When you first start working with photography, it seems like your skills are growing by leaps and bounds. You will track your progress through noticeable changes both in the photo and in your work in general. Here are some tips to help accelerate your personal growth as you begin your photography career.
1. Visible changes. When you work in this field for a long time, you will never look at things the same way as when you started. You will become a student and at the same time a teacher for yourself, analyzing every photo and video that you perceive. It is very difficult to watch a movie without analyzing the cinematography and image settings. Once you start chasing high-quality images, count on a change in lifestyle. Waking up early or walking late to look for special lighting, etc., are becoming commonplace. You will find yourself constantly analyzing: how they are lit, where you can find similar places, how to recreate such effects and settings, etc. Photography is a powerful way of self-expression and “growing” yourself. Jumping headlong into this work, by the way, forces the right hemisphere to wiggle its convolutions.
2. It's an expensive hobby. Photography is not a cheap hobby. This applies to the purchase of equipment. After purchasing your first DSLR camera, you need lenses, flashes... And then, to move to the next level, when you have mastered the basics, it can be problematic to sell the “old system” to buy a new one to work at a higher level.
How can you avoid the costly side of this activity? Here's a thought that has two approaches: First, don't jump straight into the most expensive equipment. It is much easier to acquire everything gradually, and without panic, thinking carefully about the decisions; secondly, calculate your income and expenses, because numbers are our friends. You will learn to choose good things first. Remember, high-quality equipment can be purchased at affordable prices. The main thing is patience and knowledge of the characteristics. Read about the experiences of other photographers and come up with your own methods. In short, train your right brain.
3. Exposition. When starting to study an exhibition, many people make the mistake of trying to calculate its scale mathematically. Measuring the stop of light and filling the f-number is a big waste of time.
It's more important to learn how to balance the exposure triangle and be creative about the whole process. Don't get too hung up on perfect lighting; instead, remember that there are many interesting people and imagine how you can experiment with each of them.
4. Use manuals. The sooner you truly start taking control of your exposure, the sooner you will become more than a person who just pushes buttons. Of course, it's complicated and requires a lot of work and learning about metering, focus, and more. First you will use automatic exposure. But, gradually, abandoning it, you will take a huge step forward, becoming an artist, and not just a photographer. You will begin to fully control the photo, process the nuances of the impact, and also easily predict the final result. You will learn how to handle lighting, come up with other photo scenarios, combining effects, i.e. do more than the camera itself.
There is a great intermediate step that you can take to control one additional factor. First, understand that ISO affects quality just as much as the light reaching the sensor. You can then switch to controlling shutter speed and aperture, taking into account the visual results of all settings. By changing the priorities between shutter speed and aperture as you learn, you will rise to the top on the path to full mastery of these parameters.
5. Filming every day. It's terribly cliché, but we forget that this is the only way to improve our skills. You need to hold the camera in your hands every day, constantly shooting something. Everywhere.
Take photos with friends and challenge yourself. These are probably a couple of the best tips. When, for example, you have an order, many people put off completing it. “I’d better go for a walk,” they think. But! NEED TO DO! This is the whole secret of self-control. All orders and tasks keep your creative spirit alive.
6. Priority to lenses! At first, people change too many camera bodies, look for more megapixels, pay a lot of attention to autofocus, etc. But they just need to upgrade the lens. As long as you're working with the inexpensive camera and lens kit that comes with it, you're limiting your work. It is very important to choose the right lenses (with a wider aperture). This plays a big role.
7. Become a pro slowly. After your numerous filming, when the work is already being demonstrated, there is a high probability of business proposals. Be it a portrait of a brother, landscapes or a wedding series (by the way, a rather complex and responsible matter), friends. In general, you need to attract customers by all means. Therefore, when you already know how to do something, the idea will arise to make extra money on it. But there are nuances. Dealing with difficult clients who might cancel at the last minute introduces legal risks and more. You understand. Remember to carefully and gradually move to a professional level.
8. “I always take a video camera with me!” You will never be able to do anything worthwhile if she is not with you all the time. Motivation: Imagine that every time you leave your camera at home, you lose the rewards of photojournalism and all the rest. It helps. You will never take high-quality, spontaneous photographs if you are “separated” from the camera. Whether it's a DSLR or a cell phone. It's better if you always have something with you for taking pictures. The motto... no, even the whole philosophy should be the words: “I always take a video camera with me.” And there is no point in buying an expensive camera just to leave it dusty on the shelf. This is not good.
9. Better one, but high-quality thing. If your current camera is an interchangeable lens camera, then you might want to consider the second option – 50 mm f/1.8. With its fast aperture, it will help solve low light problems, control the depth of field. The lens included in the kit is unlikely to do this.
10. Examine the camera inside and out. One way to improve your photography is to understand what goes into your camera. When you don't have to think about which buttons to press, you can freely enter the creative process. You think about light, for example, without using the metrics that control aperture. When you really know all the settings, options, the camera becomes an extension of your eyes. Read the manual for it, delve into the settings. Healthy.
Photography is becoming a part of the lives of many. Starting from amateur filming, people grow to become professionals. But no one says that this can be learned easily and quickly. No. Only hard work and, of course, mad love for it all. Some people don’t like to be photographed, saying that photography stops time and kills it. Yes, but it all depends on perception. And we say that it preserves warm moments, serves as a memory. After all, it’s nice to look at a picture where you were once happy. Whatever you say.
To start your own business, you need to choose a suitable area of activity, draw up a business plan, and find a platform for the implementation of your plans. After which – purchase equipment and tools for work, register with the tax office, hire staff and get to work!
Owning your own business is the cherished dream of millions of Russians: who could be a better boss than yourself? Who else should you share your success with, if not with yourself and your partners? Thousands of aspiring entrepreneurs are not afraid even of the crisis and the prospect of complete ruin. The most difficult thing is to take the first step, abandon the usual pattern of behavior and plunge headlong into the world of high earnings.
