what's your business?

what's your business?

how do you start a business?

i was contacted by a freelance writer about a business we had started. she wanted to write a story about the success and the wonderful niche business we had created.

my wife and i met her at a tim horton's where the interview would take place. when she finally arrived, she seemed so get more excited after each question she asked.

she was a regular attendee of business and investing seminars and what we had invested our money on seemed to flagrantly surprise her.

the idea for the business and the motives behind building it were different than what she had anticipated.

she became more and more interested in what we were accomplishing.

my wife and i built that specificbusiness to help build and solidify our relationship. there were other reasons of course, but that was our real intent.

at the end of the interview she had asked us to provide her a series of steps on how to help someone else start a business.

that was difficult for us. there is so much that you need to know in order to build a successful business.

one thing i found easy though, is working on something you enjoy. something that you would want to do for free.

the one thing i found difficult, and both my wife and i recognized, was that we needed to know how we worked together in a business.

many people don't understand that you carry your relationships into your business with you.

you will take your mother, brother, sister, aunt, spouse, children and friends into your business in some fashion.

a business requires everything from you, no matter what anyone says. it will occupy your every waking thought. it will require every ounce of your intelligence, integrity, and ingenuity.

it will require your complete honesty.

believe it or not, a business' success is determined by your honesty with yourself and therefore with others.

all you do with a business is build relationships with others. your customers, clients, suppliers, employees..... all of them, everyone your business comes in contact with, becomes a relationship.

how does your business become a success?

• when the relationships you create are solid, reciprocal and full of value.

fluff gets blown to the side.

do you need a business plan? sure.

do you need capital? not necessarily.

do you need customers? of course.

do you need a marketing agency and advertising campaign? not if your database of relationships are strong and positive in nature.

why?

the best businesses in the world spread by word of mouth. where do you think the word of mouth comes from?

the relationships you have built.