How to begin a business

I'm determined to start a business this year.  I have lots of ideas which have been floating around in my head but I haven't brought them to fruition.  Well, this will be the year.

So how does one start a business?  I don't know.  That's what I'm going to learn this semester through my classes.  I'm currently taking B283 (Small Business Creation) and three Social Media Marketing classes (SMM105 - Intro to SMM, SMM130 - Social Media Content, and SMM140 - Web Design).  I have also enlisted the services of a SCORE mentor.

What will I be doing?  I have extensive training in clothing construction.  I have been doing research on convertible clothing and sarongs and sarong siblings for the past 10 years.  I'm developing a clothing line sorta and hope to write at least two books.  I know that sounds wishy-washy.  The business plan is in the works to help me identify my focus and schedule.

Me with lots of sarongs and saris

If you haven't had the opportunity to visit BYU-I Online www.byui.edu/ course offering, I suggest you give them a try.  The tuition is reasonable.  The courses are challenging.  The instructors great.  I'm in my second semester of entrepreneurial classes and my first semester of social media marketing.  The entrepreneurial classes have helped me establish that I want to have a business and have given me comfort to know that I can do this.  The social media marketing classes are kicking my butt!  I like technology, but  I don't know much about it.  I have successful pattered with HTML and CSS which is a major breakthrough for me. 

So, how are these classes of worth?  The B283 class requires $100 challenge.  Through this challenge we are required to set up a micro business with $20 capital and earn at least $100 to which we will then donate the proceeds to www.kiva.org, an organization that gives loans to entrepreneurs.  Through this process we will learn how to create a business plan, execute it and market.  This will give me the experience I need to start my own business plan.  

The social media marketing classes teach me how create authentic content, create good content, and use the various social media platforms.  I'm learning the rules of etiquette for each social media platform.  I'm learning about hashtags.  I'm learning about apps that enhance the content to make them better.  I know that social media marketing is the way of the future and I want to use it to its fullest extent.

So how do I begin a business?  I begin by gathering the tools I need to succeed.  I identified that I needed business acumen to begin the task properly.  Thus, I 'm taking entrepreneurial classes as well as requested a SCORE mentor.   What I have learned so far is that it is difficult to be an entrepreneur.  I also learned, I'd rather have tried to be an entrepreneur than to let my ideas and knowledge go with me in the grave.

I identified that for a micro business (I want my business really small) the best way to market is through social media.  The rectangular sisters and their cohorts are going to be promoted through educational posts. Learning how to use a piece of cloth in multiple ways will take some education.  Learning about social media will help me to do this effectively and creatively.  I'm only in my fourth week of classes and I've gained a huge appreciation for photographers and videographers.   To bring off a quality product requires blood, sweat and tears - and lots of patience.  I'm also learning how to create a website which will be my storefront.  Just as one would have to build and decorate a storefront, one has to do this for a website.  I do realize that most business owners do not

build or remodel their own storefronts, but some do.  They want the layout to be just so and I want the same for my storefront.

So when will all of this happen?  My goal is as I do my schoolwork I will concurrently use the tools I'm learning to develop my business.  I'm sure there will be a few weeks lag time, but look for the opening of my store in April 2018.

And as a final note, I enlisted my friends to help with beginning my business.  The first step was to ask for help on the business name.  They are brainstorming geniuses. 

Support and encouragement are essential to beginning a business. 

What do you need to start a business?  What tools or skills do you need to acquire to bring your ideas to fruition?