Small Business Saturday: 5 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Starting a Small Business

When it comes to starting your own small business, there are a lot of options. So it's good to take a little bit of time and ask yourself some questions (and be sure to be honest with yourself in your answers!).

Here are 5 questions you should ask yourself before you start your small business. 

Question 1: What Is My Passion?

Most successful business owners will tell you to find something that you’re passionate about. After all, if you’re going to be spending your time and attention on it, you want it to be something you can get excited about—especially if you’re going to be selling a product or service.

If you’re not passionate about it, your potential customers will certainly sense that and they won’t have a reason to get excited about it either!

Amy, an independent Style Dots Brand Partner (i.e., sales representative), says, “The best part of Style Dots is that it truly sells itself; you just have to wear our beautiful jewelry, and your look will turn heads. We are our own billboards!” This is a woman who is passionate about what she is selling! She loves the product, wears the product, and, in turn, lets the product sell itself!

When Amy added Lasting Linx permanent jewelry to her small business, she found out that it sells itself too! She writes, ""You know the word is getting out when you get a random text from someone you don't know asking to get linked!"

Independent Brand Partner, Betsy, says, "I grew up in a family with three brothers without sisters. Now I have hundreds of sisters! We have a very special and different family here at Style Dots. We are supportive, kind, loving and goal-oriented. I’ve traveled to places I’ve never dreamed of. I’ve done things I never thought of. And I’ve become friends with some amazing people I never would have met otherwise. I own my own business. I make substantial money. I travel to exotic places."

This is what passion about your business and your product can do for you!

As Style Dots has added permanent and water-resistant jewelry to their offering, its Brand Partners have become even more passionate about jewelry!

Question 2: How Much Income Do I Want to Earn?

When starting a small business, you may just want to supplement your income, or you may have larger goals. It’s important to research the earning potential of any small business to get a realistic idea of what is possible. Most small businesses take time to build, so you can’t expect to support a family in just a few months! That’s why it’s so important to DO YOUR RESEARCH.

However, many small businesses can and will provide exceptional supplemental incomes, as well as opportunities for travel. Deb says, “Direct sales was the answer I was looking for! I jumped at the opportunity….My new career provided everything I could have ever imagined—and then some! No overdue notices arriving in the mailbox, no one telling me what I could earn, or what I had to do to earn it.” 

Dare, a Style Dots and Lasting Linx Brand Partner, has found renewed success in her small business with Lasting Linx permanent jewelry. She recently had a permanent jewelry booth at a state fair and discovered that new clients were everywhere! She writes, "Our goal was to link 100 people in 10 days at the State Fair….We have linked 106 people with one day to go still! This younger generation wants to follow us on social media, tweet us, tag us in their stories,  etc.! Moral of the story: If you are wanting GROWTH in your business, this is where you need to [go]!"

Pam, another independent Style Dots Brand Partner says, “Style Dots has provided an income that allows my husband and me to help out with our grandchildren’s education. Plus, we bought a brand-new car for the first time ever! We have been able to vacation with the family, as well as the trips I have earned through Style Dots! Travel has been my passion.”

Question 3: How Much Time Do I Want to Devote to My Business?

Often, when it comes to owning your own business, your income is directly related to how much time you can and want to spend on it. Many people want their own business because it gives them much more flexibility and time freedom. 

That’s why Deb became an independent Brand Partner for Style Dots: “I was working in health care at the time and knew I didn’t want to miss out on all the fun of raising [my kids] while working a full-time job outside of the home. I wanted out. I wanted flexibility and freedom. I wanted control.”

Sherri, a Style Dots Brand Partner from the beginning, notes that “it’s amazing that we can work when we want to or need to, or take time away when we need to. ”

In this era of ecommerce, having a business with its own website where customers can visit and shop anytime of the day or night is a huge advantage. You’re not committed to being at a storefront from 9 to 5 anymore; you can earn money 24 hours/day, 7 days/week.

Instead of spending time at a storefront, you focus on marketing your product and your passion; how and when you do that are completely up to you!

Question 4: Are There Opportunities for Personal Growth?

Opening your own small business will force opportunities for personal growth on you whether you want them or not! But having others to lean on and learn from is important, as well. 

Of Style Dots interchangeable and permanent jewelry opportunities, Pam says, “I have to say the training that Style Dots offers is beyond all training I ever had. I did what I was taught in trainings, even though I was not sure why I was doing them. I just kept at it, and WOW! This was levels above any training I had ever had. As I used these techniques, I started to understand why I was doing what I was doing. It works if you work it!”

Sherri notes, “I have watched the people, programs, and especially the product grow exponentially. I have earned trips, ribbons, and walks across the stage at our conferences. And these things you earn just by doing your job. We have amazing CEOs that speak to you and do training with and for you. This business comes from their hearts, which makes it easy to share.”

“I quickly realized I’d been missing this feeling of inclusion and belonging in my life,” Wanda adds. “Everywhere I turned, there was love, encouragement, and support from so many amazing women who I am now honored to call my friends.”

Question 5: Is This Opportunity Credible? Do the People Associated with It Have Integrity?

If you’re thinking of starting a small business that is associated with another company, or with products that are made by another company, make sure you do your research (there’s that word again!).

It’s imperative that you ensure the opportunity you’re considering is credible and that the people you’re thinking of working with are credible. You don't want to tarnish your good name and reputation by getting mixed up with less-than-savory businesses and people.

When Deb discovered Style Dots, she says, “The heart-centered leadership of the founders and the Dot Central Dream Team [HQ] drew me in, and the inclusive culture of the sales field offered me the home I was looking for. We care for and about each other.”

Pam agrees: “I began Style Dots with great hope and expectation on the first day the company started [over 10 years ago], and I am still blown away every day with the integrity, sisterhood, and support we offer. I have personally grown in all areas of my life, because we don’t just train on how to be successful in business. We train on how to be debt free, on leadership skills, and on personal growth that permeates to every area of our lives. I’m proud to say that I can stand behind the quality product Style Dots offers, as well as the integrity of the company, with confidence.”

Style Dots was started by two friends who found amazing success in direct sales; they often talked about what their ideal direct sales company would look like. They wanted to start a company that would benefit other women’s lives, just as direct sales had benefited theirs.

And from that, Style Dots was born. All of Style Dots’ products are made with premium metal alloys and have an unprecedented 1-year manufacturer’s warranty, so you know the product is high-quality and the people behind it are honorable. Style Dots also offers permanent jewelry (Lasting Linx) and water-resistant jewelry (Jemma Jewelry) made with durable stainless steel.

If you’re interested in learning more about starting your own Style Dots or Lasting Linx permanent jewelry business, talk to your Brand Partner today or visit StyleDots.com.

PLUS, in honor of Small Business Saturday, when you become a Brand Partner by November 30, you'll nearly double the number of products in your Sample Collection !

Combo Sample Collection

The Combo Sample Collection with the Small Business Bonus is valued at $2,250 for just $225!

Lasting Linx™ Sample Collection

The Lasting Linx Sample Collection with the Small Business Bonus is valued at $1,500 for just $149!

The Dot Life® Sample Collection

 

The Dot Life Sample Collection with the Small Business Bonus is valued at over $760 for just $99!

Find the Sample Collection that fits your life at StyleDots.com.