Who want to be your own boss ?
 

Hi personally i think most young people in sg want to start their own business.

But not much dare to do it. Most people are too comfortable in their comfort zone.

Lets discuss it here :D

Re: Who want to be your own boss ?
 

young people want to be their own boss, but where can they find the capital to start up a store to sell things that they like.

the rental is sg is exp. who can afford it unless you are super rich.

Personally i want to be set up my own store, but where i can get money to do it. and also family committment to consider.

Re: Who want to be your own boss ?
 

I agree!

It's the money issue...To set up a store is expensive.
And if you really do get a cheap one, which won't be super cheap also,
it'll be located somewhere deserted...

Re: Who want to be your own boss ?
 

mmm, why would "be own boss" must equal to
- must pay rent
- must need high capital

Many business don't need both the above ;-)

I think alot has the wrong conception about "own boss" thus never take the 1st step to understand and be one ;-<

Re: Who want to be your own boss ?
 

I get what you mean...
I was more of referring to the ones who wish to own their own store/business.

Re: Who want to be your own boss ?
 

Not easy to start a business, but we can work and do part-time biz first and then slowly explore and get into it at the right timing. I really begining to like the pushcart concept more after attending the workshop. At least you will not get stuck in one location.:cool:

Re: Who want to be your own boss ?
 

hmMmmm...

i think starting a biz is easy but maintaining it is difficult..
because anyone can start a biz.. juz buy stocks, put online to sell, tatz a biz..
but to get regular customers, deal with bad months, deal with unreasonable customers.. all these aren't easy.. =)

Re: Who want to be your own boss ?
 

there's not a large capital needed,
with the online base getting larger, anyone can set up an online shop!
this means using blogger, live journal. which does not require the rental
all you need is abit to start up and build your reputation,
you need advertising too ! (most online blogshops are started by teens too)

Re: Who want to be your own boss ?
 

i felt that online is difficult because as for my product selling accessories, ppl will tend to see personally and feel the product and also trying the accessories on themselves before they consider to buy the product. Probably good advertising is necessary for online, but you need to know how to go about it.

Re: Who want to be your own boss ?
 

hey there,
i've also been selling accesories, bags and also apparels.
however they've been selling rather well too !
all you need is a good background, a nice showcase, and a good reputation?
many blogshops are just selling accesories, and their showcase were really nice. designing the picture with its details are also one to go about .
perharps linking with other blogshops might help in advertising as more will know bout your blog. why not try online, as there is no rental, and has no risk involved ?

Re: Who want to be your own boss ?
 

hi!
new here. i think that it is easy to start a biz online
however, anyone has any ideas to share on
how to advertise cheaply? to get more customers?

Re: Who want to be your own boss ?
 

Yeah... It's true...
I think it's quite hard to pool people who are willing to purchase online.
I'm quite new to online shops & I'm trying to get people to know my webby.
So, I'm trying almost all ways to advertise.
I'll just have to wait & see the response.

Re: Who want to be your own boss ?
 

advertise cheaply ?
you could always ask blogshops to link you, provided you link them.
there are also a few online shops who would put up an ad for you on their shop for a little fee. going to other shops to tag on their board that yours is a new shop & its a must visit do helps, as people would not mind browsing through. you could always pm me and i could give your examples, further more online is getting even popular and this helps in customer base.

Re: Who want to be your own boss ?
 

Hey guys,

First of all, starting a business is exceptionally easy this days. A $65 registration with ARCA will set you up and running. Most of time, people tend to wait for the perfect condition to arrive before they take the step out.

However, there's never a perfect condition and you've to learn along the way.(That includes making mistakes and recovering from them)

Here's a short story(From a Book),

C.D wanted to start his own business but.....

Shortly after WW II, C.D got a job with the Customs Divisions of the U.S Post Office Department. He liked his work, but after 5 years he became dissatisfied with the confinement, regular hours, low dissatisfied with the confinement, regular hours, low pay, and the seniority system with its relatively narrow chances for advancement.

Then he got an idea. He learned a great deal about what it takes to be a successful importer. Why not set himself up in business of importing low-cost gift items and toys?C.D knew many successful importers who didn't have his knowledge of the ins and outs of this business.

It's being ten years now since C.D decided he wanted to go into business for himself. But today, he's still working for the Customs Office.

Why?Well, every time C.D was just about ready to cut loose on his own, something stopped him from taking action. Lack of money, economic recessions, new baby, need for temporary security, trader restrictions, and more excuses all served as reasons for waiting, for postponing.

The real truth is that C.D let himself develop into a passivationist. He wanted conditions to be perfect before he took action. Since conditions were never perfect, C.D never took action.

Hope this short story can short of inspire those who wants to start business/be an entrepreneur but is still procrastinating. All this talks about no capital are just excuses, think about this scenario. If I've $100k on the table now and to get this 100K, you only need to fork out $10k. Even if you do not have the money in your savings, will you find a way to make the exchange happen?

