Ready to Start a Business? Three Different Directions to Consider

August 7, 2019

Starting your own business could be one of the best choices you ever decide to make. You get to escape the rat race, earn money in a way that suits you and fit your work around your life (instead of trying to fit your life around work). But before diving in, it’s worth contemplating your options and thinking about which direction you should go in for your business. Here are some ideas to consider. 

Think about your passions

Aside from money, one of the main reasons you probably want to start your own business is to get more job satisfaction. You want to spend your days doing something enjoyable, something meaningful to you. So it makes sense that when you’re considering starting up a business, that you’d consider what your passions and interests are. Do you want to work with people? Do you want to find solutions to a problem that’s personally been an issue for you? Do you want to hone your skills in a particular area? Don’t just dive into the first idea that springs to mind, consider how you’ll feel about this business idea in a year, five or ten years. Is it something you’re likely to enjoy and get fulfilment out of down the line, as well as right now?

Build on your career

Instead of delving into a brand new, unexplored area that you’ve never worked in, a smart move can sometimes be to build on the work experience you already have. You already have the knowledge and skills needed to make things work, and having worked for another company you can see what has been successful and what things you’d change about your own business. You already understand operations in this area, for example, if you work for a construction company you will already have the health and safety training, specific machine training. You’ll more than likely have connections with clients and other tradespeople, and even know how to save money by utilising gas oil from Fuelbox and other similar companies. It’s not to say you can’t start in a new area if you want to, it will just likely mean studying and gaining some experince in the field first. 

Start something from home

In the modern world, it’s completely possible to set up a business that earns you a full-time living, without even having to step foot out of your door. Maybe you are a homely kind of person and prefer your own abode to working in an office, or perhaps you have disabilities, mobility problems or other issues that prevent you from easily working elsewhere. There are plenty of home-based options from buying and selling items to starting a home bakery or catering business. You could start a writing company, a design company or a blog depending on where your skills or interests lie. 

Mark Asquith

That British podcast guy, Mark is co-founder of Captivate.fm, the world's only growth-oriented podcast host. A Harvard, TEDx, Podcast Movement and Podfest speaker (amongst many more!), he's a wildly approachable Brit and Star Wars/DC Comics geek.

Learn podcasting
in your own time

Listen to the
free podcast

The free, thrice-weekly show that brings you podcast education, industry insights & straight-talking reactions to podcasting news. This short-form show typically runs for between 7 and 15 minutes and releases every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Usually a solo show, every now and then, the show features expert podcast industry guests and release bonus episodes as the podcast industry continues to grow and develop.