home Calculators Starting your own business from scratch. In a small town. How to quit your job, start your own business, so as not to depend on anyone

Starting your own business from scratch. In a small town. How to quit your job, start your own business, so as not to depend on anyone

You can create a new business at any time. There is no unfavorable circumstance, period or age. All that matters is your attitude and determination.

What thoughts indicate that you are not ready to open a business:

This idea will definitely work, but I need money for promotion.
You need to earn more and quickly to pay off your debts.
I don’t have the strength to tolerate a tyrant boss. I quit immediately and start my own business.
Vaska has his own company. Am I worse or stupider?

What thoughts indicate that you are “ripe” for your business:

I’m great at this, and now this product (service) is in demand on the market.
There isn’t enough capital to start, but I won’t borrow – the risk of losing everything is still too high.
Until the business begins to generate stable income, it is necessary to create an additional source or reliable reserve.
When I leave my job, no one will control or guide me. It is necessary now to become more organized and disciplined.

If your thoughts are harmonious with the first block, you are not ready to create a business. Entrepreneurship requires sober calculation and a responsible attitude to business. But most of humanity is in the grip of delusions. It is because of this that there are so many bankruptcies among newcomers and so few successful projects. Main myths:

It is impossible to start a business without a lot of money and connections.
The bandits will take everything.
It is not profitable to pay taxes.
I have no entrepreneurial talent.

These fears are probably familiar to you too. In reality, all this is easily overcome. All that matters is the right attitude and basic financial literacy.

Iron rules for those who are determined to create a successful business:

Do not take out a loan to start a business if you do not have experience.
- Prepare for failures, try to provide for all options.
- Set yourself up for victory, but think through your actions in case of defeat.
- Do not use funds collected for other important purposes to create a business (NZ for emergencies, loan payments, children’s education).
- Study the market conditions in as much detail as possible and analyze your resources.
- Chat with experienced and successful entrepreneurs.
- Do not invest money in suspicious projects.
- Choose a field in which you are a professional.
- Make plans for your actions, clearly describe each stage.
- There will be failures, but don’t give up after the first difficulties.

“7 Main Steps to Starting a Business”

Every business is unique. But there are basic and common stages that must be completed.

1. Decide on the direction

It is extremely important to remember that customers will only be willing to pay for a quality solution to one of their problems or satisfaction of some need. This means you need to determine what you can offer them.

In business, consistency is important; this stage should be approached with particular seriousness. Make a list of ten activities that you do better than others. Don’t analyze whether it’s realistic to make money from this, and how much money is needed to organize a business. For now, only your talents or skills. You can probably make this list in five minutes. It is possible that reflection and analysis will take a month. This will be a very important fruitful period, because you are reviewing and analyzing very important things.

That's it, the list is ready. Now select items with activities that you enjoy. Perhaps you didn’t even think about making money from it, and considered it solely as a hobby. But these are the areas that should be considered as business ideas. No one is capable of giving all their best in a task they don’t like.

2. Study the market and choose your niche

Having decided on the direction, study the situation in your city. First, find out the number of potential competitors. You can ask friends to visit each or part of the companies as a client. This will give you a clear idea of the strengths and weaknesses of your competitors. All data must be recorded on paper and systematized in comparative tables. After a clear analysis, you will be able to enter the market with more attractive conditions for customers.

3. Create a unique selling proposition

It should be short, but as accurately as possible demonstrate your occupation and main advantages. Example: “Translation Bureau. We work quickly, efficiently and at a reasonable price.”

Such an offer can be posted on the Internet, booklets or advertisements can be printed and their distribution organized. Be sure to include contact information for your company. When interested clients contact you, you can discuss the terms of cooperation in more detail.

4. Write a business plan

Many consider this most important stage an empty formality, necessary only to obtain loans or attract investors. This is a serious misconception. A business plan consists of a description of the starting position, market analysis, prospects and clear planning of steps for organizing and developing the business. Each of the points requires careful analysis and a sober assessment of factors. Without this, creating a successful business is impossible. This is an instruction and roadmap for your activities.

A high-quality business plan will help you foresee the main risks and prepare for the obstacles that are sure to arise. It is important to choose the main actions that will most affect success and concentrate maximum effort and resources on them. First steps:

Prepare to fulfill your first orders.
Advertising. The most accessible and effective at the start are a website or page on the Internet, advertisements in your area, informing your immediate environment.
Active actions to receive the first orders. Offer preferential terms.
Fulfilling first orders in the best possible way. Ask the client for feedback and recommendations.

