5 Steps to start a free lance business

Step 1: List your skills.

Give yourself between 3-5 minutes and simply write down everything you are good at. Photography, design, cleaning fish tanks, finance, math, whatever. Set a time and write it all down. It’s important to write it down and not just think about it, because once it’s written it becomes substantial. And don’t worry if some of your skills seem odd or if you aren’t the single best at whatever skills you write down. You don’t have to be the best, you just have to take action.

Step 2: Examine your strengths.

Set that timer for another 3-5 minutes and now write think about and write out your strengths. Strengths are different from skills in that strengths can be attributes and characteristics, and are generally less specific than skills. For this step, it helps to consult with a family member, friend, or co-worker, as they can readily confirm your strengths and even suggest ones you weren’t aware of.

Step 3: Think about your interests.

This step can be the most difficult for some, mostly because some people haven’t thought deeply about their interests in a long time. Still, set your timer for another 5 minutes and list out everything that interests you. If you’re having trouble, think about the things that you do on your free time, or imagine that your work lets you go home after lunch. What would you do with that time? Write it down.

Step 4: Connect the dots.

After you’ve written out your list of interests, skills, and strengths, review them and look for overlaps or groups that work well together. For example, if you wrote down that you excel at taking care of dogs, love exercise, and are very reliable, you might think about starting a dog-walking business for dogs that are overweight or sick. Give yourself no more than 20 minutes to do this. The time limits are important because the longer it takes to spring into action, the more doubt will seep in and cripple you.

Step 5: Identify your market.

Spend some time searching online for possible clients. A good place to start is Craigslist: if you find other services being offered there that are similar to yours, that is a good thing, because it means there is already a market established. When you are just starting out, it’s essential that you constrict your business to a limited number of clients as a test case. If you spread yourself thin early on only to find that there isn’t that big of market for what you’re offering, you’ll have spent a lot of time and energy on a flop. So start small, determine profitability, and then adapt. And remember, you always have your three lists you can turn back to when you need a new idea.