Yesterday, I ran into a man scribbling diligently on a scrap of paper. He was dirty, dishevelled, and was planning to get rich in two months. I reeled when he said that he was starting a multi-million business. "What resources do you have?" I gasped. He waved the paper at me, stuck the pencil behind his ear and tapped his head. "I have all these," he grunted, and shuffled off, slowly.
I balked and stared after him, for I had seen a business empire being built up in a minute - on a piece of paper. I looked around, half expecting a building to pop up somewhere along the road. But then, don't all big tycoons start that way - with a great idea? It may be just a germ that begins in someone's head, but one day it happens and flows into a building.
However, you know that's only the beginning. There has to be a lot of hard work before such things get up and going.
Ten tips to begin a firm of your own
Family support: Here's the beginning of all your troubles. Be very clear about your family. Are you putting them into trouble by pulling out of a steady job? Do you have their support all the way?
Patience: It's tough but that is what the game is all about. You know the story about the ant and the mountain of sugar. But who got the sugar in the end?
Persistence: How tough are you? Can you handle adversities, discouragement, sadness and failure? Do you get fazed by loss? If the answer is yes to all the above, then just write off self-employment.
Social skills: It's important to get along with people, work as a team and learn to pull along. Social skills help you to oil an otherwise tense working relationship with ten people.
Overwhelming responsibility: You may have to stay on the job for long hours - checking odds and ends, getting books in order, going over inventory, rearranging stock, meeting clients, seeing to repairs and handling a thousand-and-one other details.
Selling: It's important to convince people that they need what you are selling. It was a bonanza for cereal sellers when this country with the best breakfasts decided that it couldn't do without Kellogg's cornflakes.
Resourcefulness: Learn to adapt. The chameleon does what will not get it into trouble - gets colored by its environment.
Organise yourself: Can you be self-motivated, disciplined and ordered? Can you delegate work rationally and assign so that everyone gets to do a fair share? If you don't have it, then order some for consumption.
Know yourself: Finally, keep making a mental checklist every now and then on these: Do you have it in you to carry on? Are you tiring of things too soon, too fast? Do you suddenly feel that it's not worth it? If so, then better fold up and sell out.
