Starting Your Own Business, "Are You Ready?"

Starting a business is one thing, but making it profitable is another matter. We know that a successful business is the result of careful planning and understanding the basic concepts of business.

Your personality is the key concept of determining what kind of business you will get involved with. Obviously you must love children or you wouldn’t want to start your own daycare center.

For you to be profitable and successful you must love what you do.

There are 5 important traits to keep in mind when evaluating yourself. Remember the importance of these traits because they will allow you to become successful in your home daycare.

• Self-Motivation

• Patience

• Decisiveness

• Perseverance

• Drive

Self-Motivation is one of the most important criteria for successful entrepreneurs. This is what gets you going and then keeps you going.

Everyone, including myself, struggles with motivation especially when you work at home. It’s easy to get distracted and off track. Make sure you keep a list of things to do for the day and stick to it.

Wanting success is what makes the difference.

Visualize your daycare in your brain and realize that you are going to have to work for it. If you believe in your heart that you will be successful, then you will. Be patient and realize that you may need to wait for your business to make money and mature.

Self-motivation is also what helps you overcome the fears and doubts that you may have. D-O-U-B-T is a dirty word.

Realize that, D-O-U-B-T will destroy the business that you have dreamed about. Don’t stop believing in yourself! Turn off the negative tapes playing inside your brain.

We all have moments where we wish we could give up our businesses and get a job slinging hamburgers at McDonald’s. It would be a life of no responsibility. But, in reality, I would hate working for anyone else, and would especially despise the idea of making so little money.

Patience is my biggest hurtle I will admit to all of you. I want everything done yesterday and I want to see the reward right now.

I’ll admit it, I’m a part of the Pepsi Generation. I want it now – and make it cold too.

Sorry but in business it’s just not that way, so I’ve learned. Sometimes you feel like the roof is caving in and things just aren’t working out in your direction. Please remember the phrase, “this too shall pass”. There is also another saying, “most people pull out of business before it has time to mature”. So be sure to give yourself a chance and don’t blow it before it’s even begun.

Decisiveness is the concept of making decisions in a relatively quick and efficient manner. Some people have a big problem with this. I call it “you can’t think yourself out of a paper bag syndrome.” People with this affliction drive me crazy. You ask them a question and they say, “Well… (pause… pause…) I’m not really sure.”

Hello! The lights are on but no one is home.

In small business you need to make decisions pretty quickly. If a parent asks, can I bring my child to daycare if she’s running a temperature of 100 degrees? Your reply must be, “No, we wish to keep our daycare healthy and not spread illness.” Not, “Well…(pause… pause…) I’ll call you back later and let you know.”

When dealing with the public I unfortunately believe that people will sometimes try to get away with things. They want their way and will try to make you cave in.

In running a successful business, I believe that perseverance is 90% and education is 10%. Many millionaires believe that they are not any more intelligent than others. But what they do have is perseverance and tenacity. What is tenacity? No matter what happens they don’t lose sight of what they want and what their goals are. Remember, no one can take away what’s in your mind except for you.

Making your dream come true can be a lonely task at times and that’s where perseverance comes in. You need to keep moving forward and have that dream in the back of your head.

Don’t give up on your dream, don’t give up on yourself.

One way to persevere is to network with other business owners who have the same concerns as you. Become a part of a group where you can discuss your concerns.

You must be determined in your goals and you will succeed. By outlining your business you will achieve your goals. Make a point to do one thing each day that moves you closer to your goal. With that in mind it won’t seem so overwhelming to start your own daycare.

Below you will find some points to keep in mind when starting up your daycare. They will allow you to constructively think about yourself. Remember we are all on this earth to learn and improve ourselves.

Please answer yes or no to each topic, then go back and think about how you can improve these areas.

• Goal Orientated: I set my sights on goals and will work hard to achieve them. ________

• Friendly: I enjoy working with people and believe that my services can enhance their lives. _______

• Independent: I can work independently without anyone telling me what to do. I can make the correct decisions on my own. ________

• Efficient: I value my time and work efficiently and diligently. ________

• Tolerance: I work well under stress and understand that circumstances are temporary. _________

• Hard Working: I’m not afraid of working hard, even if I don’t see the fruits of my work immediately. _______

• Well Balanced: I understand that I need to care for myself physically and mentally so that I can perform at my peak. __________

• Positive Attitude: I believe that I have a positive attitude. ________

• Networking: There is an understanding that networking with other organizations promotes professional support. ________

(c) CG Groth