How to create your own business from scratch: a practical guide. Where to start your business - a step-by-step plan from scratch for beginners Business, where is the best place to start

The failures of beginning entrepreneurs are most often based on typical mistakes. A study of business failures at the start and an analysis of the reasons for this phenomenon showed that in most cases serious mistakes are made. They can be avoided. We bring to your attention the TOP most common mistakes of novice entrepreneurs.

Break-even point not determined

You'd be surprised how many people start a business without doing the basic math and figuring out how many products or services they need to sell to break even. But this is one of the most important markers and indicators of business viability.

The break-even point is determined by elementary calculations. Add up all your current expenses for the month. The break-even point is reached when your profits cover all expenses. This is the minimum you should earn. If, according to forecasts for several months, it is unrealistic to achieve this level of income, it is better to abandon this business.

Conclusion: You cannot invest money (loans or savings) in a business idea unless you have a complete and clear financial analysis.

Illusions about a perfect start

Many startups rely on a standard business - they purchase high-tech equipment, rent a luxurious office in the central area, organize an elite restaurant, etc. In itself, the desire for an ideal is very commendable, but in practice we record massive examples of bankruptcies of ambitious projects. After analyzing the reasons, two main errors appear:

  • The service or product was not in demand. If there is no demand in a particular region or city, a luxurious office will not help.
  • Incorrect capital allocation. Example. The young enterprise invested the lion's share of the start-up capital in the purchase of high-tech equipment, without leaving the necessary reserves for the purchase of raw materials and other current expenses. The first months of operation did not produce the expected profits. The result was that in order to pay off the debts, we had to sell the equipment.

Conclusion: Make sure your products or services will be in demand. Don’t rush to invest large sums, create a small business with minimal investments and test the viability of your idea in practice.

Lack of professionalism and love for your work

Are you smiling skeptically? In vain. Explore success stories in Russia and around the world. You will not find a single example of a profitable business whose owner does not understand the essence of his field or is not in love with his business. Regular economic development reports show the most profitable areas. If you don’t believe in the importance of love for your chosen field and passion for your business, choose the most promising field and get started. You will see from your own experience that this is a road to nowhere. But we see a lot of examples where businessmen, in love with their product or service, achieved outstanding results, despite the pessimistic forecasts of experts and the misunderstanding of others.

Conclusion: You must love your job and be the best specialist in it. This is the main component of success.

“Step-by-step plan for organizing a business”

Quite often we observe chaotic movements of novice businessmen and a complete lack of planning of actions. But the creation plan is extremely important. If you do not have knowledge in this area and do not know what stages are involved in creating a business, we offer you a plan that is suitable for any area.

Stage 1. Looking for an idea

This is the first place to start. If you can't come up with an idea, you shouldn't be an entrepreneur. But first, it’s worth understanding the terminology and making sure that you and I have the same understanding of the meaning of the expression “business idea.” We are not talking about a brilliant and innovative idea that can revolutionize an entire industry. We're talking about ideas that already work, but you see how it can be done better and provide a better service to consumers. We are not talking about large-scale projects; you can start a business with minimal or no investment.

A true entrepreneur sees opportunity in the challenges he faces every day.

A simple example. How are things going with garbage collection in your city? Yes, this is a very serious problem, but this is an opportunity for you to organize a profitable waste removal and recycling business. Now this is one of the most promising areas.

Are you into handicrafts? Sell ​​your products online, handmade items are in great demand now. Do you have a cottage or a small plot of land at your disposal? Grow and sell herbs or vegetables - this is in great demand. Interesting ideas are right in front of your eyes, choose any one you are inclined towards.

Stage 2. Analyzing the market

You should have a few preferred ideas in mind. Now we need to evaluate each of them for relevance. Conduct a survey, observe the situation in your city or region, read the analytics. If your idea is in demand, evaluate your closest competitors. Objectively evaluate the pros and cons of their work, think about what you can do better. Compare everything: quality and service, range, prices. Soberly assess your capabilities and work out your advantages as carefully as possible.

If you have come to the conclusion that your product or service is truly needed and that you can compete with existing companies, proceed to the next step.

Stage 3. Planning

Drawing up a business plan must be approached with the utmost seriousness. Most people ignore this stage and order the writing of a business plan by specialists only when it is necessary to attract investment. But this is a big mistake. First of all, you need a clear and realistic plan. Do not buy ready-made business plans - they are useless.

List everything you need for a successful start and plan your current expenses for the next six months. In the future, try to stick to your planned expenses, but create an emergency fund just in case. Based on the costs, you can determine the break-even point and begin setting prices. In the process of organizing and developing a business, try to check the plan as often as possible and analyze the reasons for deviations, if any.

Stage 4. We are looking for start-up capital

There are options in which a business is created without money or with minimal investment. But, as a rule, a certain amount is still needed to start. When writing a business plan, you have already determined how much money you need. Immediately add at least 20% to this amount. This way you will get a more or less real amount of the required starting capital. Start searching.

Great if you have the required amount. It is strictly not recommended to start with a loan. Look for options with franchises and small business assistance programs, attract partners with money or investors, try to find additional income, but do not take out a loan.

Stage 5. Registering a business

Don’t even hope that you will be able to work without registration. If you do not understand the intricacies of registration and find it difficult to choose a registration form, hire an experienced lawyer. Paying for his services will pay off with interest.

Stage 6. Reporting and paying taxes

During the registration process, you will determine the most advantageous tax payment system for you. The choice largely depends on the scope of activity and the size of your business. Hiring an experienced and qualified accountant is extremely important. But you yourself should have at least minimal knowledge in the field of finance. Read articles, study, without this success in business is impossible.

