Asking yourself questions is an important step while you are contemplating opening a business. Asking questions will get you answers, even if they are not the ones you want to hear. Being honest with yourself is important. If you find you aren’t able to answer some of these basic and even the more detailed questions, you might want to sit back, relax, and take a breath before going forward.
I will say, however, that when I first started the rumblings of opening a business in 1993, I hit many roadblocks and had to overcome many obstacles. I doubt there are many entrepreneurs who could say they didn’t have a similar experience. Don’t let the fact that you don’t know the answers to all of your (or my) questions stop you from moving forward. But there is nothing but time ahead of you. Sometimes just waiting until the right moment to open is the right thing to do. Even though you want it now, now might need to wait a bit.
This is going to be a 6 article series asking many of the questions you’ll want to ask before you open your business. I hope that by presenting these to you, you will be able to get more information to build your case and move forward with your plans. This list of questions isn’t the end-all be-all, but it will give you a good start down the road to being a business owner.
The 6 questions to ask yourself before starting your business are:
- Who?
- What?
- Where?
- When?
- How?
- Why?
It is reported that 80% of new businesses fail and close their doors within the first 2 years of being open. Don’t be one of those statistics, be one of the exceptional exceptions and succeed in your business. You’ll do this by being prepared—probably more so than you think you need to be. Part of your preparation will be answering questions, some of which will be posed in the first of this 6-part series: #1 of 6 Important Questions: Who?
