Putting the Pieces Together

It may surprise you to know the 85% of the businesses in the United States are  businesses with fewer then 10 employees. But would it surprise you to know that most people running these small businesses are just like you?

Most people don’t have millions of dollars to invest and years to wait for their investment to turn a profit. Most indie business people have an interesting idea, a creative product or a valuable piece of knowledge, and they want to use those assets to control their own destiny.

I started my indie business purely out of necessity. I was at my personal worst – recovering from a failed marriage, completely broke, with two young children to support. I literally sat on my living room floor and gave up. I prayed, cried, and finally said, “Here you go, God. You have to deal with this. I can’t anymore.”

With nothing to lose, I had no reason not to try. I had been working on a nail polishing  pen as a side project for a while, so I gave myself 30 days to devote to it – the 30 days I had until I had to pay rent or move in with my mother.

Giving myself permission to get to work and then taking deliberate, persistent steps helped me go from rock bottom to my professional best. I used my collapsing life as motivation to rebuild it on my own terms. I started my indie business with a good idea but no direct experience.

I made many mistakes but managed to survive and get my product on QVC where it sold thousands of units. I used QVC as a launch pad to get my product into mass retail and now it is in Walmart, Target and drugstores across America.

The good news is that you don’t have to wait for necessity to drive you to your own indie business. Instead, you can start down that path right now – while you’re working full time at another job, while you’re retired, while you’re staying at home with your kids, while you’re unsure if yours will be the next company announcing layoffs.

You can be a part of America’s most popular and possible business model,  just let me show you how to do it.

Shift into self reliance

There has never been a more challenging economic time. Job security is at an all-time low, layoffs and cutbacks are gripping the headlines. But even though the horizon looks bleak, it’s actually a great time to shift into self-reliance and launch your own business. Whether you have always dreamed of being your own boss, have been forced to consider self employment due to down sizing or “early retirement,” or just want to work part-time out of your home to make some extra money for your family, now is the time to do it.  

Owning my own business has been the most satisfying, profitable and fulfilling professional experience I have ever had, and I have a secret to tell you, it is not that hard, with a little guidance and some concentrated effort I believe anyone can run their own business.

  My website is going to focus on real world advice on how to start or grow a business from successful entrepreneurs as well as input from business attorneys and accountants. I will specifically focus on the most attainable and popular small business model, I call it an “Indie Business” (I.B.) this is basically a business that is probably based at home, has no employees and is self funded. This is how I started my business and even though it may be small there are many moving pieces and the idea of actually starting a business seems overwhelming. The key is to break down the multitude of tasks into a few achievable steps.

In many ways  starting a small business is like putting together a puzzle.

At first it can seem confusing and overwhelming. There is so much to do where do you start?  The best place to start a puzzle is to get the sides and corners done, then the whole thing takes shape and you can start filling in the rest of it. We are going to talk about putting all the pieces together to start your own business or grow and expand your current business. In my next post will talk about the four essential questions that you must answer to fill in the “corners” of your business plan.

Inspiring minds want to know

I was recently interviewed by a women’s website called Capessa.com to speak about my experience developing my manicure pen. Capessa, which is about inspiring women to reach their personal potential, sent a camera crew to my house and created a video from my story.

Take a look.

The experience of being filmed talking about my products really made me think about what it takes to be an independent business person. And really, more than anything else, it takes persistence.

When opportunities knock, you have to open the door, but you can’t expect a camera crew to show up at your door begging to get in. You’ve got to keep at it, make little bits of progress every day, and eventually it will all culminate in some much deserved attention.

The only difference between you and the person who has his or her own indie business is time. Have you put in yours?