Everything about business for beginners from scratch. How to start your business from scratch. When not to start your own business

  • 20.04.2020

What is a small business? What are the origins of entrepreneurship in Russia? How to start a small business on your own for a beginner?

Hello dear readers! Eduard Stembolsky is in touch!

The article will help you start your own business from scratch: I will provide you with step-by-step instructions for starting your own business and explain how to avoid common mistakes newcomers.

Read the article to the end, and you will not have a single question or doubt on this topic.

Let's start friends!

1. What is a small business and entrepreneurship in general

Small business is synonymous with private enterprise. In the special economic literature, the definition of this concept is as follows:

is a set of legal structures and individuals engaged in entrepreneurship and not part of monopolies and large corporations.

Small businesses are characterized by limited production volumes and a small number of full-time employees. Sometimes you can find this definition:

- entrepreneurial activity carried out by a limited group of persons or a company controlled by one owner.

Economic experts classify small business as a type of high-risk financial and commercial activity.

The ultimate goal of entrepreneurship is to receive a constant profit from the production or sale of goods (services).

The efficiency of a small business is determined by the growth of income over a certain period. Business profitability (economic benefit) - the ratio of the costs of organizing business activities to the profit received.

The phrase "Open a business from scratch" does not call for much confidence. For some reason, it seems that behind it are offers such as playing on the stock exchange or participating in network marketing. How to open your business from scratch, having no free money, no goods, no resources? Is it possible?

You can, you just need to take a fresh look at the resources you have. How to start your business from scratch? With an assessment of the available opportunities - education, skills, work experience, connections and acquaintances, the time that you are willing to spend. And add here a computer, phone, car. Already a lot. But what about the money, the same start-up capital? The fact is that start-up capital alone does not ensure success in business. If the measure of entrepreneurial success was only the money invested, then it would be much easier to achieve it. So, besides money, you need something else.

What kind of business to do

Business is built on meeting the needs of buyers and customers, and the one who knows how to offer the best combination of price-quality and good service. So, in order to open a business from scratch, you need to understand for yourself what value you can offer to the consumer. Moreover, working on hired work you provide this value, only between you and the consumer is the employer. This is a businessman who has chosen a sought-after niche, hired the right workers and organized the sales or service cycle. But, perhaps, the same question was before him: “How to start a business from scratch without money?”, Only he has already answered it, but you have not yet.

Thinking about how to open your business from scratch, decide for yourself which direction is closer to you: services, trade or production? In each of these areas there are hundreds and thousands of ideas. No matter how trite it may sound, but everyone will have their own recipe for commercial success. There is not a single 100% guaranteed that, without exception, will work with a bang. And vice versa - there are ideas that are considered by many as failures, but they have more than one example of successful implementation.

If you want to start a small business from scratch, then answer yourself the following questions:

  • What and where did you study, what skills do you have well developed or have you dreamed of learning for a long time?
  • What activity do you enjoy? If in your full-time job you have to do something that does not bring pleasure, then you should not build a business on this.
  • What are your needs as a consumer? Perhaps you know how to provide this service in the best possible way?
  • Do you have in your locality formed demand in the chosen niche?
  • Is it possible to sell the selected product or service several times to the same consumer or is it a one-time sale?
  • What will it take to make a profit from one trade - what time and effort?
  • Can you start your own business while still being employed?
  • Do you know people who are ready to start with you without requiring payment for their labor at the initial stage?

Service

It is generally accepted that the least cost is the provision of services, but this is not always the case. Indeed, if the service requires only a certain education, qualifications, skills from the performer, then such an activity is a good answer to the question: "How to create a business from scratch." And there are services for the provision of which skills and knowledge alone will not be enough, equipment will also be required, expendable materials, room. The scale of the organization of services also matters. For example, to do nail service or hairstyles on your own, it is enough to purchase professional tools and a small supply of cosmetics. You can serve the first customers at home. If you dream of opening your own or, then there are already needed serious investments, from one million rubles.

Here is a list of services that you can start providing without investment or using personal property.

