What is the best way to start a home based business possibly marketing specilised stationery?

Question

A friend and I are hoping to start up a business to cater for the "wedding" and other special events market in our city as we see a vacuum in the market for the "personalised" touch and wonder how we could get started, what to look out for and what pitfalls to avoid - could anyone give us some pointers. Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

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

Online Specific:
* Starting an Online Business For Dummies, 4th Edition by Greg Holden
* How to Start and Maintain A Successful Online Business by Kelly Thornton
* The Complete E-Commerce Book: Design, Build, and Maintain a Successful Web-Based Business by Janice Reynolds


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 2

Take cash, otherwise, "The check is in the mail" and you will go broke. Nay, it is a joke, the pointer is you gotta explore the net for some fantastic and economical setup, keep on looking one, till you specialise in this field. A very difficult field, but paying field - especially when goodwill turns up in a year or two, or three years, make it three, because 3 is a number which is a ready to go.