All of us at some time have looked a product or service and thought we could improve it or deliver a better service. Probably 60% of us would have the thought, ponder for a few moments and move on to something else – or let the thought just slip away. What makes the other 40% of people different is that they lodge the thought in the back of their minds, and come back to it later when they have got more time to really give it some thought. Less than 2% would take this idea and see it through, of that only 1% make there dreams a reality.
It maybe that the 40% thinkers thought it through and decided it wasn’t a good idea after all, it maybe the figures didn’t stack up or the rose tinted dreamy vision in their minds eye ended when they realized what was at stake. How much work it was going to take?, what they have to sacrifice in order to make this dream come true?. This is what sets apart people like you ad I from the Richard Branson’s of this world..
Entrepreneurs with any size of ambition are people who are fed up with mundane, fed up with the ‘groundhog’ daily routine of their working life. Unless you are lucky enough to have a job working for someone else that you love, the average person works to live, not lives to work.
Whatever your reasons for going it alone, you will need to have some guts and some stamina. Now is a good time to start a business, 1000’00’s of businesses have been started in recessions including some of the biggest brands in the world, all of which have come into problems at some time.
I have started businesses myself, and been involved in another dozen start-up companies not all of which have made it. The chances of succeeding in business are slim, bit you have to make it work. If you are passionate about it then keep at it, most companies who do fail do so because they’re founders hadn’t quite go enough capital to see the business through the bad times, or had the staying power to keep up the momentum they had when they first started with the initial idea.
When I came up with my first business idea, people asked me why if it’s such a good idea that nobody had thought of it before. This is a very good question, before you launch your new venture you should really come up with a few answers for this. Give this some serious thought, if you deep down still think you have a unique idea and you are comfortable with this risk, then sleep on it, not just for one night, but for several. Its amazing how much clarity can be achieved after a good nights sleep, flaws in your ideas can be glaringly obvious once you have cleared your mind of all that dreamy vision of success.

Unless your business idea is based on you acting immediately then you had better iron out any potential creases before you take the plunge. I know friends of mine who have taken the plunge into a new business venture way to quickly without thinking it through properly, only to then go on to sell their car, loose their house and even break up their marriage. Do your research before you leap into a new business; make sure you run your vision by as many people that you trust not to steal the idea. A fresh pair of eyes may see things differently, they are not immersed in the dreamy vision you have, allow them to play devils advocate with the concept. Pull holes in it now and still check if it stays afloat, after all this is only talking an idea through, in reality there are loads of obstacles reared that no one could have predicted, but at least if you think it through properly and with an objective manner you have a good enough understanding of what your up against in the big wide world.
Starting a business is a marathon, never a sprint. Start slowly, find your feet, invest your time and have the backup resources to invest money when its needed, but it can be one of the most rewarding things you will ever do in life. Much more ideas and thoughts on starting a business to come soon – but in the meantime –  Good luck!
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Dean Williams

Dean Williams is a design and marketing blogger working for Print-Print Limited, promoting business and building brands through quality print marketing. If you’re interested in small business promotion then please get in touch hello@print-print.co.uk