How to start a service business in an area where you have little or no experience
Considering the increasing number of unemployment in Nigeria and most of the countries in the world, one option that comes to mind is to produce business ideas and make a living from such businesses.
However, as good as entrepreneurship may seem, the aspiring/budding entrepreneur is likely to face certain challenges that, due to lack of experience in their chosen career, they will find it difficult to gain attention in the market.
Among other qualities, experience is obviously the most vital requirement needed for a successful service business. But this is not to say that you can’t venture into some service businesses with little or no experience.
If you’re thinking of starting an interior decorating business, for example, you’re more likely to do well if you’ve worked in an organization or with someone who has a similar interest. Consider someone who starts a business and offers human relationship management services, but has never worked at an HR firm or as a human resource manager for a company!
Experience easily provides the judgment you would need to run your business. This is the single most important skill needed in the service industry (and perhaps in all types of business).
All hope is not lost if you are just a freshness. You can start a particular service business and do well even if you have not worked professionally in a similar field. “How?” you ask. I’ll tell you now.
Let me identify two types of experience. These are: 1. Practical experience; and 2. Self-acquired experience.
Practical experience is the type of training you get as a result of your participation in a particular activity. Here, you learn the skill first hand; you make mistakes/mistakes and they correct you. Over the years, hands-on experience has proven to be the most accepted method of staff training, and many companies are aware of this. An accountant just starting out cannot in any way be compared to one with many years of practical experience. Likewise, a veteran seller will, in most cases, sell more than a beginner.
However, it is worth noting that the acquisition of corporate experience is not limited to the practical level. At the self-acquisition experience level, you engage in a conscious exercise of self-acquisition to be at the forefront of your chosen career path.
The following are methods you can quickly use to become a savvy business person:
1. Read books written by people who have several years of practical experience in the field that interests you. For example, one of the professional books that has shaped my career is The Corporate Communications Bible by Robert Dilenschneider. In just one book, I was able to acquire PR “wisdom” that took the author several decades to learn!
2. Attend vocational training/short courses. Attending programs of this nature gives you a unique opportunity to hear from experts as they teach. In most cases, you have the opportunity to ask questions and practice what you have learned.
3. Subscribe to and read newsletters regularly (whether in paper or electronic format). Newsletters offer unique information that cannot be found anywhere else. Your effort at self-acquisition can pay off by reading one more newsletter.
4. Associated with ‘older’ friends. You don’t have to spend your time with people who don’t know as much as you do. Build your shop with people who have gotten ahead of you (and are successful) in similar businesses. Ask them to guide you. By doing this, their experience rubs off on you.
5. Apply what you have acquired. It is important to keep in mind that acquiring is not the same as applying. It is necessary to apply the acquired wisdom. Start small. Offer a type of service to which you can offer immediate solutions. The more you use what you know, the more skilled you will become in the art and the more experience you will have in that area! In the words of Dr. David Oyedepo, “Each piece of information you locate and apply puts you in control of life’s circumstances.”