Some young people are so keen to start their own business that they start up as soon as they can. They might be newly qualified in a particular trade or profession, but they have no experience what it is like to work for someone else.
This generally means they do not make good employers, as they do not have a clue how to treat their staff. They seem to think that working for someone else will hold them back, but that could not be further from the truth.
Learn How Businesses Work
It is not any good starting a business if you have no idea how they work. You need to understand how to develop a strategy, grow your business, provide excellent customer service and hone the skills learned in college.
You can only find these things out by working for someone else. Review these pros and cons of having your own business and decide if all the hard work involved really is a good fit for you at this time in your life.
Make Connections
You will make connections and network in your job and these will very useful when you start your own business. You will also learn how to connect with customers and with other employees. These people skills are vital for a business to be a success. If you are unsure about the value of building good interpersonal skills, check out the reviews on companies such as CRST from people who have driven trucks with them and enjoyed the experience. By doing this, you will see exactly what a company’s reputation means. You may think you know people from interacting with the ones you met in high school or college, but that is totally different to the way you should deal with customers, suppliers or anyone else related to your new business.
Learn New Skills
There will always be things in the workplace that were not mentioned where you were at college. For instance, how do you refill a printer with ink and paper? In the workplace, you will have to do some of these tasks and will be able to start your new business with a whole set of new skills. They may be simple and straightforward ones, but they will be skills that could help to keep your overhead down.
If you want to start your own business as a HVAC engineer for instance then working in this industry beforehand will give you all the skills, knowledge, and equipment list you need before you go it alone. Starting a business yourself will never be easy but having some experience will give you the leg up you need. Working as an engineer will give you the freedom to choose your own hours and set your own rates of pay. Be sure to check how much your equipment costs so you can include this in your hourly rate. You will also need every piece of equipment on your van, such as a 90 degree swivel as you never know when you will need it.
It is Not Too Late
There is no law that says you have to start a business before a certain age, you can start at any time. Getting some experience in the workplace first can be a big help when you do finally start. Colonel Sanders, for example, did not start KFC till later in life and look what a success that company is. It is never too late to change your career path to suit your new business either, as that could be the road to success for you.
It is more important to get some life and work experience before rushing into starting your own business. Then you will a better grasp about how you manage people, build a team, run the finances and how to make your business succeed.
