Business Opportunities Weblog

December 21, 2005 by Dane Carlson | 1 Comment

Gladys Edmunds in USA Today:

First, write a list of the goals you have for the business. There are many ways to look at entrepreneurship. Do you see the business as something to build and sell? Or, do you see yourself building a business you will pass on to your children? Discuss these things with your potential partner. Does he share your goals? Life moves along a smoother path when all parties share similar goals for a project. Let your potential employees know what your goals are as well. They may or may not see your new company as compatible with their tastes.

Next, make a list of your values; be completely true in writing how you feel. How important is on-time performance and product or service delivery to you? How do you feel about unscrupulous activity and how do you define it? These are just a couple of basic but important questions.

…

Finally, make a list of your own strengths and weaknesses. Both your business partner and your employees should bring balance to them. You should balance theirs as well. Information and strategies for this can be found in my November 16 column.

In order to get off to a good start, everyone should know where the other stands. These things may sound like simple, unnecessary elements to consider, however, when left unattended they can destroy both the business and your relationships. A business works best when all parties involved want the same outcome and work with the same or similar values.

Photo by GoldenEel.

In Uncategorized | 1 Comment
Tags: Planning