  • AT business area- legal, accounting, consulting;
  • IT-services - creation of sites, setting up and repairing computers, programming;
  • Needlework - tailoring and knitting to order;
  • Informational and educational - writing texts, translations, tutoring, organization of courses and trainings;
  • Repair - household appliances, housing, footwear, clothing, furniture assembly;
  • Housekeeping: cleaning, cooking, caring for children and the elderly;
  • Drawing paintings and portraits to order;
  • Advertising - setting contextual advertising, creation of selling texts, development of business cards and booklets;
  • Leisure - organization and conduct of holidays and events;
  • Express delivery;
  • Design and decoration of premises and open space;
  • Mediation for the sale and rental of housing;
  • Cooking - making cakes and ready meals.

Of course, the provision of services, if you do it personally, is not a full-fledged business, but it is a good experience to receive money directly from the client, and not through the employer.

Trade

How to start a business from scratch with no money in trading? What to sell if you do not have money to purchase goods and open a store? The first step in such a situation is mediation in quality. Find buyers and sellers, connect with each other and get rewarded.

How do you know what buyers are looking for? Query analysis can be done using the Wordstat.yandex.ru tool. Select queries with the word "buy in bulk", select 30-50 products that you are looking for, and find manufacturers on the Internet. Study the commodity price, make offer, post it on bulletin boards or send it to wholesale buyers if you have found their contacts. Interested in a buyer? Then contact the manufacturer and let them know that you can sell a batch of goods on the terms of a certain percentage. Of course, you can answer that manufacturers have their own sales departments and there is no point in even trying to offer their services as an agent. But to think in this way is the same as not daring to go out to sea for a catch in a rubber boat, because there are already a lot of big fishing trawlers there.

Capabilities sales departments manufacturers are limited by the number of managers, in addition, you can be more convincing in negotiations with the buyer. Try again and again. Imagine that this is your own product, and you need to return the investment as soon as possible.

Another option is to take the goods for sale and offer them for sale in the current outlet on a commission basis. Yes, it is not so easy to find such options, but they also exist. Think about what connections and acquaintances with manufacturers you could attract? They would not give products for sale to an outsider, but they will give you, because you are a matchmaker, brother, godfather or just a good friend.

The third trading model without money is dropshipping. Here you match the manufacturer or major supplier not with a wholesale buyer, but with the end consumer. The disadvantage of this model is that the buyer is required to pay in advance, but there are sellers who agree to the terms of cash on delivery.

In the book " Wholesale» we have collected sites from current offers manufacturers and suppliers and other important information. You can access the book at .

Production

How to do your business with minimum investment if your choice is production? It is unlikely to succeed completely from scratch, because. production already requires raw materials, tools, equipment. First of all, these are the ideas of home production:

  • souvenirs, accessories, bijouterie;
  • soap and bath balls;
  • agricultural tool,
  • Stuffed Toys;
  • wooden and wicker products;
  • household items and decor;
  • Knitten things;
  • bags and other leather goods;
  • screens and curtains to order;
  • handmade postcards and boxes;
  • advertising structures;
  • bouquets of sweets and toys;
  • photo printing on clothes;
  • cultivation of mushrooms, flowers, vegetables, fruits, berries.

If you have no idea how to build your business from scratch, because in the chosen niche you cannot do without premises and equipment, then explore the possibility of getting what you need in terms of payment for the products produced.

Do you have a working idea for the production of a sought-after product or even a patent for an invention? Reach out to business angels or venture capital investors. Compile a commercial proposal with cost and payback calculations and post it on bulletin boards and specialized forums. If the idea is really worthwhile, and only money is required to implement it, then you will definitely find it.

To summarize: where to start your business from scratch, if there are no free funds for it yet, but you are ready to invest time, effort, use personal property and acquaintances?