Translate this back to the business, is the business that you are setting up able to generate back the profits? If you're not even sure, then it's not a matter of capital but your strategy.

To summarize, in my opinion, entrepreneurship is a skill and a lot of it means making "decisions in uncertainty" . I'm sorry to say that if you don't even dare to make a decision, just continue working for someone else because they(the boss) will always have a step by step/instructions for you.

If you really want to start, articulate your vision, jot down your business system and starting developing your process mapping for your business. If this is too much work for you, maybe you shouldn't even start a business because building them is 10 times harder.

To end it, here's one of my favorite quote:

"You can choose to be either the player or the spectator, it's your call."

Regards,
You Teck

Re: Who want to be your own boss ?
 

Yupz.. i totally agree with TradersCabin..

just gotta take the first step out..
but I still believe that starting is easy, maintaining is where everyone cannot keep up to..

Re: Who want to be your own boss ?
 

try asking your own friends to view and comment, then start word of mouth referral, etc some method could be your friends' blog, classifieds, friendster, forums, etc.

when you said "almost all ways", you mean you paid or just those FOC method?

in general, I think most things can be sold online, just how to do it correctly and to market/price it properly.

Re: Who want to be your own boss ?
 

FOC methods of course....
& a paying one...
That's why I mentioned almost all... :D
Anyway, yeah....I've asked people around to spread the words around..
So, I'll have to see how's the response..

Re: Who want to be your own boss ?
 

Not really, estrellashopping.com is doing quite well....

Re: Who want to be your own boss ?
 

Hi,

I want to set up an online ladies apparels boutique, but find it hard to find any ladies apparels suppliers or wholesaler. Anyone has any idea or contacts? Must be cheap and has a low minimum order since I don't have much capital.

Also, does anyone know where Tom & Steffanie get their ladies apparels from?

Thanks.

Re: Who want to be your own boss ?
 

We are facing the same problems , i am crazy about making my online business a success , by attending seminars and reading books , i will find the
answers , Shall we explore together ?

BEST REGARDS,
VICTOR HAN

Re: Who want to be your own boss ?
 

I could feel the desires burning in each one of you dudes. Kudos for having the guts to try and share this moment, dudes.

I'm actually quite impressed with this forum having all the nice people in it. :)

I'm a newbie in this forum but I'm not totally new in what you have just discussed such as the online biz startups thingy etc. I've went through several postings here and I came across several queries on how to go about setting online etc.

Well, everything is possible and the sky is the limit. ;)

Not all e-biz are alike and there's no cut n sew pattern that will assure success to anyone who follows it. But if we understand some basics, we could be one step ahead.

Here's what I'm going to share some tips that were engraved in my "biz bible" specifically about the "e-biz":

• find niche market within big n growing market, even how small it is, it's ok
• Do it for the name of "love it"
• Must know your customers
• It's important to choose a good domain name, one that ppl could remember and ties into your offering
• Design a site that is well organised and most importantly easy to navigate, there's a lot of free templates nowadays
• If necessary, engage "experts' ONLY after getting referrals and seeing sample work
• Do your homework. There's so many free tutorials all over the Web to teach you everything from HTML to the finer points of internet marketing, mostly FOC.
• Choose an ISP with 24/7 tech support, need to pay though but certainly low on overhead
• Offer secure shopping (is a must), there could be a fee to it but not huge
• Make it easy to order, no jargons or no complications, str8 to the point as long as your customers are not lost or annoyed with broken links etc
• Fill orders promptly and have a tracking system in place, free solutions available too.
• Ask your first customers for feedback and post testimonials on your site asap - this is could be the key to your success
• Post as many ways to contact or reach you as possible, no anonymous pls. Don't hide yourself, ppl need human interface too especially in the Net
• Respond to e-mails quickly, don't delay a single minute, don't ever treat them as nuisance
• Know what your competition is doing (you should have at least one) or else that's not really a business
• Be prepared for bumps in the road, definitely no smooth ride for sure
• Stop talking about it and start doing it.

Alas, two commonly essential piece of advice;

1. Make sure you love what you're going to do. Cos' when the going gets tough, and it will, your passion for your pursuit will see you through.
2. Find your own niche. There may be a finite number of industries/products/services, but, by putting a new spin/look/feel on any one of them, you can corner your little part of the thing called cyberspace.

In essence, you have to be madly in love with your idea cos 9 out of 10 people are going to tell you it stinks. If you aren't in love with it, you should then work for somebody else. You have to communicate that passion.

Well..some of the terms in the tips above may sounded alien to some. Just drop me a note and I'll be glad to oblige to explain or enlighten those terms to anyone of you nice ppl in here. ;)

Good day, everyone!

Re: Who want to be your own boss ?
 

Hi,
I am new here. I have attended the pushcart workshop by Laissezfaire not long ago, that's how I know about this forum. I have long wanted to start a business but like some of them out there who does not dare to take the first step, so..... The thought is still there so I am looking around now for the products (intend to sell childrens and ladies wear) and hopefully I can start my first pushcart soon.