Before you start your business, you need to create a certain reserve. It is possible that for several months the new enterprise will not bring any profit - only losses. It is important to evaluate each step, analyzing its prospects, otherwise ruin is a matter of time. What should a young entrepreneur do on his path to success?
Maybe you'll like selling ice cream at a children's park: the profits are solid. Or you are crazy about beer, and therefore want to open your own factory. Or, like Oleg Sirota, organize the production of Parmesan in the Russian outback. Perhaps an entrepreneur is seduced by his own sugaring studio - there are many options.
Preparation of a business plan.
Activities must be based on a competent and accurate project that will allow success to be achieved in the foreseeable future. The fewer “white spots” in the plan, the clearer and more understandable the labor process.
Registration.
The legal form can be an individual entrepreneur or LLC. Less common forms of doing business require more time and money to register.
Obtaining permits and approvals.
Licenses will be required for the sale of alcohol, private investigation, educational, medical activities and other areas of work. Decisions of various bodies are also needed for trade and construction - it all depends on specific circumstances.
Registration of credits and loans.
If your own working capital is not enough, you need to think about attracting resources. A loan can be issued to start working on a franchise; equipment can also be purchased on lease - you need to look for options. In addition, the newly created company can nominate shares, which is also an excellent way to raise funds.
Purchase and installation of equipment.
To carry out any activity, objects and means of labor are required: their role can be machines, cars or simply computers. Without your own equipment base, it is impossible to ensure stable operation and plan it.
Hiring staff.
For a specific business plan and company, you need to select all the necessary employees: from the chief accountant to the cleaner. The process of hiring them depends on the organizational and legal form, but in any case must comply with the law.
Choice of taxation system.
Various alternatives are suitable for specific companies, depending on the number of employees and turnover. The choice of taxation system is very important for maintaining the maximum amount of resources on the company’s account.
Launch of the project.
After the main stages have been completed, you can proceed to the start. A big mistake is made by those entrepreneurs who start working without their own business plan and a clear answer to the question of what they want to achieve from life.
There are many other steps that a future millionaire will have to take. When thinking about how to start your own business, do not forget to make sure that it is legal in Russia. Thus, in our country the sale of psychotropic (narcotic) drugs, the activities of financial pyramids, and totalitarian sects are prohibited.
For 7 months of 2015, 383 thousand individual entrepreneurs were registered in Russia (this is almost 17% more than a year earlier). The total number of entrepreneurs was 3.5 million: approximately 5% of the total working population of Russia. Rapid growth was also noted among farms: the annual increase reached almost 50% - 18,500 more. In total there are 139.6 thousand units in Russia.
Buying a franchise as a sure start to business
Don't know how to start your own business without any hassle? Then you should definitely try an easy start with the help of a franchise. This is a ready-made model of work, more details of a business plan, thanks to which stable and successful activities are ensured. The most common types of franchises are chain restaurants, cafes, beauty salons, clothing and shoe stores.
A franchise has a number of advantages:
- Fixed costs. The level of expenses is carefully verified by the developers, deviations from the “general line” are within 10%.
- Training and assistance. Franchise creators will help in training staff, creating a corporate style, and achieving the desired level of service.
- Fast project progress. Good promotion of network companies is an excellent opportunity to quickly take your share of the business.
- Stable profit. Unlike the trial and error system, working with a franchise guarantees a certain income if all the recommendations of the model creator are fully followed.
Not everyone is equally lucky: entrepreneurial activity is always associated with high risks. Thus, in just 3 months of 2015, 3,756 legal entities in Russia were declared bankrupt in accordance with the established procedure. This means that they were unable to pay off their obligations and were forcibly liquidated. In total, 14,500 companies went bankrupt in 2014, and about 10% in December.
Purchasing an existing business
To avoid doubts and torment at the very beginning of your entrepreneurial career, you can purchase a ready-made business. This is much easier than creating your own store, restaurant or beauty salon. The buyer will not have to go through the process of registering a company or hiring staff again. It is enough just to competently take on the management of activities for the organization to generate stable profits.
Unlike purchasing a franchise, purchasing an existing business does not require paying royalties. It is enough to pay the seller once to keep all the dividends for yourself in the future. Some banks issue loans for the purchase of other people's businesses, so theoretically you can buy someone else's dream even without your own funds, but in practice this is unlikely.
Crowdfunding platforms are an investment tool
One of the main problems of a young entrepreneur is the lack of his own resources. CF platforms will help solve this issue: a place where money is issued against promises. The idea itself originated in the West, but has also taken root in Russia. Various amounts of funds are collected over several days or weeks. The main thing is that the idea is fresh, original and catchy: in this case, the success of the entrepreneur is guaranteed.
Summary: stop dreaming, it's time to act
So, starting your own business is a significant risk, since every entrepreneur risks everything he has. However, with a competent approach to business, success is inevitable: every year thousands of people around the world become millionaires, and you have a real chance to be one of them.
When developing your business, you should think in advance about accounting. Such an attitude towards activity from the very beginning will allow you to closely monitor the progress of the new enterprise and catch the moment when emergency intervention is required. The process of turning a business from profitable to unprofitable often goes unnoticed. Individual entrepreneur accounting for beginners will help you understand what is happening in a timely manner. Acquiring basic knowledge and skills helps improve the quality of work and, accordingly, profits.
Proper record keeping is of great importance for successful business planning. An individual entrepreneur must have a clear idea of his actual income and expenses. His responsibilities include making mandatory tax payments, the frequency of which is fixed. For this reason, continuous monitoring of activities is necessary to prevent the imposition of fines.
Today, there are a large number of specialized programs that greatly facilitate bookkeeping for individual entrepreneurs.
You can choose either a paid or free “assistant” who will have a positive impact on your activities. Therefore, it is enough to master the program and have basic knowledge of the basic accounting rules. Hiring a highly qualified specialist at the beginning of your business is not always justified from a financial point of view, and even if you wish, it is quite possible to cope on your own.