  1. Decide which area appeals to you the most and pick a few ideas that work.
  2. Become a member of thematic groups on social networks, they are full of examples of failures and inspiring stories. When someone has already walked the path you have chosen, it is easier to see mistakes in the implementation of the idea and its hidden potential from the outside.
  3. Let's advertise services and products on free channels, such as local newspapers and bulletin boards. Call on the ads of customers or buyers yourself.
  4. Without a financial reserve, you should not leave work for at least six months, so choose an activity that will require you to do no more than 20 hours a week. In the round-the-clock mode, you will not last long, plus the quality of your work duties will suffer.
  5. Involve family members, friends, associates, like-minded people in your business with the condition of payment for their work in case of success.
  6. Do not stay long in the position of a lone freelancer, invest the money you receive in development, hire employees, enter into partnerships.

The section presents both new and proven ideas for small businesses from scratch in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus and other countries. Many articles contain step-by-step instructions or a step-by-step guide to starting a business for beginners.

Business ideas with instructions for opening

The "talking" name may give a false impression of the work of the fair. These are not noisy auctions organized in a certain place, but year-round sales made through Internet communications. The Craft Fair is...

In recent years, the interest of farmers and large agricultural holdings in breeding rabbits has sharply increased. The market is increasingly in demand for dietary meat, and experts predict a 3-fold increase in demand for rabbit meat. Its price reaches 450 rubles for ...

Entering any market is accompanied by preliminary research and analysis, and opening a store for selling organic products is no exception. Interest in healthy lifestyle life is steadily growing, and the niche is still a little competitor. Adherents of right...

Paints and varnishes (LKM) are composite compositions applied to surfaces to be finished in liquid or powder form in uniform thin layers and forming, after drying and curing, a film that has strong adhesion to...

A store is a separate building or its isolated part, specially equipped and designed for retail goods to buyers. It is usually divided into functional areas: shopping room, warehouse, administrative and household...

Own production can become a reliable source of income, both in the field of small business and at the corporate level. However, only in the case when the entrepreneur approaches the development of each stage with maximum responsibility ...

Production crumb rubber is a promising line of business. Firstly, due to the tightening of environmental legislation, which prohibits the disposal of used tires in landfills, which puts users of natural resources before ...

Not every direction of the service sector can surprise annual growth at the level of 10-14%, which shows in recent years film distribution. The number of cinema halls is growing, they are becoming more and more interesting from a technical point of view, and the absence of spectators does not...

AT Forbes ranking according to the results of 2017, Avito ranks 3rd among the most expensive companies Runet, right after Yandex and Mail.ru Group. Avito receives about 37 million monthly visits potential buyers, and the total sales volume reaches 16 billion rubles (excluding cars and...

Parents are important intellectual, athletic achievements of children. The desire to broaden their horizons, give new knowledge and improve the skills of the child makes them turn to professionals. Education is a promising direction for one's own...

The history of commercial brewing began with artisanal beer production at home. The pioneers in this business were monasteries and various farms of the 8th-9th centuries, which sold surpluses of the drink produced originally for themselves, and in 11-12...

The demographic crisis of the nineties caused the closure of many preschool institutions, and the buildings were rented by various firms for offices. Years have passed, life has become more stable, and more children have been born, and kindergartens, closed during the crisis...

An analysis of commercial advertisements shows wholesale prices for 1 kg of live crayfish in the range of 400–3000 rubles. After that, their breeding business does not look like such an exotic idea as it might seem at first glance. It doesn't require a lot of investment...

The growing interest in sheep breeding in recent years is due to the fact that sheep breeding requires significantly lower costs compared to other livestock breeds. The unpretentiousness and fertility of these animals provides a relatively fast ...

The issue of tire recycling in Russia is quite acute. For the natural decomposition of this category of waste, it takes from 120 to 140 years, and the volumes entering the landfills, and often to places of unauthorized waste storage, are simply ...

Recreating real and imaginary objects, images, toys serve the purposes of mental, moral, aesthetic and physical education child, helping him to learn about the world around him, accustoming him to purposeful, meaningful activity and ...

According to the National Association of Restaurants, in 2017 the catering industry in the United States will have a turnover of 799 billion dollars, in Russia according to RBC.Research - 1.7 trillion rubles, in Ukraine - 30 billion hryvnias according to Delo Ua. Try it and you'll get your share of it...

