After more than 25 years as a successful marketing executive and single mother I have recently left the big city to live with the new man in my life. I have lots of skills and talents but I can’t figure out what to do with them in this new environment. The community I have moved to boasts a bureoning wine industry and tourism has replaced manufacturing as the mainstay of the economy. I have an entrepreneurial streak, I am very creative, I can write well enough, I have strong organizational talents and ideally I would like to start my own business – but I am stuck. Where do new bsuiness ideas come from?
The new business venture stories I read about all seem to have one thing in common - a person’s talent or passion becoming the foundation for a small business or career transisiton. Most of the stories include some ‘obvious’ link or ‘ah ha moment’ where they realized this is what i should always have been doing! Is it possible that my own new business idea is right under my nose? If so how come I can’t smell it?
You need a plan. The book The Verbally Abusive Relationship by Patricia Evans saved my life after 31 years of verbal and physical abuse. Knowledge is power. You can call the domestic violence hotline; a woman's shelter; get into counseling. 1 i
You're welcome, Linda. I agree with you. I do read novels with younger characters, but I get a little tired of the immaturity sometimes, and the issues that don't need to be issues. A mature adult is so much more interesting. And, I enjoy Elizabeth B
To all those Vibrant Women who have, like me, left abusive relationships - whether verbal, emotional, psychological, spiritual, physical, financial, social...or all of the above! - I say congratulations to us!
When I read this post, I think to mys
How much fun does your new life sound???
I think coming here and asking the question is a great start! I found my new business idea when I was being a volunteer — well, sort of…I was protesting FOR someone I had never met. …someone else started telling me about a product that they market…I looked into it…and fell in love…the rest is history.
My advise is “keep out there”…talk to as many people as you can, meet new people, volunteer… participate in life and “something” will “come to you”. It will.
I can hardly wait to hear what you end up doing. Please email me at dianaspatch@yahoo.com and let me know when you find that “thing” you’re looking for.
New business ideas come for seeing a need and fulfilling it. While you are waiting for the right opportunity to present itself, contact a business broker and look at businesses for sale. If the business doesn’t have books and tax records, anything they represent should be suspect. The work starts with researching a market and building a business plan. If it doesn’t work on paper, it won’t work on shear enthusiasm. Your successl in marketing may not translate to ownership or management of staff necessary to make it work. I am a retired magazine publisher. Sounds fun, but it’s the editors and photographers and art staff who have most of the fun. The publisher manages people and money. The best sales maanger we ever had didn’t have a clue about what made the magazines work but she had that sell-ice-to-an eskimo charm and focused on her own financial opportunity. In small business, it is a good idea to remember that most of your employees are working for the compensation and may not share your dream or focus.
The three mom and pop businesses to avoid unless you have lots of time to trade for low wages are a restaurant, a lodging facility (hotel, motel, B&B), and a grocery supplier. Anywhere food is involved involves a time/spoilage factor. On the time note, you need to consider how you want to allot your time and compare that to the timeliness factors of the business you are considering. If you are selling information, it can be invaluable one moment, and worthless the next. And, politics aside, watch the federal and state money flow. It’s likely to go to healthcare and green or environmental projects for the next decade or so.
Another possibility for you is offering to partner in a new or existing venture. When I started in business, you were either a partner or a sole proprietor, but today there are limited partnerships where you and your partner can spell out the operational and financial responsibilities limited to each partner. We had a friend who sold insurance – he had good products and he took care of his clients with keen interest in their ventures, but he couldn’t keep the paperwork straight. He partnered with an old timey bookkeeper, the kind that demands receipts today, no excuses, and they both got rich. I’ve enjoyed some wonderful partnerships, most were successful, but sometimes things just don’t work out. One of the things I treasure most is friendships with partners in failed ventures. Business DOES cycle and your success may well have to do with recognizing these cycles, but the cycles happen whether or not you have a quality product. There were points that my magazines were worth millions and points that I couldn’t have given them away, both having little to do with the quality of work we were presenting. And some businesses just have a normal lifespan. One day there are frozen yogurt stands on every corner and five years later there is only one in town. That doesn’t make a “fad” business a bad business, it’s just something you need to consider over the long hall. And lastly, there is that wonderful business that calls out to you, but takes a lifetime to build. I’m dealing with one of those right now. Wish it had come along in my 40s, but I’m 68 and somehow seeing it come to fruition when I’m 88 takes the fun out. Oh…and you DO NEED TO LOVE WHAT YOU DO…otherwise, it’s just work. Good luck.
Why do you not take a look at my VN.
Starting a home based business is a great tax savings, plus can be very lucrative. You have a great many skills.
what r u doing!
home based business. Check out the book The Next Millionaires by Paul Zane Pilzer amazon.com.. Recommends Networkmarketing..So does Ronald Trump! Recently started with an awesome company and loving life..Burned out ex Realtor had a great income…