5. Get to work

Organizational preparation can last several months. But once you get off to a low start, don’t delay the process, don’t put it off, and don’t hesitate. You need to act decisively and quickly.

You already have a unique selling proposition. It is enough to attract the first clients. Start advertising your services with your circle of close people. If your services are not in demand among your friends, ask them to recommend you and provide contacts of those who need them.

Go online. Do you have the funds? Order a decent website from a good company that specializes in this. Do you have the necessary skills? Create a website or page yourself. Advertise yourself on social networks - this is a very powerful and effective resource.

6. First orders. How to manage your profits

Needless to say that the first clients should be served to the highest standard? This approach is also necessary when working with the 10th, 100th, 500th, 1,000,000th client. But the first ones are the most important. Their assessment of your service, recommendations and reviews will either force you to radically change your approach to doing business, or allow you to grow wings behind your back and confidently set off on a triumphant flight. By completing your first orders, you set a certain quality standard. It cannot be lowered; it must be raised.

First profit. Spending it on meeting personal needs is strictly prohibited. Experienced financiers and entrepreneurs recommend not withdrawing profits from the business at all and using it exclusively for development and payment of current expenses until the breakeven point is achieved.

What is meant by development? It all depends on your type of activity. If this is trade, expand the range. In the service sector, profits are invested in improving service. Are you involved in production? Purchase of raw materials, equipment, new employees. If you've worked hard to create a business plan, you'll have a good idea of where you should invest your first business profits.

The concept of development also includes increasing the level of qualifications. Look for every opportunity to provide personal training for your employees as well. Take part in trainings, exhibitions, conferences, buy books. There is no limit to the level of skill. An additional bonus is new acquaintances with the best representatives of your field of activity. As a rule, they lead to profitable partnerships.

7. Conduct an impartial analysis of the results and start expanding

You should constantly analyze the results and summarize intermediate results. This allows you to find errors and quickly correct them. Focus on assessing the effectiveness of business practices. Without regret, discard what does not generate income and only absorbs resources, pay more attention to the effective ones.

If you have already reached a certain level of income, the business is operating confidently and stably, it is time to expand.

You cannot stand still, otherwise a younger and bolder or larger competitor will offer clients more interesting conditions, and you will begin to lose profits. Expansion means hiring new employees and introducing additional services, organizing new branches and offices, expanding the range, purchasing innovative equipment and entering new markets. Only by being in constant movement and development is it possible to get a successful business that will provide you with a comfortable and comfortable old age and a reliable base for your descendants.

Do you think these tips are too simple and trivial? Then why do only 4% of novice businessmen achieve success? Research by economists shows that most newcomers do not adhere to the basic standards of doing business necessary for stable development and prosperity. As a result, myths about the incredible complexity of starting your own business are spreading around the world.

The model described above does not address all aspects and nuances of doing business. Each area has its own characteristics, but they are taken into account in the process of drawing up a business plan. This model indicates and describes the most important stages along the creation path; everything has been tested many times in practice and really works. Failure to complete at least one of the stages is fraught with failure. Use the knowledge of those who have already managed to organize a successful business and create your own.

If there is 0 in your pocket, then it is unlikely that you will be able to realize at least one. Start-up capital is often a necessity, but you should not fall into despair, because you can limit yourself to a small amount. Optimal options:

1. Bank loan. Banks offer special conditions for entrepreneurs. It is worth giving preference to programs with a fixed interest rate in Russian currency.

2. Borrow money. If you have friends or family who are willing to help you get started, you're in luck. The advantage is that there is no interest, but the disadvantage is that you still have to pay back the money.

3. Finding an investor. There are many resources on the Internet that will help you find a good partner: investorov.net, www.investclub.ru, investgo24.com, start2up.ru. All you need to do is register and add a project. If it is promising, there will be responses. Disadvantage: you will have to share profits with a partner or agree to other conditions.

4. Government subsidy. To get it, you need to be unemployed, prepare a package of documents (Google it) for the employment center and. It is possible to receive a subsidy, but it is quite long and tedious.

How to find “your” business?

Money is not the main thing. Perhaps someone will be skeptical about this statement, but real life shows that if you find an idea that you are passionate about, then your business is doomed to success. So how do you find your dream job?

There are many options, but when you find yours, you will immediately understand. Start with a hobby. Do you have an activity that makes you forget about time? Most likely, it can become the basis for your business.

Let's look at the example of a simple hobby, reading classical literature. It would seem impossible to turn reading books into a real source of income. But if you are well versed in the works of Chekhov or Jack London, why not write custom essays or essays? You can create your own blog dedicated to literature and attach a forum to it. There is nothing difficult about it, especially if you enjoy what you write.

