What are the most important things for starting a successful business?

[Lateralus]

Opinions?

 

[there4eyeM]

Sound product/service, not just something one loves.

Adequate finances.

Very careful record keeping.

Carefully budgeting and then rigidly conforming.

If retail, prudent inventory.

Effective advertising.

 

[BULLDOG]

Contacts
Financing
A small million dollar loan from your daddy helps a lot.

 

[Likkmee]

Honesty.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Honesty

Winning Attitude

Dedication

Faith

Customer satisfaction

 

[BULLDOG]

Honesty.

Lots of extremely successful businessmen wouldn't know honesty it it bit them on the ass.

 

[Toro]

Not spending time here.

 

[Toro]

Honesty.

Lots of extremely successful businessmen wouldn't know honesty it it bit them on the ass.

Heck, we'll even elect them President!

 

[Muhammed]

Do not let emotions poison your business decisions.

 

[Mac1958]

First and foremost, before you spend one penny, is a Business Plan.

A Business Plan forces you to look at your financial resources, your access to capital, your marketing, your costs, your cash flow, your competition, your industry, your threats and your opportunities.

And, critically, a good Business Plan may tell you that you should not start the business in the first place.

You'd rather know that now than later, when you've loaded up your credit cards.
.

 

[Mikeoxenormous]

Opinions?

Don't give FREE WI-FI and close all bathrooms. Other than that go for it...Oh yeah, MAKE OBSCENE POFITS.....

 

[Disir]

It depends on the business. Outside of the business plan, location and competition.

 

[IsaacNewton]

Provide honest value for money people give you. I'd read up on books about how people interact in society regarding their experience when going to a business.

For instance, a well known salesman that wrote a number of books said if you give a customer value and they have a good experience they tell three other people. If you screw them or they have a bad experience they tell ten other people. Word of mouth can hurt you three times as much as it can help you, and this is also why it takes time to build a business. Read books by people successful in the field you'd like to enter. Be sure they are honest people, don't get a Bernie Maddoff book on stock or finances! See.

 

[Mikeoxenormous]

Provide honest value for money people give you. I'd read up on books about how people interact in society regarding their experience when going to a business.

For instance, a well known salesman that wrote a number of books said if you give a customer value and they have a good experience they tell three other people. If you screw them or they have a bad experience they tell ten other people. Word of mouth can hurt you three times as much as it can help you, and this is also why it takes time to build a business. Read books by people successful in the field you'd like to enter. Be sure they are honest people, don't get a Bernie Maddoff book on stock or finances! See.

If you take advice from a liberal, you will end up in the poor farm and be like them, poor and miserable. Be totally capitalistic, provide a product or service the people WANT, underpay your employees, or go offshore with your accounts, you will be the next Bill Gates, or Jeff Bezos..

 

[Moonglow]

Opinions?

A real sense of existence with no income..

 

[Moonglow]

Killer instinct and I mean killer..

 

[TNHarley]

Opinions?

Step one would be to figure out what kind of product/service you will provide.

 

[Taz]

Hating gays. Very popular these days among small businesses in America.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Honesty.

Lots of extremely successful businessmen wouldn't know honesty it it bit them on the ass.

e.g. Zuckerberg

 

[Fugazi]

I'm not sure what type of business you are planning on starting, so it's difficult to say, however, after over 20 years of being in business, finding and retaining quality staff has always been my greatest challenge.