Work With What You Have

If you have a business idea, you do not have to go out and spend a bundle of money you don’t have to get it off the ground. Start small and work with what you have. The worst thing you can do is figure that you’re going to have infrastructure immediately for 1,000 customers or 10,000 followers or be building four classes and writing five books a year.

You will probably get there. Yet, if you study the people who actually build their business, you will find that the first 2 to 3 years start off with minimal numbers, and it takes a while (years) to actually grow to the numbers you want. In the meantime, you don’t want to be paying out-of-pocket for resources that you don’t need and won’t use until year three or four of your business.

Use what you have.  Most computers and laptops these days are strong enough to support a startup business. If you use Microsoft, you have built-in AI such as Dictation and Read Aloud. I use this for everything from dictating my blogs to listening to business e-books. Many free or inexpensive programs make running a business more manageable for you.

Training does not have to be thousands of dollars for e-courses to start.  Find some good mentors or possibly a reasonably priced coach, depending on what you can afford.  Make your budget affordable and stay within that budget. The two best business builders you can accomplish are actually very inexpensive. Be yourself, be genuine and make friends. The rest will happen naturally.

I know this sounds simple. Please, look at me as a voice who is learned through the college of hard knocks. When you’re building a new business simplicity is precisely what you want.

Hope to be with you again tomorrow.

Author: Mike Balof

A retired Air Force Master Sergeant, Mike used to lay in bed at night and worry about what would happen if his plant closed or found himself without a job. One day his plant closed. Rather than panic and hysteria (OK, maybe a little) Mike found himself carried away on the adventure of his life. Mike started with the best job he ever had working at Home Depot. He spent 8 years working with job seekers at a local workforce center, helping them to find employment. He then started his own company developing courses, writing books and urging others to follow their own paths into the future. Mike holds a Master of Arts in Adult Education and Training and a Bachelor of Business Management, earned through the University of Phoenix and an AAS degree in Electronics Systems Technology from the Community College of the Air Force. Mike is a member of the Delta Mu Delta Business Honor Society. View all posts by Mike Balof