Stage 7. Quick idea testing

This stage can be completed before registration, although much depends on the chosen field. As a last resort, try to do a quick test before making a serious investment of big money. How is testing carried out? Use your own funds to conduct a minimal advertising campaign, create a small batch of a product or offer services and try to sell it. Studying demand in practice is extremely important.

Remember one of the common mistakes? Don’t rush to invest heavily and don’t immediately build the perfect business. Create something minimal and test how it works. If the expected result is not achieved, do not rush to abandon your idea. Perhaps the reason was hidden in incorrect planning, price, or incorrect assessment of the target audience. During the test, conduct a survey of consumers, find out why they do not buy your product or refuse services.

Based on the results of quick testing, you will be able to see your mistakes and make adjustments to the plan. The option of abandoning an attractive idea and looking for a new one cannot be ruled out. This is a very important stage, it allows you to save money, effort and time on the implementation of an erroneous plan or an unclaimed idea.

Stage 8. Development

You conducted testing, adjusted the plan based on its results and began to receive your first profits. You need to start developing right away. Distribute your income as follows:

Cover current expenses.
Set aside a certain percentage for possible force majeure circumstances.
The rest is invested in development.
In this list, you did not notice the costs of meeting your personal needs. There is no mistake here. When planning to start a business, you had to find a source to meet your family's needs in case of failure. Stick to this plan and do not waste the profits of your new business, they should be invested in development. Only a few adhere to this rule; this is one of the most common reasons for failures after a more or less successful start.

Stage 9. Active promotion

This is an integral part of development, but it is too important and requires a separate discussion. By development, everyone understands an increase in production capacity, expansion of staff and assortment or range of services. This is correct, but many entrepreneurs in Russia underestimate the importance of advertising and finding new markets.

It is not enough to expand the staff and capacity; the entire economy must be provided with work. Don't rely on word of mouth and half-hearted, cookie-cutter marketing methods. Use aggressive advertising, actively look for new clients using any available and currently possible methods. Use everything, but be sure to analyze the results and weed out what is not effective. Maintain and develop advertising methods that bring tangible results with minimal budget expenditure.

Stage 10. Expand your geography

You have reached the level at which the business operates decently within one city. Don’t stop and enter the market of neighboring towns or regions. There is no desire or opportunity to expand geography? Explore options for mastering a related field, master innovative areas. Don’t stop, otherwise you will gradually begin to roll back and wait for a more enterprising and nimble competitor to appear who will offer your customers more favorable conditions.

“Important criteria for assessing business performance”

There are very clear markers by which you can determine the success of an enterprise’s development and find dangerous mistakes at the very start. These should be taken with the utmost seriousness:

  • After several months of work, conduct an audit. If, based on its results, you see that the business does not generate even minimal income and is even operating in the red, it is not viable. Investments and loans will not save the situation, but will only worsen your situation.
  • If actual sales are much lower than planned, immediately change your work style or plan.
  • Starting a business is a challenge. You will experience stress - this is normal only to a certain extent. If entrepreneurial activity causes you obvious and constant discomfort, either leave the business or change your approach.

To start your own business, you need to choose a suitable area of ​​activity, draw up a business plan, and find a platform for the implementation of your plans. After which – purchase equipment and tools for work, register with the tax office, hire staff and get to work!

 

Owning your own business is the cherished dream of millions of Russians: who could be a better boss than yourself? With whom else to share success, if not with yourself and your partners? Thousands of aspiring entrepreneurs are not afraid even of the crisis and the prospect of complete ruin. The most difficult thing is to take the first step, abandon the usual pattern of behavior and plunge headlong into the world of high earnings.

Before you start your business, you need to create a certain reserve. It is possible that for several months the new enterprise will not bring any profit - only losses. It is important to evaluate each step, analyzing its prospects, otherwise ruin is a matter of time. What should a young entrepreneur do on his path to success?

Starting a business includes many stages:

    Choosing an idea.

    Maybe you'll like selling ice cream at a children's park: the profits are solid. Or you are crazy about beer, and therefore want to open your own factory. Or, like Oleg Sirota, organize the production of Parmesan in the Russian outback. Perhaps an entrepreneur is seduced by his own sugaring studio - there are many options.

  1. Search for a site.
  2. Every business needs a headquarters where activities are planned and coordinated. This could be a traditional office, rented for a certain period of time, a coworking space, or a virtual space. This expense item is very important for productive work.
  3. Activities must be based on a competent and accurate project that will allow success to be achieved in the foreseeable future. The fewer “white spots” in the plan, the clearer and more understandable the labor process.

    Registration.

    The legal form can be an institute or LLC. Less common forms of doing business require more time and money to register.

    Obtaining permits and approvals.

    Licenses will be required for the sale of alcohol, private investigation, educational, medical activities and other areas of work. Decisions of various bodies are also needed for trade and construction - it all depends on specific circumstances.

    Registration of credits and loans.

    If your own working capital is not enough, you need to think about attracting resources. A loan can be issued to start working on a franchise; equipment can also be purchased on lease - you need to look for options. In addition, the newly created company can nominate shares, which is also an excellent way to raise funds.

    Purchase and installation of equipment.

    To carry out any activity, objects and means of labor are required: their role can be machines, cars or simply computers. Without your own equipment base, it is impossible to ensure stable operation and plan it.

    Hiring staff.

    For a specific business plan and company, you need to select all the necessary employees: from the chief accountant to the cleaner. The process of hiring them depends on the organizational and legal form, but in any case must comply with the law.

    Choice of taxation system.

