29 AUG It’s Saturday, Time to Start a Business
On a beautifully crisp Saturday morning, the thought of spending a whole day thinking and planning how to start a business is the last thing on many minds. Especially for those that have already had a full week of working, studying or being a full-time care giver. But for 25 brave entrepreneurs, 3 times a year, Saturday morning is their lab – their place to discover how their idea or passion can become a reality, a pivotal point to starting a business.
I am a teacher at an adult education center, teaching the marketing strategy portion of “How to Start A Business”. Being a government supported program it enrolls a diverse group of students with an equally diverse set of motivations. As a teacher, I have had the chance to teach and assist over 100 amazing students to complete their marketing plans and take that step to becoming an entrepreneur.
Becoming an entrepreneur can be a fulfilling career choice, but what I have discovered is that each person has their own unique back story to creating their business. Here are some of my favorite inspirational scenarios:
- New immigrants, that have just arrived in Canada, studying French full-time during the week and they use the course as a way to understand how Canadian and Quebec business is done
- Some of my female students where never able to have the chance to have a career of their own when they were younger due to social, political or economic factors and this is their chance to create their own dream
- Locals who did not have a college or university level education, and want to start a business or start on another business idea they have
- Aspiring beauty spa owners, personal trainers, dentists, pharmacists, designers, architects, restaurateurs or tech start-ups looking to start their own enterprise
- Some are young and have a new world of possibilities to explore and others are 60 years and older, wanting to create something for their families or pursue a passion
- Some of my female entrepreneurs are pregnant and working on their business idea – not afraid to lean in
- Some students have lost everything from their past and need to start again. They don’t even have a computer at home and only have a basic command of the English language. Canada is all they have – they have to make it here.
By the end of the course some these entrepreneurs have realized that their initial plan is viable, even if it may have not looked like what they had initially thought and are excited to go to implementation. Some go on to further build out their plan by working with a professional to help them with their first round of finance. Some others realize their business idea needs modification or perhaps a little more work. Which at first may seem disappointing, but actually is a gift. Because a failed business plan may save them stress and thousands of dollars by not rushing to implement a NVP (Non-viable Product or service). Also, it gives them room to explore another idea (which most entrepreneurs have a tonne of) or it helps them decide that being an entrepreneur right now is not for them or never. Self-discovery is a powerful tool.
So for those budding entrepreneurs who have got an amazing business idea and just got your self doubt holding you back from starting your own business I invite you to step out of your own comfort zone and spend a Saturday a week (or even part of it) to exploring your business idea. Test your idea and take a 5 week challenge to see if your business idea has the makings of a successful business – take those important first steps to start the journey! Irrespective of the outcome you will be glad you explored the option of becoming an entrepreneur.
In the next couple of weeks I will be launching my 5 week challenge on how to start a business. Stay tuned and subscribe to my Youtube channel to learn how you can start a business.
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