This list was in response to a friend asking for some business starting out points to check out some Ideas she has which might be a business idea in the making… I thought it had some useful points too so here it is for the rest of the business start up world…
Cheers
Steve Gray p.s. Thanks Paula for asking for some info.
Idea – (If you have a few, which one will get you up early and keep you up late due to your automatic interest in it…. )
Aim – (a. toProvide a product or service b. Make big or little $$ – if little b it’s more of a hobby than a business and that’s ok too.)
Goals – Plans and vision – do any automatically come to mind when you think about the idea that gets  you up and keeps you up… jot them down fast.
How much? – How much will it earn? Start with how much you want to earn as wages… divide the annual wage figure into 220 days at 6 hours per day (for a std business 220 is about the average when you take out holidays, sickness downtime and long weekends etc.) Then  you will know how much you have to earn per hr to pay yourself… not to run the business, JUST to pay yourself.
Resources required – Space (rent) – Equipment – Marketing – People – Office. Do some calculations to figure out what will be required (physically and $$ wise) to run the business.
Viable? – After working on the numbers is it viable? will it take extra funds you might have to get a loan for? how long before you can make a profit?
Q’s
1. Why will the business hold your attention?
2. How long will this attention span last?
3. What is the mission and or values the business will aspire to?
4. How long will it take to get to break even point?
5. How much is the break even point per day?
There you go that’s enough to do your head in! :) BUT if you made it this far and are still thinking “My idea has legs…” then go tohttp://freebusinesstips.com.au/innovation-and-creativity/10-20-30-the-planning-guide-for-the-rest-of-us , it’s got a link to a powerpoint template (download it)  with lots of great questions to assist in putting your ideas onto action for an investor (yes you, as you will be investing in the business!) it should be an easy to follow process if not let me know.
Then you can generally do you head in (some more) by looking at www.freebusinesstips.com.au and clicking on the Blog Category “Stating out in business” and flipping through those articles… there is another one on 21 points which is quite good. http://freebusinesstips.com.au/management/successful-business-21-list
Enjoy the journey… :)
Steve Gray - Steve is an avid writer and a business Coach - Trainer - Speaker (Steve Gray . biz). You can get his Leadership E Book from Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004XTTUMS The info provided in these articles is for educational purposes only and is intended as a starting point for you to build your business from, not as specific advice.
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