Here we go again. The economy is slowing down and big ... ... people off right and left. Rather than cowering in a ... for the axe to fall, get out there and do ... to make Here we go again. The economy is slowing down and big companies arelaying people off right and left. Rather than cowering in a cornerwaiting for the axe to fall, get out there and do something to make yourfuture bright.Start your own business.But isn't it nuts to start a business when times are tight? Not at all.Many of today's huge corporations started out in someone's basement duringthe height of the Great Depression when one in three people weredestitute. Now those were tough times, yet great new businesses were bornand thrived.And don't you need a big bankroll or at least a line of credit at yourbank? Nope. Half the companies on the Fortune 500 started with just afew thousand dollars. Many began with only a few HUNDRED dollars. I knowplenty of thriving small businesses that started with nothing more than anorder pad and $20 worth of fliers announcing a new service.Here's the big secret to success. YOU suddenly become a NEW person whenyou start your own business. For most of us, getting out from under thedemands of a boss changes something in us. When YOU are demanding thingsfrom YOURSELF, you suddenly become ten times more motivated than whensomeone else is telling you what to do.When I started my business from a corner of my kitchen, I found the hoursflew by. I went from working 40 hours a week doing bookkeeping at anasphalt company to putting in 100 hours a week on my business. And youknow what? It didn't feel like work. I was tired at the end of those 14hour days, but I felt like I had just come back from vacation.This is one of those human things that people knew well back in the 1800s,but nobody seems to remember today. You're smarter, more clever, andharder working when you work for yourself.Here's how to get started.1. Pick a field you know and LOVE. If you don't know much about what youlove, set out to learn. But don't--no NEVER--do something you hate justbecause you have a chance at succeeding. I suppose there are people inother cultures who can make that work, but we Americans fall flat on ourfaces if we don't feel a deep personal commitment to what we are doing.Go to your library, Amazon.com, and search engines. Look for books, websites, and videos about your chosen field. Give yourself a crash course.Become a self-taught expert (or even more knowledgeable than you arealready.)2. Find a group of potential customers who REALLY want what you have tosell. AND, make sure they are a group you can advertise to with little orno money. Then promote, promote, promote. Don't sit at home and wait forthe phone to ring. Go door to door, send out letters, call a talk radiostation, write a letter to the editor, talk to an organization, or join atrade association.If you're really serious, do all of those things and more. Buy or borrowJay Levinson's "Guerrilla Marketing Weapons" and find a half dozenpromotion methods that work for you.3. Keep track of your money. Most of the small businesses that fail doso for one of two reasons. The owner lost interest or the owner didn'tkeep good books. Buy or borrow "Small Time Operator" by Bernard Kamoroff.It tells you in simple language all the things you need to do to staylegal and keep track of money and inventory.4. Don't give up. It takes most of a year to get a new business going.Most business owners tell me they got almost no business the first year.The second year was better. They ended up being pretty busy the thirdyear. The fourth year they had more business than they knew what to dowith.If the four steps above still sound too daunting, try working with a goodreseller or networking business. They are like franchise opportunitiesfor individuals. Usually you can get started for free or for very littlecash (we're talking $30). The good ones give you lots of help withmarketing, selling, and a great line of products. Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com