What do small business owners have to do?

[spenceriowa]

What kind of small business owner are you?
What do you specialize in?
What do you have to do on a typical day?
How is your job related to the law?
What are the educational requirements to become a small business owner?
Why did you become a small business owner?
How long have you been one?
What do you enjoy about being a small business owner?
What's challenging about it?
What advice would you give to someone who wanted to run their own small business?

I am running my online business

[jingles]

I don't have any kind of business. But I am planning to start a new business regarding crafty stuff.

[guidemesingapore]

Freedom from a boss is usually what all small business owners like.

[SethKravitz]

What kind of small business owner are you?

Don't know how to answer that one specifically, but I am the CEO of the company and a co-founder.

What do you specialize in?

I have always been heavily involved in the marketing and creative efforts of the company (SEO, PPC, web design, etc...)

What do you have to do on a typical day?

Emails, emails, emails. Probably about 100+ per day. Lot's of reviewing and revising of projects from various departments in our company.

How is your job related to the law?

Um, it's not I guess....

What are the educational requirements to become a small business owner?

None. I know many people, including myself, who don't have anything more than a high school diploma. But even that isn't required either. There really are no "requirements" education wise, you could have dropped out of elementary school and you can still start a company.

Why did you become a small business owner?

I felt I had a great idea, I saw the need for what I wanted to do, and I felt it was the perfect time in my life to take the risk and jump in.

How long have you been one?

I started my first company in 2002.

What do you enjoy about being a small business owner?

Being my own boss. I have some pretty strong issues with authority and I just never could handle working for someone else. I still do have a boss though in my mind, I work for our customers. They are the ones that keep me employed by using our services, so they are the ones I report to.

What's challenging about it?

Everything. There is a reason why so few people start a business and why the majority of those businesses fail. There is nothing simple about launching a successful company.

What advice would you give to someone who wanted to run their own small business?

Stay as frugal as possible. Hire slowly and only when absolutely necessary. Fund it with your own money or loans, don't give equity away. Be as patient and persistent as you are capable of; there is no fast forward button.

[CKrecicki]

What kind of small business owner are you?
Generation Y/X

What do you specialize in?
Social Media & Web Platform Design Integration

What do you have to do on a typical day?
Go to the office, wait for clients to come in through my social media marketing.

How is your job related to the law?
It isn't.

What are the educational requirements to become a small business owner?
Self Taught

Why did you become a small business owner?
Self Actualization being the hierarchy of my needs.

How long have you been one?
One Month

What do you enjoy about being a small business owner?
I can work where I wish and still expand.

What's challenging about it?
Thinking you can't do something when you can.

What advice would you give to someone who wanted to run their own small business?
Make sure it's something you can enjoy even at the most stressful times. A business is not more then a creation by conjunction of thought trial and error. You are the business as the founder, make sure you have high values and moral while your poor, thats the hardest lesson of it all.

[StephenG]

What kind of small business owner are you?
Interior Products and services

What do you specialize in?
Floor coverings and window coverings account for 70% of my business

What do you have to do on a typical day?
7am till 9am dispatching and going over jobs with installers
9am till about 10am office innner office communications
10 am till (about 1 hour) calling clients and venders regarding existing jobs or problems
11 am till closing, preparing estimates, cold calling as time allows, assisting office where needed.
5:30 pm, close shop, remove bottel of scotch from bottom drawer and do a bit of creative writing, advertising marketing, strategies etc.

How is your job related to the law?
No more than just staying abreast of local laws and regulations regarding my business

What are the educational requirements to become a small business owner?
none

Why did you become a small business owner?
There is great satisfaction in expressing yourself through a business

How long have you been one?
30 years

What do you enjoy about being a small business owner?
I would have to say the freedom and control over my own destiny

What's challenging about it?
The biggest challenge is to be able to turn negatives into positives and stay motivated with fresh ideas

What advice would you give to someone who wanted to run their own small business?
Be honest with yourself about your personality and how much you are willing and able to put into something. Know your weaknesses as well as your strenghts and leave your ego at the door.

[DeonKrey]

A small business owner for me is the one who actually needed a retirement from work. Most business owners especially those who have ventured through the internet (like me for instance) is much happier this way because I'm the boss of myself and I allow my money to work on my skills and experience while I oversee results coming on autopilot. What we have to do now is to continue learning and taking action because competition is always there and results vary from time to time. Also, we shouldn't forget to reward ourselves after yielding such accomplishments in short period of time compared to those times that we're still working for someone.

[winona]

Freedom from a boss is usually what all small business owners like.

Plus the fact that you have a flexible working schedule, or if lucky enough you have it all under your command.

[mymvtindia]

Being my Own Boss is what Small Business Owners are like.