But, I was a complete opposite a couple of days ago - I was sad, thinking about how things would turn up with our business venture - would we get the clients, would we make smart decisions, would we add value...you know going on a spiral with those thoughts.
As those thoughts paced furiously in my frontal lobe, I was twirling my hair in a curl with one hand, and eating raisins with the other. And, then, just like that, I flipped open the lid of Sun Maid Raisins box, and there they stared at me... "It is upto you." Just those four small words stared back at me and I couldn't help my tears from rolling out and encircling my cheeks - soothing me and telling me - its all okay And, then, just like that, my mind shifted to positivity and good thoughts. I decided not to spend anymore time and energy on ifs and what nots, but rather focus on things that mattered -- and one of them is this blog. I truly want to thank you for being there for Shikha and me as we trudge along and make our dreams into a tangible product that we can touch and feel and be proud of.
Because I care if you are planning to hit it off on your own, I wanted to share with you some of the initial ground work that Shikha and I have covered:
- Vendor research: when Shikha was in India attending weddings, her smart brain was also scoping for possible vendors, and she and her husband scoped out a few of them. You can use your friends or family members as starting point of getting contacts. Once you have the leads, TAKE ACTION!! Call up and talk to the vendors and find out if they fit the bill of the type of product you want to be associated with. Don't wait on this, even if you don't get what you want, atleast you will have an idea of what's out there and this may, infact, lead you to more leads
- Business Plan: this is the most critical step in starting a business. While its very good to have discussions and have an idea on what you would like to do, its equally important to document what the mission statement of the business will be, how will the business model look like (partnership, sole proprietorship, etc) and how will the expenses, etc. be managed. Here's a list that I carefully selected from a plethora of sites out there
- Goal setting: this follows closely at the heels of writing a business plan. Its good to have a measuring tool of where you started with and where you want to go. Personal note: I see this blog as a goal setting tool as well : )
- Research Research Research: Shikha and I are searching the web to learn how we can gather all the resources to make our business model unique and a value add proposition. We are reading blogs, observing how small businesses have set up their websites and product catalogues, etc. We are also searching for deals online for business cards, label makers, logo stamps, bags, etc. Yup, people, internet can be a powerful tool if you put your mind, eyes and fingers to it!
So, now that I have you on the business bandwagon, lets all thump our tables and sing loudly, "Th-ii-ss ii-ss how weee do it!"
Hugs,
Shivika
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