I began operating my own home based business when I was about 11. This was thanks partly to the family I was born into. And to a larger degree because of one special grandmother who encouraged me and gave me a place to sell my products.

Just about everyone in my family owned a small business. On my mother's side of the family, my grandfather and 2 of his brothers owned a chain of cotton gins. Both of my dad's parents owned businesses. His mother bucked tradition, cut her hair off short which was a scandal in that day, and she opened a beauty shop. She operated that shop with one other hairdresser until she retired 40 years later. It was there that she displayed and sold the items I made.  I gave her a constant supply of items that I made over the years. My granddad settled into running a neighborhood grocery store. In those days there was a small grocery store in every neighborhood. And they were run by families who often lived in apartments behind the store. My grandfather rented the apartment behind his store and lived in a house he built across the street.

My dad and his brother helped him build that house. The two of them continued building houses for several years. Later my uncle opened a photo studio and my dad started a printing company that he and my mother operated. My brother and his wife had a teen center where kids came to hang out. I was the only one who had a home based business. But over the years it seemed natural for me to try and find a way to work at home since I started out that way.

I have thought from time to time about the reasons why we were successful at our different ventures. Not that we were wealthy, but every business in the family gave enough personal satisfaction and enough financial success that we all had comfortable lives and the feeling of a life well spent. It was not necessarily easy work, but at the end of the day, we didn't worry about what we would do tomorrow or how we would pay our bills.

So what's the secret? I think it was that we all did something we enjoyed doing. Most people are good at something that could be turned into a business that would benefit someone else. If that can be designed in such a way that it would meet the needs or interests of enough people, a business can be successfully operated.

Of course just saying that is far too simple and there is more to it that just doing what you like. But it's a place to start. Mrs. Fields of Mrs. Field's Cookies liked baking cookies that everyone loved. The rest is history. Stories like hers are not unique. So, the first thing to consider when thinking about beginning a small business is what we are good at doing. Most people could list more than one thing they are good at.

Next would be to learn how to operate a business that is based on sound business practices. That is much harder than deciding what kind of business to operate.

I have a friend who had fabulous ideas but wasn't good at running a business. He designed and sold a very useful and popular software product. But he wasn't good at hiring the right people. So the business eventually folded. Another friend had a great idea for rubber door mats. He formed a partnership with another man and they began making and selling doormats as fast as they could produce them. However, my friend wasn't good at choosing a partner and his partner's wife burned through every cent they put in the bank, leaving them with no funds to operate the company with. They closed the shop and desolve the partnership.

If you are considering a small business, a home based business, or a service of some sort, begin with what you want to do. Then create a solid business model. Find out what your local government requires and contact your local small business association for help and ideas.

I wish you every success as you formulate your business.