One of the first concerns that usually appears in the minds of new entrepreneurs is whether they are prepared to run a company. As Javier Inaraja, author of Lánzate ya (Planeta Empresa) states, “entrepreneurship is an option that anyone can adopt. But those that are more prepared tend to have greater possibilities of coping with the ups and downs of creating and consolidating a business. ”
And it is that living from a business activity is a major career. Those who end up winning are not always those who start first in the first meters of the course. Here, as in professional sports, self-confidence, tenacity and the capacity for suffering are the factors that push to reach the goal. However, all things being equal, it is those who prepare themselves thoroughly and know how to best execute the techniques who are most likely to finish among the first.
To facilitate the process, this book proposes 10 steps to become an individual entrepreneur or entrepreneur. Steps that follow a logical sequence, starting from some initial stages – analyzing the entrepreneurial capacity and the viability of the business idea – to undertake the most complex phases – the financial calculations, choosing the legal formula of the company, the different sources of financing that can be used, etc.–, until the opening of the new company.
A process, in addition, in which not only the formal issues are taken into account – such as the elaboration of the business plan, the necessary procedures, etc. – but other aspects that, from the author’s point of view, are equally important (How to develop professional contacts, look for profitable options when it comes to business, make private life compatible with entrepreneurship, etc.). Each of them offers concrete and practical information, complete with multiple resources that can be accessed through the Internet, so that the entrepreneur can develop the process of creating his company.
Any future business, regardless of its size, should be based on a business plan or business plan, ”says Inaraja. For him, “it is the only way to see if it is truly viable.
The business plan will also help you improve your idea, as it will make you face the reality: sales, expenses, investments … and it will make you change some aspects that are not analyzed on paper. They look clearly. ” It is not the only advantage of developing a plan. “A posteriori, when you have your company running, it will allow you to observe if your forecasts are being fulfilled and, in the opposite case, the areas that may be failing and in which you must influence to redirect them.”
Now, a business plan is not an unlimited guarantee against failure, but it does increase the chances of not making the first change. In addition, it is essential if you intend to obtain external financing for your project.
These are the basic questions that, according to this book, a business plan must answer. That is, more specifically, you must describe the idea; introduce the person who is going to start it up; analyze the environment in which it will operate; explain the planned plan to launch it to the market; and analyze the costs involved and the expected benefits.
Seen this way it seems simple, but, says Javier Inaraja, “from my experience, developing the business plan is one of the first obstacles that many entrepreneurs often encounter. The solution to this fear is none other than following the structure, doing it step by step, and developing each section to the best of your ability. ”
You will make mistakes, surely, but you must capture your personal vision of the project. Then, the most advisable thing is to choose to be analyzed and advised by an expert in matters of business creation (among the multiple institutions that offer help) or the sector of activity to which you are going.
Another point that highlights this book so as not to err in the economic forecasts of the plan is that of “being fully informed of what any expense, commission, interest rate, terms, etc. may entail, even if it seems insignificant. The figures that the economic-financial plan must contain must be reliable. It is not worth budgeting over the cost of an advertising mail campaign, you should be informed how much a specialized company would charge you if you really did, even dare to ask for a budget. ”
