Getting down to business Ask yourself some tough questions before starting your own company. Story: Christy Wright
My mom started her business when I was only 6 months old. She was a single mother with only $64 to her name but also had a determination to survive. To make ends meet, she went back to the one thing she knew she was really good at: baking and decorating cakes. When I see small businesses being celebrated throughout the year, I always think back to my roots. It reminds me of my childhood, which is filled with sweet memories from the cake shop my mom started more than 35 years ago. I grew up watching her struggle and work hard as she built a business and a life doing what she loved. But the best part is that it lit a fire in me to help equip other women to do the same. Because of my mom, I started some side businesses of my own. And later, I became a certified business coach and created the Business Boutique. I wanted to build a place for women to overcome fear and learn everything they needed to know about starting and growing a business. For many of us, the journey begins (and sometimes ends) with one question: Do I have what it takes to start a small business? As much as I love small-business owners, the answer isn’t always “Yes.” It takes a certain kind of person with the willingness to put themselves out there and the determination to persevere. You’ve got to be OK with unknown risks, a lot of responsibility and really hard work at times. So, to help women figure out if this might be worth their while, I usually ask them three questions: 1. DO YOU WANT TO HELP PEOPLE?
If you don’t really like people or helping them, then starting a business is probably not
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