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I feel stuck due to limited financial resources.

Thank you in advance for your thoughtful answer.

I've prepared a business plan, purchased a domain and registered my online business with the state as an LLC. I've found websites to clone that would be perfect for my needs, and I've identified a local web designer whos work I admire.

What do I do next?

Pick a web hosting service?

Approach the web designer and ask her to develop my website on a contingency basis?

Identify and approach potential partners and affiliated organizations who could benefit from my business?

AND: How do I talk about my business with strangers without running the risk of it being replicated by someone else?

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8 answers

You should identify and approach potential partners and affiliated organizations who could benefit from my business. What you lack in finances, you can tap from partners. You don't always have to spend money to get everything done. One of your potential partners could be a web developer who will work with you over an agreed period with an alternative form of payment. Affiliated organisations could taken over your ideas of course but there is no business without some sort of risk. What happens if your idea is stolen is that the originality stays with you (have you seen silicon valley?). Talking to people is a necessity in business, you have to talk to people to get partners, clients, investors and the likes. One way to shield your business from replication is to talk about the general business and its value offering without including the value process in the discussion!

Report Pelumi's answer

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Thank you Mr. Olawole. I really appreciate your help. I feel more confident now about moving forward with plans to approach my local homeschool community and online state schools. They may have the resources to help me develop a website that would benefit us all.

Report Lisa's answer

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I’d like to follow-up with a few notes to anyone asking the same questions.

I took Mr. Olawole's advice and made a few phone calls to Business Incubators at local Universities. I described my business and asked the person on the other end if they could point me to a talented web developer willing to work on a contingency basis.

One thoughtful person guided me to an online book by Bill Aulet, called Disciplined Entrepreneurship. I devoured the book in 8 hours, and learned my fears had nothing to do with money. I was not ready to hire a web designer.

The book helped me realize I must first intuit a website based on the emotional and social behavior of my primary customers. I do not need be concerned about competition and talking about my business if I design a website focused on what makes my business uniquely different and beneficial to my target customers.

I am clearer about why I felt stuck. The online schools and the homeschooling community I though could be financial partners were actually Influencers. I have a lot to do before I feel ready to approach people who could get the word out about my offering on Social Media.

The person I spoke with also suggested I approach Graduate Students in design programs to help me build a prototype website. He said a prototype would allow me the luxury of time to edit copy, renovate and test the website, and would save me a boat-load of cash when it was ready for the professional touch.

Report Lisa's answer

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Awesome.

Report Pelumi's answer

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Hi Lisa,

What you do not have in finances, allows for you to be creative. You have taken the first step to entrepreneurship. Being worried someone will 'take' your idea, will only continue to deter you from going on with your own plans to be a business owner. Have to dive right in. Be able to speak to your business in a few sentences or less to capture what opportunity, issue you are trying to solve. I would research and practice pitching. As well as even watched pitches on youtube. Check out startupweekend.org and attend a weekend to network with professionals, entrepreneurs, investors. This is a good experience for anyone to get out there and learn and see what can inspire you to keep going. Check out local universities entrepreneurship, startup labs, innovation labs, launch pads - plenty of university, grad, freelance, career transition people are available for some web based experience to not only help you, but also help to build their portfolios as well. This is a win win. You won't and shouldn't have to pay much for an intern or stipend to people that really want to help and not take advantage of you. Visit co working spaces in your local area, go to networking events, business, entrepreneurship meetups in your local area. Your main focus right now is on having a clear understanding of your business, being able to explain it to a 5 year old/grandma so that people can understand, knowing that you are filling a new or meeting an opportunity. Once these things are clear, you can then focus on getting very specific with a web designer. In the interim, you can create a one page message, mailer with a few lines of your business and say stay tuned as your site is coming soon. Hope this helps and all the best.

Report Kim's answer

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I hope you are aware that your "language" is not from a style coming from an Entrepreneur. It seems that you will be great at operational level and keeping the business running smooth, whenever the business will be at cruise speed. I see that you could have two options: 1) Find a partner with entrepreneurial skills that could match your operational level kills like in this example of two women entrepreneurs of Away: https://www.entrepreneur.com/video/292503

2) Start your Journey of Jumping in the abyss of the Entrepreneurial World. For that you might need a Mentor as a safety emotional net :).

Report Augusto's answer

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Genuine visions cannot be duplicated. Visions are unique. Let the idea be clear in your mind. Outline required strategies. Start with what you have and from where you are. Start moving NOW!

Report Michael's answer

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与作业代写 https://www.yydaixie.com 机构确定好了合作之后,同学们也同样要知道具体的一些服务内容都有哪些。

Report Meeloun's answer

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