    Various alternatives are suitable for specific companies, depending on the number of employees and turnover. The choice of taxation system is very important for maintaining the maximum amount of resources on the company’s account.

    Launch of the project.

    After the main stages have been completed, you can proceed to the start. A big mistake is made by those entrepreneurs who start working without their own business plan and a clear answer to the question of what they want to achieve from life.

There are many other steps that a future millionaire will have to take. When thinking about how to start your own business, do not forget to make sure that it is legal in Russia. Thus, in our country the sale of psychotropic (narcotic) drugs, the activities of financial pyramids, and totalitarian sects are prohibited.

For 7 months of 2015, 383 thousand individual entrepreneurs were registered in Russia (this is almost 17% more than a year earlier). The total number of entrepreneurs was 3.5 million: approximately 5% of the total working population of Russia. Rapid growth was also noted among farms: the annual increase reached almost 50% - 18,500 more. In total there are 139.6 thousand units in Russia.

Buying a franchise as a sure start to business

Don't know how to start your own business without any hassle? Then you should definitely try an easy start with the help of a franchise. This is a ready-made model of work, more details of a business plan, thanks to which stable and successful activities are ensured. The most common types of franchises are chain restaurants, cafes, beauty salons, clothing and shoe stores.

A franchise has a number of advantages:

  1. Fixed costs. The level of expenses is carefully verified by the developers, deviations from the “general line” are within 10%.
  2. Training and assistance. Franchise creators will help in training staff, creating a corporate style, and achieving the desired level of service.
  3. Fast project progress. Good promotion of network companies is an excellent opportunity to quickly take your share of the business.
  4. Stable profit. Unlike the trial and error system, working with a franchise guarantees a certain income if all the recommendations of the model creator are fully followed.

Not everyone is equally lucky: entrepreneurial activity is always associated with high risks. Thus, in just 3 months of 2015, 3,756 legal entities in Russia were declared bankrupt in accordance with the established procedure. This means that they were unable to pay off their obligations and were forcibly liquidated. In total, 14,500 companies went bankrupt in 2014, and about 10% in December.

Purchasing an existing business

To avoid doubts and torment at the very beginning of your entrepreneurial career, you can purchase a ready-made business. This is much easier than creating your own store, restaurant or beauty salon. The buyer will not have to go through the process of registering a company or hiring staff again. It is enough just to competently take on the management of activities for the organization to generate stable profits.

Unlike purchasing a franchise, purchasing an existing business does not require paying royalties. It is enough to pay the seller once to keep all the dividends for yourself in the future. Some banks issue loans for the purchase of other people's businesses, so theoretically you can buy someone else's dream even without your own funds, but in practice this is unlikely.

Crowdfunding platforms - an investment tool

One of the main problems of a young entrepreneur is the lack of his own resources. CF platforms will help solve this issue: a place where money is issued against promises. The idea itself originated in the West, but has also taken root in Russia. Various amounts of funds are collected over several days or weeks. The main thing is that the idea is fresh, original and catchy: in this case, the success of the entrepreneur is guaranteed.

Summary: stop dreaming, it's time to act

So, starting your own business is a significant risk because every entrepreneur risks everything he has. However, with a competent approach to business, success is inevitable: every year thousands of people around the world become millionaires, and you have a real chance to be one of them.

Opening your own business is not an easy, but extremely interesting task, and the prospects can be simply exciting. Personal business provides not only a source of income, but also independence, the opportunity to optimally manage your time and resources, and acquire new knowledge and skills.

What business should a budding entrepreneur open? The answer to this question is always individual and determined not only by market and economic factors.

Which business is better to open: selection factors

When starting your own business, you will have to solve a number of problems - both strategic, procedural and creative - in order for the enterprise to start working and generate income.

  • Choosing a niche.

First, figure out what kind of business you will open, decide on the industry and market niche. What advantages should your business have to be successful and in demand? What are the features of the chosen business niche?

  • Choosing an idea.

After this, you need to develop a business idea, answering the question of what exactly the company will do. A business idea must be practical and promising. Uniqueness is not the main thing for business, but you need to have some kind of zest that distinguishes you from your competitors.

  • Marketing strategy.

The company's marketing strategy is based on a business idea. This strategy consists of several components: a basic definition of the company’s direction, ways to attract and retain customers, differentiation from competitors, selection of advertising channels, uniqueness of its products and services (so that they compare favorably with other offerings on the market).

  • Ready to fight.
An aspiring entrepreneur must be prepared for a long and hard struggle for success, often routine, with many mistakes in the process. It is advisable to immediately tune in to the fact that it will not be easy, and the businessman bears responsibility for all steps himself, but success is possible if you put in enough effort. In addition, opening your own business is only the beginning of a long journey: if things go well, the entrepreneur will have years of active work ahead of him. Therefore, it is advisable to provide yourself with the support of loved ones and relatives, so as not to break down and quit your business at the first setbacks.
  • Registration.

In different countries, the procedures for registering commercial firms vary greatly, and when deciding which small business is best to open, you need to study all the legal intricacies of this process. In the Russian Federation, you can register as an individual entrepreneur or as a legal entity. Think about what would be more appropriate in your case.

  • Business plan.

Drawing up a business plan is necessary for everyone who is going to open their own business, regardless of its specifics. It includes the company's development strategy, tactical measures, timing and costs. A correctly written business plan allows you to assess the prospects of a company.

From this document it should be clear what start-up capital you need to have to open your own business. In case of force majeure and unplanned expenses, this figure should be increased by one and a half times. If an entrepreneur does not have his own financial resources, you can contact a reliable bank for a loan for the longest possible period and at the lowest interest rates.

  • Organization of reporting.

