Early on in my adult life, I knew that I needed ways of creating other sources of income, and starting a small business was one of the ways to do so. I used to get excited about the prospect of actually organising something and being able to earn from it. The main problem I had was I didn’t know what type of a business I could run. In this blog, I will be writing about how to get ideas for a small business.
Try to solve a problem or introduce a better solution
Most businesses are here to solve an obvious problem. For example, if we didn’t eat, we would starve so supermarkets and restaurants essentially solve that problem by providing us with food. When you want to start a business but are not sure of how to get an idea, try and think about the problems you have come across. I personally believe that when you come across a problem, it is an opportunity to create a solution. When I first moved to the UK in my early teens, I would miss food from Zimbabwe and there weren’t that many shops around that sold African food. As time moved on, some business-minded people recognised the gap in the market and started to import products from Zimbabwe to sell in the UK.
Maybe the solution you can see is one that is totally new. Social Media solved a problem we had but didn’t know we had. I keep in touch with my friends via social media, market my business on social media. I can’t imagine life without it but I can remember life before it. Sometimes it takes thinking outside the box and being innovative to create a solution that will help improve people’s lives.
Follow your passion
Life is best lived when you follow your passion. When I was growing up, my brother used to love food. He would experiment with different ingredients to create unusual dishes that tasted amazing. When he completed high school, he decided to go to college and study purchasing management. He only lasted the first term because he didn’t enjoy the course. He then decided to pursue his passion by enrolling in a course in food and in a few years later, he had completed a master’s degree in food management. He eventually opened a successful catering company where he gets to do what he loves. He recognised the area he was passionate about, received the relevant training and knowledge, and was able monetise his passion.
You can do the same! Which areas are you passionate about? You could design a product, teach about your passion or become the expert in that area. The opportunities are there, you just need to find them and pursue them.
Converse with people
No two people are the same. When I meet people both new acquittances and friends, I’m very intrigued about their experiences. There is hidden treasure in simply allowing yourself to listen to people’s experiences. When you talk to people, sometimes they present problems which you may have solutions to but had not been aware of. When I initially started the DPF blog, I didn’t think anyone would read it or find it interesting. When I wrote the first few blogs, it became a conversation starter. People started opening up about how the budgeting information helped them notice areas they could improve on, but one area that kept coming up was not being able to set clear goals or not knowing what happened to goals that would have been set. This then gave me the inspiration to design a tool that would help solve this problem, the Deep Pockets Finance Goals Planner.
Just start
Sometimes we wait for the big idea to come before we start and we ignore the little ideas. I have come to realise that sometimes when you start with a small idea you begin to see other opportunities which you would not have recognised if you hadn’t started. I initially started the blog with the view to teach others about how to effectively manage their money. When I started to spend more time researching and seeing other people in the same space, I began to see more opportunities to deliver my vision and to impact people. Don’t despise the small ideas, just start, you will learn something valuable from the experience and it will open your eyes to see other opportunities available.
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