Look for a business idea everywhere. The internet is full of information and options. Listen to people you know who are involved in entrepreneurship. An idea can even come to your mind on the street, when you accidentally see an advertising billboard and realize that you want to sell what is depicted on it. Or make and rent out these same billboards.

The following options are suitable for men:

custom car repairs;
programming remotely or visiting your home;
installation of air conditioners, appliances, plastic windows;
welding of building structures (steps, fences).

Entertainment

Nowadays various quests are gaining popularity. They can be carried out both outdoors and indoors. You just need to come up with a program and spend a little money on the necessary equipment.

You can organize excursions around the city. Some even go abroad, meet arriving tourists and introduce them to the sights.

To avoid disappointment, don't expect too much. Just go ahead and develop your project.
Start small. You don’t need to take a lot of orders (if these are services) and invest a lot of money. Expand your boundaries gradually.
If you have little experience, get it in companies by getting a job as a manager or even a secretary. By seeing how a business works from the inside, you can avoid mistakes in your business.
If possible, do not quit your regular job. When obvious prospects appear, you can always leave and devote yourself 100% to your business.

As you can see, . Analyze, choose a niche, write a business plan, develop! If you have a favorite hobby, organizational skills and creative thinking, then success is guaranteed. We wish you good luck and inspiration!

Entrepreneurship gives a person complete freedom of action. To work without any moralizing and shouting from your superiors, getting from it not only money, but also pleasure, you need.

Those people who are tired of being afraid that they will be fired from their jobs and left without a livelihood, often wonder what kind of business can be opened to receive a permanent, stable income?

We are looking for a profitable business

Any person who decides to engage in entrepreneurial activity must be able to objectively assess the situation and apply the information received in practice.

The question remains relevant for many people living in the province. If you master the basics of doing business perfectly, you can make a good profit anywhere. Therefore, before you start working, you need to carefully analyze the market and try to eliminate all risks that could lead you to bankruptcy.

It doesn’t matter what kind of business you open during a crisis or during times of economic stability, if you organize your business correctly, it will bring in a good regular income.

Many aspiring entrepreneurs take on a business that they really like. For example, if you like to bake cakes, don't. Invest money in, which, thanks to your experience and knowledge, will eventually turn into a large workshop or mini confectionery factory.

To figure out what kind of business to open in a small town, you need to thoroughly study the market in which you plan to gain a foothold. Try to identify services that are in short supply, and feel free to start working in this direction.

Uniqueness, not commonplace

Consumers are not very attracted to traditional services that can be found in any locality. They are more interested in unexpected profitable offers from which they can benefit.

It is impossible to answer the question unequivocally: what kind of business is profitable to open now? Any businessman must constantly work to stay afloat. Remember, as soon as you open your own business, you will immediately become someone’s competitor. Therefore, there is no need to hope that the owner of a neighboring store will come and give practical advice on running a business. You will have to achieve everything yourself, and this is hard and painstaking work.

The question of which business is profitable to open can be answered by your friends or acquaintances who already have their own profitable business. At first, you can borrow equipment from them, as well as gain certain knowledge about technical developments.

Choosing a direction of activity

Before deciding which business to open, you need to choose an area in which your abilities can be useful.

There are several options:

Trade;
Recycling.

Not every idea leads to the development of a successful business, so you need to be responsible when choosing your field of activity and method of promotion.

Among the main ways to promote a business idea are:

Purchase of a ready-made business;
Acquiring a business idea.

Once you understand what kind of profitable business you can open, contact the bank for a loan. Let it be small, the most important thing is to start somewhere. Over time, new opportunities will begin to open up for you, but for now you need to gain experience. If you cannot find money, you can engage in intermediary activities, for example, open a real estate agency.

Many will not believe it, but according to sociological research, the most profitable business is paid toilets. This business brings 900% profit.

There is no need to be afraid of the economic crisis. Choose to trade a product or service that is constantly in great demand:

Cloth;
Food;
Transport services.

New niches are constantly appearing in the market that you can fill if you look around carefully.

Innovative types of business activities

The following types of businesses are thriving these days:

Development of modern Internet technologies and programming. People who work in this field earn a lot of money. This source of income never dries up;
Computer diagnostics of cars;
Mini-bakery or mini-pizzeria, equipped with modern equipment;

At the beginning of the journey, every entrepreneur thinks - what is the most profitable business? What you like and what you like to do

Why do people do business? The question is not at all trivial, but on the contrary, fundamental. Business is freedom of action, working for yourself without bosses’ shouts and moralizing, without the fear that tomorrow you will be fired or downsized, and you will be left without a livelihood. Therefore, many people strive to open their own business from scratch.

