ENTERPRISE54 – You desperately want to have your own business, but can’t start?
You’re watching businesses springing up around you everyday and you’re itching to have a go too
You can’t wait to send in your resignation letter, only you’re still brainstorming for THE IDEA
You have weighed the pros and cons of several business ideas, but the cons are keeping you at bay

Well, I can’t claim to have answers for you but I can help by pointing you in the right direction to look.  One thing I have learned and learned well is that, to receive anything of value (whether money or repute or other), you must first provide value. Yeah, no free lunch. This is the underlying basis of business; people always pay when you give them value.

So the pertinent question is, ‘What is it that you can do to add value to people right now?’ It may not immediately be profit-yielding, but what is it? You see, not everyone can start a business just like that, maybe you need to start out with a non-profiting venture?

Once identified, please run with it. Start adding your brand of value to people’s lives within your sphere of influence. Start dishing out from your area of giftedness to people that need it. Once you start drawing from the well, new waters will gush from the source…

It is a tested and proven principle that ‘Value always comes back to you’. It may not come back to you in the form that it went out (you may not even want it that way), but it will come. Just as the form of its return is not fixed, so also its turnaround time is relative.

That said, there are a few active steps you can take, to brainstorm your business idea:

1. Look for patterns in previous and present work experience – identify the tasks or responsibilities that you do consistently and have become very good at. Think of how you can personally consult for needy clients based on your knowledge and skills. Look for individuals and organizations that will appreciate your expertise and package yourself as a freelancer or consultant.
2. Identify your passion – this cannot be over-emphasized because it is the bedrock of a successful business venture. The passion is what fuels you when all else is at a low ebb, and yes, those low moments always come in business. If you build your business round your passion, it will stand the test of time
3. Surf the web! Spend some quality time online searching for people with similar ideas to yours. It is a good sign if there are people already offering the product or service that you have in mind – it means the business model has been tried and trusted. Then, you just need to introduce your own creative twist so your business idea can be relevant and unique.
4. Look at the marketability of your ideas – what will people be willing to pay you for and how regularly? Try to create a layer of products or service at different levels – small products so clients can try you out and then larger investment type products. You may also consider breaking the ice with some FOC (free-of-charge) consultations or some other service.

Go ahead and look deep inside you. The business idea is in there somewhere, find it and start being your own boss!