Issues of accounting reporting and document flow should also be thought through in advance. If you do not have the appropriate education, it is better to immediately hire an experienced accountant. This can be done as part of an outsourcing agreement or you can invite one of your familiar accountants to work.

The personality of the business founder largely determines the success of the entire project. In this activity, such qualities as persistence, speed of response, composure, efficiency, high self-organization, energy, and leadership qualities are important. Many great business ideas are stuck at the concept stage because the authors did not have enough strength, motivation and skills to open their own business and persistently develop it. Therefore, at the stage of thinking about which small business is best to open, you need to analyze your own capabilities, psychological characteristics and limitations, and not just market conditions.

In addition to character, important resources of a business leader are his professional skills, knowledge, accumulated experience, and connections. If a person opens his own business in an area where he has already worked for some time and knows the nuances well, this gives him an advantage over less informed and experienced entrepreneurs.

Which is better to open a business from scratch?

All existing types of business can be classified into one of three types:

Production

It does not have to be large-scale, labor-intensive and expensive. It makes no sense for a novice entrepreneur to immediately open something large - a factory, for example - if a small workshop with the most necessary equipment is enough for work.

Nowadays, the most promising and popular business is the production of unique products: private bakeries and confectionery shops, craft breweries, production of designer furniture, creation of unusual accessories and decorations. Such a business does not require huge start-up capital, but the knowledge and skills of the entrepreneur and those he recruits into his team are very important - professional skills, creativity, and management competencies. Of particular importance for those who plan to open such a small business is the choice of a business niche and research of the market situation.

Services

They are divided into tangible and intangible. The first category includes, for example, education, catering, hotel business, passenger transport, construction, etc. You can open such a business only if you have a certain starting capital. But intangible services do not require special financial investments. This includes consulting in various fields, design, tutoring and coaching, hairdressing and manicure services, minor repairs of things and household appliances, etc. For those who have professional skills in any field, it makes sense to think about opening their own small business. business (another option is to hire qualified personnel).

Trade

Trading activities vary in scale: wholesale and retail. What type of trade is best to specialize in when opening a private business is a difficult question. You can get good profits in both cases if you organize business processes correctly. But in terms of investment, wholesale trade is more expensive.

In a situation where an entrepreneur has very limited capital, but wants to open his own business, the optimal solution would be intermediary activity in trade and services. There is no significant investment required from the dealer or distributor. By choosing an area in which you already have some knowledge and experience, a businessman not only combines work and hobbies, but also turns out to be better prepared to run his business than someone who is mastering a completely unfamiliar field of activity.

So, for example, it is best for a person with a diploma in low-temperature equipment engineering to open a business such as:

    a manufacturing company that produces spare parts and components for the installation of refrigeration units;

    a store selling ready-made refrigerators and spare parts for them, auxiliary equipment;

    mediation and consultation in the field of procurement of complex and large freezing installations for industrial facilities;

    providing the services of a repair and installation specialist for refrigerators or opening a corresponding company.

In these cases, the businessman will at least enjoy his activities. And knowledge and understanding of the chosen area will make it possible to obtain high profits in a relatively short time.

If an entrepreneur is going to open a business for little money, then in large cities and developed regions this will be difficult to do due to fierce competition. Entering the market and building a regular clientele will require much more money than creating a similar business in smaller cities.

By opening a business in a small town, you get the following advantages:

    low cost of renting premises for an office, store, workshop, etc.;

    lower costs for staff salaries;

    the opportunity to have no competitors at all in the chosen niche and set prices for your goods and services as a monopoly.

But there are, of course, disadvantages of doing business in small towns:

    low influx of customers due to limited traffic;

    profits are stable but small;

    It is difficult to find personnel, since many ambitious and highly qualified workers strive to go to work in big cities and the capital.

Therefore, before opening a private business in a small locality, carefully compare all the pros and cons of this decision and its prospects for you personally.

10 ideas on which business is better to open

1. Online store.

Online trading is currently experiencing a period of rapid development, and the most popular type of startup is an online store. The display and sale of goods takes place on the store's website, and then they are delivered to customers using courier services or mail. More and more people, especially middle-aged people, are interested in shopping in online stores, and those who are planning to open a business selling any goods on the Internet have the most encouraging prospects. This format of stores does not require sales floors, but depends entirely on the performance of the site, its usability and promotion in search engines.

In order to open an online clothing store for women or children, you will need a starting capital of 200 thousand rubles, which will go towards:

    development, content, support of the site;

    salaries for administrators (and, possibly, couriers, if they are part of the company’s staff);

    perhaps renting a warehouse;

    purchase of products and their transportation.

For stores selling clothing and knitwear, business profitability reaches 20–25%. If you purchase goods worth more than 200 thousand rubles monthly, you can expect a net profit of 40 thousand rubles. Provided that the store is actively promoted, a competent assortment policy and successful selection of suppliers, such a business will pay off within 4–6 months from the moment it was opened.

2. Street fast food.

Another popular type of small business is a small stationary retail outlet engaged in the production and sale of drinks and fast food dishes, primarily closed and classic sandwiches according to original recipes, coffee, etc. This type of fast food differs from the usual shawarma and hot dogs in its high quality and wide range, unusual ingredients and recipes, targeting lovers of a healthy lifestyle and vegetarians. During a crisis, the revenues of cafes, restaurants and other traditional catering establishments fall, but fast food is gaining momentum, and many entrepreneurs are opening just such a business.

