내 사업을 정말 시작하게 만드는 5가지 단계

요즘 트렌드인 스타트업을 생각 중이거나, 회사에서 새로운 사업아이템을 고민하거나, 지금 하고 있는 회사일 때려 치우고 뭔가 내 사업을 하고 싶을 때, 반드시 거쳐야 할 5가지 단계가 있다고 하여 제 블로그에서 인용해 봅니다.

1. "이런 거 없나, 이런 거 하면 근사하지 않을까, 이거 무지 불편한데..." 이런 생각을 하는 순간이 바로 "aha" moment입니다. 성공한 창업가들은 남들보다 먼저 영감을 받아 문제를 해결한 사람들이지요.

 

2. 사업계획서를 써 본 사람은 그렇지 않은 사람보다 실제 사업을 시작할 확률이 높다고 합니다. 그리고 사업계획서라고 해서 무조건 긴 보고서는 필요 없습니다(The shorter, the better). 물론 그 속의 숫자는 자신이 잘 아는 숫자여야 하겠지요.

 

3. 투자자가 실제로 말하는 금액이 바로 사업의 실제 가치(Reality Check)입니다. 아무리 우리 집이 좋다고 해도 실제 부동산 매입자가 그렇게 생각하지 않는다면 아무 의미 없는 것과 마찬가지.

 

4. 위치가 곧 돈입니다(Location equals money). 극히 단순히 표현하자면, 가장 큰 경쟁자가 있는 곳이 가장 좋은 위치일 수도 있지요.

 

5. 첫번째 고객부터 찾는 것이 급선무. 그 고객이 내가 제공하는 상품과 서비스를 찾는 시장이 실제로 존재한다는 것을 증명하게 되니까요.

Five Steps for Getting Your Business Up and Running

If you're reading this, it means you're interested about starting a business. Now it's time to focus your entrepreneurial spirit using the following five steps.

1. Look for that "aha" moment

Sometimes the inspiration for business ventures comes from what's around you--or from what isn't. Take Entrepreneur magazine's home base of Irvine, Calif. The lack of fast-food restaurants in the business area meant treks across town for lunch, prompting two young men to ponder, "Wouldn't it be great if we could get some good food delivered?"

Rather than waiting for someone else to capitalize on the idea, they purchased one of Entrepreneur's business startup guides and launched a restaurant delivery business. So far, it's served more than 15 million people.

Netflix provides a similar example. After founder and CEO Reed Hastings got charged $40 for returning a rental movie late, he didn't get mad; he got inspired. That $40 led to a billion-dollar online DVD rental business.

The lesson? Everybody kvetches about what's missing in their corner of the world, but only a select few--the entrepreneurs--do something about it. It may be cliché, but it's true: Where there are problems, there are opportunities.

2. Plan ahead

You've got the inspiration. Do you really need a business plan?

Plenty of people argue yes. One is Sean Hackney, who co-founded Roaring Lion Energy Drink in Sun Valley, Calif., and grew it from a $62,000 investment to the No. 2 energy drink in bars and nightclubs. Hackney says writing a business plan was "absolutely" worthwhile: "I had a lot of stuff in my head that needed [to be] put on paper."

Entrepreneurship professor William B. Gartner of Clemson University in South Carolina analyzed data from the Panel Study of Entrepreneurial Dynamics, a national survey of more than 800 people in the process of starting businesses. He found that writing a plan greatly increased the chances a person would actually go into business.

"You're two and a half times more likely to get into business," Gartner says. "People who write business plans also do more stuff."

That stuff includes researching markets and preparing projections, which is valuable in itself, and also increases the chances that an entrepreneur will follow through. And if you want to get funding from banks, VCs or government agencies, a business plan often is required.

But more isn't always better. Aim for 20 to 40 pages.

"The shorter, the better," says William Bygrave, a professor emeritus at Babson College in Babson Park, Mass., and longtime entrepreneurship researcher. "And don't have any numbers you can't explain instantaneously."

3. Value your business

Unless your startup funds are coming out of your own pocket, someone will have to value your business. Be prepared for a reality check: If investors say your startup is worth $1 million, then that's what it's worth. You might think it's worth more and be able to back that up by pointing to, say, $2 million in liquid assets. But unless investors agree, you'll have to live with their valuation.

That's one example of how sometimes valuing a business is like pricing a home. Here's another: comps. Use sites such as BizBuySell and BizQuest to determine what similar companies in your industry and geography are worth. Other potential sources are accountants and lawyers who specialize in your industry and geography.

4. Find the right location

Here's another similarity with real estate: Location equals money. "In the brick-and-mortar retail world, it's said that the three most important decisions [you'll make] are location, location and location," says Irene Dickey, a lecturer in management and marketing at the University of Dayton's School of Business Administration in Dayton, Ohio. "Careful determination of new sites is critical for most retail and consumer service businesses."

For example, look at neighborhood traffic generators, such as other retailers that draw people to the area, industrial or office parks, schools, colleges and hospital complexes. (Or lack thereof, as in the case of the Irvine restaurant delivery business.) Consider both highway and foot traffic if most of your customers will be coming in that way as opposed to, say, the Internet.

While you're at it, look for competitors. "Quite simply, the best place to be is as close to your biggest competitor as you can be," says Greg Kahn, founder and CEO of Kahn Research Group in Huntersville, N.C., and a behavioral research veteran who's done location research for Arby's, Buffets Inc., Home Depot, Subway and other major and minor players. "By being in close proximity to your competitors, you can benefit from their marketing efforts."

5. Find your first customers

Your first customers are key--and not just because they're turning on the revenue spigot. They also legitimize your idea, demonstrating that there actually is a market for your products and services.

They're also a source of valuable feedback that will help improve your business so more customers keep coming in. Don't overlook the opportunity to ask if you can turn some of the positive feedback into testimonials.

Where do you find your first customers? The answer varies somewhat based on your industry, but one common strategy is to leverage your personal and professional contacts--and their contacts. Those could include former employers, employees and customers, contacts within your civic activities, such as Rotary or Kiwanis, and tradespeople and professionals, anyone from your dentist to your plumber.

Consider sending each one a personal letter, then follow up with a phone call a week to 10 days later. In this letter, announce your new business and offer something, such as a free consultation or a special discount, or even a finder's fee for any referrals they send your way.

* 출처: www.entrepreneur.com