Long before Candles For Cure came into existence, there were many steps that had to be taken. The most simple and often overlooked step is possibly the most important…
Getting the idea for your business!
Now you may be laughing at me here, saying “Well, DUH!” But hear me out! Brainstorming an idea for your business is a deeper process than simply picking ideas out of a hat.
In the example of Candles For Cure, I was able to fit very nicely into a niche which I felt I could serve well for a number of reasons…
- I enjoy candles
- I enjoy making candles as a hobby
- I am good at experimenting with different types of creative projects (making up new “types” of candles, and interesting color/scent combination’s)
- I come from a entrepreneurial family which lent me lots of first hand experience and teachings in starting my own business.
Because of all these reasons, I thought that a Candle company would be a fun and engaging way for me to make some money as a small business entrepreneur.
But I wanted to take this process one step further...
I wanted to make my candle company not only help me pay the bills, but I wanted it to help raise money and awareness for a cause very near to my heart. That issue being Alzheimer’s Disease. If you have read the About Us page on the Candles For Cure website, you will discover the reasons behind my personal motivations for raising money for this cause.
After realizing that I could mesh my goal of starting a candle company with my goal of raising money for Alzheimer’s research, I was off to the races! Very shortly thereafter, Candles For Cure (at least the name) was born!
The most difficult step was now complete! I took the time and did the appropriate soul searching to discover the perfect fit for my unique skills and desires in the business world and decided to go ahead with it.
Now the next daunting set of steps laid ahead of me… Planning out how to actually execute this brainstormed business into a reality!
I hope that this example of how I came up with Candles For Cure can serve you all as a springboard into realizing the fact that your own small business can be anything you want it to be.
Do you have a favorite hobby? Is there a particular service or product you are good at providing? Can you brainstorm a way to set yourself apart from the competition (such as Candles For Cure does by donating to the Alzheimer’s Association)? If so, you are on the right track to brainstorming your own killer small business!
My best advice is this:
Go for it! Do not do tomorrow what you could do today, or what you should have done yesterday!
Tune in next time to see what I did next, and how!