Advantages of self-accounting
An undeniable advantage is control of your own business. Regulating all movements of funds helps to form a clear picture of ongoing activities. In this case, adjustments will be carried out in a timely and effective manner, negative aspects will be minimized, which will lead to a reduction in real or possible losses. The specificity of business lies in constant changes, which are tracked only in the process of regular monitoring of indicators and their analysis.
Behind the external well-being of ongoing activities, quite serious problems that require urgent elimination may be hidden. An in-depth study of documents and reports will help identify weaknesses and quickly take action. Among the additional advantages of direct participation in the “life” of your own business are:
- increasing efficiency;
- proper distribution of financial resources;
- tracking the results of actions taken.
If you still want to entrust the entire process to an inexpensive specialist, you should think about the possible consequences. Savings may negatively affect the quality of services provided. All mistakes made will have an impact on your activities. In accordance with current legislation, all responsibility for incorrect reporting falls on the entrepreneur. As a result, claims from the tax inspectorate will be directed at you, as well as fines for each violation. Therefore, there are two options: figure it out yourself or hire a highly qualified specialist.
Important points for successful reporting
In addition to the obligation to periodically submit reports, an individual entrepreneur must understand the need to study tax and management accounting. Both types will help to establish the successful operation of the enterprise. Management accounting is aimed at optimizing and increasing the efficiency of individual entrepreneurs’ affairs, and tax accounting is aimed at correct interaction with the tax inspectorate. Understanding the specifics of the work and nuances will improve the condition of the business and increase its profitability.
To conduct tax accounting competently, it is not necessary to study all existing laws and try to master the profession of an accountant in a minimum period of time. It is enough to thoroughly understand the applicable taxation system, the frequency of reporting and the rules for its maintenance, as well as have an idea of the main changes in legislation affecting your activities. This will allow you to keep your business under control and always be aware of its real state.
Online accounting
The most common form of accounting in the last few years has been online accounting for individual entrepreneurs. Specialized services are easily accessible and do not cause any particular difficulties in mastering. In addition, there is a fairly impressive list of advantages of “virtual” accounting.
- No connection to a specific place
All data when maintaining online accounting is stored on servers and can be accessed from any computer, phone or tablet with Internet access. Moreover, after the usual authorization procedure, not only viewing, but also editing or creating new documents and reports is available. An entrepreneur has the opportunity to work from anywhere without having to carry a large amount of documentation with him.
- All document forms and counting processes are standardized.
Changes are often made to current standards or the form of a form is completely updated. Electronic accounting removes the obligation to monitor such innovations. The entrepreneur always has at his disposal only up-to-date forms that meet the current standards. In addition, it is possible to set up automatic notifications, and the problem of missed reporting will disappear by itself.
- No need to download software or applications
Electronic accounting works on the “capacity” of servers without using the disk space of a computer, laptop or other devices. There is no need to download third party programs or applications.
- Data storage security
All information is stored in the so-called “cloud” storage, which ensures its safety. If your computer fails, you can access data from another device. By storing all documentation the old fashioned way on a PC without backup, an entrepreneur runs the risk of losing it without the slightest possibility of recovery. Concerns about information theft from servers are unfoundedly exaggerated. Such a danger, of course, exists, but the encryption technologies used make it possible to reliably protect data. But hacking of accounts is quite real, but it happens only through the fault of the owners themselves. Negligent attitude towards the safety of personal data (password and login) allows third parties to gain access to the account.
- Noticeable savings compared to using conventional programs
Installing licensed programs for accounting is, to a certain extent, a costly undertaking. Online services are easier to maintain, as they do not require additional technical support and have attractive prices for use by individual entrepreneurs.
- Simplicity and accessibility
Services allow you to easily create the necessary forms and prepare reports even for an entrepreneur without special education. An intuitive interface and plenty of tips help you master the basic principles of operation in a short time. In a few days, you can understand all the features and start using the service to the maximum.
There are not many disadvantages to online accounting. These include having a constant Internet connection (without this, access and work with documents is impossible). Another disadvantage is the lack of fine personalized settings. Most services can be adjusted according to the form of business. But they do not allow certain features of the activities of an individual entrepreneur or LLC to be reflected in full. For this reason, before making your final choice, carefully review the capabilities of the service.
Everything a new entrepreneur needs to know
First of all, it is necessary to recall the responsibility of the individual entrepreneur, which begins from the moment the certificate is issued to the entrepreneur. The main feature of this form is the risk of all property. In other words, if an entrepreneur’s debt to counterparties arises as a result of an unsuccessful transaction, then not only goods for sale, equipment for a store or office, but also a personal car, dacha or apartment can be used to repay it. For this reason, accounting is of primary importance for the entrepreneur himself. It will help you avoid negative consequences and calculate risks in a timely manner.
In addition, improperly organized accounting will lead to accounting errors, which will lead to fines and penalties. The debt to the tax authorities will again result in the payment of the required amount at the expense of all property, including personal property. You will have to pay in any case. And if there is a large tax debt (more than 600,000 rubles over three years), then we will talk about criminal liability under Article 198 of the Criminal Code. So, not only the activities of individual entrepreneurs, but also, to some extent, life depend on simple accounting.
But there are still certain points that will allow you to resolve this situation. If it is impossible to repay the debt, the entrepreneur has the right to go to court to reduce its size. Very often, such claims are satisfied in favor of the individual entrepreneur, the difficult financial situation is taken into account and small concessions are made. Another positive point is that, in comparison with organizations, fines for individual entrepreneurs are much lower.
Features of accounting for individual entrepreneurs for beginners
Two features can be noted as characteristic of all entrepreneurs:
- mandatory maintenance of KUDiR (with the exception of entrepreneurs on UTII);
- payment of fixed contributions to the Pension Fund.
Now let us briefly outline the features of accounting depending on the tax systems.