It is best to locate points selling street fast food in places with large crowds of people and high traffic: near transport hubs, train stations, shopping centers and markets, educational institutions. When opening a business selling fast food, stock up on starting capital of at least 275 thousand rubles for renting retail space, purchasing premises (which can be a pavilion or stall, or a mobile trailer), purchasing equipment (heated display cases, refrigerators, ovens, coffee -cars, etc.). With a daily turnover of about eight thousand rubles, the monthly revenue of a fast food outlet will be up to 240 thousand rubles, and with a profitability of 30%, the business will pay for itself in less than six months of operation.

3. Outsourcing company.

This type of business consists of providing third-party firms with various services for a fee: legal support, accounting and financial management, technical support in the IT field, using a call center to receive orders. Outsourcing as a type of business is relatively new; its market is in its formation stage. During the crisis, more and more outsourcing firms are opening, since it is more difficult for companies to maintain all the necessary specialists on their staff, and the need for their services has not disappeared.

In order to open an outsourcing company, you need a starting capital of 550 thousand rubles. The main costs at the first stage consist of:

    searching, hiring and paying for the services of qualified specialists in the chosen field;

    renting an office in the city center or another easily accessible location, renovating and purchasing office furniture and everything necessary for work;

The main thing in outsourcing is high quality and completeness of the services provided, compliance with deadlines, and responsibility for the result. As a rule, outsourcing companies do not have a single approved price list, since the cost of services is determined individually in each case and is specified in a special agreement with the client.

4. Canteen-catering.

A catering enterprise in the format of a city canteen is a more expensive and complex business than a fast food outlet, but in the long term it is much more profitable. Budget canteens are in steady demand among various groups of the population, from students and workers of nearby enterprises to tourists passing by (if the canteen is located in the city center or near attractions). Even with the high saturation of the market with such catering establishments, canteens still provide a stable profit. The choice of premises plays a very significant role in this business: in addition to a good location, it must meet a number of technical, hygienic and other requirements.

The start-up capital required to open a canteen will be approximately one million rubles. This money is needed for:

    renting premises, renovating them, decorating halls for visitors;

    selection, training, payment of personnel;

    acquisition and installation of necessary equipment and furniture.

The most successful option is a canteen with a capacity of 50 people (however, it should be taken into account that full occupancy is possible only during certain hours of the working day; at other times it will be much less). In a year of stable operation, such a business will pay off when it reaches a daily income of 25 thousand rubles (excluding overhead costs), and this is possible with an average check of 200–300 rubles and a traffic rate of 50–60%.

5. Prefabricated structures.

This business idea is to build turnkey wooden frame houses. Such buildings are in great demand among representatives of the middle class who want to have a country house or cottage in nature. The full cycle of building a frame house is only a few months, and the cheap materials used for the construction of such an object make it a very profitable investment.

You can open a business for the construction of frame houses if you have a starting capital of 500 thousand rubles or more. The main expense items when launching such a business project will be:

    opening one or more offices (for receiving orders, communicating with clients, drawing up contracts for the purchase of ready-made frame structures);

    selection, training of construction teams, wages for them;

    purchase of necessary tools, construction equipment, equipment;

    hiring office employees, paying them for their work and expenses for maintaining offices;

The profitability of this type of business depends on the cost of materials used to build each house. The average cost of 1 m2 of living space in frame houses is usually 30–40 thousand rubles, and the market price of each such meter is 70 thousand rubles. That is, the entire townhouse or cottage will cost the buyer approximately two million rubles. Just two completed projects are enough to recoup the initial costs of this business.

6. Salon.

Small hairdressing salons of the low and medium price segment, providing a full range of services, are in stable demand among all categories of the population in large and medium-sized cities. When opening such a business, you should strive for high-quality service, building good relationships with clients (so that people want to come to your hairdresser again and again) and maintaining prices at an affordable level. The most suitable places for hairdressers are residential areas with a large number of residents, near shopping centers and main transport hubs - bus and tram stops, metro stations, etc.

In order to open a hairdressing salon, you need to have a starting capital of 300 thousand rubles, which will be required to pay rent for the premises, purchase furniture and equipment, consumables, to decorate the premises and launch advertising, as well as to hire craftsmen and administrators.

This type of business provides opportunities to generate additional profit through:

    subletting the premises or part of it to representatives of related professions - manicurists and pedicurists, makeup artists - to attract clients;

    leasing some jobs to third-party hairdressers (instead of hiring our own staff).

A small hairdressing salon, where the average bill for services is 250 rubles, and about 16 clients are served during the working day, all other things being equal, pays for itself in a year and a half. And if the list of services expands, and the company actively carries out marketing activities and uses all advertising channels, then this will happen even faster. The planned profitability in this case is expected to be 29%.

A similar type of business is a beauty salon. If you open it in the smallest size - like an office of a beauty service specialist at home - then the initial investment will be only 30 thousand rubles (for completing training courses, purchasing all the necessary cosmetic devices and equipment, advertising your services).

If you already have professional training in the field of haircut and styling, makeup, manicure, pedicure, eyebrow correction, hair removal, etc., the first step to creating your own business should be to gain experience and a portfolio. To do this, you can first practice for free on your relatives and friends, and then create your own group on a social network and offer your services for a small price.

The popularity of this business format is due to the fact that during a crisis, large beauty salons only increase their prices, and private hairdressers who go to clients’ homes to prepare them for important events (weddings, holidays, etc.) or host them, provide the same services for much less. After all, they don’t have to pay rent or share profits with the owner.

For private craftsmen, informal advertising channels are relevant - recommendations, word of mouth, social networks. More expensive platforms for advertising your services include wedding magazines and Internet portals.

