How can i learn about Business ?

[neurosport]

my degrees are in engineering however i went for that when i was very poor and having a decent salary was more than i could wish for.

but now i realize that working for a salary is a waste of potential.

also when making purchasing decisions i want to make sure i don't get schemed.

when somebody explained to me what market segmentation was ( how you manufacture an inferior product at an increased self-cost to make more profits ) that has allowed me to see a lot of things that i was previously blind to.

and still i missed some. for example i went for naturally aspirated V8 instead of 6 Turbo because V8 had more power according to manufacturer specs. but it turned out 6 Turbo was under rated for the purposes of market segmentation and actually 6 Turbo had more power while costing less and having specs for MUCH lower power than V8. it still hurts to think that i paid extra 10 grand for less power all because i was not as business savvy as i should have been.

all i had to do was figure out which engine is better. i am an engineer and i failed. ironically if i was a businessman i would have gotten it right. i simply didn't expect the manufacturer to deliberately lie on the specs to UNDER rate their own engine.

so anyway market segmentation is the only thing i know about business. and i want to know EVERYTHING about it. at the same time i don't want to go to college again because i believe that's a waste of time and money.

how should i educate myself on the subject ?

 

[Skull Pilot]

buy a book

 

[neurosport]

buy a book

no buying anything. has to be free.

i don't believe in the "you have to pay to play" principle.

 

[editec]

How do you educate yourself?

Remember the axioms of business...

Never give a sucker an even break

and

Whatever the market will bear.

Armed knowing that the above statements are considered the two primary justifications for why ripping people off isn't breaking the law, assume that you are going to be ripped off and do your homework before you buy.

And then accept that you are going to be ripped off frequently anyway, because the laws are mostly designed to assist businesses at the expense of the consumers.

 

[Skull Pilot]

buy a book

no buying anything. has to be free.

i don't believe in the "you have to pay to play" principle.

go to the library

 

[neurosport]

buy a book

no buying anything. has to be free.

i don't believe in the "you have to pay to play" principle.

go to the library

technically i could do that. but thats just way too smart for me.

is there something i can read online ? a PDF i can download ?

 

[code1211]

my degrees are in engineering however i went for that when i was very poor and having a decent salary was more than i could wish for.

but now i realize that working for a salary is a waste of potential.

also when making purchasing decisions i want to make sure i don't get schemed.

when somebody explained to me what market segmentation was ( how you manufacture an inferior product at an increased self-cost to make more profits ) that has allowed me to see a lot of things that i was previously blind to.

and still i missed some. for example i went for naturally aspirated V8 instead of 6 Turbo because V8 had more power according to manufacturer specs. but it turned out 6 Turbo was under rated for the purposes of market segmentation and actually 6 Turbo had more power while costing less and having specs for MUCH lower power than V8. it still hurts to think that i paid extra 10 grand for less power all because i was not as business savvy as i should have been.

all i had to do was figure out which engine is better. i am an engineer and i failed. ironically if i was a businessman i would have gotten it right. i simply didn't expect the manufacturer to deliberately lie on the specs to UNDER rate their own engine.

so anyway market segmentation is the only thing i know about business. and i want to know EVERYTHING about it. at the same time i don't want to go to college again because i believe that's a waste of time and money.

how should i educate myself on the subject ?

I know several people who own their own businesses. These folks are handy men, dentists, truck drivers, engineers, and so. Their only area of commonality besides having a real knack for talking with people and engaging them in conversation and gaining trust is that they simply have to be in charge.

If you relish the idea of being the guy holding the bag and being the guy who gets paid last if you have a payroll or goes to bed hungry to maintain his lines of credit, then starting a business is for you. Add to this that you have to have a passion for being the owner, not just for the activities or the products, but for the idea of being the owner.

If having a comfortable life style, that is: regular hours, weekends off, holidays to himself, a good benefits plan on a group deal and a network of co-workers, you are not the entreprunarial type.

If you need to ask the question you have asked, I would counsel you to keep your job. If you have it in your belly to do this, you don't ask permission. You do it.

 

[Seraega]

Code pretty much covered it. If you want a good beginner entrepreneur book check out Rich Dad, Poor Dad. It's got just about all the bases covered, including THE most important - you do business only with things that you understand. People who don't follow that rule in hopes of quick riches are the guys who get in trouble.

 

[Red Dawn]

How can i learn about business?

my degrees are in engineering however i went for that when i was very poor and having a decent salary was more than i could wish for.

but now i realize that working for a salary is a waste of potential.



how should i educate myself on the subject ?

