What's my Business Idea?, Part II

You just got laid off and you're thinking about starting your own business...

1. You don't know if working for yourself is something that fits your personality
2. You're not sure how feasible your business idea is.
3. You may not have a clear business idea.

Everything written yesterday about doing what you love still stands, but today I'll focus on a product-based business:

• What events do you go to where products are sold (e.g. fairs, conventions)?
• What products related to past jobs do you see a need for, done better?
• Have you "mined" your current connections for people who are making/doing things that interest you?
• Are you an inventor, crafts person or promoter or visionary (really!)?
• What gets your heart pounding when you talk about it?

I love that last one. So overlooked. I, myself thought for years that I had no passion for "doing something." To those who know me, that would be pretty funny. I think that perhaps I looked at other people and saw them already in business or professionals realizing their dreams, and thought that because I wasn't at that place yet, I had no passion! It's the seed, people!

If you jump really quickly into the feasibility question, you can lose some of that creative energy that you'll need to use in brainstorming ideas and possibilities. Let your mind go. Just start writing down lots of notes about what "stuff" the world wants or needs from your perspective. Write down the people you know who have "cool stuff" that really interests you and why. And write down how you see yourself in the process of creating a project.

Go dream!