Business psychology how to start a business. Why is it scary to open your own business? The product does not have to be new.

30-06-2011 About Marina Skirtach, one can easily say with confidence: this is a person who created himself. She tirelessly follows her insights, sets new and new goals for herself and confidently moves towards them. She does not get tired of living, accepting and enjoying the revelations of life. She is engaged in practical psychology in Sochi, opened her own Psychology Center "Insight" (skirtach.ru), the main brand of which is the author's course of lectures "Increasing Self-Esteem". The Sochi Gold business portal met with Marina Skirtach, a full member of the Professional Psychological League, to find out what she, as a psychologist, thinks about building a business and about the impact of advertising on business and our lives.

- What does it mean for a person to create his own business from the point of view of psychology?
Creating your own business is the most creative and most promising investment of money. With proper management of a business, it can generate a considerable income. The advantage of starting your own company is that you work for yourself and actively develop as a leader.

- Where to start in creating your own business? How to choose the right idea for it?

No need to look for miraculous ideas, no need to reinvent the wheel - everything has already been invented before you! Practice shows that often the search for ideas for business is delayed for an indefinite period due to the fact that there are many suitable ideas, and a person cannot decide to choose one of them. All ideas seem so tempting to him.

But in fact, by searching for an idea, he, albeit subconsciously, is trying to postpone the start of independent activity. This is a well-known phenomenon in business psychology.

We can never tell if a business idea is good or bad until we start implementing it.

An idea should be selected according to the following criteria:

Personal predisposition. Most entrepreneurs start their business in the industry in which they worked before. If you decide to become an entrepreneur, start with a field of activity that is familiar to you.

The level of competition. If this business niche is very busy, it will be difficult for you to fight with venerable competitors.

The amount of your starting capital. Any, even the smallest business, requires an initial investment. If you have a small amount of money, it is better to start a business with minimal investment (for example, a home business).

This is better than borrowing big money or attracting investors. But when you earn money in your first business project, you can invest it in a new, more costly business. Moreover, you will already have some business experience.

At the first stage, it is important to concentrate control over all means of production and cash flows in your own hands. It is important to remember that it is better to earn $5,000 alone than $15,000 for two.

Activity evaluation. Immediately evaluate how promising your business will be. What is the maximum amount you will earn in case of success and how much you will spend in case of failure. If both of these amounts differ slightly, you should not start, because in addition to financial investments, you also invest your time, and it costs much more!

After selecting ideas according to the above criteria, you will have a list of 2-3, and maybe more business ideas in your hands. But you only need to choose one. If you liked the idea about payment terminals - talk to the owner of the terminal in our city, if you liked the idea about vending machines - talk to the owner of the vending machines. Find out the details of the business - payback period, costs, possible difficulties, etc. Only after that, having weighed all the pros and cons, you can proceed directly to the implementation of the idea.

What personal qualities, from the point of view of psychology, are necessary in order to become a successful entrepreneur?
- Entrepreneurial activity in any field is built on one basic principle - on self-confidence. If a person is confident in himself, in his strengths and abilities, he will definitely succeed in entrepreneurial activity.

For a true entrepreneur, business comes first and money comes second. More significant for him is the success of the case. He knows that if the business is successful, then the money will come. It doesn't happen otherwise.

A real entrepreneur knows that first you need to establish a distribution network for products, then start production, and then simultaneously expand the distribution network and increase production volumes.

A real entrepreneur never thinks in abstract terms – everything has to be very concrete. Set a goal, break it down into sub-goals, set a deadline for the implementation of each sub-goal and act.

Every evening make a plan of action for the next day. During the day, mark what has already been done and move on to the next item in the plan. Only in this way can you put your thoughts in order and not get stuck in place.

So, are you ready to stop lugging water in buckets and start building the pipeline of your success? After all, it is your success that will support you, your family and your lifestyle!

Advertising in all its manifestations is the engine (of progress, trade, business), and the speed of your progress depends on its effectiveness. With proper use of this engine, you are provided with a long and pleasant journey!

Advertising is not only beautiful pictures and videos. Advertising should cover all the activities of the company, from its appearance, the behavior of employees, the voice of the secretary on the phone, and ending with the name of the product, packaging and customer service. It takes an interesting idea to get your ad noticed. Inspiration in advertising is as important as in art and science.

Remember that no matter how many advertising managers turn to you, you can’t refuse them right away without listening to the end - you can miss out on a really tempting and profitable offer for yourself.

From my experience, it is better to start with low-cost display advertising methods in the form of print ads in newspapers, on city boards and on television. And it works best in combination. The main thing is that the ad should be catchy, "catching the eye."

- Why does good advertising influence people so much?

Because each of us has our own desires, weaknesses and complexes. Through our weaknesses and complexes, advertising has an imperceptible effect on the human psyche in such a way that he goes and buys the advertised product. We can list three psychological aspects on which the compilers of advertising "play". These are the need for belonging, the need for status, and the need for love.

Surely many have seen the slogans of some manufacturers or companies that sound something like this: “We are together!”; "The world is brighter with us!" etc. This is nothing more than an impact on a person at a subconscious level. It is known that each of us wants to be inside the society. Any person is afraid of loneliness and is drawn to society. Advertising appeals to these feelings of people.

Man is a being who always cares about his status, more precisely, about its increase. The transition to a new social level is actually provided by things. The more expensive they are, the higher the status. If advertising claims that when buying an expensive car, people will be drawn to a person, and he will gain weight in society, then why shouldn't he get a car?

