Deciding on a Business Venture
by Ann Weaver Hart

There are as many ways to make a living as there are people who live. And there are as many different kinds of businesses as there are people willing to start them. So, how do you decide?

Start by thinking about what you like to do. What do you love? Make a list. Do you love shopping for antiques at garage sales? Are you mad about baking? Do you love to sew? Write? Draw? What are you passionate about?

Now go back through the list, and cross off anything you are not good at. I like to draw, but I'm not such a good artist, so I'm not going to try to get paid for it. Maybe you will end up with two things you could be happy doing. Maybe only one.

Think about other people who make money doing what you love to do. Some artists live by selling paintings, and quite a number of them teach drawing. A lot of artists write books about how to draw. Some work in museums. Some work in frame shops. Would any of these work for you?

Another way to think about the kinds of business ventures that might work for you is to think about what your family and friends ask them to do for you. Do you clean and organize your friends' houses as though it were play? Do you make 3 birthday cakes a month for friends, coworkers and family? Is someone always at your door looking for mechanical help for their car? Those are clues that you are good at those things and that people will pay you to help them. Write a list of things that people come to you for help with all the time.

Once again, cull from your list all the things that you do not like to do, and the ones you think you do badly. What you have left is the best place to start.

But what if you have two things left on the list, and no particular preference? Simple: make a decision. If you are going to be in business, you are going to have to learn to make decisions and follow through. If you find out later that you have makde a mistake, you can always go back and do the other thing. So, flip a coin, choose alphabetically, or make a list of pros and cons. It doesn't matter how you choose, only that you do. Because choosing is what stands between you and being self-employed.

Frank Woolworth's first business venture, a five-cent store, failed within weeks. Two months later, he tried again, opening a second store, which was successful. Thirty-four years after that, he built the Woolworth building in New York City, the tallest building in the world at that time. Woolworth knew how to make a decision.

About the Author
Ann Weaver Hart has been self-employed for most of the last 20 years. Her blog, Self-Employed Yes! is designed to help others get out of the rat race. Her email address is annhart@columnist.com.