BASIC
The system allows an entrepreneur to become a full-fledged VAT payer, which is necessary for successful business with organizations. OSNO is distinguished by its labor intensity compared to others. It assumes:
- maintaining KUDiR;
- filling out the purchase/sales book, issuing invoices and recording them in the journal;
- maintaining personnel records.
Taxes required to be paid:
- Personal income tax of 13% on income;
- VAT at 18%;
- fixed contribution to the Pension Fund;
- contributions for employees - personal income tax and insurance;
- additional local taxes if necessary.
Frequency of tax reporting:
- quarterly until the 25th for VAT;
- annually until April 30 for personal income tax;
- if there are employees - the established frequency to extra-budgetary funds.
USN and Patent
The “simplified” tax system provides for the payment of one tax and the option for calculating it (“income” or “income minus expenses”) can be chosen by the entrepreneur independently. This system is supposed to be used to conduct KUDiR. An annual report in the prescribed form must be submitted to the tax office by March 31, and advance payments under the simplified tax system must be paid by the 25th quarterly.
A patent is available to few. Only KUDiR is conducted on it. The tax is paid in two stages. There is no reporting.
It is worth noting that when attracting employees or workers, the obligation to provide reports for them, maintain personnel records and make payments to extra-budgetary funds appears for both of these systems.
UTII and Unified Agricultural Tax
The UTII records only physical indicators that characterize the activities of the entrepreneur. Maintaining KUDiR is optional. Tax reporting is submitted quarterly by the 25th, the calculated tax is paid by the 20th.
KUDiR is carried out at the Unified Agricultural Sciences. They pay taxes on March 31 and June 25, twice a year. Reports are due by March 31 annually.
Payment of taxes to extra-budgetary funds for oneself and for employees, as well as reporting, take place in the same manner as for OSNO.
The information provided will help you get a general idea of the need and procedure for accounting for starting individual entrepreneurs. Proper document management will not only avoid fines, but also increase the profitability of your business. Each system, as well as reporting, is discussed in more detail in the relevant articles on our website.
BusinessInteresting
I was once asked what skills and knowledge aspiring entrepreneurs and businessmen cannot do without. I named two. Then three more. In the end there were more than a dozen. I will share with you what I consider important, and you can add in the comments the skills, qualities and knowledge that you think are most needed. At the same time, we’ll check which of us is missing what. Agreed?
So, what does a business owner need to know and be able to do?
Set realistic goals
Everything starts with goals. Planning and strategizing are undoubtedly useful. But only when the goals are set correctly.
If the goal is not thought out or not fully thought out, if it is “not yours”, if it is imposed by the environment, nothing good will come of it. Therefore, treat your goals carefully, use the SMART model and try to imagine the result you are striving for as accurately as possible.
By the way, at the end of the article you will find a form for downloading a webinar on proper goal setting. It is not only about the SMART method, but also about other important criteria and methods of goal setting. A small selection of useful thematic resources as a bonus.
To plan
Here's what's important: planning, like goals, should be yours. That is, it is worth not just studying the theory, but also adapting the plan to your own needs. I did part of the work for you - I compiled a planning algorithm for micro-projects. For many of those who study with me, this system is completely suitable. But if you need to change something, be sure to do it!
Don't try to follow the rules! For some, clear structural planning is suitable, while for others a spontaneous plan is more convenient; someone (like me) wants all plans to be in one table, while someone else uses several planners at once. The tricky part is not that you learn how to fill out a table with a marketing plan, but that this system works for you.
Keep promises to yourself
Again, plans are very good. But a person with the attitude “I am my own boss, so I have the right to move plans as the left heel wants” will not achieve anything. If you want success in business, you must have a very high level of internal responsibility to ensure that tasks actually get done.
Keep your promises to yourself
Work
If you don't know how to work, don't get into business. If you dream about how you will work three hours a day, be prepared for the fact that you will not achieve this quickly, and it is unknown whether you will achieve it at all.
They say that for the first three years you work for the business, then the business works for you. I don’t agree that it’s always exactly three years. Some people get it faster, while others will take longer to swing. But it’s a fact: you’ll have to work very seriously in the first stages. So increased performance is a must.
By the way, among my friends there is not a single entrepreneur who works three hours a day and is completely satisfied with the pace of development of the project!
Delegate
No, this does not contradict the previous point at all. Businesses are full of tasks that only the owner should perform. But there are many others on which the owner will only waste time.
Handling the turnover yourself and saving on assistants does not develop the business, but slows it down. Failure to perform tasks that should be done by specialists can cause considerable harm. Therefore, it is also necessary to delegate correctly (define tasks to transfer to others, be able to communicate with performers, have a system for monitoring work, and so on).
Possess knowledge in marketing, sales, accounting, legal issues
At least minimal. Even if you are a sales guru, you won’t get anywhere with sales alone. Being a marketing specialist, I still floundered at first and gained the missing knowledge in other areas. Business is a complex, and complex knowledge is needed.
However, knowledge acquired once is not enough. You need constant self-education, fortunately there is plenty of information now. You will have to never stop, provide yourself with a constant flow of information, accept it, process and apply the knowledge gained.
Be able to communicate with people in different situations
You need to “make your audience fall in love” with you (or hire someone to communicate with clients). Be able to negotiate. Be able to respond professionally and adequately to criticism. You need to be able to refuse when necessary. Accordingly, if you work offline, you need to be able to speak, and if you work on the Internet, you need to be able to express your thoughts in writing.
Love your job and the people you work with
If you're tired of everything and everyone is pissing you off, go on vacation. Seriously. And don’t come back until your hands are itching to work again. If the vacation doesn't help, the business is unlikely to last long. It is impossible, it will not be possible to work with those who irritate or even simply cause indifference.
Your business requires the owner to work hard and with pleasure
To count money
Do you know exactly how much you earned last year? Where did this money go? Do you know which month was your most profitable? Were there any unprofitable months? What does this depend on?
It is imperative to keep records of financial flows: how much you earned, from what sources you received the money, how much you spent and on what. You will immediately understand what needs to be changed in your project, and you will set adequate goals.