- Does the color in the design of your own business advertising have any psychological effect?

Color is an important factor in business and influences the reaction of your potential buyers. Depending on the shades, you can attract a specific audience or potential buyers.

Red color means strength, joy, danger and passion. So if your business is at the stage of high traffic turnover, i.e. at full speed, you can use it.

Yellow is masculine, warm and inspires happiness. Just like the sun gives light, warmth and, as a result, a good and positive mood. We can meet these colors in sports or organizations dealing with children. Therefore, most organizations use this color.

Blue color is one of the most popular among all colors. If you are just starting your business and want to build it on complete trust and cooperation, then you cannot do without it. According to research, most companies use this color.

- It is impossible to imagine a business person without a business card. What can you say about this attribute?
Today, a business card is no longer just a piece of cardboard with your information. This is a powerful tool for promoting your business and yourself in particular. A business card is a unique information product that will work fantastically effectively for you and your company! And maybe one day one of your business cards will "shoot" and bring you a contract for a million dollars!

Many people want to start their own business. How to do it? Where to begin?

Let's listen to a professional psychologist. A career in business is heterogeneous in terms of quality, but homogeneous in terms of quantity. In business, you can be a freelancer, a partner in some common business, and an employee/manager. Let's start in reverse order. The career of a hired employee / manager is not much different from an employee in a bureaucratic corps.

He has a fixed salary plus various bonuses. A career is built according to the same bureaucratic laws - the higher, the bigger the carrot. (Except for various additional enrichment opportunities that sometimes appear - kickbacks, theft, fraud.)


Partnership in any business is another way of making a career. There is only one opportunity for social growth - to work for a common cause so that your share in income grows along with the size of the common pie. This is how consulting, audit, lawyer, many real estate and other offices are arranged. This form is good because in the event of a personal temporary business failure, a person stays afloat due to the support of partners (I immediately recommend reading John Grisham's book "The Firm"). The most difficult and unpredictable careers, but at the same time not restrained and unlimited by anyone, are the careers of free entrepreneurs. Those who conduct business at their own or borrowed expense, but solely at their own peril and risk.

The criterion for success here is only quantitative - the size of the state and the stability of income. The richer - the more powerful the weight in society, the more power. But there is also an inversely proportional relationship - the richer, the less social freedom and the higher the degree of dependence on the political regime in places of education and storage of income. The career of a freelance entrepreneur is the most exciting and least predictable.


The most difficult problem is the problem of start-up capital. It is almost impossible to start a business without funds. Of course, the Internet and telecommunications technologies simplify things somewhat, but, nevertheless, the problem of start-up capital does not lose its painful severity.

The success stories of almost everyone who has achieved heights in the business world have the same (with rare exceptions) matrix: first, work for hire and gain the necessary experience and skills, then partner in some common business and build up the necessary capital and connections, and only after that free flight at your own risk. Free enterprise, like nothing else, requires a happy combination of a set of personal parameters: a purposeful character, the will to win, mental flexibility and extensive practical knowledge.


At a minimum, an entrepreneur must be versed in the legislation governing property and legal relations, have an idea of ​​​​accounting statements and taxation principles, thoroughly know the scope of his activity, whether it is woodworking or the sale of toys, and be fluent in two arts: to captivate people and sell . At the same time, the ability to sell is a cornerstone, because the key moment of business is not at all the signing of a contract or the opening of production, but the receipt of money for the products produced or the service provided.

An ambitious person making a career must be mentally prepared for unpleasant surprises. At some stage, he will certainly discover that no one needs him as such, that is, a person with his own virtues and shortcomings, and as such - handsome and smart - no one loves and appreciates it for his mind and beauty. It turns out that for a long time people have been perceiving not him, but the function he personifies: power, money or prestige and reputation.


You have to be prepared for this from the very beginning; that is why those whose careers have developed by chance have mental crises and general disappointments in life when they have to seek treatment and psychological help. They did not think, did not suspect and did not expect that interest in them as individuals left with their first love, and was replaced by dry and ruthless pragmatism: I love you as long as I need you. Being offended by this is stupid, it's like being angry at the law of physics.

Therefore, those who purposefully think and prepare - I emphasize, prepare - for success, there is a careful attitude towards their immediate environment, towards their spouse, children and parents. This is the rear of the ambitious. Therefore, an ambitious person never deceives himself about the true attitude of others towards his person. He strengthens the rear, he hides reserves from everyone - primarily monetary ones - and does not expect that someone will lend him a helping hand just like that, without counting on immediate or delayed reward.


Without advertising, try to look at people from the same point of view: who can be useful now or in the future. Because there are many good people, but few useful ones.


Sometimes we realize that we are thoroughly stuck, that the life that we have is definitely not to our liking. There can be many reasons for this: our relationships can fail, the work we do can get boring, the people we have to deal with can become disgusting, and it can also happen that the thought flashes in the brain like a match that everything that is around - this is far from what we really need.

But regardless of the reasons that prompt you to change, you can start all over again, having previously clarified everything and determined for yourself guidelines and a plan for changing yourself and your life. I sincerely hope that these 15 steps help you start a new life and change yourself.

Step 1. Determine the direction of movement and your motivation.

Your life is always a movement towards a certain goal, regardless of whether you are aware of this goal or not. Your former life, which does not suit you, could be subordinated to someone else's false goal, which contradicted your inner nature, your nature, your desires and your values. For example, you were in a relationship that you didn't really want, or got a job that you were disgusted with, or interacted with people who turned out to be complete strangers to you.

