Advice on Starting a Business, from Ralph Vince

November 28, 2012 |

First consideration, have a customer who is willing to pay. If you have that, you have a business. Without that, you have an idea and not a business.

Second, be willing to amend your plan(s) in whatever fashion in order to accomodate what the customer is looking for.

Third, don't listen to anyone–naysayers, govt regulators or other douchebags– just go, do it.

Jeff Watson writes:

It might be advantageous to consider the possibility of finding a business near bankruptcy and doing a turn around. Failing businesses like pizza and bagel shops and others can often be bought turnkey for pennies on the dollar (the owner is selling equipment before the creditors can attach it), moved to a new location and turned around, or liquidated.

Plenty of people go into business without enough specific knowledge, capital, a business plan, proper help, quality product, or a realistic price list. They compound these mistakes by not watching their pennies, mismanaging inventory, having over optimistic, unrealistic expectations. They also might place too much trust in their employees and not notice what's going out the back door. Many don't realize that running a business is 24/7 and every small detail counts. I've seen small business owners who don't even know their raw material costs or how to figure a gross profit. I've also seen people go into business not knowing the size of the market which can be as deadly in a brick and mortar business as not knowing how much wheat is for sale at any given time.

A further note, speaking of gross profit, if I walk into a small business that is always disorganized, messy, poor sanitation, dirty windows, I would readily make a wager that the business also has a gross profit problem and probably much worse. I am always on the lookout for these types of opportunities, since being a silent partner in a properly managed turnaround situation can be very profitable. It's the ecology of the business world, just like in the markets…the strong eat the weak.

George Coyle asks:

Ralph,

Re: your 1st consideration, I assume you just mean end market demand for whatever it is you are selling. If entrepreneurs waited for the end market demand to cover costs I would imagine the majority of businesses that exist today wouldn't.

Ralph Vince writes:

I mean before you go to sell or market something, find at least one person who tells you, "yes I will buy THAT at THAT price," and tell them you;ll be back with it tomorrow, or whenever. But make the sale, whether you are selling vats of mustard or something that has never been sold before. If you are going to consult — don't go into the consulting business, get a customer to pay you for something. Now you are a consultant. Do not go into business and wait for a sale
– that's doing it backwards.

Vince Fulco writes:

Ralph- the latest craze in the start up world of 20 year olds is developing a minimum viable product. MVP, which is the barest of bare bones app/site/product, gets customers to sign on and then one goes about building out the real infrastructure. Think of fake storefronts with no sides or back walls. Frankly, some of the truth stretching to get paying customers on board makes me conjure up carny barkers. Similar to the HF/FOF world, most experienced business people never, ever, ever want to be the 1st customer. How do you surmount that hurdle?

Vinh Tu writes:

Look at Kickstarter. there's no pretense, really: people are pretty upfront about the fact that they're at a stage where it's mostly a webpage, maybe a prototype or half-baked product. And in some cases people are still willing to kick in the cash.

Vince Fulco adds:

This is a good list for a quick and dirty website idea.

And throw in reveal.js for your funding/customer pitches.

Comments

4 Comments so far

josh g on November 28, 2012 6:30 pm
Jeff - where would you reccomend a young person to look to start finding business like those that you mention “It might be advantageous to consider the possibility of finding a business near bankruptcy and doing a turn around. Failing businesses like pizza and bagel shops and others can often be bought turnkey for pennies on the dollar (the owner is selling equipment before the creditors can attach it), moved to a new location and turned around, or liquidated.
“
Andre Wallin on November 28, 2012 6:46 pm
I think more people should be doing psychedelics and reflecting.
Andre Wallin on November 29, 2012 2:04 pm
if true happiness is learning to throw things away and become compassionate human beings living with necessities / no desires…what happens to capitalism? what’s sp500 valued at?
jeff watson on November 29, 2012 3:21 pm
Cultivate a community banker who always knows what business is failing, chat up suppliers(not the corporate guys but the route delivery guys who know who is past due on terms), and just hit the streets. Sit outside a business for a day and do a customer count, also notice what they’re bringing out. If you are interested in that business, observe the back door for a day just to get a feel. Also, look through their garbage dumpsters, see what they are throwing out. That alone, tells volumes, because waste is lost profit and waste and shrink can be managed. Don’t befriend a bankruptcy lawyer, as they never give anything away. The best business opportunities are never advertised. FWIW, I mentioned a pizza business because a pizza has a roughly 70% gross profit, has a $10-20 ring at the cash register, and most people eat pizza a lot. Bagel shops and bakeries have much smaller cash register rings but those 80-90% gross profits are nice if you can control the labor costs.

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