Food production is actual business Anytime. The guarantee of the return on invested capital and the entrepreneurial activity itself is both a stable and constantly growing demand, as well as various government ...

Since last year social network VK has provided an opportunity for its users to trade on their pages. There are two ways to start trading. The first involves trading through your personal page, and the second involves trading...


General step by step instructions

Many people think that the phrase "from scratch" means starting a business without initial capital, However, it is not. This phrase means creating a business from the very beginning, sometimes without the appropriate education. In general terms, the instruction for all ideas looks like this:

  1. Coming up with a brand/company name. Most of the success of a business depends on this point. Once Ray Kroc (the founder of McDonald's Corporation) said that with such a name you can do anything. Therefore, do not neglect this point.
  2. We draw up a business plan. It is not necessary to do it yourself. Now there are a lot of research companies providing planning services. Among them, for example, the RBC company, which has both experience in this business and marketing research. You can also use our ready-made examples to help you compose it yourself.
  3. Registering a company. To implement the following steps, this item is required, since the official accounting of all expenses and income of your business begins next.
  4. Rent an office. For companies operating in the service and trade sectors, always passable places are required. Very often, such a business is opened where there are no people, which leads to bankruptcy. The exception is manufacturing companies, and those who need to hold meetings with clients not in their office, but with clients.
  5. We buy office and production equipment. Sometimes it is better to spend money on used equipment, as it often costs a penny. After all, someone is constantly updating it or selling it due to bankruptcy. Unfortunately, you will have to buy something abroad, however, for example, Chinese business equipment can be ordered in any country, since there are usually suppliers working with manufacturers or their representative offices. In the offices of all modern companies, CRM systems should be installed to record the quality of work with clients.
  6. We obtain all necessary permits and licenses, if necessary. To provide services and supply our products to other countries, you may need additional permits that are valid on the territory of these countries.
  7. Hiring workers. At the very beginning, it is best to hire people with experience, especially for important positions. In large cities, you can use the services of HR companies and professional bounty hunters (headhunters). They will help you find professionals in your field.
  8. Launching and setting up work. This item involves constant testing of technologies for working with clients and manufacturing products at the initial stage of implementing a business idea from scratch.
  9. Do not forget to develop employees and develop yourself. After achieving success, many entrepreneurs consider themselves successful and do nothing to develop their business. After that, he begins to slowly lose positions, and they are always occupied by more dynamic companies that can rebuild, or newer ones that also catch their success, and then do nothing to maintain it. Every year, the technologies of doing and promoting a business change, various courses for improving the qualifications and motivation of employees appear, so you should not neglect them.

Remember that a good leader is one who does nothing. But for this you need to correctly build and configure your company.

In conditions financial crisis when the number of jobs is reduced, but at the same time the consumer area and the service sector remain in demand, ideas or even business with complete zero occupy the minds of ordinary citizens.

The desire to find additional income opportunities is an important reason for looking for activities without capital investment. The benefit of such a business can be considered the minimum number of risks, and if a person believes that he is strong in some area, then this will serve as an additional guarantee of the success of a new undertaking.

Business from scratch - does it exist?

No, there is no such business. In any case, you will have to invest:

  1. Education.
  2. If there is no education - time.
  3. And, in any case, great enthusiasm.

There is a point of view that all the proposed ideas for beginners are not business, but handicraft. But there are no other options for a zero start. If there are no funds for employees, you have to be employee to myself. And only with the growth of the business, one's own skills, abilities and income, it will be possible to delegate part of one's functions to someone else. Moreover, very often even "grown up" businessmen of a small sphere are forced to create an adequate replacement for themselves over the years. This is the nature of a small business. Small business is a way of life. Dreaming that in a couple of years the gears will spin without any of your participation is at least naive.

This material contains proven ideas in which you can still find your niche. Think over what is your highlight among the mass of the same, and go ahead. Each of these ideas fits perfectly into the requirements of a "low start".