Now you can determine for yourself which trajectory you should move on, now you yourself are the master of your life path. Use the right motivation. Start from "Where am I going?" and not from "Why am I running?". Running away from something is not a useful motivation. Avoiding bad feelings does not solve real problems. Emotions tend to follow you wherever you go. Therefore, you will have to deal with them before you start a truly new life.

How to develop a life strategy

Step 2: Release yourself from the burden of loss or defeat.

Often, serious life events push us to start all over again. Divorce, separation, collapse of career plans, ruin of a business, job loss, health status. All this leaves a serious emotional imprint and can be a source of constant stress, worries, anxiety or even depression. You need to understand that making serious decisions with such baggage is a very dangerous business.

If a life event made you experience deep and strong emotions, then it takes time for everything to calm down. This gap can be reduced if you work through your experiences with the help of within one or more sessions.

Step 3. Explore your life

For the success of your enterprise at the beginning of a new life, it is not enough just to know where you need to move. It is also important to clearly know and clearly understand where you are starting from. Imagine that you are about to make a powerful jump into the water, but you are jumping from a very slippery bank. You spend your strength and energy on a powerful jump, but at the decisive moment you slip and everything goes down the drain.

To prevent this from happening in your story, study your past life (it will also be useful to go through rapid test "Life Analysis"), write down on paper and examine your habits, your past patterns of behavior in different life situations (for example, how you cope with difficulties or react to unexpected opportunities; how much you manage to follow your decisions, etc.).

Surely, in the process of studying your past life and your behavior, you will notice a lot of things that you would not like to notice, which will cause you rejection and internal resistance. But this is exactly what you should pay attention to in the first place.

“The darkness of low truths is dearer to us than the uplifting deception,” said Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin. What is "low truth"?

They are what you know about yourself, but what to know, and even more so to hear from others, is unpleasant. What you drive from yourself. Things that require thinking make you feel uncomfortable. And in general - to grow. Uplifting deception does not promote growth. Ryaba the Hen is a film about low truths. I think that's why a lot of people don't get it.

Why wasn't Chaadaev accepted, why was he declared insane? Others even today categorically deny it. Although he was largely right. But he talked about "lower truths" that caused a feeling of discomfort, which was not customary to talk about. No one has yet been put in a lunatic asylum for "elevating deceit." And for the "low truths" suffered enough. As a rule, it is for them.

And this is not only in Russia - no one in the world needs a frightening truth. It needs to be hidden. So that few know it and do not allow others to see it ..

Konchalovsky A., Low Truths, M., "Collection" Top Secret ", 1999

Step 4. Examine your values

Before making big and serious decisions about what your new life will be, you should analyze your own life values. If you know what is most important to you, then based on your values, it will be easier for you to make the right decisions about how to start a new life and change yourself.

Take a sheet of paper and write down on it everything that you believe in, everything that you consider the main and important in life, in relationships between people, what things make you think deeply or inspire. Look at what you do in life, what you like to do and ask yourself a simple question: “Why?”, “What is it for?”. The answers you receive can reveal completely unexpected facets of your personality.

You can also look at a few people (these may be living and familiar people, famous personalities or historical characters) that you admire and ask yourself: what do I respect most about them? Why? How can this play out in my own life?

Step 5: Decide what big changes you want to make

For some people, starting a “new life” may mean a major change: moving to another city or country, a complete renewal of social ties, a change in professional field, etc. For others, it may mean small but significant changes, such as liberation away from old habits or behaviors and focus on developing new lifestyles. Regardless of your desire, make sure you are clear about how big a change you want to make.

Find out what needs to change in your life. For example, is there something that makes you unhappy or dissatisfied? Or can you decide to change every aspect of my life for me, or would it be more appropriate to focus on one or two areas? Remember that change (especially when done without outside support) is always difficult, so start small and work your way up to be successful.

Step 6. Create an image of your new future

Do one useful exercise that will help you figure out what goals and objectives to set for yourself and what changes need to be made. In addition, it will give you the necessary motivation and strengthen your intention to change.

Imagine a certain moment in the future. Let this moment have the exact date and time. Imagine that in this future, you have received the magical power to achieve all your hopes and dreams. You are exactly who you want to be.

Imagine it in as much detail as possible. Who surrounds you? Where do you live? What are you doing? What does it look like? Include as many details as possible to create the clearest possible image. One of my clients imagined that he is a successful designer, he has his own studio, he receives interesting orders from all over the world and he travels a lot to other countries, doing interesting and amazing things (in reality, after a couple of years he really founded his studio and became receive foreign orders).

Now think about your strengths, abilities and skills that are needed to make this vision of the future a reality. What do you already have? What areas need improvement? Be honest with yourself. For example, if you want to be a famous musician, then perhaps you already have musical ability, or at least a love for music. You will also need a stronger mindset to work on improvements.

Using your imagination to create an image of the future, make that image achievable and positive. Obviously, you cannot become a superhero or the owner of any superpowers and super-powers. Here you better think about what attracts you to such a superhero. His desire for justice and defense of the weak? Then you can choose for yourself a profession that contributes to the fulfillment of this mission. Or do you like the ability to make quick and accurate decisions? Then imagine how you should train your thinking to reach that level.

Step 7. Set clear and specific goals

The famous sage Lao Tzu said: a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. And your journey into a new life must also begin with concrete steps. Setting clear personal goals will help you move forward confidently and stay on course to build a new life.

