By: Jenny S. Roberts

You have an idea.  Something is missing from your home life or your community.  You’re ready to take the bull by the horns and start a movement — seize the opportunity. To you, this moment is everything. You have the know-how to make this thing happen, but how do you start to transform this amazing idea into something real? The number of small businesses is growing every day. How do you fit into that number? Questions begin to occupy your mind: How do I start a business? Do I need a business plan? How do advertise my business? How do I attract customers? And thus begins the long list of worries, demands and doubts. And that’s O.K. A little worry offers that extra boost of adrenaline to power through the challenges.  It isn’t easy. Hard work and determination (and maybe a little luck) are what it takes to make a business get off the ground, let alone survive and grow! You know you can do this, but you just don’t know where to start. 

You’re not alone in feeling a little lost or overwhelmed. Many new, small business owners need some guidance in understanding how to move forward. As you'll see in these videos, Office Depot® told the story of seven small businesses, all going through the same thing and all having similar, nagging questions. These include: Bellhops, a moving company, Circus Juventas, a non-profit circus school for the performing arts, and the New Orleans Musicians’ Clinics, a not-for-profit organization that offers affordable healthcare to musicians. This collection of small business owners, plus several others, that were featured as part of the Office Depot Small Business Spotlight have been through it all and they each have a few tips on making the journey of starting your small business a successful one.

Know your business. Start small.  Build a great team. Work together. Keep innovating.

The pearls of wisdom offered in this installment of the Small Business Spotlight are just a small piece of the puzzle that will guide your business to help you meet the goals you've set. When you ask yourself if you need a business plan or struggle to find the best way to advertise, it’s important to explore these ideas in terms of how the strategy will work for you and what you’re driving to build. This journey is your own, and that of the people who are helping you, to create something amazing!