Now You're In Business!

You’ve had a stroke of genius—an inspiration that will translate into a fabulous new business concept. Maybe you’ve sat on your hands for a while, fearful of entering the business arena. Or perhaps the thought of financing your endeavor has been a little overwhelming. With all of the resources available for new business owners, now is the time to realize your dream.

The rush of starting a new business is exhilarating, as roughly 600,000 new business owners discover each year. The first 30 days of starting a new business is an important time for any entrepreneur, as bringing your concept to life requires a great deal of research, planning, hard work and, in many cases, a significant financial investment.

Opening a new business is a process that, by nature, is characterized by conflicting emotions—excitement, happiness, nervousness and fear, just to name a few. No matter how much time you spend planning your business strategy, you’ll be awestruck by the sheer responsibility of the endeavor during the planning and execution stages.

“I started my Virtual Assistant practice after reading an article about this new and upcoming profession,” says Kathy Sparks, owner of YourVirtualResource.com, which provides entrepreneurs with a virtual business manager who handles online marketing, hosting, design and more. “Most people at that time just didn’t get it, but I could see the light. In my mind, it was worth a try to get out of the cubicle and into a flexible-hour, stay-at-home business without a boss.”

She approached her new business venture with the right attitude by taking the time to learn from others, working diligently to build a successful company and giving the business time to succeed. “I began my Virtual Assistant business with determination, learning all I could about the business from those who knew. I believed it could happen and that I could do it,” she explains. “Within a year, I filled my practice, starting with just one client and always looking for more by communicating honestly, networking, providing great customers service and under-promising and over-delivering.”