Think about where you see yourself in 6 months, a year, 3 years, 5 years, 10 years, 20 years, 30 years or more.

Set your goals. Make sure they are well-defined goals, that is, they are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and have clear deadlines.

Start by defining your big goal and then break it down into smaller ones. Then break smaller goals into tasks.

For example, if you decide that you want to find your own business and make it a source of your income, this is your overall goal. To achieve it, you will need to achieve smaller goals. For example, the first thing you should do is contact a professional who will help you find the case that suits your purpose (for my clients, this service is included in the program «» ), then you need to draw up a marketing plan and conduct a study of the target audience. Examples of tasks here can be: creating a test product, researching people's needs and their willingness to use this product, studying competitors and their products, analyzing the market, etc. You can split these tasks even further, for example, set yourself the task of communicating with potential customers or going to places where products are sold (services are provided) similar to the product that you are going to give.

Step 8: Determine the necessary internal changes

In order for your project of a new life to be successful, you should think carefully about what internal changes you need to make to your own personality. In other words, you need to define who you BE in order to successfully DO what will allow you to HAVE another life.

Let's take a look at what these internal changes can be.

It can be changes in your physical condition. You may decide that you must enter the new life with a new body. You may want to get rid of excess weight or increase your level of physical fitness, get a more athletic and developed body. Do not forget that excess weight depends on 2 main reasons: slagging of the body and a low level of vital activity.

I recommend that you start by increasing your level of physical activity and do so gradually over time (at least 45 days) to become a habit. You may need the help of a consultant to develop an optimal program and change beliefs and mental attitudes that prevent you from changing your body.

It will be easier with a change in appearance. You can choose your own style or consult with a stylist. Buy new clothes, change your hairstyle. Remember that how you dress and how you look affects how you feel and how others perceive you. Research has proven that when you dress in a way that aligns with your goals, you are more likely to achieve them.

Changes in worldview. This is about the well-known expression "You can take the girl out of the village, but you can not take the village out of the girl." If you do not want to be this most notorious "girl", then you have to work hard on how you think and how you perceive the world.

Think about what beliefs the person you want to become should have, how this person should perceive the world, people, events, relationships. What principles and rules should it be guided by. Explore the list of ,to get about a completely new way of looking at the world.

Changing your mindset is not an easy process. Force of habit, old patterns and inertia of thought can form the core of your personality. Within the framework of the program «» we do with clients so that a person can see his true nature and find his real self. After this process, any changes in consciousness with the help of any psychotechnics are much faster and easier.

emotional changes. In order for your new life to be prosperous, you need to learn to let go of your past. This includes the ability to forgive. Forgiveness frees you from the burden of past trauma and pain. You forgive others not for them, but for yourself. Research shows that forgiveness makes you feel less angry and anxious. Learn to also accept defeats and losses as part of life, pass them through the "sieve" of awareness and let go. And you will feel great relief.

Change your approach to life using the power of gratitude. Learn to thank life for any of its manifestations, remember that difficulties on your life path are trials, not punishments. Accept them as well as all the good things that happen to you.

Research has shown that practicing gratitude makes you feel happier and more content with life; it will help you learn flexibility and adaptability to change; will enhance your physical health and sleep quality, and may help you overcome emotional trauma. Practice the power of gratitude for 5 minutes every day 1 or more times.

Step 9: Rethink your relationship with people

The world is people, and life is relationships between people. It's hard to start a new life if there are "toxic" people in your environment who drag you down. In some cases, it is necessary to "cut" such people out of your life in the interests of your own safety. In other cases, you can simply stop spending time with them, and you will feel happier by removing them from your life.

Interpersonal relationships are critical to your functioning and improvement as a person. Numerous studies show that we strongly influence the people with whom we interact, so when starting a new life, take into it only those people who are important to you and will give you the love and respect that you deserve.

One of my clients, having decided to start a new life and open his own business, faced numerous difficulties, the reasons for which, as it turned out, lay in the fact that his so-called. "friends" were people not inclined to independent actions and taking responsibility. They are accustomed to live a measured, stable and dull life, and communicating with them, my client involuntarily fed those parts of his personality that resisted the risks and dangers of entrepreneurial activity. In practice, this led to the fact that "business did not move." My client needed a serious rethinking of the role of these people in his life in order for the situation to change and his business to begin to grow and develop.

The following anecdote illustrates this situation very well:

The old devil drowns in hell three boilers with sinners. A young imp is sent to him for practice.

Young Devil. Old Devil teaches him:

- So, look - the first boiler. He must be carefully monitored. The Jews are here. If at least one gets out, he will drag all his own behind him ...

Second boiler. Here you can keep an eye on the lid half-heartedly. The Americans are sitting here, it’s every man for himself, one will run away - it’s not scary, he won’t go far anyway.

You can not look at the third boiler at all. The Russians are here. If at least one climbs up, the rest will seize them and put them in the hottest place.

Clear your space of people:

  • with whom you feel empty or constantly stressed
  • who constantly criticize or judge you. And you feel like you can't do anything right when you're around them.
  • who say bad things about you to your face or behind your eyes
  • around whom you do not feel safe sharing your hopes, thoughts, needs or feelings.

Eliminating unhealthy social relationships will help you move forward more confidently and many times faster towards a happy and healthy life. Forming a supportive social environment that does not include your past habits is critical to ensuring your success path. Surround yourself with people around whom you will grow as a person and develop towards a new life.

