Tuesday4Teens: An idea plus money does not equal a business.
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The usual cliche is that idea+money=business. I find that a successful business often needs neither -- sometimes you'll find success following in the footsteps of a successful business close to you. Look around at the fast food chains -- they usually start one up in an odd area, and in a few years you have 3 or 4. When a product is useful and priced right, and the quality is consistent, you can compete with someone across the street from you and you both can survive -- if the market exists.
If you're still young and are considering the idea of running your own business, the number one thing you have to do is to make sure that you're prepared emotionally for the ups and downs of business, and that you're not going to have your business competing with the clutter in your life (and your room). The number one item missing from the idea + money equation is time. Your business will take time, no matter what others tell you. There are no easy ways to make money, even the lottery requires an intense amount of time spent (out of the people who never win) for one winner to collect.
My previous article on clutter is appropriate for more than the junk on your bedroom floor and in your closet. Clean those out now and get yourself to the point of having too much empty space, and you'll be ready for the next step in youth entrepreneurism: getting rid of the time clutter in your life. As a teen business owner, the number one deterrent to profit for me was myself -- I was too busy to handle my workload, my playload, my schoolload and my family load. I'm surprised I survived and profited at all considering all the clutter in my life.
If you're hoping to run a business strictly for ego reasons, you may want to think twice. Having a lot of friends and going to parties 3 nights a week is a lot of fun, but it is not compatible with running a successful business. As a youth, you're already one point behind in getting new customers -- you have no track record. In order to gain ground on those with a history of good service, you have to make sure you not only have enough time for their scheduled needs, but also for the times people need you in a jam. I've seen the most successful babysitters being those who are both impeccably responsible AND always available in a pinch.
Getting rid of the time clutter might mean getting on a schedule, but I don't believe that is realistic for everyone. The best way to reduce time clutter in your life is to address everything immediately and prioritize your responsibilities. For some youths, school will come first, so always knock out school before addressing step two. If you run a business as a teenager, most customers will understand the school responsibility if you have good grades and prove yourself to be a stand up citizen. For other youths, family will come first. Whatever is at the top, take care of it and get it out of the way. If a girlfriend or a good buddy is always harassing you to drop your responsibilities and spend time with them, you have to make a big choice here: business or friendship. Some friendships are not compatible with a responsible life, but it is better to learn this at 15 than at 35.
Clutter is not just a physical mess -- it can also be a scheduling mess or a mess of taking on too many responsibilities when you're not good at only handling one. As a teen business owner, you have to understand that people will be watching your closer, but you'll be 5-10 years ahead of the rest if you can not only prove your reliability, but also your resilience and your regard for your customers' needs. Clean up your time schedule messes, and you'll find that entering into a small business, even a part time one, will be much easier.
This site is now part of the Global Unanimocracy Network.
If you're still young and are considering the idea of running your own business, the number one thing you have to do is to make sure that you're prepared emotionally for the ups and downs of business, and that you're not going to have your business competing with the clutter in your life (and your room). The number one item missing from the idea + money equation is time. Your business will take time, no matter what others tell you. There are no easy ways to make money, even the lottery requires an intense amount of time spent (out of the people who never win) for one winner to collect.
My previous article on clutter is appropriate for more than the junk on your bedroom floor and in your closet. Clean those out now and get yourself to the point of having too much empty space, and you'll be ready for the next step in youth entrepreneurism: getting rid of the time clutter in your life. As a teen business owner, the number one deterrent to profit for me was myself -- I was too busy to handle my workload, my playload, my schoolload and my family load. I'm surprised I survived and profited at all considering all the clutter in my life.
If you're hoping to run a business strictly for ego reasons, you may want to think twice. Having a lot of friends and going to parties 3 nights a week is a lot of fun, but it is not compatible with running a successful business. As a youth, you're already one point behind in getting new customers -- you have no track record. In order to gain ground on those with a history of good service, you have to make sure you not only have enough time for their scheduled needs, but also for the times people need you in a jam. I've seen the most successful babysitters being those who are both impeccably responsible AND always available in a pinch.
Getting rid of the time clutter might mean getting on a schedule, but I don't believe that is realistic for everyone. The best way to reduce time clutter in your life is to address everything immediately and prioritize your responsibilities. For some youths, school will come first, so always knock out school before addressing step two. If you run a business as a teenager, most customers will understand the school responsibility if you have good grades and prove yourself to be a stand up citizen. For other youths, family will come first. Whatever is at the top, take care of it and get it out of the way. If a girlfriend or a good buddy is always harassing you to drop your responsibilities and spend time with them, you have to make a big choice here: business or friendship. Some friendships are not compatible with a responsible life, but it is better to learn this at 15 than at 35.
Clutter is not just a physical mess -- it can also be a scheduling mess or a mess of taking on too many responsibilities when you're not good at only handling one. As a teen business owner, you have to understand that people will be watching your closer, but you'll be 5-10 years ahead of the rest if you can not only prove your reliability, but also your resilience and your regard for your customers' needs. Clean up your time schedule messes, and you'll find that entering into a small business, even a part time one, will be much easier.
This site is now part of the Global Unanimocracy Network.
posted by A. B. Dada at 1:00 PM
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