Starting a Business

Starting a business

Thousands of people set up their own businesses every year. Some do it because they want to work for themselves, others because they have a great idea and have spotted a gap in the market. And of course there are those that think they can make lots of money.

These are all valid reasons for starting a business. Commitment and motivation are vital and whatever it is that drives you to make it a success good.
Although enthusiasm is important, good planning is a must. Without a good business plan you could struggle to make a go of it.

There are many issues to think about:
1. What will the business do?
2. Where can it operate?
3. Will I need premises?
4. Do I need people to make it happen, or will I be flying solo for some time?
5. Can I fund the business myself, or do I need financial support?
6. How long will it take to get the business into profit?
7. Have I got what it takes to make it work?

There is no right or wrong type of person to run a business. If you are determined to make it succeed, and are prepared to work long hours, then you have the ingredients for success.

If you look at top business people, the one thing they have in common is determination. They do not give up at the first hurdle and they keep going until they succeed.


Be your own boss

Obstacles and setbacks
There will be many of these but how you overcome them will be critical to deciding whether or not you will ultimately succeed. If you are not the sort of person who responds well to setbacks, you ought to ask yourself whether you are the right person to be trying to get a business off the ground.

Finances
You need good advisers - usually an accountant and a lawyer - when you are handling complex issues such as finances, tax and business law. All businesses require a certain amount of administration and you will have to spend time going through paperwork. If you tend to bury your head in the sand and ignore detail, you need a good right-hand person who will concentrate on the detail. Not all great business leaders were good at the small print, but all good business people have someone close to them who is.

(source: www.thisismoney.co.uk/help-and-advice)
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ONE RED PAPERCLIP BUSINESS!!
My name is Kyle MacDonald and I traded one red paperclip for a house. I started with one red paperclip on July 12 2005 and 14 trades later, on July 12, 2006 I traded with the Town of Kipling Saskatchewan for a house located at 503 Main Street.

That's right, Dom and I are trading the red paperclip house. With who? For what? Well that's where things get interesting:

We have no idea yet.

I'm not looking for anything in particular in exchange for the house, other than maybe several 1990 Burgundy Dodge Caravana with low miles. That aside, it would be great to trade with somebody who:

-Plans to live or operate a business in the house.
-Understands the house is a tourist attraction in Kipling, and important to the community.
-Also, if you know who these guys are, it will come in handy in a tie-breaker situation. -- Watch this video!.

If you'd like to make a trade offer for the house, please contact me at oneredpaperclip@gmail.com or call the number in the contact section of this website.

Really, I'm looking for nothing in particular, just to make a trade and see where this goes. So if you have anything you'd like to offer in exchange for the house, and I mean anything, be sure to send in your offer!

Details about the red paperclip house:
Located at 503 Main Street in Kipling Saskatchewan Canada
Fully furnished.
Two floors + basement
Three bedrooms
Two bathrooms
Refinished hardwood floors.
Fridge, stove, sinks, drawers, shelves...all the regular kitchen stuff.
Electricity!
Large grass front yard + large grass backyard.
Gas hot water tank + gas furnace.
close proximity to schools, restaurants, grocery stores, hospital, etc. Kipling has most services in town.
Giant red paperclip on the front lawn.
located a stone's throw away from the world's largest red paperclip.
Click on thumbs to see more pics of the house:


Once again, if you'd like to make a trade offer for the house, please contact me at oneredpaperclip@gmail.com or call the number in the contact section of this website.

Have fun,

Kyle


Labels: kipling, one red paperclip, oneredpaperclip, red paperclip, saskatchewan, who are these guys

6/17/2008 01:48:00 PM - permalink 76 comments links to this post

How to make an offer for the house To make an offer for the house, please:

1. Send your offer via email to oneredpaperclip@gmail.com

or

2. Call my cell in the contact section of this website.

You can read more about the house by clicking here.

Thanks!

Kyle

6/16/2008 12:50:00 AM - permalink 24 comments links to this post

franglais ***UPDATE: It looks like the video link is down. If anyone has a copy of the link, let me know!****

So I wound up in France on TV to promote the release of the french version of the one red paperclip book, which is called "un trombone rouge." The producers weren't comfortable with my learned-while-drinking-with-friends anglo-quebecois french, so they opted for the live french dub. The effect makes it pretty much impossible to understand what's going on, although my comprehension of french isn't exactly 100%, but the monsieur who did the live voice over has a very nice accent. Highlights of this video include the seemingly rude phenomenon of a guy answering live questions on french TV in english, sharing the stage with Jean Claude Van Damme, and giving the "who are these guys" guys not one, but two plugs. How sweet would it be if Jean Claude Van Damme starred in the one red paperclip movie, and those guys were the bad guys?

source: onepaperclip.blospot.com, by Kyle Macdonald