5. How do I Start a New Business?
Starting a new business requires a passion to succeed and also requires study and research before you begin. You can do considerable research online - but the pivotal question is "What should I study first?". An excellent place to start is the US Small Business Administration website where you find a small business Startup Guide.
6. What are the key prerequisites to getting started?
Starting a business requires discipline and discipline requires rules. You must clearly identify your personal goals, formulate a road map to your success, define a set of rules to mark a course, and obey the rules to stay on course. "Roberts Rules of Entrepreneurship" developed by Flori Roberts who co-founded, launched, and grew two multi-million dollar cosmetics companies is a good example of "Say what you're going to do; do what you say".
There are many advertizing, banking, commercial, disaster, equipment, financial, geographical, health, insurance, legal, marketing, property, regulatory, risk, etc. matters that need to be addressed when starting a new business. Most aspirants are usually aware of the "tip of the iceberg" aspects of business ownership. The "devil is in the details" which lie "below the waterline". The SBA provides a Business Readiness Assessment Tool which is useful in exploring some of the "not so familar" facets of owning a business.
There are many online resources that are available to assist and guide an entrepreneur in defining the many specific tasks associated with starting and operating a small business. SCORE,
in cooperation with Sony, now provides an online/downloadable Small Business Basics handbook which is useful for anyone who seeks to put their ideas and dreams into action.