han meets business idea: the first 3 steps

To refresh, Han Meets World is about inspiring others to live their dreams - while documenting my own dreams and sharing "the how" I did it. 

Now, I'm not completely new to the concept of "entrepreneurialism". I've worked in enterprise departments and start-ups for enough time to have a very basic understanding of what to expect and know. "Entrepreneurialism" is my dream. 

But the thing that has been stopping me - and countless others - is simply this: knowing where to start.

You have the idea/service/gap/concept for a profitable whatever but what then?

This is what you do:

1. Get free business advice. I know! I couldn't believe this was a thing either. Until Lauren Cooper mentioned it at the latest She Can She Did panel, I had stacks of books ready to 'attempt' to get through and a pile of unanswered questions. 

Fast-forward a week and I was cooking dinner while on a live chat with one of the Business Advisors at Mi Ventures (City Business Library) and I had all the answers I needed by the time I had turned the hob off. 

2. Ask around - but remember to ask them an NDA first.You'll likely need help with something at some point. Whether that's design/marketing/website building/manufacturing. I had a massive fear around talking about the fact that I have an idea at all. But Liza from Mi Ventures encouraged it. Use your community and your network when asking for help ie with design - but for your own security, ask them to sign an NDA first.

And hey! It gains a momentum right?!

3. Write the business plan.One thing I hadn't thought about was that while a business plan is important for funding/investing etc, it's also a useful practice for you to A) map out your next steps you need to take, and B) rule out whether it is in fact: a profitable business idea.

Other useful places are the British Library Business Centre (yup! It's free!) and also HMRC have some pretty useful information to get started.

*Bonus: share with someone! Yes, it's bloody terrifying! But would you really stick out if no one knew about it? Write a blog (public or private for family and friends only), an email, a Facebook post, a YouTube video. Do NOT allow that momentum to trail off into the abyss! 

So now those questions have been answered, are you ready to take a leap of faith?

Han x

Image by Andrew Neel.