Have an Idea
It might be a product you’ve always wanted to make, or a service you feel people need. It might even be something people don’t know they need yet, because it hasn’t been invented!
It can be helpful—–and fun—–to have people who are bright and creative joining you for a casual brainstorming session. Start with a simple question like: “what shall we build?”. The idea is not to create a business plan, just to generate some ideas. Many of the ideas will be duds, and there will be quite a few ordinary ones, but a few will emerge that have real potential.
Choose Wisely
When choosing the person or people you’re going to build the business with, be careful. Even if someone is your best friend, it doesn’t mean that you will partner well in a business operation. Things to consider when choosing your co-leaders and support cast include:
- Does the other person to complement your weaknesses? Or do both of you bring only one set of the same skills to the table? If the latter, be wary as you can have too many cooks doing the same thing while other things are left unattended.
- Do you see eye to eye on the big picture? Arguments about the details are a given, and are important for getting things right. But Not Seeing Eye to eye on the big picture, the real purpose of your business can cause a split that may be irreparable. Be sure your team cares about that and buys into the purpose as much as you do.
- If interviewing people, do some reading on how to spot real talent beyond the certifications, degrees or lack thereof. People’s innate talents can often be somewhat different from the conventional education streams they’ve pursued (or failed to) and it’s important to look for “click” (you get along with them) and latent talents as much as paper credentials.
Social Media
Almost everyone uses Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. these days, but did you know that many companies will pay people to help them manage their social media accounts, even part time from home. If you are a social media junky already then this may be a great way to start your own business that you enjoy, simply by playing around on Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites all day. Check out PaidSocialMediaJobs.com for more information on how to get started with this type of business and find companies willing to pay for your services.
Writing/Editing If you enjoy writing, then writing and editing content in your spare time for companies is a great way to earn extra cash. Many website owners and other businesses require content be written or edited for a wide range of topics and issues. Some will even pay you for simple blog posts or comments. This type of business requires no overhead or experience and you can earn a nice income if you can connect with the right companies willing to pay for your writing services. RealWritingJobs.com is a great place to start.