7. Pharmacy.

People will need medicines always and everywhere, so opening a stationary pharmacy to sell medicinal products at retail is a very promising business idea, even with high competition in this market niche. It is best to open such a business in residential areas near metro stations and other transport hubs (train stations, public transport stops) or near large supermarkets, choose a discounter format and rent a small space for a pharmacy.

In addition to location, the success of this type of business is greatly influenced by the pharmacy’s pricing policy and the reliability of suppliers. That is, profits in this case are determined by turnover. Sales of hygiene and cosmetics, baby food, and medical equipment can become an additional source of income. In addition, legislation allows sellers to set high markups on certain groups of medicines.

As for start-up capital, a novice entrepreneur who wants to open a pharmacy will need at least half a million rubles. In addition to financial resources, you will need:

    qualified personnel;

    non-residential premises with all pharmacy equipment;

    established relationships and agreements with wholesale suppliers of medicines.

8. Children's thrift store.

The essence of this business idea is to open a small store that accepts high-quality children's goods from customers for sale and resells them at a price that includes the seller's commission. Such stores are actively gaining popularity and more and more of them are opening, as children grow up and constantly need new clothes, shoes and household items, and many families are forced to save money and cannot afford to buy all this in regular stores.

In order to open such a business now, you will need a starting capital of about 300 thousand rubles. This amount will be spent on renting, decorating and equipping the retail premises (purchasing furniture, stands, equipment, creating a colorful sign or showcase), and wages for employees. However, if this is a family business, then you can save money on hiring salespeople and other staff. Advertising a store and maintaining its groups on social networks will require some financial investments, because you will need to constantly attract sellers and buyers. But you won’t have to purchase goods from wholesalers.

The most suitable places to open a children's second-hand shop are densely populated residential areas, houses near kindergartens, clinics, and grocery stores.

The optimal level of profitability for such a business, according to economists, should be 12–15%. Based on daily turnover of 15 thousand rubles, net profit per month can be up to 30 thousand rubles (after deducting all expenses).

9. Training courses, tutoring.

Tutoring has always been relevant, even in the most crisis periods, and especially after the introduction of the Unified State Exam. Not all parents can afford to pay for a language school or special courses to prepare their child for the Unified State Exam, but the services of a private tutor are quite affordable (especially if the training is conducted not individually, but in small groups).

In addition to preparing schoolchildren for exams, there are also a huge number of educational courses, trainings and seminars for adults. To open your own business in this area, you don’t have to spend money on renting premises, etc. - you can create online courses or conduct separate training events by renting suitable sites for a few hours. However, such a business will require investment in advertising.

10. Fixed price store.

For a business selling cheap consumer goods, the crisis became a catalyst for success. Consumers are saving more and more, and the “fixed price” format is attractive precisely because of its low prices. The assortment of such stores may include food, small household goods, and cosmetics.

There are two options for starting such a business: open a store on your own or buy a franchise. Start-up capital is required in the amount of at least 700 thousand rubles, which will be spent on:

    payment for rent or sublease of premises;

    purchase of commercial equipment;

    purchase of the first batch of goods;

    staff salaries.

For retail outlets, location plays a big role. It is better to open a business in places with a large flow of people.

You can purchase goods from China (if you do this directly, the cost will be record low).

As you understand, there are a lot of options for private business. Let's highlight the most relevant and profitable ones:

A comparison table showing which business is better to open:

Direction

Description

Essential services

These are all services that are constantly (or at certain points in life) required by every person: transport and transportation of small cargo, courier delivery of products, purchases and documents, maintenance and repair of household and office equipment, beauty industry (hairdressers, nail salons), catering, ritual services, repair of shoes, watches, etc. They will always be in demand

Agriculture

If you have a plot of land at your disposal, you can use it for agricultural work: growing vegetables and fruits, raising livestock, beekeeping. In order to succeed in agriculture, you need knowledge, experience and a certain character. Year-round cultivation of plants in greenhouses will require special equipment

Remote work via the Internet

Through the Internet you can provide services in the field of design, programming and web development, consulting, marketing and promotion, and recruitment. These business areas are among the most modern and in demand on the market.

Work from home

Having any professional skills, for example, tailoring, making accessories and furniture, makeup, hairdressing and manicure services, cooking, hosting events, coaching, etc., you can open your own personal business

When choosing which business is best to open, you should start, first of all, from your capabilities (financial, intellectual, professional), and secondly, from personal preferences and hobbies.

In order not to make a mistake in choosing your own business, you will need to study a large amount of information about the market. We advise you to start with the rating of growing foreign trade commodity markets "TOP-200 best goods for import and export", prepared by specialists information and analytical company "VVS". Our company is one of those that stood at the origins of the business of processing and adapting market statistics collected by federal departments. Main client categories: exporters, importers, manufacturers, participants in commodity markets and B2B services business.

    commercial vehicles and special equipment;

    glass industry;

    chemical and petrochemical industry;

    Construction Materials;

    medical equipment;

    food industry;

    production of animal feed;

    electrical engineering and others.

Quality in our business is, first of all, the accuracy and completeness of information. When you make a decision based on data that is, to put it mildly, incorrect, how much will your loss be worth? When making important strategic decisions, it is necessary to rely only on reliable statistical information. But how can you be sure that this information is reliable? You can check this! And we will provide you with this opportunity.

The main competitive advantages of our company are:

    Data accuracy. The preliminary selection of foreign trade supplies, the analysis of which is carried out in the report, clearly coincides with the topic of the customer’s request. Nothing superfluous and nothing missing. As a result, we receive accurate calculations of market indicators and market shares of participants.

    Preparation of turnkey reports and ease of working with them. Information is quickly perceived, since the tables and graphs are simple and understandable. Aggregated data on market participants is compiled into ratings of participants, and market shares are calculated. As a result, the time spent studying information is reduced and it is possible to immediately move on to making decisions that are “on the surface.”