Let us help you find a profitable business

Any business requires the competence of a person, his ability to adequately perceive information and effectively apply it in practice. It would be counterproductive, for example, to open a boutique selling CDs next to an existing retail outlet.

Therefore, the question of which business is profitable to open is always on the agenda of a novice businessman. In this material we will try to give useful advice in the most concise but specific form, which we hope many will be able to use practically.

It doesn’t matter where a person wants to open his business. It could be a seedy city, a poor but crowded city, or Moscow. You can make a good profit anywhere by mastering the basics of honest entrepreneurship. And remember that at every step a newly minted businessman faces a great risk.

People a priori love some things and reject others. They simply don't like doing work that they don't like. When going into business, you need to take on something that a person loves.

For example, if since childhood he dreamed of repairing cars, then he should not get involved with opening an atelier for sewing women's outerwear. If he has money, then by investing it in opening his own auto repair shop, he can quickly accumulate capital for its development and soon turn it into a good technically equipped Center. With a professional team and great prospects.

Read also: Opening a business without investment is real!

Before asking questions about what businesses are profitable to open, it is necessary to carefully study the demands of the market, on the sites of which a novice businessman wants to establish himself. That is, analyze what other services remain in short supply and begin working in this direction.

Under no circumstances should you open, for example, a pharmacy in your area, if there is already one, or a beauty salon with a standard set of services, the equivalent of which is located right in front of the windows of your apartment.

Choosing the right direction for your future business is not an easy task, but every successful entrepreneur has solved it

Attracts the unique, not the ordinary

People are attracted not by ordinary, replicated services, but by unique, unexpected offers. However, you can also go too far in know-how. The public may simply not understand what they want from them by offering new, non-traditional paid services.

It is necessary to constantly analyze demand and, based on the results obtained, act in the direction where it is most unsatisfied. This suggests that a novice businessman must work tirelessly. After all, as soon as he registered his business, he became someone’s competitor. And hoping that a neighbor at the kiosk will come and give practical advice is simply from the realm of acute fantasy.

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The goal of our company is to promote Russian business. There are obvious reasons for our direct interest in having as many entrepreneurs in Russia as possible. However, not only mercantile interests are involved here, but also social attitudes.

We sincerely believe that entrepreneurs are the life blood and energy that drives the economy of any country. In one of the interviews we even saw the phrase that entrepreneurs are God’s agents on earth. Funny, but not so far from the truth.

Unfortunately, in our country the percentage of entrepreneurs is not yet high enough. Although we have been living in a market economy for about 25 years, most people continue to work not in the private sector, but in the public sector or in low-paid budget organizations. Even according to pre-crisis statistics, in the Russian Federation only every 25th person was an entrepreneur, while in any, even the smallest, European country - every 11th.

Many are stopped by the lack of necessary knowledge or experience, and many are stopped by the very thought of their business, since this is “terra incognita,” that is, a zone of the unknown. People simply don’t know what they will have to deal with and how to “solve” certain problems in order to open and promote their business.

In this article we will try to tell you in as much detail and point by point as possible about how to start your own business, because business knowledge is power.

1. Are entrepreneurs people with special knowledge, skills and qualities?

The two main human qualities that will help a businessman become successful are “N and G”: persistence and flexibility.

Perseverance is the ability to move forward no matter what and not give up when faced with obstacles or rejection. At some business trainings, cadets are told that the persistence coefficient must be no less than 6, that is, if they receive a refusal for the first time, hit the same point 5 more times. Five return calls, five return visits, five sent CPs, and so on.

However, “N” after six may no longer work, and here it is necessary to include “G” - flexibility of thinking. If the wall cannot be broken through, then it’s time to use your head and think (alone or in consultation with someone who knows) how to jump over this wall, dig under it, fly over it in a ball or look around where there is a technological window to crawl through.

In fact, all other skills and knowledge are secondary for a beginning entrepreneur.

Of course, business experience and a thousand business textbooks read are important and useful, but they are not at all necessary when starting your own business. As soon as you start your business, your experience will begin to grow automatically, and at a colossal pace. “N and G” are more important at this stage, and a burning desire to become a businessman, of course.

Now a few words about knowledge: it is necessary, but not required at the initial stage. If you have free time, read business literature or at least business novels for pleasure. And if we are not talking about business education, but about linear education (parochial school, vocational school, institute), then it is not only not necessary, but can even be an interfering factor.

