Mauro-Biello Posted April 6, 2009 Report Share Posted April 6, 2009 So I'm in my late teens/early 20s, and I have no idea if I want to go into university. After spending close to 3 years in CEGEP, it just seems that a higher education is not right for me. It is not set in stone that I will necessarily not go to university in the near future, but recently I was thinking about starting my own business and working part time on the side. I was wondering how hard is it start a business? I mean I see all the kids nowadays are going for accounting/commerce/management majors these days. I look at the current trend and I'm like there were plenty of entrepreneurs who managed to have success with their businesses without going to school right? The way I have things planned out right now, I won't be needing too much capital to start up. Maybe just a couple of hundred bucks or even less for server space (I plan to start an internet commerce) and lots and lots of hours doing market research. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gracie12 Posted April 6, 2009 Report Share Posted April 6, 2009 look at the current trend and I'm like there were plenty of entrepreneurs who managed to have success with their businesses without going to school right? A couple of things: 1) Just because it worked 20, 30, or 50 years ago, doesnt mean the rules are the same now. Remember that when a company makes it big, everyone else sees this but the trend cant be replicated - you have to do it first. I remember when Youtube became a hit & everyone said "oh why didnt i think of that" lol. 2) If you made a list of the most successful entrepreneurs, you would find that the vast majority of them did have some education. Sure there are cases where guys left high school & were billionaires before their 25th birthday, but this is rare - and probably more importantly - you are setting yourself up for a harder ride. The way I have things planned out right now, I won't be needing too much capital to start up. Maybe just a couple of hundred bucks or even less for server space (I plan to start an internet commerce) and lots and lots of hours doing market research. If you can make a business work with little to no capital, then what do you have to lose? The biggest risk of starting your own business is the financial side of things. Again to go back to youtube - if Chen, Hurley & Karim had not been willing to take the risk of using their own money to add more and more bandwidth & server space until it took off, they wouldnt have gone very far - they werent the first site to allow FLV uploads - they were just the first to do so with no real limitations...which is exactly why it became a multimillion dollar business while others faded away. Good luck & keep us posted on what you decide Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmash Posted April 6, 2009 Report Share Posted April 6, 2009 The way I have things planned out right now, I won't be needing too much capital to start up. Maybe just a couple of hundred bucks or even less for server space (I plan to start an internet commerce) and lots and lots of hours doing market research. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. I mean you never know, but if it was this easy, wouldn't everyone do it? Maybe you have some really special skill or some really great idea, but thinking that the internet is a way to start a business without any money is a mistake in my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteenIsThaFuture Posted April 6, 2009 Report Share Posted April 6, 2009 If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. I mean you never know, but if it was this easy, wouldn't everyone do it? Maybe you have some really special skill or some really great idea, but thinking that the internet is a way to start a business without any money is a mistake in my opinion. Ya my thoughts too, how exactly are you going to market your idea? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gracie12 Posted April 6, 2009 Report Share Posted April 6, 2009 If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. I mean you never know, but if it was this easy, wouldn't everyone do it? Maybe you have some really special skill or some really great idea, but thinking that the internet is a way to start a business without any money is a mistake in my opinion. I dont disagree with anything you're saying graeme - although back to my original thought: if there's no risk, whats the harm in trying? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteenIsThaFuture Posted April 6, 2009 Report Share Posted April 6, 2009 I dont disagree with anything you're saying graeme - although back to my original thought: if there's no risk, whats the harm in trying? Depends on the amount of time needed to be put into it. The OP said there would need to be tons and tons of research, so can the OP better spend their time? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mauro-Biello Posted April 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 6, 2009 1) Remember that when a company makes it big, everyone else sees this but the trend cant be replicated - you have to do it first. I remember when Youtube became a hit & everyone said "oh why didnt i think of that" lol. Well, I have a pretty good idea, not sure if it has already been done, but even if it has already been done, I think I could tweak it easily to make it distinct what's already existing 2) Sure there are cases where guys left high school & were billionaires before their 25th birthday, but this is rare - and probably more importantly - you are setting yourself up for a harder ride. Well I don't exactly plan to become a billionaire. If I manage to make me a stable lower-middle class income or even just a little to complement my current crappy wage job in the near future, I would be relatively happy. