The Plan, Part One.

Work is not what it was. There was a time, or so it is told, that once you found a job you were secure. You had a job for Life. This is no longer so. The big factories that were the backbone of the economic life of far too many communities have closed. They may have moved south or are the victims of merger mania. Whatever the reason, the workers are unemployed or if they have found a job are now underemployed. They work the same hours, perhaps, more, but they earn less.

Downsizing has made its contribution to an insecure workforce. People are being dismissed after years of faithful service. Today, just to survive, people must develop a multitude of skills, and often face long hours just to earn enough to maintain home and family.

One response many people have made to this uncertain situation is to start their own business. These budding entrepreneurs are often encouraged by government programs and flashy rhetoric that urges them to become their own boss. Many of these businesses fail, and as they do so, they kill the dreams and hopes of the people who began them. One problem is that many of these businesses were begun out of desperation. Money was running out and something had to be done. This is not the best way to begin. An effective business requires planning and planning takes time and effort.

I beleive that another reason these solitary efforts fail is that, the person who is doing all he or she knows how to survive, lacks the needed skills and resources to make it happen. They are going it alone. The brave entrepreneur craving out their own niche. This may be a romantic picture but there is another way. The cooperative approach works and this is what we will be looking at in Part Two, the food coop.

You must prepare a business plan which includes a sound marketing plan. You need to know who will buy what you plan to sell and how you can reach them. In particular, many very small businesses, often referred to as microenterprises, fail for the reasons stated above. This can be avoided. The first step is to dream. What do you really want to do? Is anyone doing this? If not, then start taking a closer look. This is where the business planning process begins.

If you want to go it alone, that is your choice, and even if you want to work cooperativley with others, a search here at The Suite will turn up a wealth of information for the new business person.

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