Be flexible
Again, a plan is good. But you must be able to quickly adapt to any changing circumstances. Especially in the countries of the former CIS. It happens that an entrepreneur lives in one country, and two months later he is already in another. It happens that the power goes out in an entire region. Less global shocks are also taking place: Minusinsk is announced, the system for calculating pension contributions is changed, and the “law on bloggers” is adopted. Well, you understand, right?
Think like a client
You need to “get into the head” of the audience so deeply that at each specific moment you make a decision not as the entrepreneur himself sees it, but as the client would see it.
Test
Even if you and the client are “on the same wavelength” and have so far made decisions seemingly flawlessly, make it a rule: everything that happens in business must be checked and double-checked. Do you want to run advertising? Check how the audience reacts to it. Want to increase your prices? Find out (at least with a certain degree of probability) how this will affect sales. And so on.
Maybe you wrote very good text for your landing page. But a red “order” button will give you 10% more sales than a blue one. Maybe you put your heart and soul into the packaging. But clients do not see important information on it. This can only be determined by testing.
And finally - relax!
Lack of rest and “reset” is why many businesses die. If at first the owner of a business works without a break, he will most likely burn out. The battery will run out. And no business will operate with a dead battery. So don’t forget to restore your resources in time!
Don’t strive to achieve perfection in everything all at once. So I quickly learned to plan, I can work a lot, I love my clients and know how to communicate with them. But, let’s say, I only recently learned to delegate, count money, and take a responsible approach to vacations.
Tell us what you do especially well in your business, and where difficulties arise? What do you consider the most important skills and knowledge of an entrepreneur?
Don't forget: you can download the webinar just below.
Entrepreneur Mark Manson talks about the rules that he himself would have liked to know when starting his first business.
In 2007, Mark Manson moved from a cohort of employees to entrepreneurs. Now he admits that if he had been asked then what his business would look like in five years, he would not have been able to answer anything. Like most aspiring entrepreneurs, he just wanted quick and easy money. And I certainly didn’t expect to have to work so hard. And that business will bring him so much pleasure.
That's why Mark put together this list for those new to the business to give them at least a little idea of what they're up against.
1. Sell. Don't waste your money
Obvious advice for the current me. My first business was off to a strong start, so I decided to reward myself with an unnecessary trip to Buenos Aires with friends, where I blew most of the money I made in the first six months.
Less than a year later, I was broke and begged my ex to let me live with her so as not to end up on the street. Don't repeat my mistake.
2. Make money from your free time
Most people who want to start their own business complain that they don’t have enough free time. Between work, hobbies and family obligations, they only have an hour or two a day at most to sit down and come up with a new business idea that they can get rich from.
No, no and NO. If you feel like you're working a second job in your free time, you've lost before you've even started.
Take what you love - analyzing sports matches, gardening or wood carving - and try to make money from it. This is the most reasonable starting point. This way you will not give up your hobby, but expand it.
3. Network with other entrepreneurs
You need to surround yourself with people you want to be like. If all your friends are boring office plankton, then you will unconsciously feel social pressure and remain the same boring office plankton.
Such friends will not understand your ambitions or will even be offended and jealous. Find people who are in the same place as you, push and motivate each other.
4. Quit your job as soon as the opportunity arises.
Burn bridges. Don't leave yourself any options for retreat.
5. Don't be shy
The desire to do something that no one has done before requires a certain degree of unreasonable faith in yourself. You must be prepared:
- become an object of ridicule;
- Call dozens of potential clients and convince them that you can do the job better than anyone else;
- advertise your new product to people who are unaware of its existence;
- promise to provide your unique product or service, even if you have little idea how to do it. But then be sure to figure out how to do it.
You shouldn't be shy.
6. Screw your business idea.
Mark Cuban once said that for every good business idea, you have to imagine that 100 other people have that same idea and are already working on it. Business ideas are not important. Execution is important.
Henry Ford didn't invent the automobile. He just figured out how to make cars better than others
Many people are proud of themselves because they came up with a cool idea. But the most successful companies, if you look at history, were rarely based on new ideas. Google is not a new idea. Facebook is not a new idea. Microsoft is not a new idea. These companies simply handled the implementation better than others.
7. Read less, do more
Try reading only when you need a specific solution to a problem you're facing at work. You don't need to read about marketing because you think you should understand marketing. It's fucking boring. Read up on marketing when your new project needs a marketing strategy. Suddenly reading will become much more interesting.
Often people read about what they want to do instead of actually doing something. Reading is useless without doing it.
8. Check, check, check
You don't know anything until you test it. Every marketing seminar I've attended and every marketing book I've read has told me to raise my prices. However, the split test that I conducted on my books on the site showed that books with low prices do not lead to a decrease in income, but, on the contrary, attract new customers, receive more positive reviews and bring more traffic to the site.
9. Be eccentric
You can't stand out if you're no different from the rest. Use your quirks to your advantage.
10. Always think about your brand
The reality of the modern economy is that any information, product or service that people need already exists in dozens of options. There is no more shortage. To differ from competitors only in price or quality is an almost unrealistic strategy for entering a new market.
Only a brand can dominate the market.
Your brand determines how your relationship with your client or customer will work. It is for this reason that they return to you rather than going to your competitors who offer exactly the same services.
11. Offer a feeling, not a product.
Steve Jobs said that he always wanted Apple products to give consumers a feeling, not just functionality. Today, Apple is perhaps the most powerful brand on the planet. This is what I mean when I talk about brand obsession: engage with the experience you can offer customers, not just the information and product.
12. Believe in what you do
Otherwise, even if you succeed, you will find yourself stuck in yet another boring job. But this time you created it for yourself.
13. Your business will develop. Let him have it
Nobody gets it right the first time. Or from the second. Or from the twenty-third. Think of Thomas Edison or Michael Jordan.