Step 10. Start a New Financial Life

Whether you just graduated from college or have been in the business for 30 years, it's never too early or too late to start your financial life over again. You may want to start saving for meaningful life goals, such as buying a house or a comfortable old age. Or maybe you want to rethink your spending habits to stop wasting money left or right. Or maybe you want to invest. Take a look at your goals and decide how you need to manage your money to get what you need.

Try to get rid of all your debts first. Debts - they are from a former life. They have no place in the new life. One of my clients, after our work with her, got rid of 90% of her debts in less than 6 months. If you have more debt than you can pay, then current legislation allows you to go through personal bankruptcy. Perhaps this will be the right option for you.

Then analyze your finances. Structure your income and expenses, start budgeting. See where you can reduce "leaks" (for example, buying unnecessary things), and where you can get extra money (for example, by selling things that you do not use through the avito.ru service). In any case, keeping a budget will tell you good financial decisions.

Step 11. Talk to people

When you decide to start a new life, talking to people who are already living the life you want can be a very helpful move. This is useful because it can give you an idea of ​​how to get there. For example, if you want to give up a boring boring job and do something that you love and that interests you, then you just need to look for those people who have already done business in your favorite business and, for example, take an interview from them, during which ask about their road map. Perhaps one of these people will agree to become your Mentor on the way to a new life.

You can also ask people about difficult moments that may arise in your new life. You may be delusional about a new career, a new relationship, a new business, or a new country. Understanding the smallest details that others will tell you about will allow you to avoid many mistakes and wrong movements.

For example, you may dream of leaving your boring job in Moscow and moving to Bali, where life is paradise. If you interact with people who already live there, you may discover things you don't know about, like how incredibly expensive it is, unfriendly visa policies, health care issues, difficulty engaging in activities that require concentration. Of course, this does not mean that you should not move, but this knowledge will help you better adapt to the realities of a new life.

Step 12: Get Support

Starting a new life can be a daunting prospect. Surround yourself with people who love and respect you and who can help and support you on your journey. Knowing that you have sources of emotional support will help you feel much stronger as you face the realities of your new life.

If you do not have family or reliable comrades who can support you, then it makes sense to look for such support elsewhere. This may be support within interest groups or communities or even religious communities. Go where people freely and openly communicate with each other and make new acquaintances.

Step 13: Test Yourself

The big life changes that are needed to start a new life will require serious work, dedication and patience from you. This can be stressful and intimidating. Make sure you are ready for this. How are you feeling? What kind of behavior is acceptable to you? Are you worried about something? Keeping a diary will help you understand your emotions and determine if there are areas where you need more support or need deep work.

The process of serious and profound changes in life can often cause feelings of depression. You may start to feel sad, stop enjoying certain things, feel anxious or guilty, feel empty or hopeless. In this case, quickly and painlessly you can help . Work on this technology allows you to eliminate negative emotional sensations during one session.

Step 14: Make the necessary changes

A new life will not mean that difficulties, obstacles and problems will disappear forever. Starting a new career does not mean that you will never again feel unappreciated or uninspired. Moving to a new city or a new country does not mean you will never miss home. When you have problems, acknowledge them as such and do what you need to do to resolve them and adapt to the situation.

You may face a lot of difficulties on your way to a new life. For example, perhaps you wanted to pursue a military career to follow your values ​​of service and honor, but found out you were not healthy enough to go to military school. You could see this as the failure and collapse of your dream, or you could go back to the drawing board and see if there are other things you can do that will also allow you to express those core values.

Step 15: Work with a consultant

Even if you don't think anything is going "wrong" in the process of building your new life, it can be helpful to reach out to a counselor or personal trainer, especially when it comes to making major changes. The fact is that such a difficult process as starting a new life and changing oneself can contain a variety of mistakes and hidden obstacles that can only be seen from the outside. A good consultant is able to give you high-quality feedback and save you from wasting time, effort and resources.

Another point is that deep personal changes are always accompanied by stress and internal resistance (self-sabotage). Sometimes they are so strong that they give up and lose all desire to move forward. With the help of a consultant, you can work through and get rid of internal fears that block changes. A counselor can also help you learn useful ways of thinking and responding to challenges.

Seeking a counselor is a sure sign that you love yourself and take care of yourself enough to get help when it's needed and helpful, and that's good news. A personality change consultant is to you what a dentist is to your teeth: You fix minor problems and complexities before they become catastrophic.

Start a new life today!

After reading this article, you may decide: “OK, this is all great! I will definitely take these recommendations into account and even begin to follow some of them.” But the fact is that the process of change is a systemic process, where everything is clearly connected with each other and each step affects the other. It is important not to make a mistake here.

Do you want to know how to start a new life in which there will be self-realization, high meaning, activity, motivation, strength, leadership, new discoveries, energy, exciting changes, an interesting game, new horizons, pleasure from the moment you live, a clear understanding of your own path, no self-sabotage and insecurity , clarity of intention and action? And at the same time, you will not make gross mistakes and avoid many “pitfalls”, and the journey itself will take several months instead of decades.

Then . I will give you a solution!

The more information you have about how to start a business, the better your chances of succeeding. Here are 10 tips for starting your own business. Many people try to do this, but due to lack of proper knowledge, they fail, even if they have a great idea. As Ostap Bender said, the idea is good, but the execution is poor ...

1. Analyze your personality

First, take a look inside yourself: are you the type of person who can start your own business? Can you spend days, months, years to achieve your goal? How about your ability to live in financial insecurity? Do you take criticism constructively? Will you give up if things don't turn out to be as easy as expected?

