94 MAY 2023 | INTHEVUE.COM K E Y S T O S U C C E S S , F I N A N C I A L F R E E D O M , & P E R S O N A L D E V E L O P M E N T eys THE W I T H K R I S T I N Have you ever thought of starting a business? I think most have had a spark of an idea cross their minds but likely brushed it off. Maybe you haven’t and you are aspiring to be the greatest right hand of all time. That’s excellent. If, however, you’ve been bitten by the entrepreneurial bug and not sure what to do next, I have compiled a few questions for you to ponder and hopefully bring you some clarity on your venture that is tugging on your heart. Let’s begin with how to determine if you should, in fact, pursue your own business. 1. Is there a struggle, desire, need, or problem you can solve? What is a consistent problem you and your peers are faced with? If you can see a problem then your business can be built on serving the solution. These folks are gifted and have a creative nature to see the solution amongst the complaints of the problem. Is there a way to make some- one’s life better? Is there an enhancement that you can bring to your every day life? To your mom friends? To your co-workers? To your spouse? Think of the challenges you encounter that are unique to your lifestyle and then start to poll others to see if they have the same struggles. There might be a spark. 2. What do you get asked about? Often times people don’t realize they are already creating and providing a service to others as far as what can be a business. If you have the tug of an entrepreneurial spirit but not sure what it would be, you can survey friends and family. What do you get asked about most often? What do you find yourself providing advice on? What areas interest you in the form of your podcasts, books, or Google searches? There absolutely could be an area of interest or hobby that you are uniquely qualified for that can be easily pivoted into a business. 3. Can you make money? Once you identify a solution or service that can serve as a business, you then have to find out if people are willing to pay for the idea. We’re not talking about starting a non-profit (that’s great, but not the topic here). We’re focused on creating a life you dreamed of and that takes money. Your idea could be fantastic but if you have no buyers, or no one is willing to pay for it, then you might be wasting your time. Take a look at your peer groups. What are they willing to pay for? Gym memberships, fitness trainers, daycare, babysitters, online courses, coaching programs, home chef. Ask your com- munity groups and your friends about their problems and then phrase up the question to find out if they’d pay for it. For exam- ple, as a working mom and health-conscious parent, I constantly think about …what’s for dinner? Now, I am one of the blessed ones with a husband who works but also loves to cook, so I worry less than my friends. But I do wonder how to make this easier on both of us. The question you might ask is “if you could have healthy, easy meals at your home three or four nights a week that are ready-made, or at least easy to assemble within 30 minutes, would you? How much would you pay for that service or food?” There are companies that have come along in the past few years that have straight dominated on this problem by offering mail TREATMENTS FOR ENTREPRENEURIAL BUG BITES