    The customer has the opportunity to receive part of the data free of charge in the form of a preliminary express assessment of the market niche. This helps you navigate the situation and decide whether it’s worth studying deeper.

    We not only talk about the customer’s market niche, but also suggest the closest niches. We give you the opportunity to find a solution in time - not to be confined to your product, but to discover profitable new niches.

    Professional consultation with our industry managers at all stages of the transaction. We are the creators of this niche of export-import analysis based on customs statistics; our almost 20 years of experience are the key to effective cooperation.

In a financial crisis, when the number of jobs is declining, but at the same time the consumer and service sectors remain in demand, ideas or even businesses from scratch occupy the minds of ordinary citizens.

The desire to find opportunities for additional income is an important reason for searching for activities without capital investments. The benefit of such a business can be considered a minimal amount 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 the new endeavor.

Business from scratch - does it happen?

No, such a business does not exist. 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 a business, but a craft. But there are no other options with a zero start. If there is no money for hired workers, you have to be your own hired worker. And only with the growth of your business, your own skills, abilities and income, will it be possible to delegate some of your functions to someone else. Moreover, very often even “grown” small-scale businessmen are forced to create an adequate replacement for themselves over the years. This is the specificity of small business. Small business is a way of life. To dream that in a couple of years the gears will turn without any of your participation is at least naive.

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

Types of businesses you can start without large investments

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

Services

Automotive business ideas

The best ideas in the car business include the following:

Earn money online

For women

Video review

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

Production

The production 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 initially be results-oriented because they are creative and unusual.

Home business

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

Ideas for 2017

Every year new types of business appear, designed to generate, albeit small, income and capable of meeting the needs of society.

Ideas in crisis

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

Ideas for business in Moscow

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

Some examples of investments and payback periods for a business idea

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 specific field, diploma Depending on the number of students
Vending massage 1 chair 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 Renting premises and organizing advertising (approximately 30,000) Not required Income per month 28,000, payback two months
Sewing clothes for pets Buying fabric, 1 meter = 300-500 rubles Sewing skills One ready-made suit costs from 1500 to 2000. Payback period is a month
Home beauty salon 30,000 rubles Knowledge of hairdressing 4-5 months

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

15Jul

Why I decided to write this article

Because many who ask me questions ask something that at first you shouldn’t even bother about. There are even questions that a person may never face at all. In general, “Woe from Wit” occurs in the minds of many novice entrepreneurs, and we will “eliminate” this grief in this article. At least I'll try my best. Now let’s talk about mistakes, and then I’ll give you a step-by-step plan as I see it.

Some errors and their solutions

1. Break-even point not calculated

Many people start a business without even calculating how much they need to sell in what period in order to break even. This is important because many business models are cut off at this stage.

Calculating the break-even point is simple. You calculate how many expenses you incur per month and then calculate how much you need to sell goods or provide services per month to recoup these expenses. If the figure is too large and seems unrealistic to you, then it is better not to take on such a business. If you think that you can sell the right amount of goods to cover expenses or start covering expenses in a few months, then you can think about this business further.

Conclusion 1: Until you have a complete financial picture of the business in your head, you cannot borrow money or even use your savings.

2. Everything must be perfect

When starting your business, you want everything to be correct and beautiful: the most modern equipment is purchased, the most functional website is created, the office is renovated, etc.

Striving for better is useful, but there is one “BUT” - before spending money, check the functionality of your business model. When planning to make an expensive website design, first make sure that your services or products are in demand at all.

Or, if you are opening a cafe, before making expensive renovations, try to start selling in the premises you have with minimal investment. If sales continue and the location in a given area of ​​the city generates at least some profit, then you can expand or do some major renovations.

Conclusion 2: Don't invest significant amounts of money until you are sure that people need the product itself. And there is no need to bring everything to perfection, thereby delaying the start. Start with what you have and gradually develop and improve.

3. Lack of understanding of your future business or simply no love

I personally think that a business should at least be liked. For example, I love every business project I have, and if I didn’t love them, they wouldn’t be profitable.

Some aspiring entrepreneurs write to me with questions like “What to sell”, “What services are profitable to provide”, “What business is profitable to start”, etc. I answer everyone: “Open your own bank.” And no one likes my answer, although it answers all these questions. Every entrepreneur has a different life situation, different interests and different knowledge. If one likes to sell toys, and the other likes to sell men's suits, then they will not be able to switch businesses and be as successful. This is because they don’t understand the model itself and simply don’t feel interested.

Conclusion 3: You can't build a business on an idea just because you just know it's profitable and have no interest in it. Business needs to be understood, loved and “in the know.” For example, I would not be able to open a massage parlor and lead the business to success. Not because I don’t have enough money, but because I don’t know anything about this business.

Where to start your business - 10 steps from scratch

To begin with, I want to say that below I will give 2 plans on how to start your business: complete and simplified. Let's start with the complete one.

Step 1. Business idea

Of course, to start a business, you need to know what exactly to start. I have always said, I say and will continue to say that an entrepreneur must have an idea. If you can’t even come up with an idea, then what kind of business are we talking about? You don't have to be an innovator and come up with something unimaginable. You can take an already working idea, look around, find shortcomings in it, or simply improve it the way YOU see it, and it will be a different business. It is easier to enter an established market than to form it yourself. And the idea doesn’t have to be global; you can start a micro-business or.

In order to come up with or find a business idea, read the following articles and after reading you will 100% decide on the idea:

After reading the articles and coming up with ideas, you can move on to the next step.

