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Before you waste your time and money on a new business idea, do these steps first


Validate your business idea. To “Validate” your business idea simply means to test it. There are several ways you can validate your business idea prior to investing time and a lot of money. You can also use the Validation Method for existing businesses for those of you who want to add a product or service to your business. Here is a step by step guide on how to validate your business idea.

If you’re like a lot of people who want to start a business but can’t figure out what type of business to start, validating your business idea first, prior to launching a business, is the best way to go. For those of you who want to start a business however you’re working a full-time job, with limited time and money, validating your business idea is a great way to test your business idea before stepping out into the entrepreneurship role full time. When you’re unsure if your business idea will work-validate your business idea first.

Brain storm

First, write down your ideas on paper. Out of the list of ideas, choose 2-3 business ideas that you want to test.

THE IDEA

If you’re unsure of what type of business to start, here is a list of 80 different Business Ideas to choose from:

  1. Graphic Design

  2. Web Design

  3. Web Development

  4. Tax Preparation

  5. Outside Sales

  6. Online Course

  7. E Books

  8. Instagram Marketing

  9. Facebook Marketing

  10. Online Coaching

  11. Podcast

  12. Sell items on Amazon

  13. Online Consignment Store

  14. Online Boutique

  15. T-Shirt Business

  16. Property Management

  17. Loan Processor

  18. Transaction Coordinator

  19. Consultant

  20. Phone Repair Technician

  21. Virtual Assistant

  22. Concierge Service

  23. Personal Shopper

  24. Makeup Artist

  25. Event Planner

  26. Wedding Planner

  27. Photographer

  28. Blogger

  29. Remote Teacher/Tutor

  30. SAT Tutor

  31. Social Media Manager

  32. Presentation Design Consultant (good for startup companies who need someone to create presentations)

  33. Travel Consultant

  34. Travel Agent

  35. Interior Designer

  36. Chef

  37. House Sitter

  38. Jewelry Maker

  39. Baked Goods

  40. Home based Chef

  41. Healthy Meal Prep Chef (seek out nutritionists and personal trainers to offer your services)

  42. Fiverr

  43. Online Dating Consultant

  44. Greeting Cards

  45. Life Coach

  46. Buy and Sell Domains

  47. 203K Inspector

  48. Loan Officer

  49. Real Estate Agent

  50. Pet Grooming

  51. Dog Walker

  52. Pet Couture Designer (collars, clothes, travel bag)

  53. Dog Day Care

  54. Dog Hotel

  55. Dog walker

  56. Copywriting for websites

  57. Air BNB Host

  58. Personal Fitness Trainer

  59. Yoga Instructor

  60. Tour Guide

  61. Freelance Writer

  62. Accounting and Book Keeping

  63. Personal Assistant

  64. Day Care

  65. Workforce Training Consultant

  66. Home Appraiser

  67. Mobile Laundry

  68. Mobile Dry Cleaning

  69. Notary Public

  70. Ghost Writer

  71. Marketing Consultant

  72. Business Coach

  73. Small Business Consultant

  74. Researcher

  75. Social Media Strategist

  76. Content Creator

  77. Motivational Speaker

  78. Painter

  79. Landscaper

  80. Housekeeper

  81. Telemarketer

Still undecided on what type of business to start? Ask yourself the following questions:

What are your hobbies?

What do you enjoy doing?

If you could spend 8 hours a day earning the salary you want doing what you love what would it be?

Choose the one thing or 3 things that you want to be remembered by?

Once you’ve chosen 2-3 ideas to work on now it’s time to get down to business!

Target Audience

Who is your target audience? Is it single mothers looking for affordable day care? Young men ages 18-24, who consider themselves “hip hop heads”? Women with disposable income who don’t mind splurging on a $400.00 a designer purse?

Problem

The idea of launching a business is to solve your customers problems. Questions to ask yourself when identifying your customer’s pain points:

What do your customers want?

Are your customers looking to generate more income?

Does your customer need help with financial planning?

Are your customers looking for relationship advice?

Benefit of your business idea

What is the true benefit of your business idea?

Fast

Cheap

Reliable

High Quality

Motivated

Inspired

Test your offering Exercise

Create “mock” offers. “Our new Bermuda collection just launched today! Shop our store this weekend and receive 20% off”. “Mock offers” add value while providing solutions for your customers problems. They’re receiving something of value in exchange for their purchase, a great piece of clothing from your store with added savings. This exercise will help you with your sales pitch as well as your offering for marketing campaigns.

Assess your skills

Always remember this, you don’t need to attend a school to become an entrepreneur. You can very well work with what you have, in terms of skills, resources, talent, knowledge and experience. Assess your skills to determine what you have that will work in your favor as a business owner.

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