The market is constantly changing, and what worked last year may not work this year. You can't stay on top of success if you don't evolve with the market. Don't commit yourself to one idea or initial business plan.
14. Forget Tim Ferriss
If you work 4 hours a week, your business will be ten years behind. As well as the likelihood that you will miss a lot of opportunities and become as unbearably boring as your whole life will increase.
15. A blog is not a business plan
16. You will need either a lot of time or a lot of money
Or both. There is no such thing as instant success.
17. Business is not about making money.
Business is about benefits and values. If you can make money from something that is personally valuable to you, you will never get tired of working.
If you want to make people aware of the benefits your business brings, money will come as a side effect.
There is a fine line between values and money. Sometimes you have to burn a ton of money to create long-term value. If money is more important to you, you will never dare to take such a step.
18. Capitalize on luck
Sometimes you will be lucky and sometimes you won't. That's how it is for everyone. There is no point in complaining or taking all the credit for yourself. Benefit from both.
19. Hire slow, fire fast.
Cliché, but true. Especially when it comes to outsourcing. Almost every Internet entrepreneur has their own horror story about outsourcing, including me. In short, you get exactly what you pay for.
20. Be prepared for existential stress
In a regular job, stress often comes from external approval - deadlines, meetings, presentations - and usually from your boss. This is a feeling of irritation that manifests itself in short but strong bursts.
When you work for yourself, you no longer have to fight for external approval. You are exchanging external stress for an almost imperceptible, gnawing feeling that everything is going downhill and will disappear one day.
Yes, I can wake up every day at lunch. I can work any time. But when you work for someone else, you are not haunted by the fear that one day you will come to work and your building will not be there. An entrepreneur thinks about this every day.
21. If you're not pissing anyone off, you're doing something wrong.
Dan Kennedy once said that if you haven't made anyone mad by noon, you're probably not making money. My experience confirms that this is true.
22. Did I already say that everything needs to be checked?
Seriously, half the things that will help you grow your business can't be done if you don't regularly test your ideas in the market. Heck, don't even start a business until you've tested your idea.
23. 20/80 rule: never forget it
Amazingly, it works in all areas.
24. Gain 1,000 true fans
A few years ago, Kevin Kelly proposed a simple concept for writers and other creative people working in the Internet age: All you have to do is convince 1,000 people to give you $100 a year to give you a six-figure income. This way you can devote time to creation, and not just earning your living. A corollary to this is the 100 true clients rule if you are in the consulting or services industry.
25. Just like in the corporate world, networking is everything.
Yes, it's still a great way to get new clients or a job offer. But in the world of entrepreneurship, networking provides an opportunity to learn what works for other businesses and pick up good ideas for your own.
26. Know yourself
I work best at night. I hate structuring and making lists, half of which I don’t even look at later. I manage my time using iTunes playlists. Most of the things that work great for me you will never find on a list of time management tips. But that’s the way I am, I follow what works for me personally. And you do what suits you.
27. Rule of 1,000 days
The 1,000 day rule says that in the first 1,000 days after starting your own business, you will be doing worse than your regular job.
28. If you feel like you're at work, it's wrong.
You can earn money to do what you love. Or do what you love to make money. It's up to you to choose.
29. Don't get rich quickly
All of the existing shortcuts to getting value quickly will either kill your brand's prospects and customer loyalty, or put you back in a position where you're working on something you don't get excited about and don't believe in.
If you love what you do (and you should) and regularly invest in growing your business, then spending a lot of money on expensive, useless purchases shouldn't be high on your list of priorities. Boost your self-esteem in other ways if you need it.
30. Stop talking, go and check
I don't have an answer for you. And you too. So check and find out!
31. If complete failure doesn't scare you to death, you're doing something wrong.
I've found that the more something scares me, the faster I need to do it.
32. Treat clients like family
They are the main reason why you do this in the first place. Treat them with respect. Reply to incoming messages as quickly as possible. Answer their questions. Give them free trinkets.
33. Business will become part of your identity, so choose wisely
“I’ll do this for a few years, make a ton of money and do what I really love” - that never works, it’s a myth. This is how I originally got into business and I see dozens of people doing the same thing.
Eventually I had to come to terms with it and admit that I had built a career in internet marketing whether I wanted it or not. And since I found myself tied to this career, I decided to turn my assets into something that I am passionate about and love to do.
When I created one of the first versions of my website, I abandoned all my other business endeavors. My monthly income was immediately cut in half. But I realized that if this is truly what I want to do, it will be worth it in the long run.
Many aspiring entrepreneurs are concerned with the question: what do you need to know before launching your business? What should never be overlooked? What are the keys to success? What actions will definitely lead to failure?
We do not guarantee that we will give universal answers to all these questions, because each business is individual. What works in one case may not work in similar but different circumstances. But we are ready to give some general tips that will help you avoid common and common mistakes. So, what should an aspiring entrepreneur know when starting a business?
1. Your life will never be the same.
Yes, it sounds a little pretentious, but seriously, get ready for big changes. You can say goodbye to your usual routine, at least for a while. You will feel the difference especially acutely if you change your status from employee to entrepreneur. An 8 to 5 schedule with two days off a week will now seem like a big gift to you, since your own project will require much more effort, time, and energy from you. But the return on your business is much greater - because as a result, you will have something you love, which can bring very serious profits and invaluable freedom.
2. Risk is now your constant companion.
In business, be it an online store, an offline store, a cafe, etc., nothing can be predicted for sure. By investing in any idea, even if you have a competent business plan (we’ll talk about it later), you risk losing everything. And if the start is successful and the first clients appear, this does not mean that the risk has passed. Every deal, every new partner, every new batch of goods for resale is a risk. And it will always be like this. But this is a normal part of business development, and successfully overcoming the next “obstacle course” will give you great satisfaction. So get ready for an exciting journey that will definitely not be boring!
3. Business financing - what to do if there is no money?
4. Be sure to analyze supply and demand
The more information you gather about what's going on in the market, the easier it will be for you to make decisions in the future. You must know everything about the capabilities of your competitors, the needs and interests of your customers. This information will help you not only avoid many mistakes, but also create a detailed business plan.