Strategies learned over the years: “be like everyone else,” “I am the last letter of the alphabet,” and “I won’t do anything, then I’ll learn it overnight or write it off for free” are killers of the entrepreneurial spirit. They teach you to be mediocre and keep your head down, and this is the path of an employee dreaming of a pittance pension, not an entrepreneur.

2. What is the best way to open your own business: alone or in partnership?

There is an established theory about the weakest number in business – the number “1”. One supplier, one client, one bank, one service provider, passport for one citizenship, and so on - this is the most unsustainable model. This means that running a business alone is an unsustainable model.

With regard to business administration, this model is generally enshrined by the world management guru Itzhak Adizes, who developed and proved the effectiveness of the PAEI model and the fact that in business there should be partnership, but not sole management.

However, do not rush to consider as amateurs everyone who writes in their articles that “if there are two partners in a company, they have a high chance of quarreling and becoming enemies, and if there are four partners in a company, they will almost certainly quarrel”.

This is simply either a subjective opinion or a banal lack of real business experience or a minimum base of structural knowledge. In addition, Russia has its own specifics - echoes of the 90s, when a continuous "scam" flourished, educating a whole layer of people. There really is a risk of bumping into such a person. Here again, the question is about your skills in objectively assessing people from your social circle.

In our experience, there are a large number of examples when a business is managed by two or more partners (and JSCs, CJSCs, PJSCs are even managed by boards of directors and many owner-shareholders, and not by one person). There are three main elements of stability:

Concluding a partnership agreement at the start, even if the second partner is your bosom friend. As you understand, the Charter or the decision of the founders on creation may not be enough, since the partnership agreement will describe the shares, roles and procedure for exiting it much more accurately than template documents.
There must be a leading partner (if there are two, then one has 51%, the other 49%, and not the usual 50/50) with decisive voting rights.
It is ideal if your partner balances out your shortcomings (you are an activist eager to fight, and he is an analyst who suggests first weighing everything and calculating the risks and vice versa).

3. Where can I get the initial (start-up) capital?

There are a lot of offers on the Internet from all sorts of “Tien-shi” and other networkers, which sound like “a successful business requires a partner, without initial investments and other things,” so here it is: free cheese in a mousetrap.

If you want to start a business, but don’t have start-up capital, first earn start-up capital. Dot. Although no, not a period, but a colon:

earn;
borrow from relatives (if you suddenly go broke, earn money and pay it back);
take a consumer loan from a bank (loans for small businesses in Russia are, alas, a utopia. Even Sberbank completely curtailed its business lending program in 2015, and startups without turnover and guarantors will never be given at all, verified);
write a good business plan and post it on investment portals;
offer to become your partner (equity or debt investor) to a person with money;
take something unnecessary from Avito for pick-up and then sell it;
mortgage (sell) something you need (it’s better not to sell real estate, since with zero experience there is still a high probability of going broke);
and so on and so forth (we remember about flexibility of thinking, right?).

Now it’s time to debunk the myth that you need huge start-up capital

Huge capital is needed if you decide to start a large manufacturing business, because it will require machines, conveyors and the like, or buy a ready-made enterprise or company with a large guaranteed profit.

If you want to open a hairdresser, a stall or an online store selling Chinese goods, most likely the capital you will need is not exorbitant.

In addition, there is one guaranteed, proven way to start your own business without exorbitant initial capital, which is widely used in Russia: becoming a dealer.

Manufacturers of anything in a country with no manufacturing sector are few and far between, but intermediaries are a dime a dozen. And there is nothing wrong with that.

The fact is that production workers are usually people who have nothing in common with sales and marketing. Play on this.

Establish a flow of customers for a certain product and invite production workers to close your flow to it for your percentage. Voila! It’s rare that anyone will refuse clients, especially when they think that otherwise you will be diverting this ready flow to their competitor.

In the same way, you can set up a business selling anything from China. And in order to create and promote a website or online store, you definitely won’t need exorbitant expenses.

By the way, in the West the main reason for not starting a business is lack of education, not lack of money. And the majority of businessmen in the Russian Federation certainly did not graduate from any business schools or MBAs - and nothing, they are thriving.

Well, understand that you can’t show off at the start. If you can buy used equipment or furniture, then buy used, not new. You can perform a number of functions yourself or have a partner do the work – don’t hire staff. Only when an overworked manager begins to collapse from fatigue, hire a second one for the position of “assistant manager” with a lower salary.

No director's massage chairs or company cars with busty secretaries! You will have all this later if you don’t make unnecessary expenses at the start.

4. How to get a subsidy to start your own business?

Almost nothing.

