Before You Start Printing Those Business Cards - Ask Yourself These 3 Questions First

So, you have what you feel is a great business idea and you are finally ready to make something happen so you can start making money, right?

If I had a dollar for every time an individual came up to me to discuss their business idea and the first thing out of their mouth was “I just need to print some business cards, create a website and get my name out there”. Oh and also I need a logo!” The next thing I want to say is “NOT so fast!” I see you are super excited and it does sound like a great business idea but before you print those business cards and build your website there are a LOT of things to consider first.

How many of you would set out to build a new home without first counting the costs? Why would your business be any different? So many of us are so passionate and eager to get started that we put the “cart before the horse” and skip some very important initial steps. We jump out there with our cheap-looking business cards, poorly designed logo and unprofessional-looking website and start trying to sell our product or service and wonder why we are not successful. We don’t know what our unique selling proposition is, who we should be selling our product to and why people should buy from us in the first place. Not to mention how we are going to find the money to produce the order once we do get a sell.

Well, I have good news for the readers of this post, you will not have to fall victim to this because as we continue this 7 part blog article series we have now come to the portion where it is time for you to start "putting some skin in the game". Follow me as I discuss the 3 questions that I wish I had asked myself when I first started down my entrepreneurial journey:

1. What is Your Business WHY? Use These 5 Questions to Find Yours

It is easy for us to tell people WHAT we do and HOW we do it but WHY we do it could be a bit challenging for some of us. Make no mistake about it, defining what your WHY is will help you to find a clear, laser-focused and fulfilling life.

2. How Do I Know If My Business Idea is Any Good? Getting down to the nitty-gritty - a good business idea is something that will solve a problem. We may feel that our passion or skill is all we need to start a business but in order to have a feasible business idea it must SOLVE a problem. You have to figure out what problem you are trying to solve and who you are trying to solve the problem for.

3. What is business planning and do I really need to do it?

I am sure the first thing that comes to your mind is a 40-page business plan with a lot of market research and financial projections. A business plan is often thought of as a doctoral thesis. In my personal case, when I wrote my traditional business plan for my first business it felt like giving birth to a child!

So let’s skip those business cards, logo design and website for now and finish reading the remaining series to this 7 part blog series to help you continue down the right path for business success. You can get back to the fun stuff soon.

NEXT STEPS

1. Download or purchase a hardcopy of my book

2. Read the next article - Step 4 "What is Your Business WHY? Use These 5 Questions to Find Yours"

3. Get a copy of my No More Excuses Planner to help you set your new goals and monitor progress in your personal life and during your entrepreneurial journey

4. Take my Side Hustle Masterclass where I not only walk you through all the 7 steps with videos and other exclusive content. You will also be setting up your own business using just 9 easy steps, and at the end, you will be ready to accept your first paying customer.