For a while I have been considering starting a snow boarding business and really do think it is something that will have a lot of potential. In my area there are two slopes near by and there is no local businesses that service us snow boarder's needs. What I would like to do is start a snow boarding business that sells snow boarding clothing and snow boarding equipment and of course boards themselves. For years I have been trying to think of a business idea and I really feel that incorporating my love for snow boarding with my love for business would be a great idea. I done a degree in business however since achieving this degree I have yet to actually go out there and give it a try in the real world on my own. I am currently a business consultant for an accountancy firm, and although I enjoy my job my true desire is to go out and do it on my own, and for myself.

What I will need to do is get a business loan at first from the bank and buy a property and stock. I was thinking that one of the best ways to ensure that I get business is to position the shop as near to the slopes as I can possibly get. I was also thinking that I could reach agreements with the slopes under which they could effectively drive customers to my shop. In order to do this, I intend to organise a meeting with the managers of both slopes separately and decide on what they think is the best way that we can work together.

I now realise that the next step is going to be to put my business idea into writing and create a business plan. This is something that I do for my customers, and I am now going to have to go out their and do it for myself. I am also going to consider ways that I can market my business on the internet. From speaking with my clients I have noticed that very few actually achieve much success from their online marketing and there is a multitude of reasons why this is. The first thing that strikes me is that although they were willing to invest in a website they were completely unwilling to invest in online marketing. What I tell my customers is what I intend to do myself. I want to incorporate marketing online into my business plan and hopefully I can benefit from my attempts to gain business from a global audience. At the moment I am aware that there is a lot of competition online, however with a carefully articulated online marketing plan I am sure that there is success to be had online.

I am also hoping that in the coming weeks that I can meet with a supplier and hopefully get a better idea of the kind of profit margins that I can be looking towards. I have been told that in order to attain the best results I am going to have to meet minimum order requirements and then the supplier will give me the best prices. I see this as being a very realistic goal, as I am sure that I will be able to think of ways that I can meet the minimum order requirement. Firstly, I could collaborate with another supplier and we could buy in stock together. This is something that several of my clients do, and it results in cheaper rates that both of the buyers can benefit from.

So I have everything planned but I just have to go ahead and actually do it! The thing is that I am also going to have to try and stick with my job for as long as I possibly can. If I decide to leave my job too early then I will spend a period without a wage, however I should really inform management of my intentions.