What would I need to do an know in order to start a small business?

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

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

First of all you need to settle on something you want to do. Either a product or service you want to provide. You have to be passionate about this and feel it in your belly. When you feel this then you have the foundation for being successful.

Since this is your first time I would strongly recommend that you talk to a business counselor before you do anything especially spend money. If you are in the USA, I'd call the local office of SCORE (go to http://www.score.org and input your zipcode to find the chapter nearest you), the advice is FREE.

The counselor at SCORE will most likely advise you to write a business plan which is very good advice because it will force you to dig out all of the start up details and the costs of starting your business and force you to also understand all of the aspects of this business including the customers you'll concentrate on (your market ) and how you'll go after them.

Try this link :
http://www.ychange.com/small-business-co...
and read some of the articles especially the ones about a business plan and starting a business.

Good Luck