5. Development of a business plan is a mandatory step!
Many novice entrepreneurs underestimate this document. Like, everything’s pretty good in my head, we’ll handle it. This approach is wrong. A business plan is the most important business planning tool. It is also necessary to attract investors, lending, obtaining international grants, presenting a project to potential partners, etc. And even if all of the above is not included in your plans, you will need a business plan for internal use. It should record all cost items for risk assessment.
Related materials:
- Business plan for an online store: how to protect yourself from financial failure?
6. Earning money goes into business
Many businessmen repeat one mistake - they rush to spend the first money they earn on personal needs. Financial matters require a disciplined attitude; in business, this means returning income to business. In the case of an online store, money can be used to expand the range.
Financial discipline is also associated with savings. For example, to begin with, you can use used equipment, and switch to something more innovative only when the project reaches a stable profit. Also, you should not immediately hire the entire staff for the office, because you can resort to the services of freelancers.
7. USP is the best weapon in the fight against competition
Working with competitors is an integral part of any business. There are concepts that help you stay afloat and withstand the pressure of competing enterprises. For example, USP. A unique selling proposition involves focusing on a specific narrow segment of customers, addressing your message to a specific circle of customers (notepads for maintaining a family budget, salsa courses for housewives, clothes for pregnant women, etc.). Come up with something unique for your business that will help attract more customers through originality. By developing in a narrow niche, you will gain your customers and isolate yourself from competitors who operate in your or a related market segment.
And the last, but most important piece of advice: don’t give up at the first failure. Work hard towards your goal, become the best in your field, and this will add confidence to you. You will definitely succeed!
Good morning, Dochans, friends and readers of the cozy forum Docha.com! I bought vitamin E (tocopherol acetate), dry skin forces me to increase my intake of polysaturated fats. I’m calm in training - I don’t bench press more than 200 kg. I continue “Bridge” on testosterone enanthate - 250 mg ampoule of FC per week. Yesterday I thought about the question, what would a beginner who likes to bench press want to know? I decided to present my “harmful” advice. Check it out below.P.S.
I’m thinking about starting a video blog in Utah, but the problem is that I don’t know what format to shoot the videos in. What will you advice me? What style should you use to shoot everything? I'm thinking about shooting in black and white ala Branch Warren, Jason Ha, I don't want to glam up like Yougifted. There are two projects: a personal video blog and running a reality project (2 people (a guy and a girl) whom I would train for powerlifting and bench press from scratch) what do you think of the idea? Offer your vision. I need your advice, friends!
Have you decided to connect your sports life with the bench press? Just the phrase “Bench Press” makes your hands itch with the desire to touch the notch of the bar, and your eyes frantically search for magnesium? Then sit back and read this material! Maybe it will be useful to you, or maybe not, it's up to you to decide.
Do you want to shake two hundredweight? Don't spray yourself!We all want to swing like Van Damme, swim like Phelps and be functional like Rich Froning with abs like the late Plitt. Understand, it is impossible to be - Ideal everywhere, you are not Gaius Julius Caesar! It’s wonderful, of course, when a person knows several languages, knows how to dance a waltz or tango, and at the same time is built like Schwarzenegger in the era of the Golden Era. This can be combined - self-education + ethical development + weight training, these sectors do not interfere with each other, except for a temporary period. It's another matter when you try to combine two or three sports disciplines. In the best case, you will kill the central nervous system, in the worst case, you will be a loser in three directions. Choose one and do it until victory! If you want to master a new area of sports, take the off-season, rest from training, and learn boxing or crossfit for your health. Don't waste your energy, concentrate on one thing and push your way forward!
Periodization once again
Yes, it’s like semolina, like castor oil - tasteless, but necessary for you to successfully press those treasured kilograms without suppressing the nervous system and causing injuries. Fortunately, in our time there are excellent methodological plans from Sheiko to Golovinsky. Remember, you don’t have to go to failure every workout, you don’t have to constantly break through your Limit Maximum. Do little, slowly, be a quiet river in order to grow into an ocean raging mercilessly, but with a common understanding of your training and strength.
Be an innovator, think with your own head, not someone else’s!
I often, often hear that working with bars for RAW athletes is pointless, chains and rubber are garbage, do more volume, etc. and so on.
You don’t need to be a gym dogmatist, foaming at the mouth, claiming that you can’t pump this or that muscle in one day.
Think, think before you start making your plan, don’t be shy about adding new and unfamiliar exercises to it. Introduce something new. Westside Barbell would not be famous in the world if they were afraid to add unusual, non-standard exercises to their training. For example, I recently learned that the leg press machine can be used as a stall development for the bench press, training the lats and anterior deltoids. It looks crazy, as if a snowdrop has mixed up its limbs, but only this snowdrop bench presses 240 kg without equipment, and its weight is less than a hundredweight.
Your dietThere is no point in fanatically purchasing boxes of sports nutrition in the hope of becoming huge and benching more. Save your wallet!
It is enough to consume 2-2.5 grams of carbohydrates per 1 kg of body weight, 2.5-3 grams of proteins * 1 kg and maintain a fat limit of 0.7 grams of fat * 1 kg. Capital formulas! Add more vegetables to protein foods so as not to suffer from indigestion due to excess protein in your body.
What about supplements? If you are an Athlete Steroids Free - Tribulus, adaptogens, zinc, vitamin E, B vitamins should become the basis for you.Use the money you save to buy a book!
Buy B.I. Sheiko’s monograph, I often see it in sports nutrition stores, it costs a penny, but the knowledge in it is priceless! You will learn how to handle overodization, improve your skills, and improve your performance. Skeptics may not believe me; I have no need to convince them of my point of view. At one time, I bet on the Sheiko method and benefited from it.
Bring your elbows towards your body!
