MEAPA Helps Individuals Understand How To Start A Small Business

If you and/or your organization would like to hire MEAPA to conduct a workshop based on our proven process known as Now! Start A Small Business please contact MEAPA today.  Clients have also hired us to customize the cover of one of our publications.  To view samples of our customized covers please click here.  A brief outline of topics in Now! Start A Small Business include the following:

1. Assess your personal traits and habits – by evaluating how often you practice the traits and habits of successful people you will have a better understanding how what you can rely on as you look to launch or grow your small business.
2. Identify your intersection – identify the intersection of what you are good at; what you like to do and what people have paid you to do in the past.
3. Defining the need - as you look out across society what need/s do you see?
4. What are others doing? – what are others doing to meet this need/s?
5. What is your value proposition? – identify the one thing that will differentiate your product or service from the others that currently exist.
6. Interview people – talk to people about your product and ask them for feedback before, during and after the launch of your small business.
7. Determining start-up costs – exactly how much money do you need to launch your business as small as possible?
8. Understanding your resources – what resources in terms of people, organizations or events do you have at your fingertips to help you launch or grow your small business?
9. Defining features and benefits – create a list of features and related benefits for each one to help customers better understand the value of your product or service.
10. Complete a SWOT – by completing a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats assessment you can gain a better understanding of your competitors as well as overall marketplace.
11. Build your brand – be intentional with the brand you are building with people and over time they can help advocate it to others.
12. Design a two sided business card – leverage the space of a business card and maximize your ability to communicate by printing three reasons why people should buy from you on the back side of the card.
13. Create a web site – with free resources now available there is no excuse not to have a web site for your small business.
14. Find the time – there is always plenty of time to start a small business. It's just a matter of making it a priority among your free time.
15. Think long-term – instead of looking for riches immediately take a longer view of your small business and see it as something you can build over the long run as you work a full-time job that brings in the money required to pay your bills.