Forget about it, unless you have an administrative resource that will help in this matter through some kind of “gray scheme” (which in any case will make you dependent on these people in the future).

A living example: our partner, for whom we created and are promoting a website, needs to open a small production facility. The most inexpensive machine in their technological process costs 2.5 million rubles.

We decided to study the issue of subsidizing in 2015, and so: there is a ghostly possibility of subsidizing up to 50% of the cost with a refund after payment in full, but not more than 1 million rubles with an average payroll of 30 people and registration no later than two years ago.

That is, in simple terms: the company must have existed for at least two years, have more than 30 employees, and the cost of the machine must ALREADY be paid in full in order to return part of the money minus VAT (but not more than 1 million, in the regions - no more than 300 thousand rubles). It’s not worth mentioning the packages of documents, the application procedure, deadlines and other hemorrhoids at all.

In general, if you have lawyers on staff, then you can try to return part of the funds after the fact for leasing acquisitions of fixed assets for a business, but most likely you will not be able to comply with the conditions.

The second way is to receive a subsidy BEFORE purchasing fixed assets and other expenses. Request it from the Employment Fund, that is, register as unemployed at the labor exchange, try to reasonably reject all proposed employment options, collect a package of documents and, together with a competent business plan, submit an application for financial assistance.

Opening your own business is easy. But to open a successful business... However, this can be done if you follow the right advice.

If you are lucky enough to pass the entire set of requirements (for example, you must not be an individual entrepreneur or LLC at least six months before submitting documents to the labor exchange) and successfully defend your business plan, then you may be lucky - you will receive... 58,000 rubles as free loan to the unemployed. I'm not kidding! In addition, there is a quota: no more than five approved subsidies per year from one employment center. And in many regions even this “support” has already been cancelled.

These, alas, are the realities of domestic support for small businesses - alas, they exist only on TV, along with Star Wars 7 and other science fiction.

5. How to choose a niche for business? How to come up with an original idea?

The technique is simple: if a super-original idea appears, then put it in the “idea notebook” or the “mind manager” program in the “unimportant for later” section.

If you have a startup, then start with a business that already exists and is guaranteed to bring profit to someone. Since it works for others, then with certain “N and G” it will work for you too.

If you have an unlimited budget, then you, of course, can play as much as you like in promoting “nanosputtering for drills” or “Ivanov string transport” to the market with varying results. However, let's be honest, there is much less business here than the desire to stroke one's pride.

Now a couple of simple tips on how to choose “your” niche from the already existing ones.

6. Is it possible to combine work and your business?

It is possible, and for the time being even necessary, since the preparatory period before launching a business can be quite long in time (choosing a niche, forming an idea, USP, offer, testing a niche, writing a business plan, even writing articles for a future site or group VKontakte and so on).

All this time you will need to eat something, and in addition, you will need start-up capital to launch the active phase (creation of converters, promotion and advertising, rent of premises, purchase of equipment or goods, costs of registering a company, taxes, and so on).

It is quite possible to combine them if you really really want your own business. For example, even working until 18.00 and then spending two hours on the road and dinner, it is quite possible to devote 2-3 hours to your project on weekdays, and even more on weekends.

Yes, alas, you will have to learn to prioritize: lie down in front of the TV watching a series with a beer, or work after work. But a businessman is a businessman because he sets such priorities correctly, plus he doesn’t suffer from bullshit and fights against all sorts of time wasters.

But after the start of the active phase - it’s 100% no, you can’t combine it, and you won’t be able to do it even if you wanted to.

7. Will competitors put pressure on you? How to exist when there are so many competitors?

The answer to the first question: if we are talking about small and medium-sized businesses, then no - they won’t. You simply won't be noticed. You will still have to try very, very hard so that at least someone notices you, and your business does not glue its fins together in the first year.

If you want to immediately get involved in some huge project such as the removal of Karelian forests or “squeeze” a billion-dollar state tender from someone, then yes, problems may arise. But everyone was taught not to stick their fingers into electrical sockets from childhood, and the dumbest ones had already dropped out at that stage.

Regarding the second question: you will have to try very hard. Yes, plow and plow, especially at the beginning. Sales and advertising are the basis of development. Every month new companies and new brands appear that you have never heard of before - which means the market can be divided. The market will move for those who are ready to move it. "N and G" will help you.

In addition, there is one peculiarity: small businesses are more mobile and it is easier for them to conquer the market than large ones; they simply have a better system and a smaller structure. It's like maneuvering a boat compared to a cruiser.

In addition, everyone sees the biggest player on the market and strives to take a piece from him (they study, look for weak points, copy), and not from other small ones.

