A Call to Action on Behalf of Young Entrepreneurs

If you’ve been here before, you know that this blog is about empowering young entrepreneurs.  I have spent a lot of time writing about empowering teens and young adults to develop an entrepreneur mindset.

Now it’s time to move to the next step; empowering teens and young adults to pick their passion, put their stake in the ground and take the first steps to start their business.  The next step for this blog means writing articles about how to decide what the business should be, how to decide on a niche and learn what they need, branding and other action steps to create and move a business forward.

As I plan out the articles for this next step in the series, I’m issuing this call to action to provide your input.  Will you help by answering these questions in the comment section?

How did you decide what business to start?

How did you find your niche and decide what they needed?

What would you advise a young person about to start a business?

Thank you in advance for your input.

 

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The Great Gordino - September 21, 2012

I would say for the niche question, a good place to start is to check *yourself* as the niche! If you are interested in a niche that research shows is proftiable, then that’s your niche!

This means you have the passion, and you will also have the staying power when things get tough. It also means you do not need to ‘decide’ what the niche wants, as you already know – it’s the same things as *you* want.

If you find your niche is not profitable,then you can move on to look for another.

That’s my tuppence!
Gordon
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    Julia - September 21, 2012

    That’s a great point from the Great Gordino. It certainly makes sense for a young person to think about selling to himself. Thank you for your tuppence.

Sara - September 21, 2012

How did you decide what business to start?
My present blog is more personal but I am thinking of doing affiliate marketing in the near future – just getting to know all those “gurus” out there and who is fake and who is not lol !

How did you find your niche and decide what they needed?
First place I would start would be Amazon – most people who read the internet read books – besides they sell all kinds of things.

What would you advise a young person about to start a business?
Study your niche, learn and be careful – have a solid business plan before you even start – check out who has failed and why and who has done well and why.

Hope that helps
Sara
xxx
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    Julia - September 21, 2012

    Thank you for your input Sara. Starting on Amazon is good advice as is researching the others who came before to figure out who and why was successful or not. I appreciate your comments.

Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A. - September 21, 2012

Each of us have our own paths. Deciding upon a “business” involves knowing what “turns you on”- because, there will be days that things just turn out G-dawful. So, without that passion, that love of the subject matter, those are the times one may decide that enough is enough. Without that passion, those are the times one can fail. The passion involved with the concept will pull one through.
As such, introspection into what one truly loves, what excites every fiber of one’s body- that’s the start to the quest for the enterprise to build.
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    Julia - September 21, 2012

    That’s great advice coming from your own experience Roy. I remember reading that you knew what you wanted to do since you were 8 years old. Having passion goes along way to keeping one interested and committed to their choices. Thank you for your input.

Kama - September 21, 2012

How did you decide what business to start?
I stumbled upon it. My life circumstances gave me some wisdom that I wanted very much to share. At first I believed everyone had this knowledge but I soon discovered that they don’t. We all have something unique to offer. I gathered my papers and explored what I could and could not do. I looked at what I needed to study further. I made a few mistakes that I learnt from on the way.

How did you find your niche and decide what they needed?
At first I didn’t. Then I learnt that I am my client. I am giving to others what I first needed to learn myself. I stopped trying and started being.

What would you advise a young person about to start a business?
Be patient. Don’t rush in to building a business, let it simmer for a while. Keep a folder with all of your ideas, your notes, your finances etc. Give yourself plenty of time to explore all your options but don’t wait so long that you never do anything.
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    Julia - September 21, 2012

    Thank you for playing along Kama. I love that you “stopped trying and started being.” I think being authentic is essential to maintaining success. And now that I think about it, being authentic could be your downfall if you turn out to be a jerk. Oh wait, that’s politics I’m thinking about. 🙂

    In all seriousness, I think it’s a good idea to keep everything in a folder – I do that too.

    Thank you again for your input.

Amethyst Mahoney - September 21, 2012

I started my first business when I was 12 years old, going door-to-door selling Googly-Eyed Critters. When I was finally legal, I did a stint with Amway. Later I was a Pet Sitter and then I started reading Tarot cards professionally. I still do Tarot, but now I spend most of my time teaching others how to attract clients to their business.

Things evolve over time. What you what to do now may not be what you want to do 10 years from now. I say throw yourself into it with abandon. Let the enthusiasm sweep you away, and have fun with it. It is when you truly enjoy what you do that you are most successful.

My biggest advice is to find a mentor to help you. Trying to figure things out on your own will lead to decades of trial and error, and it’s not fun being broke and wondering why nothing you do just won’t work. So learn the basics now – and I don’t mean just basics you get from a business class. Find someone who’s been there and done that to show you the important things that they don’t teach you in school.
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    Julia - September 21, 2012

    You make some great points Amethyst. I am a firm believer in just throwing yourself into it with abandon, or as I usually call it, jumping off the cliff. If you recall, that created some controversy a few posts back. I’m a big risk taker once I make a decision to do something.

    It’s good advice for youth or anyone to find a mentor. Even at my age and with many years of experience, I found I needed a mentor when starting to work online. The learning curve would have been a lot longer had I tried to figure it out on my own.

    Thank you for your words of advice.

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