Business Opportunities Weblog

November 2, 2004 by Dane Carlson | 2 Comments

Tom Waugh wrote:

I’m an aspiring entrepreneur. I have a lot of ideas as far as inventions go and I’ve researched every aspect of the ideas. The problem is that I have no idea how to get any of them off the ground. I know about business planning and all but I’ve tried to contact other entrepreneurs to get more in depth info and they just tell me that its so hard to get into. They tell me all the reasons why not to become an entrepreneur. Then they say “But you could tell me what your ideas are if you ever want to see anything become of them…” Yeah to heck with them they just want to hoard the industry and make millions off of other peolples good ideas. Regardless I haven’t given up, but I’m still at a stand still after 2 years. Anyway I was hoping that you as a successful entrepreneur already could give me some insight as far as what moves I can make that will actually get the ball moving. Basically I’ve got a biz plan, a biz outlook/forecast and a prototype, of one of my ideas. Now what? Any help would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks for taking the time to read this and I hope to hear from you soon.

I wanted to craft just the right response to your question. Unfortunately, after trying, repeatedly, and unsuccessfully, to craft just the right message, I scrapped my long winded creed. Instead, let me boil it down: To be a successful entrepreneur, you must jump in. I recommend that you just go for it.

You say that you’ve got a prototype. Have you identified potential customers of your product? Have you tried selling an early, underdeveloped version?

I don’t know if this applies, but have you contacted any companies overseas to price the manufacture of your product? Is it feasible to borrow money from your friends and family? Do you even need to have the product to sell it, or can you pre-sell it and promise delivery at a later day — say 90 days or six months?

Remember, you’re not starting a multinational corporation here… just a business. Start small, but by all means, start!

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