“Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed
by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do, 
so throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbor, 
catch the trade winds in your sails. 
Explore, Dream, Discover.” 
~ Mark Twain – Author. 

The time is here — turn your dream into a business!

Let me tell you about my friend Aylssa and her dream. She is an artist. She began looking for a way to express her creativity, while providing her independence and financial security. She discovered a canvas which surprised her — fingernails! Her designs are individually crafted for the person for day-to-day wear, as well as, special occasion. Aylssa’s business is three years old and is so successful, that you have to know someone to get an appointment!

Do you have a dream and skill like Alyssa? Would you like to turn your dream and your skill into an income producer? There are many doors of opportunity available to begin your business. We will look at a couple of tools in preparing to turn your dream into a moneymaking business.

First, here are a few statistics from Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Report:

•       25 Million Entrepreneurs in the U.S.
•       57% of America See Opportunity to Start a Business – Not Necessity
•       37% of all Entrepreneurs are Developing Innovative Products and Services

Think about services you have used lately that were not around 10 years ago. I have two listed below — Your dream could be one of these new product or services yet to come!

Two recent ones I have used are Uber and Blue Apron. Uber is an on-demand car service, which started in 2009. It is easy to use and much less expensive than a taxi. And now they have expanded to Uber Eats, delivering take-out food to your home — even McDonalds! Blue Apron delivers fresh meals with all the ingredients to prepare. My husband and I love it. Since the inception in 2012, the company is worth around 1.9 billion dollars. These two businesses broke the status quo of business as usual!

I will share a couple of tools in developing your business ideas into a workable plan.

1. Passion Drives Your Action

I have owned three businesses. My first one and the one I have now, Cindy-Stewart.com, are very similar in passion, direction and product —  the only real difference is the customer base.

My second was a family business. Once the family no longer worked in the business, I was left running the business. I realized that I had the skills to run it, but no passion to infuse in it. Without passion there was no vision, and for me the business became just another job.

What do you have passion to do?

What is your passion level on a scale of 1 to 10?

2.  Develop Your Business Plan

The Small Business Administration has a downloadable business guide. (Download: Guide) This will help you think through the different aspects of planning and launching your business, as well as, planning for growth.

SCORE.org matches you with a mentor to help you through the process. They also have online workshops and a library to help you in developing your plan.

Both of these are geared toward self-study and will help you research all the information that applies. If you find you need this to be streamlined, you can contact me at Cindy-Stewart.com.

3.  Gather Needed Resources

An article in the The Business Journals about entrepreneurs stated that 80% of all funding for new businesses came from personal savings, family and friends. And that nearly 69% of new businesses are home based — so no expensive office needed. In addition, 44% have a family member working for them.

Also, I wrote a blog called Resourcing Your Dreams. I share the 4 most common untapped resources in bringing your dream alive.

In my first business I learned about using one of the untapped resources — a friend. Here is how she helped me.

After many years of working for someone else, I decided to venture out on my own. I developed my brand, which at that time consisted of a business card and a logo, then I hit the pavement looking for customers. I had a few small jobs to keep me going. Then after a couple of months and many cold calls, I landed a major corporation who had recently acquired an international company. One of my friends was an analyst and she offered to help me with the initial review — at no charge. She was a tremendous resource for me as I began my new business.

Starting the planning process will help you take the big picture of your dream and begin the process of developing a plan. This process will also help you identity the tools you need to get started.

Next week we talk about your target audience. We will also talk about building your tribe, that is the people who want what you are offering.

I would love to help you. If you want individual help through the process fill out the Connection Form.

I also want to share with you about an upcoming event —

Writer’s Workshop – March 16 -17 in Tampa, Florida

YOUR STORY — Our Expertise
Let us help you write the story within you.

Our Writer’s Workshop will help capture your ideas in a way that brings value to your readers. 

The Writer’s Workshop will teach you:

How to get started?
What are the publishing avenues available?
How do I build a following?

This two-day workshop is designed to build the skills of both seasoned and aspiring writers.

Register at: www.cindy-stewart.com/events/writers/

Remember, You are the BEST Investment You can make!

1 http://www.babson.edu/news-events/babson-news/Pages/2017-global-entrepreneurship-monitor-united-states-report.aspx Accessed 2.25.18

2 https://www.bizjournals.com/bizjournals/washingtonbureau/2013/05/20/entrepreneurs-rev-your-engines.html Accessed 2.25.18