Its scary venturing out on your own, isn't it? No more steady paycheck - now your survival depends solely on your business' success. But that fear can be overcome through knowledge. The right information can help eliminate anxiety, answer all your "what-if" questions and build your confidence as an entrepreneur. See, people are afraid of what they don't understand. Learn what you need to know about your industry, your market and of course, your competition, and you'll find that the fear quietly goes away.

So where do you start?

Business Profile

One of the first things you'll need to do is create a business profile. The profile is an in-depth look at every facet of your business. What kind of growth potential can you expect? Who is your competition? What does your business offer that theirs doesn't? Who is your target market? How will you reach them? Will you have a brick-and-mortar storefront or do you expect to make your sales on the Internet? Start asking questions and then go find the answers.

Start Up Costs

With your business profile in place, you need to figure out what your business is going to cost you. Advertising for example, rent, packaging, product.... you get the idea.

Operating Costs

What will it take to keep your business running? Besides taking care of your month-to-month business expenses, you'll also need your business to pay for your personal expenses as well as turn a profit. Granted, you aren't likely to see such a dramatic return on your investment right off the bat but you still need to project what kind of numbers you're expecting.

Revenue

Now that you know what your expenses will be, how much do you think your business can bring in? An easy way to estimate your revenue is to look at your competition. If the industry overall does $1, 000000/year and there are only 10 businesses established in this type of service or product, then the average business revenue per year would be $100,000. If its not enough to cover your expected costs, now is the perfect time to recalculate your expenses and see where you could make cuts.

Obviously, there's a few more items to consider when looking at a new venture but these basic steps are a good starting point. Once you've gotten everything together, you can put a business plan in place. This will be your blueprint to success.

What if your business idea has a few flaws? The wonderful part at this point is:

1.You haven't invested a dime yet, just time!!!

2.You have gained knowledge to see be confident to move forward or not.

3.Hopefully have satisfied yourself with the “what if answers” to your questions.

Remember, even a seasoned business person who starts a new venture has a fear of failing. The difference is, they don't let their fear get in the way of their dream.

Learning to Make the Sale

If you think about it, every human being is a good sales person…they just aren't aware they have this hidden talent.

But the truth is, we're all actually selling things and constantly use these four steps below:

Qualify

When you see the trailer for a new movie you'd like to see, you immediately think of friends and family that would enjoy the flick as well.

Educate

Knowing that your brother, sister or best friend would likely love the film, you'll call them up and say:

•I heard there is a really funny film that came out called ….

•They say it is about these people who….

•The actors in it are…..

•It was made by the same people who did …

I thought of you because we both like comedies and this one is supposed to be hilarious. I think we would both get a real kick out of it, and have a great time.

Tuesday is half-price day - want to go see the 7:30 show?

The bottom line? If you've ever sold you friend on going to a movie, then you have the ability to be a good sales person.