Step 2. Market analysis

After choosing a business idea, you need to analyze the market, find out whether people need your product at all. Assess the competition, identify the positive and negative sides of competitors, find in yourself what will distinguish you from your competitors. Compare prices, quality of service, assortment (if this is a commodity business) and look as much as possible for what you can be better at. It is necessary. Why? Read!

Once you have assessed supply and demand and realized that you can compete with existing companies, you can move on.

Step 3. Business planning

Step 5. Register your business

This step cannot be skipped because the business must be registered. You can use LLC or individual entrepreneur. It all depends on your activity. The following articles will help you with this:

Once your business is registered, you can move on to the next step.

Step 6. Taxes and reporting

I indicated this step right away, because you must initially decide which tax system you will work under. This must be done immediately, because the amount of taxes and methods of payment depend on this. To do this, read the following articles:

And also read other articles in the section, because there you will always find up-to-date and complete information about maintaining tax and accounting records. You can also ask your question and get an answer from a specialist.

Step 7: Quickly test your idea

Some will say that you can test without registering a business. And you're right! This is possible, but it was not for nothing that I wrote at the very beginning that there will be 2 options for the development of events and in the second I will talk about it. Now let's move on to the testing itself.

What you initially need is quick testing - “testing in combat”. Use your own money to test the idea, give minimal advertising, make the smallest possible product and try to sell it. Study the demand in practice, so to speak. You have to look at your plan, evaluate what you minimally need to get started, and start right away. Why is this being done? At the very beginning, I wrote about one of the mistakes of beginning entrepreneurs, which is delaying the start, constant improvements, etc. There is no need to bring it to perfection, you need to start as quickly as possible in order to test the idea in action, get the first sales and be inspired to continue development.

If the start does not give the first sales, then you need to reconsider the plan, idea and look for mistakes. A quick start is also done so that in case of failure you will spend less time, effort and money. Would you agree that it would be more annoying to prepare for a year and then fail? It’s less offensive to realize your mistakes right away, while you still have little time to do. This way you can make adjustments along the way and everything will start to work out!

To test your idea and your business, it can help you. It is more for testing an idea on the Internet, but it is also suitable for the real sector (offline).

Step 8. Business development

After the tests have been carried out, the plan has been adjusted and sales have slowly begun, you can develop your business and refine everything that you wrote in the plan to perfection. Now you can improve the site, increase warehouses or offices, expand staff, etc. When your idea and business model have shown their effectiveness, it is easier for you to set more global goals. Moreover, you have already received the first money from your first orders or sales and can reinvest it in development.

If there is not enough money, then you can already resort to loans and borrowings, because the business brings in money and you can borrow for its development with a clear conscience. If you don’t need a lot of money, then even a credit card may be suitable. In I told you how you can use credit card money for your business without interest.

Step 9. Active promotion

This step could be classified as development, but I took it separately. Once you have wider warehouses, more powerful equipment and website, more employees, etc., you need to provide all this with work. This requires aggressive advertising to the maximum. You should take advantage of many advertising opportunities. Look for clients on the Internet, do offline advertising, engage in direct sales, etc. The more advertising tools you use, the better the result. But be sure to record the results and weed out ineffective advertising tools so as not to waste your budgets.

Step 10. Scaling

Your business is working well, bringing in money, you are constantly developing, everything is great! But there are also related directions or neighboring cities. If your business model is successful in your city, then you can open representative offices in other cities. If there is no desire or opportunity to go to neighboring cities, then you can simply capture an adjacent direction, if there is one at all.

For example, if you sell household appliances, you can simultaneously open a repair service and provide paid repair services. If your client’s equipment cannot be repaired, you can always offer him to buy something from your store in exchange. In general, look at your business and I am sure that you will find something to latch on to.

What else can you pay attention to?

When starting a business, there are several parameters that allow you to evaluate how effective your business is at the start; take them seriously:

If your business's net income is above zero, excluding equipment costs and taxes, then your business will survive because it generates some money. If it is below zero, it means your business is burning money and will not have enough loans and investments;

If you have planned sales for 200,000, but sell for 50,000, then this is a reason to seriously adjust your work and, possibly, the plan itself;

You should be comfortable. Business is hard. If you are also constantly having a hard time, then coping with business tasks will be difficult. Give yourself enough comfort that you don't feel left out by running your own business.

How to start and open your own business using a simplified scheme

As promised, I’ll give you a simplified diagram of how to start your own business. Because I have already described all the points above, so I will refer to them here so as not to repeat myself.

I myself have used this scheme more than once, because before I launched very small projects in which a lot could be missed. So the diagram looks like this:

  1. Idea (it should always be there);
  2. Easy planning, you don’t have to write it down, but put the main points on a piece of notebook. This is done in order to draw a model;
  3. A quick test of an idea. Perhaps even without investing and finding money. Or you will need very little money and it will simply be in your savings;
  4. Development and active promotion. After the first orders are received, you can begin active promotion and bring everything to fruition;
  5. Business registration and scaling.

As you can see, I left out registration at the very end, because some business projects can be implemented without registration, because during the test you don’t get so much money that you have to immediately run to report to the tax office for it. But if the business model has shown its efficiency and after active promotion the profits are growing, then the registration should be instant.

But even in the first stages you cannot do without registration if you need retail space, an office or work with companies under contracts, because for this you need at least an individual entrepreneur.

Conclusion

In this article, I told you where to start your business, talked about the mistakes that beginners often make and that I made, and now you know what you need to do before starting your business. Read my website, subscribe to it, and try to start doing your own thing. We will not leave anyone on the site without help. Thank you for your attention!

Best regards, Schmidt Nikolay