Thanks.

Re: Who want to be your own boss ?
 

u stay jurong rite...we are near...maybe u can pm me to discuss more..
Maybe u can tell me more abt the workshop by Laissezfaire.
I can tell u some my pushcart experience.

i got some info of ladies wear & chidrens items lobang...not sure is it
suit u...Tks

Re: Who want to be your own boss ?
 

sure, probably next week. are you running a pushcart now, if so, i may pay you a visit.

thanks.

Re: Who want to be your own boss ?
 

Hi, I am available tomorrow between 1.00pm and 2.30pm. Will you be available to meet me, I cannot pm you because not enough posting (must have 5, i think). let try to reply a few times to get 5 posting...hee...hee. Sorry for the late notice. Tks.

Re: Who want to be your own boss ?
 

ya,is too late i saw your reply...now i dun have pushcart yet...
I working part time in the morning until afternoon.
Still dealing my timing.Maybe sept...when all settle,will set up ba.

Re: Who want to be your own boss ?
 

sure, in fact i am at jurong east central every saturday from 1pm to 2.30pm...bring my daughter for classes. we share arranged again in sept. tks

Re: Who want to be your own boss ?
 

Hi,

I'm very new here although I have previously browsed through this forum.
This forum has given me insight to pushcart business and having rent pushcart twice, I have to admit it that it was not easy.

A lot of effort and time was put into it but sales was v slow.
So i thought it would be better to continue with my online store where sale is better with low cost (labour and rent).

I currently have a job that pays well but is quite mundane. I have ever thought of quitting, but after much consideration (thank god), i think having a part time biz rather than full time better.

Having a secured income and a variable income (from e-store) allows us to continue our interest and hopefully one day, go the extra mile and open our own retail floor. Based on my limited experience, its not easy maintaining a shop. We have to constantly keep up with the trends , hunt for more suppliers and to know your competitors.

But ultimately, having buyers leaving positive feedbacks is motivation enough to keep one going. :)

Re: Who want to be your own boss ?
 

Fully agree with Anriza. Do not simply quite your job and hope you will success immediately in a new business. The best is to have financial support from your company and trying out your own business alone the way.

Re: Who want to be your own boss ?
 

One should have 3 sources of income

1) working income
2) investment income
3) business income

I will personally rate (3) last cos is the most tiring of all. I rather become an investor than a businessman.
But then I just like to sell my stuffs too .. :laff:

Re: Who want to be your own boss ?
 

who ppl that wan to try starting a business ... i got a wellness center business opportunity to share ... no harm finding out more ...

interested parties can pm or email me thx

Re: Who want to be your own boss ?
 

Ok. No harm in finding out more. So what kind of business opportunity are you proposing. Wellness center as in spa? Can tell me more?

Re: Who want to be your own boss ?
 

Hiya all , I just started my own business Both online and in a shop . Let me say it is seriously not easy. But I guess it was made possible because before i set it up I had a lot of adverts up and word of mouth . I did pretty much the same thing as what everyone mentioned. Blogshops , attended bazaars and talks and i even advertised at schools which helped a lot, though wasnt easy to get the approval by the school.This took me 7 months to make the entire decision to go solo on this.Im glad I did go through with it though.

To me young people dont start off because they dont really know what to do at all and dont want to be in debt.

I got my capital from an small investor . Have you guys tried getting an investor?

I know that if your stuff is unique big stores would be willing to market your items.Its all in how you present yourself and your items.

And i think my biggest advice to anyone is that you really have to have a lot of patience and you HAVE to be friends with EVERYONE. Being upmost nice and pleasant and show a cheery side in the way you write and talk and body language.

gosh...i hope im making sense so late in the night :confused2:

Re: Who want to be your own boss ?
 

I'm glad and happy for you that you made it.. :clap:
Yes, I know it's not easy...Patience is the key...
You cant just expect to open up a shop and boom your sales..
These takes time..Some might be longer than others...
I'm still trying to get a shop location cos I'm planning to open one myself too.
:p

Re: Who want to be your own boss ?
 

of course i would love to be my own boss, so sick of working have to face the toxic ppl , staff, tired already, get bullied by office bully. so i can't wait be a boss, how , can help? what shop to do? and online is it good. can earn or not?
how about business in malayisa, JB or KL, isn't it cheaper ?

Re: Who want to be your own boss ?
 

is there any online courses to attend ?online biz course?

Re: Who want to be your own boss ?
 

uhm.. in business, you might face even more *toxic* ppl and you still have to face them.. And be nice to them. Business should be entered into because you have a passion for it and you want to do it no matter what. Being your own boss is usually worse than being an employee...

Re: Who want to be your own boss ?
 

i really want to be one because of my personality :laff:

Re: Who want to be your own boss ?
 

Is it MLM? If not, I am interested! :D

Re: Who want to be your own boss ?
 

In this downtime is it the right time to be own boss (as in to invest in buying stocks to sell and rent pushcart to sell)? More cons than pros as ppl now are more reserve in spending.