Are you asking the right questions about business?

Today, a 9-to-5 job is no longer a secure position to be in. I don’t even want to get started on that.

So, I started something else. A business of my own. Several, actually.

Network marketing or MLM. Yup, you’re probably thinking, “Geez, what a sucker!”. The truth is, this kind of business is suffering from bad rep.

I’ve tried one before and that didn’t pan out. But I’ve realized that, that venture failed for me because of ME!. I didn’t have the desire to do whatever it takes to make it work.

So, LESSON #1 for anyone thinking about venturing into business of their own, especially during this current economic scenario, no matter what kind of business that may be.

YOU HAVE TO CHANGE THE WAY YOU THINK ABOUT BUSINESS.

To start thinking differently, you probably have several questions/thoughts about starting up your business.

1. I’m not a business person, I don’t have the skills.
2. My own business? That means I have to sell something and I hate selling!
3. Setting up a business is expensive! I don’t have that kind of cash!
4. What sort of business should I be doing?

These are probably the initial thoughts anyone would have. But see the point here. The point is that you’ve thought about it and that indicates desire or intent. You need to channel that desire.

What kind of skills does a person need to set up a business? Remember how you wanted that new car or netbook or cellphone? If you’re like me, you probably did your research, learning up on the various models, prices and technical specs? Well, that simply means that you had the desire to find out all you could about that thing you wanted. So, let’s put a twist to that question. Do you have the desire to learn the skills necessary for your business?

Selling sucks. I hate it too. But here’s the twist. I ‘sell’ everyday and I didn’t realize it. I ‘sell’ that good book I’ve read or that funny video I watched or that great restaurant I found or that really cheap book shop I went to. It was dead easy coz’ those are things that I’m really into. I have passion for those things. It was easy telling my friends and family about them. So, if you have passion for anything, chances are you’re already a seller of something. The question should then be, “Am I making money out of it?”

Setup costs? Pffffft…that’s the beauty of the internet. You don’t need to rent a physical location and incur massive bills on utilities etc. You can set up shop online at a near next to nothing cost or free even! I’ve done that with one of my businesses. The question is actually, “Ok, I’ve got a shop. So, how do I get people to go there?”

What kind of business? This is actually a tough one. I’ve had to think a lot about it and spent hours on research. I picked 3 actually. One was to sell a service, a service that I’m already an expert in working for someone else. This time, I’m working for me. So, if you’re good with numbers or you’re good at writing or a great office manager, you can offer that service/skill to people out there.

The other is eBay. I’m selling my books. Am still learning up on that one.

And no. 3 is network marketing. I’m not gonna expand on this. But would rather that Robert Kiyosaki explains it. It is the perfect business.