Before you take on your own business, make sure you're the kind of person who can handle the pressure.

2. Do market research

In order to create a successful business, you must first obtain at least key information about the market you intend to enter. How popular will your product be? Who will purchase it? Can you even sell your product at a profit? What sales volume do you plan? How many competitors will you have, how strong are they and how will your product be better than theirs? These are just a few of the questions you need to ask yourself before you set foot on board a ship sailing into a stormy sea of ​​business.

3. Select the desired product

In this case, this is one of the key factors. The key to the success of any business is the sale of a highly demanded product. Make sure you're offering the market a product that people really need, not one that "would be nice to have."

4. The product does not have to be new

Going off the beaten path is a way that has a number of advantages. The main one is that you do not need to convince people that your product is necessary and worthy not only of attention, but also of being bought. Almost all women do not think about whether they need lipstick, right? The only question is that consumers choose exactly what you offer, or purchase the product they are interested in from you.

Adding something new and useful to a traditional product is a much more promising undertaking than releasing a product that is completely innovative.

5. The main thing is honesty

Honesty is as important in business as it is in life in general. You must be clear about your strengths and weaknesses. Find out what you're doing poorly and delegate that task to someone else.

6. Do not rush to leave the main job

Start your own business in parallel with your main job. Make the most of your free time to think about and promote your project. The history of thousands of successful companies began with the fact that a person came from work for hire, had dinner and set about creating a concept for his business, and then bringing it to life. You will never have a “perfect” time for your own startup. Just start today and do it. At the same time, it is reckless to leave your main job as soon as you smell the money of a great business. You can put your resignation on the boss's table only when your own business will consistently bring you at least an amount sufficient for a life of no worse quality than you have now.

7. Get your family involved

First, she can act as a focus group to test your ideas. This is the simplest and, importantly, free opportunity to quickly get feedback. For example, one of the successful businessmen who is engaged in speed reading started his own business by testing a new teaching method on his family members.

Secondly, the moral support of your household will add the necessary “drive” and motivation to you.

Third, relatives can help you build the start-up capital you need to invest.

Finally, a family member can become a co-founder of your enterprise or your business partner.

8. Find a mentor

Try to find an experienced businessman who would help you with good advice. The rake that “seductively” lies in front of you has already been stepped on and more than once. Of course, you will not completely insure yourself against “bumps”, but at least a few will be avoided.

9. Write a business plan

A business plan is an entrepreneurial compass that you use to check if you have gone astray. It is clear that not everything will turn out exactly as you planned: alas, business, like life in general, is far from always predictable. However, in order to win the battle, there must be a master plan for the offensive. How to write a good business plan - you can read on the Internet and specialized literature. Here we will only indicate the key components of such a document: a description of the market (the relevance of your business idea), a marketing plan (“to whom and how I will promote my product”) and a financial plan (“how and when I will make a profit”). The more competently you draw up a business plan, the easier it will be for you to find an investor (unless, of course, you need one).

10. Build a personal relationship

The realities of the business world are such that many issues are resolved without problems only thanks to the presence of appropriate connections and acquaintances. In Ukraine, the so-called "nepotism" has acquired a particularly significant scale. No, you don’t need to create a guard of relatives for yourself - just “overgrow” with useful contacts, use the slightest opportunity to “hook” in all the “necessary” places, from the outlet around the corner and the tax office to the ministry, where you were lucky enough to get on one of your questions . Once politely slipped a chocolate bar can turn into a hundred (or even more) dollars for you - saved or earned. Personal relationships will help you not only start your own business, but also make it truly successful.

Finally, an aphorism on the topic: “The best idea for your business is hard work” (A. Experienced).

01But I

Hello! Today we will talk about how to open your own business and how to become an entrepreneur. As a rule, this is what people who strive for independence want. Starting your own business has a number of advantages, especially when compared to a regular job. But to start, you need to carefully weigh everything, evaluate your capabilities and think through the details as much as possible.

Let's analyze how you can start a business if the capital is minimal, or how to start a business without initial capital:

  • If you have knowledge, experience in any field of activity, you can use them as a platform to launch your project;
  • You need to understand that running your own business is hard work. Doing nothing and getting millions will not work;
  • To establish the whole process, they will have to deal with 24 hours a day.

Let's compare a business without start-up capital investments and with start-up investments. For clarity, we present in the form of a table:

Criterion Business without capital investments Business with capital investment
1. Cost of funds at the start of the project Missing
2.Costs monthly Missing Present in significant numbers
3. The complexity of the organization low Medium, high level
4. The presence of competition High level High level
5. Payback With first income Take a lot of time
6. Level of demand High High

From the table, the level of potential risk is also clear: if there was no investment of funds, the maximum that you can lose this time and effort. With significant financial investments, the risks are high: you can lose not only your capital, but also other people's funds.

How to get funds for business development

  • Invest in your savings. By the way, it is considered the safest and most reliable option;
  • Getting a loan from a bank. This is real if there is something to pledge to the bank. Without this condition, credit will be denied. A loan can be taken for indefinite purposes and for business development. A deposit is required in both cases;
  • Borrow from friends or family. If you are sure of success and the amount required is small, why not. If the case does not live up to expectations, there will be nothing to repay the debt, relations with loved ones will definitely deteriorate. Based on this, it is easier to get a loan;
  • Find an investor. This may be one person who is interested in your project or organization as a whole;
  • Find a partner who will invest his money in the development of the business;
  • Start low (release of one unit of goods or provision of services to only one customer);
  • Apply for a government subsidy (more about this will be discussed below);
  • Raise money through crowdfunding. This is a collection of money from the population in any amount. For example, a fundraiser is announced for the release of a new album for a famous vocal group. Anyone can make an investment.

