While many people want to start a business and become their
own boss, they are held back from taking action because they
don’t know what kind of business to start. Not knowing where to
start, most people choose to remain where they are and not take
the risk.

Use This Business Equation

However, if you do want to take the leap and become an online
business owner, finding an idea for your business isn’t that
difficult. A business idea usually is a result of the following
equation:

A topic you’re interested in + people you like and want
to help + a problem they have + a solution you can
provide to the problem, which you’ll package into a
product or service of your choosing.

If you already have a business idea, then all you will have to do
before you get started is to validate your idea, which you’ll learn
about in another post. However, if you haven’t found an idea yet,
you’ll need to start questioning yourself. First, you need to reflect
on your interests and the lifestyle that you are hoping to attain, as
well as reflecting on your natural strengths and the skill set you
already possess.


Determine What You Dislike About Your Current Job
and Lifestyle and What You’d Like to Change

There must be one thing, or many, that you don’t like about your
current situation. Maybe you don’t like the lack of free time in your
life, or perhaps it’s the commute to work that has you down or
even being told what to do, or possibly the lack of a sufficient
income.

It is essential to be specific when defining what it is you are trying
to escape from so you can avoid recreating it in your new lifestyle.

For example, if a significant issue for you is a lack of free time,
then you shouldn’t opt for a business model that will require an
equal amount of your time, like freelancing. Instead, you need to
choose a model that will generate passive income.

What Do You Like About Your Current Situation?

Not everything is wrong with your current situation. Maybe you
enjoy the relationships at your work and working in a team. You
probably appreciate the fact that you don’t have to think about
your work after you’ve clocked out.

It’s good for you to know what you like if you want to be able to
reproduce this in your online business. For example, even if being
a web entrepreneur means working by yourself most of the time,
there different ways that you can add social occasions to your
new entrepreneurial life. You could share working space with
other entrepreneurs and freelancers. You could also attend
Meetup groups in your field and meet up with other like-minded
individuals occasionally.

Figure Out Your Main Interests Are

Naturally, there will be topics and activities that are more
appealing to you than others. There are probably specific
conversation topics that you feel more enthusiastic about, and
there are probably some subjects that you are curious to learn
more about. If you are planning on creating a blog, or even if you
aren’t, you’ll need to think of a topic that you could write about
every day, without growing bored. To determine this, you’ll want
to ask yourself the following questions:

• Which section in the book store do you head to first?
• When you’re waiting at the doctor’s office, what kinds of
magazines do you read?

• Which TV channels do you watch the most?
• What kind of news stories do you read online?
• Which classes did you enjoy the most in school?
• In your free time, which activities do you like to engage in?
• Are there particular websites you like to browse?

Obviously, it’s essential to choose a topic that you’re interested in
since it will become a part of your daily life because if you don’t,
you’ll soon get bored. Over time, you might discover that your
interests are slightly different than what you initially thought.
Sometimes, there are activities that you enjoy more like a hobby,
but not necessarily as a job.

To avoid this mistake, take some time to explore your topic and
write about it for a couple of weeks to see how it feels before you
choose to dedicate your time and energy into turning it into a
business that you may not enjoy.

If you aren’t able to think of something that interests you, then it’s
time to explore. Go out and participate in new activities, attend
events that you usually wouldn’t go to, and take some time to
learn a new skill. Think about something that you have always
been curious about, and talk to others who are already engaged
in the activity. Also, be curious about the people you meet. Ask
them about their jobs, projects, and interests. It might be a bit
uncomfortable at first, but it will be something that will help you
generate new ideas.

Determine Your Strengths and Talents

This isn’t about the skills you have, but rather your natural talents
and strengths that aren’t things that you gained through
experience and practice. These are the activities that come to you
naturally and more efficiently than others. You might be good at
writing and playing with words, solving problems, performing
manual tasks, or analyzing concepts.

Determine Your Natural Weaknesses

It is essential that you don’t think of a weakness as a lack of skills,
because you can learn skills. Your “natural” weaknesses are
aspects that you feel less at ease. For instance, you may not
have a well-developed sense of aesthetics, or you struggle with
staying organized.

To be successful with your new online business venture, you will
need to adopt a growth mindset and a desire to work on your
weaknesses to improve yourself continually. However, it is still
necessary to acknowledge your weaknesses, so you don’t choose
a business model that will make things unnecessarily tricky in the
beginning.

What Type of Personality Do You Have?

Certain aspects of your personality will determine what will bring
you more fulfillment and joy, in the same way, that your talents
and strengths will. An easy way to explain the role that personality
plays in determining your business idea is to consider the
differences between an extrovert and an introvert.

An extrovert is more likely to enjoy social gatherings and
networking events than an introvert would. On the other hand, an
introvert probably wouldn’t mind spending many hours working
alone. A shy person may have a problem being in front of a
camera, while someone who is more active might prefer to move
around more, instead of sitting behind a computer several hours a
day.

What Are Your Skills, Experience, and Expertise?

Other things that you need to keep in mind are your skills and
expertise. These are the abilities and knowledge that you have
acquired over time at work and through other activities.

It will help you move faster in the process of starting a business if
you choose a topic around your current skills and expertise since
you won’t have to spend time acquiring new skills and related
knowledge. However, this isn’t mandatory as you can always
learn.

Finding Your Niche

Once you’ve determined a topic that you are interested in
pursuing, you’ll need to get more specific as to which aspect of
the problem you want to cover.

A niche topic is a narrower category within your topic. For instance, if you choose photography as your topic, you might select outdoor photography
rather than general photography. Picking a niche topic versus a
broader topic will help to increase your chances of operating a
successful business because the competition won’t be as
prevalent.

Starting a business around a broad topic is a common mistake
that many new entrepreneurs make. It can be challenging to
compete for attention and market share with companies that are
already established. By choosing a narrower, more specific topic,
you will increase the likelihood of standing out and getting
noticed. It will also help you build your authority in the field to
generate revenue faster.

If you aren’t sure which topic to pick, you might want to consider
one of these categories that have proven to be profitable.

• Personal development
• Health and well-being
• Dating
• Business and finance

There will always be space to enter one of these markets since
they correspond to the needs of that many people want to satisfy
or common problems that they want to solve. You can choose a
niche within one of these broad categories.

Thanks for reading…..

Jason Steward

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