You seem like the type who would do well at selling tupper ware.


Tupperware | Tupperware - the official World Web Site for Tupperware Products

 

[justabubba]

your engineering skills will readily apply to business management

this assumes you are a good engineer

design a prototype of your prospective business

then build it

then revise it to improve its features

you will then be positioned for a full-fledged launch


please avoid the pitfall that many make. they build a business which would cater to their own desires/needs/whims. unless you are the profile of your typical customer, it will probably not work

if you cannot identify a compelling reason why those who are now buying from an existing business would instead buy from you, then you probably don't have a good business idea

if you actually want to pursue your business interests, go to www.sba.gov
you don't want to speak to sba staff, as few would be able to assist you. however, you do want to locate the addresses for the nearest Service Corps Of Retired Executives (SCORE) and the Small Business Development Center (SBDC)
both offer FREE counseling ... as much as is needed
sba pays for the operations of both organizations. the university system pays for the SBDC professional staff expenses
SCORE counselors are usually retired business owners who volunteer their time to coach new and existing business people. know what help you want when contacting SCORE. their accounting guru probably won't be much help if you are trying to address a marketing issue
the SBDC counselors are familiar with the basics of business start-up and general business operations
so, the price is right
best of luck in your future venture

 

[Zoomie1980]

How do you educate yourself?

Remember the axioms of business...

Never give a sucker an even break

and

Whatever the market will bear.

Armed knowing that the above statements are considered the two primary justifications for why ripping people off isn't breaking the law, assume that you are going to be ripped off and do your homework before you buy.

And then accept that you are going to be ripped off frequently anyway, because the laws are mostly designed to assist businesses at the expense of the consumers.

The overwhelming percentage of the products I buy are good quality and reasonably priced..... The computer I am typing on is a 2007 Dell Inspirion 1721 with a 64bit Dual Core AMD processor bought for about $2000. Great machine, reasonable price.... just one example....

It's been a Loooong time since I have felt ripped off by anything I have bought.

 

[Zoomie1980]

my degrees are in engineering however i went for that when i was very poor and having a decent salary was more than i could wish for.

but now i realize that working for a salary is a waste of potential.

also when making purchasing decisions i want to make sure i don't get schemed.

when somebody explained to me what market segmentation was ( how you manufacture an inferior product at an increased self-cost to make more profits ) that has allowed me to see a lot of things that i was previously blind to.

and still i missed some. for example i went for naturally aspirated V8 instead of 6 Turbo because V8 had more power according to manufacturer specs. but it turned out 6 Turbo was under rated for the purposes of market segmentation and actually 6 Turbo had more power while costing less and having specs for MUCH lower power than V8. it still hurts to think that i paid extra 10 grand for less power all because i was not as business savvy as i should have been.

all i had to do was figure out which engine is better. i am an engineer and i failed. ironically if i was a businessman i would have gotten it right. i simply didn't expect the manufacturer to deliberately lie on the specs to UNDER rate their own engine.

so anyway market segmentation is the only thing i know about business. and i want to know EVERYTHING about it. at the same time i don't want to go to college again because i believe that's a waste of time and money.

how should i educate myself on the subject ?

I know several people who own their own businesses. These folks are handy men, dentists, truck drivers, engineers, and so. Their only area of commonality besides having a real knack for talking with people and engaging them in conversation and gaining trust is that they simply have to be in charge.

If you relish the idea of being the guy holding the bag and being the guy who gets paid last if you have a payroll or goes to bed hungry to maintain his lines of credit, then starting a business is for you. Add to this that you have to have a passion for being the owner, not just for the activities or the products, but for the idea of being the owner.

If having a comfortable life style, that is: regular hours, weekends off, holidays to himself, a good benefits plan on a group deal and a network of co-workers, you are not the entreprunarial type.

If you need to ask the question you have asked, I would counsel you to keep your job. If you have it in your belly to do this, you don't ask permission. You do it.

About as good an explanation of the realities of entrepreneurship I have seen on this forum.

I've never known a successful entrepreneur that has a life of their own in the first 10-15 years of their business. Divorce rate among these people runs near 70%....

 

[Skull Pilot]

Join Amway

 

[editec]

Sell crack.

There's not a whole lot of paperwork, and if you gain even a small percentage of the market share in your area, you'll do rather well.

 

[manu1959]

If having a comfortable life style, that is: regular hours, weekends off, holidays to himself, a good benefits plan on a group deal and a network of co-workers, you are not the entreprunarial type.

yep....to get my current business off the ground it was 7 days a week 10-12 hours a day for 18 months.....