem to be that important.

Yes, there are some business professionals that talk about the useless nature of the typical business plan. After all, they claim, there is no way to anticipate what revenues and expenses will be. They claim that everyone anticipates building their own plan to show that they will be successful by year 3!

When you get right down to it, however, these same professionals are not saying that folks should go into business without some kind of preparation. They are saying to do your planning, but maybe not prepare the typical "prototypical" structured business plan document.

Regardless of what you call, or even how you do it, everyone needs to plan for and prepare for starting a business in advance.

Who says Internet business can't be adapted and put to profitable use by a youngster?

Here's an example of a young boy in my neighborhood that has chosen the Internet as his business contact and delivery mechanism.

You may have heard the slightly cynical phrase - "If you can't figure out how to do something on your computer, just find a six-year-old." There's a whole heap of truth to that observation. Anyway . . .

I learned about this kid in my neighborhood, who shall remain anonymous in case the child labor law spies are lurking about, that decided to run his business online.

The Internet landscape is saturated with claims of easy, automatic, guaranteed, wealth-building packages and lucrative startup systems that anyone can do with minimal effort and wild success.

These offers often seem so "right" for the novice just starting out in business because of their supposed ease of setup, lack of real work, and mega-profits that are "guaranteed."

But I will tell you: don't waste your money or your time on these products, and above all, don't get discouraged that you're getting left behind if you don't hit the "buy now" button before 12 o'clock midnight when the offer goes away!

The self-proclaimed wealth "gurus" that produce these products can't guarantee you anything.

It's so easy to get hooked on their outrageous claims of mega bucks for little or no effort.

Here are a few ideas of some information business niche markets that I have seen on the Internet that seem to be popular and growing (in terms of the number of new businesses cropping up.)

Will you be stealing or be viewed as a "copycat" if you join in this business space?

Not at all, as long as you don't "borrow" other people's logos, web graphics, content, etc.

The reason there is room for others in this space is because most of these businesses rely on local marketing, word of mouth, and clients that will be in your geographic area. Many of these ideas are work-at-home businesses conducted solo on the Internet.

For a long time I've felt that the future of entrepreneurship in the United States is very bright. And contrary to many that feel this nation is headed toward an economy based on mega-corporations and giant conglomerates, I've always believed that the key to a strong national economy is a growing and prosperous small business sector.

Of course, an important element of small business is the solo entrepreneur, the one-person company that thrives in a very narrow and focused niche with a business built on the delivery of fresh and detailed information.

Small business is never easy.

I don't care what tales and stories you hear of entrepreneurs coming up with the perfect idea at the perfect time.

Most such tales are just that. Millionaires aren't typically created overnight and they don't automatically or magically appear when an Internet company goes public.

So to suggest that a great piece of entrepreneurial advice and wisdom can be boiled down into three tiny words is really heresy in many ways.

I'm going to give you the URL (web site address, in case you're unfamiliar with the term) of a great resource for brainstorming small solo business ideas. There are many other nice features and helps at this site, as well, so be sure to browse around and spend some time there when you have a few minutes.

There is an index with 27 main categories of small business ideas. You can click on any of those main links to be taken to a more specific targeted business idea. For instance, one of the main categories that might be of interest to a lot of home solo operators is one called "Arts and Crafts."

Clicking on "Arts and Crafts" will take you to a new page (two pages actually) that has an index of 74 (at the time of this writing) arts and crafts related businesses. Here are just a few interesting examples: art prints, belt buckles, charcoal portraits, coloring books, hand painted pots, lamp shades, mirror art, seashell jewelry, wall murals, wind chimes and wood carving.

I am a firm believer that anything can be sold online.

Granted, some types or products and services are a better fit for Internet selling than others; however, I believe that every business needs to have an online presence online.

If you don't believe what I'm saying, think about this: What product or service couldn't be marketed online? What business couldn't include their name, address, phone number, fax number, web site URL, and product or service description online? What business type couldn't advertise what they do online and benefit from it?

Sure, there are some businesses (like car sellers) that can deliver their product as a download or mail order item. However, product or service delivery isn't a prerequisite for an online business. There are still lots of other aspects of every business that can be conducted online.

I would be surprised if there are any major car dealerships in your region that don't have a web site.

Let's spend a minute and see what kinds of businesses thrive online. If we can identify these, they may be a great starting point from which you might decide upon a business niche to enter solo business for yourself.

Every solo business owner has a set of core principles or values that determine how his/her business is operated.

Some owners are very methodical and precise. Others tend to fly by the seat of their pants, so to speak.

No two businesses are run exactly the same.

But regardless of your methods and strategies, there are some very fundamental execution principles that all successful solo businesses seem to adopt.

Some business owners catch onto these ideas quickly. They learn them early on in their business career and adopt them as a daily method of operation.

Others gradually move toward these ideas through trial and error as they learn in their own business exactly what works and what doesn't.