I want to start a business, I have been a floor specialist most of my life and want to strike out on my own.?

Answer 1

Starting a small business takes a lot of courage. But, as they say, courage does not pay the bills. To be successful – to stay in business – you need more than courage. You need a combination of hard work, skill, perseverance, and lots of luck.

Some things you need to consider:
- "How can I support my family while I build up by business?"
- "What are my abilities?"
- "Is there a market for the product or service I have chosen?"
- "How long will it take this business to reach the financial goal I have?"

You may want to read the article "How to Start a New Business Successfully" http://www.powerhomebiz.com/vol51/launch.htm , which lists six steps to launch a new business successfully:

1. Provide a benefit.
2. Determine the fit with your market.
3. Right timing is everything
4. Be ready to support your business
5. Develop a blueprint for success
6. Market, market, market

To give you ideas on what exactly do you need to start your own business, here are ten things you need to know before launching your own business “10 Things You Need to Know When Starting Your Own Home Business” http://www.powerhomebiz.com/052006/startingbiz.htm .

I recommend that you read the following books:

- What No One Ever Tells You About Starting Your Own Business : Real Life Start-Up Advice from 101 Successful Entrepreneurs
- Starting From Scratch: How To Start A Business When You Don't Have Money
- If You're Clueless About Starting Your Own Business and Want to Know More
- On the Move : How to Succeed and Survive As an Entrepreneur
- How to Make 1000 Mistakes in Business and Still Succeed

Deciding on what business to start will be crucial. Dan Ramsey in his book "101 Best Home Businesses" has a chapter on how to find YOUR best home business. He suggests these 10 steps:

1. List 5 things you do best
2. List how others would benefit from what you do best
3. Find out how to give people what they want
4. Learn the value of your services to others
5. Find out who else offers similar services
6. Learn from the successes of others
7. Learn from the failures of others
8. Plan your own success
9. Make low cost mistakes
10. Enjoy what you do and how you do it

If you want to pursue your floor laminate experience and start a business doing the same thing, here are some resources that may help you:

- Floor Focus Magazine http://www.floordaily.net/newlayout/ (has a great flooring industry resource guide that you may want to check)
- An example of a website of a floor laminate business that you may want to check out to compare prices and services http://www.laminate-flooring.com/
- Forum on laminate flooring http://laminateflooring.oncloud8.com/
- Basic Steps To Start A Laminate Flooring Business http://ezinearticles.com/?Basic-Steps-To-Start-A-Laminate-Flooring-Business&id=12441

If you need help and guidance in starting your business (and chances are you will), here are several places where you may be able to find a mentor to guide you in your business:

- Government Mentoring Programs such as SBDCs, which works with community colleges and local business development councils to offer mentoring programs http://www.sba.gov/sbdc/sbdcnear.html ; or the Women's Network for Entrepreneurial Training http://www.sba.gov/womeninbusiness/wnet_roundtables.html
- Volunteer programs such as SCORE http://www.score.org which is composed of mostly retired executives and entrepreneurs
- Formal mentoring programs such as Athena Foundation http://www.athenafoundation.org/programs/globallinks.html , Helzberg Entrepreneurial Mentoring Program http://www.helzbergmentoring.org/HEMP/ , or The Aspen Institute MicroMentor Program http://www.micromentor.org
- Professional organizations such as the National Women’s Business Council http://www.nwbc.gov/Mentoring/programs.html
Industry and trade associations
- Local business groups, such as the chamber of commerce
- Local chapters of business groups

Answer 2

The best routes to take are to research the process of starting a business as well as the industry you're interested in.

I recommend checking out the SBA, Entrepreneur, The Start Up Journal & Nolo. All 4 are great informational resources for the new/small business owner. I posted links for you in the source box.

Research, research, research – this cannot be stressed enough. Read as much as you can. Here are some book titles that are relevant:

* How to Really Start Your Own Business, Fourth Edition by David E. Gumpert
* How to Really Create a Successful Business Plan: Step-by-Step Guide by David E. Gumpert
* What No One Ever Tells You about Starting Your Own Business: Real-Life Start-Up Advice from 101 Successful Entrepreneurs (What No One Ever Tells You About Starting Your Own Business) by Jan Norman
* Business Start-Up Kit by Steven D. Strauss
* Start Your Own Business (Entrepreneur Magazine's Start Up) by Rieva Lesonsky

There are plenty of free informational resources out there. Check the source box for links to articles.

Hope that helps! I wish you much success & happiness in all your ventures!

Answer 3

Laminate flooring is very popular right now and it's an easy skill to train new staff in. Also with your expertise you would do well with a store selling carpet and other types of flooring. Your experience would allow you to advise people on what is best suited to their particular needs. My brother does siding and he subcontracts to do work in new housing developments. You could do the same with flooring. Good advertising is crucial in getting any business running successfully. Good Luck in your new ventures.

Answer 4

Find a company that you can believe in, hopefully one with a low start-up cost, then the sky is the limit on what your earning potential is. Contact me through email if you'd like to know about the business I run and how wonderful I find this company and it's product!

Answer 5

http://www.sba.gov

start with that
an dthere are other biz link on that site to get extra help

also check with your boss some company have a non compitition contract.