Businesses You Can Start Without Big Investments

We will give at least 100 ideas that allow. There is no clear division into separate groups, but for a better understanding of the area in which you can go, we will accept a conditional classification by type:

Services

Automotive Business Ideas

The best ideas in automotive business include the following items:

Earnings on the Internet

For women

Review on video

This article from To Biz looks at the latest ideas of 2017, and the authors argue that these ideas are really promising, working, but have not yet become too competitive.

Production

The manufacturing sector includes a large number of different ideas, but you should be prepared that a certain amount of start-up capital will be required.

creative ideas

Some business ideas may be initially focused on achieving results, as they are distinguished by creativity and unusualness.

Home business

You can also find ways to earn while sitting at home. Most of the home ideas are related to the hand-made industry.

Ideas 2017

Every year there are new types of business, designed to bring even a small, but income and able to meet the needs of society.

Ideas in Crisis

In the wake of a crisis, you should choose business ideas in areas that remain in demand even with the scarcity of opportunities for potential customers.

Ideas for business in Moscow

The metropolitan public is hard to surprise, and the market is so saturated that ideas are required that are either not yet well developed or have competitive advantages.

Some examples of investments and payback periods for business ideas

The main thing that will concern everyone who decides to open their own business is the amount of investment and the payback period of the project.

Business idea Investment amount Skills Payback period
Tutoring ——— Knowledge in a certain area, the presence of a diploma Depending on the number of students
Vending massage 1 armchair 35 thousand rubles Not required 1 person - 100 rubles, per day throughput 10 people = 1000 rubles. 30 thousand per month. Payback in three months
Mafia game or similar Rental of premises and organization of advertising (approximately 30,000) Not required Monthly income 28000, payback two months
Tailoring for pets Purchase of fabric, 1 meter = 300-500 rubles The ability to sew One ready-made suit costs from 1500 to 2000. Payback month
Home beauty salon 30000 rubles Knowledge of hairdressing 4-5 months

Open your own business with minimal investment - it's real. The most important thing at the initial stage is to monitor the situation on the market, identify a niche area and draw up a business plan. Next, you need only perseverance and the desire to make a profit. You should not expect that the money will flow like a river on its own, in the first months you will have to “work hard”.

To open your own business, first of all, you need an idea, a well-designed plan and start-up capital. The volume of investments mainly depends on the type of activity, its scale, as well as location.

Some projects do not require large initial capital investments. For example, money may be needed only to register an enterprise. As an office, you can use your own living space, convert a personal garage into a warehouse. To issue goods for sale on credit, and print promotional materials on home printer. In this case, the business will begin to generate income with minimal initial costs.

According to statistics, about 20% of small businesses in the United States started their activities with $1,000 - $5,000. The majority (about 90%) of businessmen used their own savings for a startup, that is, without attracting bank loans.

More than 50% of successful companies (according to the latest research of the US Small Business Association) were organized precisely "at home" and required investments in the range of $25,000.

The amount of costs is also affected in which country the enterprise is opened. For example, to open a McDonalds cafe with a total area of ​​150 m2 in America, you will need to invest about $100,000, and in Moscow: $500,000 - $1,000,000.

Where to start your business?

Before starting your own entrepreneurial activity necessary:

  • Decide on a direction. In this case, it is important to take into account personal knowledge, experience and skills. The more information a businessman has, the more likely it is that the project will become profitable.
  • Research potential competitors. This stage will allow you to understand how to make money on the chosen type of activity, what problems may arise and how profitable this enterprise is. The best option– to study the experience of both domestic and Western colleagues.
  • Create a business plan. A rather laborious stage, on which the success of the entire enterprise depends, as well as the chances of attracting external investors. A well-written project will make it possible to avoid not only unplanned expenses, but also complete bankruptcy. According to statistics, about 70% of all small firms close within the first year of operation.
  • Make a budget. In this case, it is not allowed to use approximate calculations, the figures must be accurate and reasonable. Not all entrepreneurs own enough money for a startup. According to research by the Kauffman Foundation Growthology: 34.9% of the start-up capital is a bank loan; 6.3% - financial assistance from relatives; 6.2% - money from credit cards; 22.6% - other sources and 30% - own savings.