8. Taxes, optimization

Yes, taxes are an unpleasant burden, especially when you see that officials use your taxes to build houses for themselves, travel with currency prostitutes to Courchevel, buy yachts or change their official Lexuses once a year. However, there is no escape from them. But let's calculate in numerical terms what can really await you.

If you are a small entrepreneur, then you either have a “simplified” or “imputed” one.

Example: cafeteria with seats for 4 employees (simplified), cafeteria without seats for 4 employees (UTII), OKVED 15.1-15.8.
Petersburg. Municipal district Nevsky district of St. Petersburg.
Rent 30,000 rubles per month (30 sq. meters at 1,000 rubles/sq. m.).
Revenue 900,000 rubles per quarter.
Employee salary: 30,000 rubles (120,000 rubles for all).

Cafe with seating (STS: income)	Cafe with seating (STS: income minus expenses)	Cafe without seats (UTII)
Tax: 6% from 900,000 rub. = 54,000 rubles/quarter Pension FR: Deduction when paying the simplified tax system (no more than 50%): 54,000 rub. * 50% = 27,000 rubles. And compare with contributions to funds: 72,720 rubles. (with FSS NS – 0.2%) RUB 79,200 (with FSS NS - 2%) 27,000 rubles will be deducted, which means the simplified tax system tax will be paid in the amount of 27,000 rubles, and not 54,000 rubles.	Confirmed expenses: 360,000 rub. – Payroll (salary) Pension FR: 20% from 360,000 rub. = 72,000 rubles/quarter FSS NS (depending on type of activity): from 0.2 to 2% from 360,000 rub. = from 720 rub. up to 7,200 rub. 90,000 rub. – rent 300,000 rub. – purchase of raw materials (coffee, dough, napkins, cups, etc.) Total consumption: RUB 822,720 (with FSS - 0.2%) or 829,200 rubles. (with social insurance - 2%) Profit: RUR 77,280 or 70,800 rub. respectively. Tax: 7% from 77,280 rub. = 5,409 rubles/quarter or 7% from 70,800 rub. = 4,956 rubles/quarter	Tax: 4,500 rub. (basic income) * 4 (number of employees, including individual entrepreneurs) * 1,798 (deflator coefficient K1) * 1 (K2) * 3 (number of months) = 14,564 rubles / quarter Pension FR: 20% of 360,000 = 72,000 rubles/quarter FSS NS (depending on type of activity): from 0.2 to 2% from 360,000 rub. = from 720 rub. up to 7,200 rub. The deduction when paying tax is the same as under the simplified tax system (no more than 50%): RUB 14,564 * 50% = 7,282 rubles. And compare with contributions to funds: 72,720 rubles. (with FSS NS – 0.2%) RUB 79,200 (with FSS NS - 2%) 7,282 rubles will be deducted, which means that the UTII tax will be paid in the amount of 7,282 rubles, and not 14,564 rubles.
Total payments for the quarter: from 27,000 rub. + 72,720 rub. = RUB 99,720 before 27,000 rub. + 79,200 rub. = RUB 106,200	Total payments for the quarter: from RUR 5,409 + 72,720 rub. = RUB 78,129 before RUR 4,956 + 79,200 rub. = RUB 84,156	Total payments for the quarter: from RUR 7,282 + 72,720 rub. = RUB 80,002 before RUR 7,282 + 79,200 rub. = RUR 86,182

Attention! The purpose of this example is not to tell you which taxation system is more profitable, our task is simply to show you the order of the numbers deducted as taxes and fees to the funds.

If you need advice on accounting support for your business, go to the appropriate section of our website.

The main idea is this: taxes and contributions to funds, if you have a competent accountant, are not your biggest headache and costly part. In our example, with almost a million in revenue, your deductions to tax and funds are at the very maximum - 84,600 rubles, that is, less than 10%. In the West, for example, entrepreneurs cannot even dream of such taxes.

The main thing is to calculate them correctly and pay on time so that you don’t face any fines or criminal charges. In general, accounting outsourcing can help you.

If you do your accounting properly, the tax office won’t touch you at all for the first three years, and then either the padishah will die, or... In general, when you hold out for three years, another game will begin.

9. 4-R: Racketeers, Raiding, Russian Realities (bribes, kickbacks)

Racket

So, about racketeering. There are still regions in this country where, alas, banditry remains widespread. But at least in megacities, the 90s have already successfully passed and racketeer fees are nothing more than memories of the past.

In general, a clash between business and banditry is possible, again, where you crossed the road either to a major player who decided to use extreme measures, or directly to bandits and their business (with the same forest, for example, or some other mineral resources). Also, if your business itself is criminal and is outside the legal framework - for example, you are selling organs or disks of Stas Mikhailov.

