As the founder of an online company, I was recently asked what advice I would offer other entrepreneurs about my journey as an entrepreneur/inventor. I write this from the perspective of a wife and mom of two kids – 11 and 14 – re-entering the workforce after 10 years of being a stay-at-home mom.
First, and foremost, PLANNING for your dream to become a reality is vital. Bringing an idea to life can be a daunting task. Don’t be surprised if others aren’t as positive as you’d like – convincing them that your ideas will work can be a challenge. Be sure you write a business plan to define your business, your competition, and your strategic approach, establish your alliances, and lay out your marketing/advertising schemes. It may change as your business takes flight, but this plan will help guide you in the beginning stages of development.
Lay out your financial strategy. Try to anticipate expenditures in advance, and attempt to stick to your budget. Understand where the money is coming from and who else might have to sacrifice their lifestyles along with you. If family funds are being tapped into first, engage your spouse (if you have one) in the process and explain your strategy. If kids are part of your life, you’ll be amazed at the creativity they can offer. A family team approach makes for a much happier process if money and your time have to be sacrificed to realize your dream. Set your dollar limits and re-evaluate every six months to stay in check.
Be honest and realistic about your timing. The “Five Year Plan” may be in your cards – not a bad thing since many other experienced inventors have followed this path. Some are fortunate to have their products catch on quickly, while others find that they have a work in progress. Remember that being over anxious and rushing may present an “incomplete product or concept” to the public, causing them not to return for a second look. Planning with patience is truly a virtue.
Don’t lose yourself to the extent that you jeopardize long-term relationships with family and friends. Having them understand your dream will result in a smoother journey. Those closest to you can be helpful when you’re seeking ideas and support. As creators, we are often too close to our products to recognize the pitfalls. Outsider input can be the key to new creative approaches.
Lastly, stay HEALTHY and love what you do! Keeping to a routine of good health and fitness – which includes SLEEP – will keep you mentally sharp and help you endure those long days of work. If you are passionate about what you do, it will be evident to all your customers.
About Julie Wilson: The motivation for creating my online study site, Qwizzy’s World, was the need to have my children learn the art of studying. Differing from other sites, it was intentionally designed WITHOUT a data bank of pre-made quizzes – working with a student’s critical thinking skills – teaching students not just what to study, but more importantly, HOW to study. QW stores quizzes so they can be taken as practice as often as needed. This exercise helps to not only reduce test taking anxiety, but to promote learning vs. mere memorization. The site scores the quizzes for immediate feedback and also offers a cool way for students to study together through Buddysharing. With the touch of a button, quizzes can be combined into an Ultimate Quiz to study for cumulative tests – like midterms or finals. With a simple click, quizzes are also turned into flash cards – for students who prefer that style of studying.
I was fortunate to not only have family support through the design of QW, but to watch my own children benefit from all my hard work! Good luck to all of you starting out on your journey. We welcome you to visit us at www.QwizzysWorld.com for more information.
The passion that you have for Qwizzy’s World is evident in its fun design and unique format! As a former teacher and current stay at home mom, I see so many valuable uses for this site! It can be used to differentiate for various learners in the classroom, to reinforce or remediate at home, and is also very valuable for homeschoolers, who often have many different levels to teach at once. This site has definitely achieved what it set it out to!