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How to Start Your Own Business

The paradox of starting your own business lies in the simultaneous challenge and reward, making it an experience unlike any other. So many businesses fail, and most entrepreneurs exclude themselves from the possibility. The tragic reality is that when businesses fail, the passion often dies with it. By following some sound advice and being prepared for the process, you will decrease your chances of losing a lot more than you bargained for. I have recently started a business and have learned some crucial lessons in the process that I feel privileged to share with you.

1. Identify your motivation. Why do you want to start your own business? To have more time? To make more money? To be your own boss? To have creative control over what you love to do? Write out all of your motivating factors and prioritize them. When you see them listed, you might see a pattern in that you're just unhappy at your current job and starting your own business isn't the answer.

2. Identify your passion. What do you love to do? What skills and knowledge do you uniquely bring to the table? What gets you excited about your work? Keep that passion at the forefront of your business plan, your marketing strategies, and your daily routine. If you keep your passion in plain sight, you will stay focused on the purpose of your business and not solely on the logistics.

3. Identify your market. If you are starting your business locally, research your competitors. Determine if there is room in the market for your business. What will you do differently to draw in customers? What niche market are the other businesses missing? If you are starting an Internet company, research the requirements for your own unique Web presence. Your business cannot survive without customers, so do enough research on the front end to determine if there are enough potential clients to keep your business alive.

4. Identify your finances. If you have ever purchased a new home, you know that the financial obligations extend beyond the down payment and the mortgage. You have to buy furniture, trash cans, a garage door opener, light fixtures and landscaping equipment, and before you know it, you've far exceeded your financial boundaries. That can happen just as easily in a business. Do exhaustive financial planning. Meet with a financial advisor or someone at your bank to examine the financial viability of your business and the process of getting it up and running. Plan wisely and do not assume the best about your business. Be prepared for financial loss and get advice on how to alleviate that burden in the future.

5. Identify your support system. Seek out advice from seasoned business owners, even those in your own field. Develop relationships with people who can offer sound advice and criticism that you might not see. If there is a business owner in your community or in your network that you aspire to model, examine his or her business practices and how they handle various situations. Ask for counsel before big decisions, and even create your own makeshift Board of Directors to help guide you in the planning and start-up process.

 Once you have all of these elements in place, you are prepared to start the process of developing a business plan, applying for a license, establishing a marketing presence, etc. Owning your own business can be unparalleled in the professional world, and if you surround yourself with wise counsel, you can have a career that daily feeds your passion.

参考翻译：

如何开始自己的事业

如何自己创业开始你自己的生意的悖论在于挑战与回报同时进行，这使得创业成为与其他不一样的经历。很多人创业失败了，然而大多数创业者将自己排除在这种可能性之外。可悲的现实是当创业失败了的时候，热情也随之消失。通过接下来的合理建议以及充分的准备过程，你的亏损风险将会比你所预料的大大降低。最近我开始创业，并有幸跟大家分享我从此过程中汲取的一些至关重要的经验教训。

1.明确你的动机。你为什么想要创业？想有更多自由时间?想赚更多的钱？ 想自己当老板？ 想要有创造性的掌控你自己喜爱做的事情？写出你所有的动机，并将他们按重要性排序。当你把这些列出来时，你可能就会发现你目前的工作做得并不开心，而创业也并不是你想要的答案。

2.明确你的创业激情。你喜欢做什么？你具备什么能给你创业带来好处独特的技能和知识？什么让你对工作兴奋？把保持工作热情列在你的创业计划，你的市场营销策略，和你的日常工作的最前面。显而易见，如果你保持有这种工作热情，你将会集中精力在你工作目标上，而不是仅仅关注物流。

3.明确你的市场。如果你想在本地创业，你要研究一下你的商业竞争对手。确定那里是否还有你开展业务的机会和空间。你将如何采取不同的做法来吸引客户？其他公司错过的缝隙市场/小众市场是什么？如果你要成立一个网络公司，研究一下你要有自己独特的网站的必要条件。没有客户你的公司将无法生存，所以一开始要做足市场调研直至最后决定是否有足够的潜在客户来维持你的生意。

4.明确你的财力。如果你购买过一个新房子，你就知道从首付到按揭贷款的财务责任。你要购买家具，垃圾桶，车库开门器，光源设施，以及盆景设备等，而且在你还意识到超支以前，你早已远远超出了你的财政界限。这种情况在创业是很容易发生。做一个详尽的财政规划。咨询财务顾问或是银行的工作人员来检查你公司的财政可行性以及它成立和运营的过程。英明的计划，而且不要对公司做太好的假定预设。做好财务亏损的准备，并咨询如何减轻和缓解未来的负担。

5.明确你的支持体制。向有经验的甚至是你自己业务范围内的企业家寻求建议。与那些能给你提出合理建议和批评的人发展人际关系。如果在你的社区，或是网上，有你想要当成榜样来学习的企业家，你就要仔细查看他或她的经营方式，以及他们是如何处理各种各样的情况的。在做重大决定之前要去咨询顾问，甚至是成立你自己的临时董事会来指导你做规划和创业启动过程。

一旦你这几条都准备就绪了，你就可以准备开始执行你的创业企划书，申请营业许可证，建立营销实体等等的过程了。拥有自己的公司是做其他职业无法相比的，如果你身边围绕着智囊团，你就会有很好的职业生涯，每天都能满足你的热情。