All the above tips will allow you to get the right amount of money in affordable, and most importantly, legal ways.

Where to start your business

A person who decides to start his own business evokes ambivalent feelings: someone considers him desperate and insane, while someone admires his courage and determination.

There are a lot of sources in which you can get information on starting your own business (take, for example, our site How to make money.ru), you just need to use them correctly in order to get the maximum practical benefit.

Let's take a closer look at the steps that need to be taken to become a successful entrepreneur.

Step 1. Developing a business idea

Any business begins with the fact that someone had an idea to do it. Main - . Entrepreneurs with experience say that in order to formulate an idea, they write 10 options that appeared in their heads on a regular piece of paper. Then they describe the advantages and disadvantages of each option.

But you can just go to the section and find an idea for yourself.

Step 2. Selecting a market segment

Choosing the right niche in the market is very important for a budding entrepreneur. In the initial stages of business development, you should not choose services or products that are not widely known. But you need to prepare for a big competition. Therefore, a thorough analysis of the market will not interfere in order to choose your place in it.

Step 3. Business plan

The presence of a carefully thought out and formulated one allows you to evaluate your capabilities, as well as analyze what can be obtained in the near future and what is in the long term.

The main points of the business plan

  • Description of the main activity;
  • Planned result;
  • Probability of losing money;
  • Economic analysis;
  • Stages of business development;
  • The time allotted for each stage;
  • Calculation of one-time and periodic costs;
  • Planned end result (what is planned to be done when the result is achieved).

Step 4. Business registration

When a decision on activity is made, a business plan is drawn up, you need to go through the procedure or (limited liability companies). a slightly more time-consuming process than opening an IP.

The package of required documents includes:

  • The original or photocopy of the passport in good quality;
  • Original or photocopy of TIN;
  • Document on registration with the tax authority;
  • Choice Statement.

You can go through the procedure in person or contact specialists who deal with similar issues.

Also, to conduct activities, you may need.

Sole proprietorship is the most well-known form at the moment that allows you to carry out entrepreneurial activities. This is mainly due to the ease of registration, which is available to any citizen.

Opening an individual entrepreneur has its advantages and disadvantages, this is normal and is present in any business.

Positive aspects of opening an IP:

  • Simple registration procedure;
  • All activity is under the control of the entrepreneur, he decides when to stop it;
  • It is not necessary to involve an accountant to keep records;
  • All profits are the property of the entrepreneur, he has the right to dispose of it as he wishes. The main thing is to pay taxes on time.

IP Disadvantages:

  • In the event of debts under obligations, the entrepreneur is liable with all his property. This must be remembered at the stage of organizing a business. If you plan to develop your business in the trading area, in case of default on credit obligations, compulsory forms of debt repayment may be applied;
  • Regular inspections by regulatory authorities (tax office, etc.);
  • Lack of profit (it is impossible to predict whether the activity will bring good profit);
  • The duty of the entrepreneur is regular contributions to the Pension Fund;
  • A sole trader cannot sell a business;
  • Biased attitude towards the form itself: many businessmen refuse to cooperate with individual entrepreneurs simply because they consider this form of activity to be frivolous. It is clear that this is a delusion, but it has a place to be;
  • Often there are situations when individual entrepreneurs are not allowed to participate in the tender;
  • carried out in accordance with the rules applicable to.

An analysis of the above pros and cons will allow a novice entrepreneur to take a more responsible approach to choosing a registration form, this will save time, nerves and money.

Step 5. Selection of equipment and premises

In order to choose the right premises, we have prepared a number of articles for you:

Once you have decided on where to do business, the next step is to purchase the right equipment. Costs will directly depend on the chosen area. Eg:

  • If you open a retail outlet, you need equipment for trade (refrigeration, scales, etc.);
  • If you plan your own production, you need a whole line of equipment;
  • If the business is conducted on the Internet, everything is easier. But when you need a warehouse to store goods.

Step 6. Advertising and business promotion issues

These issues require serious attention and investment. Attracting as many customers as possible is the main task of any business. To expand the client base, you need competent advertising.

An online business also requires website development and optimization to keep the business going.

Promotion plays a big role. In order for a client to tell his surroundings about you, he must be pleasantly surprised, give him more than he expected to receive. For example, a discount on a product or service, a small gift.

We mentioned above about state support for start-up entrepreneurs. Further on how to get it and how to use it correctly.

Governmental support

In our country, there are several types of state support for entrepreneurship. Namely:

  • Allocation of subsidies;
  • Holding exhibitions and fairs;
  • Free consultation on various issues;
  • Assistance in renting a site or premises for the enterprise.

Let's briefly describe each option.

Allocation of subsidies- the most relevant type of state aid. Two types of subsidies are issued: those who have just planned to start their own business, and those who want to modernize production, develop an existing business at a new level.

In the first case, you have to prove that your business will bring tangible benefits to the region, that all risks have been calculated. In the second case, already established entrepreneurs receive reimbursement of part of the expenses incurred (for paying loans, leasing payments, etc.).

In any case, not only the prospects of the chosen direction are taken into account, but also the priority for the entire region. Priority are considered: agriculture, medicine, education, new technologies, cultural sphere.

