By Bob Cooper, SCORE Counselor

Deciding on the product or service that you can form into a business, starts by looking at yourself. What skills and interests that you possess? You are going to devote a lot of time and energy to the enterprise, so it is necessary that you enjoy doing the activity that will be your business.

For example, don’t decide to operate a restaurant just because you love to eat. You might even be able to make a super hamburger on the grill, but to translate that into a full time occupation of operating a restaurant, with no knowledge of the restaurant business, would be a mistake.

Therefore, the first job is to investigate you to determine your skills, interests and desires. The best of entrepreneurs love their chosen business, and are prepared every day to be challenged by the tasks that need to be done.

If you are presently employed, keep your present job while you start your new business. Calculate the amount of money it will take to keep you and your family afloat for at least six months. This is the amount of money you need in the bank before you should leave your present job.

Almost everyone starting a business needs support. That support may take the form of money; however the best support takes the form of an experienced entrepreneur with whom you can discuss your ideas. When you are starting a business a person with experience can be the best support system of all.

Once you have an idea for a business that you have an interest in, and that you feel you have the experience to excel in, you must determine the strengths and weaknesses of the competition. As part of your marketing effort, list all of your potential competitors and their strengths and weaknesses, and then compare your product or service to your list of competitors. Will you be better, cheaper or faster than your competition? In other words, why will your customers buy from you? It is important to recognize that the day before you started your business, all of your potential customers had the products and services that they needed from someone else. Then why should those customers, a day later, need your product or service?

The other side of your marketing effort is to determine who your customers are and how you will connect with them. Keep in mind that every person or company is not your customer. Make a list of the demographics that best describe your customers, and based on that list, determine how you will connect with them.

Do research on your product or service to determine how successful and needed it may be in the marketplace. The world will not beat a path to your door just because you are in business To develop customers, you need to market your product or service to your network of potential customers.

Be professional. You are planning to start a business and that business is a reflection of you, so treat the business and yourself professionally. You want people to know that you are serious, and that you will treat the business and your customers as a professional. That includes having business cards, a business phone, a business e-mail address and having a website on the Internet. Part of being professional is building a business plan and planning ahead regarding the management and operation of the business. Do your homework before starting a business.

Get free and confidential counseling with SCORE, 111 Pearl Street NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503. Call (616) 771-0305. Visit our website at www.scoregr.org or email us at score@grandrapids.org.