This month I am encouraging people: graduates, retirees, even stay at home moms, to consider the possibilities of entrepreneurship.

As I researched the possibilities for each group, I came across list after list of possible business ideas.

Here are just a few:

Business ideas for Graduates:

Fitness Instruction, Electronics Repair, Graphic Design, Handmade Crafts

Business Ideas for Retirees:

Consulting, Blogging, Tutoring, Bed and Breakfast, Pet Sitting

Business Ideas for Moms:

Freelancing, Virtual Assistant, Blogging, Day Care

The suggestions in these myriad blog posts may prove useful as stimulus for creative ideas. But I don’t recommend choosing from a list unless you’ve first done some serious thinking about what you really want from life.  A business should be about so much more than making money.  The money is only a tool.  The tool is there to support your freely chosen, fabulous life.

In my self-coaching guide, I encourage emerging entrepreneurs, like you, to first examine your own life. Before you choose a business, take inventory of what is truly important to you. Think about the lifestyle you want and acknowledge your responsibly to your family and your community. Finally, account for your skills, talents and abilities.  Once you are clear about who you are, what you can do well and what you value, you will be in a strong position to identify and evaluate the business that is exactly right for you.

When you know yourself well you will be able to access a business opportunity quickly using the following criteria.

• Does the opportunity fit within your preferred lifestyle?
• Do you know this market? Can you imagine who you will be serving? Will you like the people you serve?
• Does your gut tell you to go ahead?
• What is the worst case? Can you live with it?

The advantage of doing the work of self-knowledge up front is, with your criteria clearly established, you will begin to think like an entrepreneur.  You will find you are able to recognize opportunity quickly, knowing when to act without delay because you will have established simple rules to decide when to move forward.

This may sound like a lot of hard thinking, and it does require some effort, but I can help.  Get in touch. What do you have to lose?

Photo by jesseorrico on Unsplash