Assistance in renting a plot or premises for an enterprise is not free, but it is more profitable financially than renting from private individuals. Discounts are available to help you save money.

Holding exhibitions and fairs- provision of free retail space to start-up entrepreneurs. Allows you to reduce advertising costs, exchange experiences, establish business contacts.

Free consultations– assistance in solving specific issues that every novice entrepreneur will face sooner or later. You can ask questions to lawyers, economists, specialists in labor and employment.

Note to the entrepreneur: The state provides support on the basis of strict accountability for each amount spent.

How to become a successful entrepreneur

It is unlikely that anyone will accurately answer this question. They become successful businessmen by putting in a lot of effort, working almost around the clock, earning invaluable experience and knowledge. Everyone goes their own way to success.

Everyone makes mistakes, but they are part of the journey. The main thing is to work on preventing them constantly.

Typical mistakes of novice entrepreneurs

  • Starting a business just because you think your idea is brilliant. Your idea should be evaluated by potential buyers and clients, not by yourself;
  • Starting a business without market analysis. Why it is needed has already been considered earlier;
  • Start without knowledge in the planned area of ​​business. A good example: to open a workshop for the production of parts for machine tools, without knowing anything about the machines;
  • Expect millions in earnings in the first months after opening (business requires patience and time);
  • Do everything yourself: it is simply unrealistic to cope with all the tasks alone. If you plan to be in business for a long time, you will have to hire employees. Good employees are not a big expense, but an investment!
  • Starting a business without a clear business plan. To put it mildly, the idea is bad. You yourself will not have a complete picture of your activities and what goals you set;
  • Wrong prioritization. The top priority is customers. They will be, the whole process will be adjusted;
  • Lack of desire to learn and improve. Learn constantly, learn new things, broaden your horizons;
  • There is no general interest in the area in which it is planned to conduct business. To put it simply: don't open a hockey school if you don't like hockey;
  • There is no healthy perseverance. Many companies have collapsed only because management refused to deal with the flood of problems.

Business is a struggle, often with yourself and your shortcomings.

Ideas for starting your own business

This is not a complete list of business ideas that a novice entrepreneur can do. There are many of them. Find your idea and implement it.

Personal qualities of a successful entrepreneur

We figured out the question of how to become an entrepreneur. The idea for creating a business from scratch has already been chosen, a perfect business plan has been drawn up in all respects, but in addition to all this, you need to have something else important. Namely, certain personal qualities. What, we will find out now.

  • Decisive character. Be prepared to take on the role of a leader who can take responsibility for your words and actions. It is important to learn how to make difficult decisions, listen to the opinions and advice of others, but leave the final decision to yourself;
  • The ability to come up with something new and think outside the box. A share of adventurism is needed, but within reasonable limits. At the same time, do not forget that courage and recklessness are different things;
  • Love for the chosen work. If your eyes do not burn, you will not attract other people with your ideas;
  • Responsiveness and ability to act in difficult situations. It will always come in handy, especially in business. It is impossible to predict everything, but if necessary, improvisation can help out;
  • Do not lie. No need to deceive yourself, employees, customers. Do not set unrealistic deadlines, do not try to sell what is not;
  • Don't do things halfway. But allocate your time wisely;
  • Ability to be flexible. It is not necessary to strictly adhere to the initial plan if the actual situation does not correspond to this. Flexibility is valued more than excessive stubbornness and the desire to be right in everything;
  • Intuition. There are times when it helps out better than logical reasoning;
  • Tendency to introspection. It allows you to avoid many mistakes, correct old ones and not make new ones.

The above list could be continued. Being engaged in the development of these qualities, you can improve not only your life, but also significantly advance your business. Over time, you will mark the most important for yourself and engage in their enhanced development.

Personal qualities are largely responsible for the success of the whole business. Studies have shown that the main driving force for many is the need to realize themselves in their favorite business. An active life position should become a common feature of those who strive for success in any field.

In general, you need to be able to combine personal qualities with business ones, to benefit from both. Since any entrepreneurial activity is fraught with risks, you need to be firmly confident in the correctness of your actions and future success.

To achieve success in your business, you need to correctly combine the acquired experience with natural inclinations. This will allow you to quickly move towards the intended goal and achieve it in a reasonable time.

Training for those who want to start their own business

The main tasks of the holding:

  • Teach business communication skills
  • Develop the ability to resist competitors;
  • To acquaint those who want to start their own business with the peculiarities of applying economic and legal norms;
  • Present various methods for solving problems that arise in the process of work.

It is often proposed to analyze the realities of the market in a playful way. Everyone can attend such events, regardless of whether you are running your own business or just planning to open it.

Training courses often allow not only to gain the necessary knowledge, but also to gain self-confidence, which is so often lacking. In many ways, thanks to them, you can avoid a lot of gross mistakes in doing your business.

As for the financial issue, it is not always necessary to pay for attending trainings. Often free classes are held or the organizers provide bonuses and discounts for visiting.

Conclusion

Now you know how to start your own business! And at the end of the article I would like to say: if you want to become a successful entrepreneur, change your worldview, surround yourself with people who have achieved success in business.

Act, but do not follow completely and completely someone else's recipes for success. Only through work on yourself, on your mistakes, you can achieve the desired result. Remember, as folk wisdom says: "Water does not flow under a lying stone."

Nobody is born an entrepreneur. They become, sometimes by trial and error. If the thought of starting your own business is bothering you, put aside your doubts and move forward! And we will help you in every possible way on the pages of our site!