Having a business of your own is a bit like being a creative writer. A creative writer loves to ask and answer the question: what would happen if….? What would happen if:
- the title character were a woman instead of a man
- the title character were 75 years old and slightly deaf
- the title character had a side-kick who was independently wealthy
- all the action took place over the course of 3 days
- the setting was ancient Egypt
- the setting was in the Dark Ages
- the setting was 10 years into the future
A creative writer doesn’t see the “what if” question as risky…rather she sees it as opening doors, possibilities and opportunities. Without the convention of the “what if” it would be difficult to posit the possible. The same is true in a business.
Having a business of your own often involves risk and wondering “what if?” What if:
- you decide to go it alone as a solo-preneur…what are the implications of that?
- you decide to go into business with a partner…what would that look like?
- you limit your business to your local community only…does your community have the population size in your business niche to offer you enough business?
- you decide to have both a local business and an online presence…can you handle the possible case overload?
In building your business asking yourself the “what if I did this or that” kinds of questions can help to direct your creative thinking and help you to evaluate what you really and truly want to do. Once the business is up and running, there is still risk…still the “what if” questions to ask. What if:
- you take a vacation…can your business handle your being away from it for 5 days…10 days?
- you become ill…do you have a procedure built into your business to handle the inevitable down days?
- an outside, unforeseen natural or economic catastrophe occurs…do you have contingency plans in place for things like fires, floods and recessions?
- your business becomes too popular…can you turn away clients/customers?
- your business requires a new marketplace…can you retool?
Without risk there is no business; but risk doesn’t have to be thought of as negative. Rephrased as “what if” questions, risk becomes a way to look anew at your business…and keep you fresh and on your toes.
I never thought about it that way. Often times when I have to do something I know needs to be done, but it’s a little outside my comfort zone, I procrastinate.
I think if I preface the “job” with what if, it’ll be a little easier for me because most of the time, the answer will be something I can live with.
Great blog and awesome information.
Being in business can be risky however what I would say is many people now are realising that it is no more risky than working in a JOB.
Yes it’s quite true. There is lot of risk involved in the business rather than job. Its a great post!