Remember well what mistakes you need to avoid when opening your own. When you finally decide, they will be very useful to you.

A clean small business shouldn't worry about this. And by the time you grow up, you yourself will most likely have acquired such useful connections that you can resolve any issues peacefully.

Raiding

Here it’s a little more complicated, because now the realities are such that raiding is carried out with the use of government agencies or by the government agencies themselves. And here measures like “just paying off” will not help. It is enough to watch a fascinating movie about Prosecutor General Chaika, for example, or read Chichvarkin’s biography, to understand that the inviolability of business is a myth.

But the rules here are the same: you must be a very large businessman with extremely attractive assets. Here financial planning, offshores, fragmentation of legal entities and other schemes will help you, but you still have to wait until then.

Bribes

When they are needed and the issue cannot be resolved without them, it is better to pay. These are realities. You already pay traffic cops, kindergarten teachers, head teachers in schools, doctors in hospitals, and so on. So why do you think that investing in free treatment or paying off a speeding ticket is the norm, but paying to help your own business is bad?

By the way, a huge number of businessmen may never face extortion of bribes during their entire existence.

Kickbacks

The fundamental question for everyone is whether to give kickbacks or not. They are given, as a rule, not to the detriment of oneself, but in order to get an additional client or get a tasty tender. Accordingly, it’s the same as with bribes: if it is beneficial to you and does not contradict your internal moral settings, then yes.

10. The main bottleneck of business

In every business, the bottleneck is... its owner and creator. Why?

Because he is the captain of the ship, only he is responsible for where this ship is sailing, what kind of sailors are on the ship and how they work, to whom and what kind of cargo the ship transports, in what port it waits out storms, and so on.

For example, the manager manages finances poorly and does not manage “management” at all. Most likely, this will lead to a cash gap, which at a certain point will put the company on the threshold of survival. Or he organized all the work around only one customer, and he changed suppliers... The business was closed.

Or the manager hired his relatives, regardless of their qualifications, and because of this, great specialists began to leave, and sales people began to take away clients... In general, there are a lot of examples when the manager himself begins to slow down the development of his own company.

The solution is simple - develop yourself, plus develop your employees, and hire key people for key positions. Abramovich also said that the company should have the best specialists among those you can find for the most important positions: accountant, lawyer, financier, commercial director.

11. Exit from business. Sale of business. Closing a business

Surprisingly, every entrepreneur, as a rule, is now working hard so that in the very near future he will no longer have to work. In this he differs from the common man in the street, who now works sluggishly and lifelessly, so that in the very distant future he too will no longer work, or rather, end up in retirement as a complete wreck.

So, the businessman has three possible endings.

Devastation

Sad, but not fatal. There are thousands of stories on the Internet about successful businessmen who suffered complete failure several times before they succeeded. Business is conversion. Your idea may work right away, or maybe out of 10 attempts it will work only once. The recipe here is simple: there should be a lot of attempts (we won’t get tired of reminding you about the “N and G” rule).

Growth-transmission

When the company began to operate stably and ceased to require the constant presence of the owner, and its profits are growing, it is time to think about a hired top manager, and move away from the “operating” staff. For example, go on a trip around the world. Let a portion of the profits regularly fall on your card while you ride the waves in Bali or hunt lions in Africa.

By the way, the business can be transferred to the heirs, then it will become a family business.

Growth-sale

All businesses are for sale. There is the most common myth in the field of selling an existing business, which sounds like this: “no one will sell a good business.”

Are you seriously?

What about A. Mamut’s purchase of Euroset? What about VKontakte, which was bought by the Mail.ru group? And where do most of these Gazprom subsidiaries come from? Gazprom itself bears them for 9 months, and then gives birth in writhing or what? Of course not. These are just some third-party companies that their own owners sold to Gazprom at a bargain price.

In fact, when you read at least a dozen business textbooks, you will understand that, for example, in the West, every business sets its own goal: to grow to a certain size so that it can be bought by a super-corporation. That is, businesses are grown for sale, like tomatoes or zucchini. By the way, among our partners there are already guys whose business is growing businesses for sale: they take a niche, open a business, develop it to a certain profit and then sell it. After that, they take a new niche and so on.

Moreover, in the field of small and medium-sized businesses, the sale of an existing business is the most common case. And we, as business brokers, will be happy to professionally help you sell your ready-made business. Until it grows, we are also ready to help you with its comprehensive promotion.

We wish you great profits and prosperity.
Team "Dikaster"