Yes, this is a necessary requirement for your incredible bench press. What about breast hypertrophy? Listen, do you want to be a bench presser or a bodybuilder!? Yes, there are athletes who bench with separated elbows, but they are more likely to tear their pectoral muscles than those who press with their elbows close to their body.
With your elbows together, you have:
- triceps work
- anterior and middle bundle of deltas
- your lats contract to their maximum during the negative phase of the descentMake hammers!
The initial phase often suffers for beginners who do not level up their guns. Many people are lazy about building their biceps. My advice to you. Grab a dumbbell and do hammers! Four approaches are enough for your hands to feel the blood rushing to them. One exercise is enough so that your hands don’t look like ropes against the background of those who like to pull iron.
What a new entrepreneur should know
To begin with, we present excerpts from the main documents on entrepreneurship. The following excerpts and comments are taken from the Russian Entrepreneurship Development Program
Russian legislation on individual entrepreneurial activity defines entrepreneurship as “initiative independent activity of citizens and their associations, aimed at making a profit, carried out at their own risk and under their own property responsibility.”
“Entrepreneurship extends to a wide range of activities, such as production, economic, commercial, trade and procurement, intermediary, investment (related to capital investments), consulting, service provision, financial (including securities transactions).
Making a profit, which is the main goal of entrepreneurship, also making a profit can serve as a distinctive feature of entrepreneurship. All enterprises that are self-supporting and operate in self-sufficiency conditions are focused on making a profit.
To the greatest extent, entrepreneurship is characterized by such features as self-sufficiency, initiative, responsibility, risk, active search, dynamism, mobility. All this taken together must be inherent in economic activity so that it can rightfully be called entrepreneurial or business.
Entrepreneurship is a public activity. According to Russian law, any citizen capable of acting can be an entrepreneur. Citizens of foreign states and stateless persons can act as Russian entrepreneurs.”
Basic business freedoms.
1. Freedom of business, including freedom from government interference in matters of production, supply, delivery, investment strategy and use of profits.
2. Freedom of contract, including freedom to choose business partners and freedom to determine the terms of the transaction.
3. Freedom to form various types of business associations.
4. Freedom to set prices.
5. Private property and equality of all forms of property.
6. Free competition, which implies the creation of equal conditions for the economic activities of private and state enterprises.
The role of the state and law.
1. Determination of freedoms and the limits of their use (in accordance with the principle “everything is permitted that is not directly prohibited by law”).
2. Protection of freedoms and rights based on them from violation by private individuals (in particular, civil law protection of property rights and other property rights).
3. Protection of freedoms and rights based on them from violation by the state (by clearly defining the grounds, types of activities and the degree of permitted state intervention in the interests of private individuals, as well as establishing the rules of the administrative process and judicial protection of private individuals from state interference).
4. Protecting the market from internal self-destructive processes (with the help of competition law, banking legislation and insurance legislation).
5. Protection of public interests (environmental legislation, consumer protection, labor law).
6. Social correction of the negative consequences of the functioning of market mechanisms (primarily the tax system).
7. Encouragement of international trade and international investment.
8. Development of legal tools for the use of fundamental freedoms (contract law; property rights; various organizational and legal forms of business associations; securities; insolvency and bankruptcy; laws ensuring the implementation of subjective rights (civil and administrative process, arbitration rules, rules ensuring enforcement arbitration awards; stock and commodity exchanges).
About types of entrepreneurship.
Entrepreneurship is called production if the entrepreneur himself, directly, using tools and labor as factors, produces goods, services, work, information, spiritual values for subsequent sale to consumers, buyers, and trade organizations. Thus, the production function in this type of entrepreneurship is the main determining factor.
In commercial entrepreneurship, an entrepreneur acts as a merchant, a trader, selling finished goods purchased from other persons to a consumer or buyer. In such entrepreneurship, the factor is the product, and the entrepreneur’s profit is generated by selling the product at a price higher than the purchase price. Let us note that if goods are bought and sold by an entrepreneur legally, then trade and commercial entrepreneurship should not be called speculation and condemned on this basis. Only when there is illegal resale, in violation of trade rules, can we talk about prohibited and criminal speculation.
Financial entrepreneurship is a special form of commercial entrepreneurship, in which the object of purchase and sale is money and securities sold by the entrepreneur to customers or provided to them on credit. Financial entrepreneurship is, in essence, the sale of some money for others and, in particular, existing money for expected profit. The entrepreneur's profit arises as a result of the sale of financial resources with the charging of interest and the receipt of surplus capital. If such monetary, currency and securities transactions are carried out legally, there is nothing reprehensible, much less criminal, about them.
Mediation is called entrepreneurship in which the entrepreneur himself does not produce or sell goods, but acts as an intermediary, a connecting link in the process of commodity exchange, in commodity-money transactions.
The main task and subject of the intermediary’s entrepreneurial activity is to connect the two parties interested in a mutual transaction, so there is reason to assert that mediation consists of providing services to each of these parties. For the provision of such services, the entrepreneur receives income and profit.
The insurance business consists in the fact that an entrepreneur, for a certain fee, guarantees the insured compensation for possible loss of property, valuables, or life as a result of an unforeseen disaster. Property, health, life insurance is a special form of financial and credit entrepreneurship, which consists in the fact that the entrepreneur receives an insurance premium, which is returned only under certain circumstances. Since the likelihood of such circumstances occurring is not high, the remaining portion of the contributions forms business income.”
As we see, the forms and types of entrepreneurial activity are quite diverse, as are the types of enterprises. So, the main task before starting independent entrepreneurship is to determine the type of activity, register correctly, determine the structure of your business (number of employees, line of activity, intended focus), create a business plan and start activities in parallel with advertising company.
From the book Handbook of a Russian careerist author Ivleva Valeria VladimirovnaWhat a novice entrepreneur should know First, here are excerpts from the main documents on entrepreneurship. The following excerpts and comments are taken from the “Program for the Development of Entrepreneurship in Russia”Russian legislation on IPD
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