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Oh yes, this statement always keeps coming up in my head, especially because of the bad experiences I've had with multilevel marketing, pseudo direct sales and pyramid schemes. My idea sounds kinda good, it's not exactly super duper rosy, so I guess it isn't too good to be true? lol. I mean you never know, but if it was this easy, wouldn't everyone do it? Maybe you have some really special skill or some really great idea, but thinking that the internet is a way to start a business without any money is a mistake in my opinion. Well nowadays, people are so numbed with the idea of going of to school, getting your degree and getting into a respectable job. IMO, I feel that people have had an upbringing that really limits their creativity, in order to grow a pair and start doing stuff of your own. I have a relatively sound idea, I'm not exactly sure if this could really blossom into the next best thing, but at least I think it would beat having to work your typical grinding student/unskilled job. And about the internet thing, I guess you can't have expectations that are too high if you don't have much financial capital, but I view it as a cost-saving tool. Ya my thoughts too, how exactly are you going to market your idea? My business idea focuses on the creative industries. I'll start up expanding my social network into areas that are more or less relevant to the product/service I'll be making. I'll be spreading the word mouth-to-ear, I'll lurk message boards, post on billboards located in relevant locations. I'm not going to go too much into the details. Depends on the amount of time needed to be put into it. The OP said there would need to be tons and tons of research, so can the OP better spend their time? Well it's either that, or -Go back to school -Work a grinding wage job full time -Or become a professional musician. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmash Posted April 6, 2009 Report Share Posted April 6, 2009 I dont disagree with anything you're saying graeme - although back to my original thought: if there's no risk, whats the harm in trying? Exactly, if there was no risk everyone would do it. In general: no risk, no return. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gracie12 Posted April 6, 2009 Report Share Posted April 6, 2009 Exactly, if there was no risk everyone would do it. In general: no risk, no return. LOL - again, i dont disagree - all im saying is: why shoot down the guy's idea before he's even tried it? There may be very little chance of success, but if he's enjoying doing it, where's the harm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmash Posted April 6, 2009 Report Share Posted April 6, 2009 LOL - again, i dont disagree - all im saying is: why shoot down the guy's idea before he's even tried it? There may be very little chance of success, but if he's enjoying doing it, where's the harm. In that sense I agree, I mean if it's something you enjoy and don't mind spending some time on, then I guess there's no reason not to try it. But at the same time it's important not to have unrealistic expectations or start planning your life around something like this. And it's a bit hard to shoot down the idea when I have no idea what it is Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sun1 Posted April 6, 2009 Report Share Posted April 6, 2009 Hopefully this all ends in sexy results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry-Launstein-Jr Posted April 10, 2009 Report Share Posted April 10, 2009 So I'm in my late teens/early 20s, and I have no idea if I want to go into university. After spending close to 3 years in CEGEP, it just seems that a higher education is not right for me. It is not set in stone that I will necessarily not go to university in the near future, but recently I was thinking about starting my own business and working part time on the side. I was wondering how hard is it start a business? I mean I see all the kids nowadays are going for accounting/commerce/management majors these days. I look at the current trend and I'm like there were plenty of entrepreneurs who managed to have success with their businesses without going to school right? The way I have things planned out right now, I won't be needing too much capital to start up. Maybe just a couple of hundred bucks or even less for server space (I plan to start an internet commerce) and lots and lots of hours doing market research. Mauro: It would definitely be to your advantage to further your education. I have two degrees, one in journalism, and one in graphic design. They enhance your credibility, and help separate yourself from the wannabes out there. And there are a lot of them out there in web design. I have even seen so-called professionals whose designs can't carry a truck up a hill. You see, it is a lot more than just being able to sell products online, but a matter of being able to present products in a way that makes a good first impression to a prospective client. That's why you need to develop your design abilities. I've seen so many instances of people who slapped together a website and then essentially said "Hey, I got a website, come visit me!". Slapping something together is not enough. My own website is going to need an upgrade soon, to keep pace with what I have done for my clients. There just isn't any easy solution to this. Your best bet would be to get in with a small business consultant (someone who can go over your idea with you and help you determine its feasibility). I have been doing graphic art and web design since 1992, and found out that I can never stop learning, because of the latest techniques. You see, you don't have to be an accountant or marketing person to do this. However, if you want to do e-commerce and do it well, you should definitely consider graphic art and web design, and incorporate e-commerce into it. That being said, please PM or e-mail me and I'll be happy to continue this correspondence with you. There may be an alternative to an university that you may be able to explore, like a community college, or a trade school that specializes in design and online commerce (since they both go hand-in-hand, there is no separating the two, as I have already explained). When you contact me, please let know more specific details about the kind of business you are looking to start, and we can go from there. I can also forward some examples of sites I have done utilizing e-commerce. The moderators of this forum don't like sites of that nature posted here, and I respect their wishes, so please contact me privately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.