All entrepreneurs and startups are going to ask themselves the question: is my business going to work? It makes complete sense to do this, as it takes time and money to get a business started, so you need to have some hope that the figures will add up and it will succeed. Of course, there are no hard and fast rules about businesses and if they are going to make it or not. But there are a few things you can look into, as well as ask yourself, to check that the idea and concept has legs, so to speak, and if it is going to be one that will keep running.
With that in mind, here are some things that you need to ask yourself to see if your business idea is going to work.
Do you understand the competition?
No matter what industry you are running your business in, there will always be some competition. Some industries will have more competition than other, but at the end of the day, there will still be some. What are you doing differently to your competitors? Likewise, thinking about what they have done to achieve can be helpful too. Then you can look at ways that you can do it better. Some businesses of recent years have shown that; take Uber and Airbnb, for example. They haven’t come up with anything new, but just found a better way of doing things.
Are there customers?
You might like the idea, or think that it will work. But are there customers for the product or service that your business will have? What is the target market, and will your business plan cater to them? For a product aimed at teenagers, for example, the price point can’t be too high, as the chances are they are going to be purchasing it with their own money. So look at your target audience and check that your plan fits.
What skills or expertise do you need?
You may be launching a business in an area that you know plenty about. You might have worked in it previously and have experience and skills that will see you through. But are there other things that are going to help you along the way? For example, if your business is buying and selling products, then no doubt you will need somewhere to store them. Looking into a forklift training course could mean that you can do part of the warehouse role yourself, saving the need to employ more people. But that is just one example; there are many others! Bookkeeping and accounting courses could help you, as well as a crash course in social media marketing if you haven’t got a clue where to start with that.
How committed are you?
Small businesses are hard work, especially when it is your dream that you are trying to make a reality. Which is why you need to know before you start, that you are committed to seeing it through. If you go into it half-heartedly, then no matter how good the idea or business plan is, it won’t do well without your commitment.
