4 tips for a new entrepreneur. Beginning entrepreneur: mistakes and tips. Key module terms

Advice for those who want to open their own business - or, what the hell is not kidding - develop their own even more?

Advice to a novice businessman is offered in a certain sequence. That is, these are something like steps. In principle, you can jump from step to step - but it will probably be better if you work through them sequentially. Plus - and importantly - in writing. In writing - so that there is no temptation to deceive yourself.

The first piece of advice for a new businessman is to “develop preparedness.”

Ready for business- this is a state when there is an understanding that you want this or when you decide that you want to work for yourself and only for yourself. When you don’t work day and night for some guy... When you are ready to devote yourself to this business... When you are ready to face problems. When you live the idea, when you breathe it, then you are ready.

What to do if you are not ready? Well, at least there is some kind of readiness, otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this article. Therefore, the procedure is very simple - develop readiness. Develop it. Whatever you do - affirmations, self-hypnosis - develop readiness for your own business.

The second piece of advice for a new businessman is to “cultivate confidence.”

You may ask: “Confidence in what—in yourself?” Well, self-confidence is built in the first step. The second step is confidence in the idea. In your future business. What you want to open must be successful. It cannot be otherwise. When you definitely tell everyone interested, all employees, friends - YES, I will do it. YES, I will definitely do this. And only then take the idea. If you're not ready to talk, if you're not sure, don't even try. If there is a fixed idea in your brain, accompanied by the words “I want or it seems to me that I will do this,” this is not the case. When will you burn with an idea, when you are confident in it, then take it.

The key to the success of any business is a great idea and a great desire to turn it into reality. Where to get such an idea? Borrow an existing one or come up with an original one. By borrowing a ready-made business idea, we can avoid the mistakes that novice entrepreneurs make. This will be an advantage over competitors. It is advisable to come up with an original idea in an area that is familiar to you. Come up with an idea - and, attention - get excited about it!

You can say: " Dreams are already good, but how to turn them into reality?"In order to start turning dreams into reality, the most difficult thing is to gather your courage. That is, to develop that very readiness for business touched upon in the first tip. What rules should you follow to make your dreams come true:

1. Research the business you are planning to enter. Understand your potential buyer and their needs.
2. Your dream must be different from your competitors.
3. Quality and service should be the key elements in your business.
4. Love and know how to work.

Following these principles, remember that you should NEVER lose your resolve to go through anything to make your dreams come true! Your base is business readiness. When it is strong, then the foundation is strong. Build it up, cultivate it and improve it. And any difficulties will be within your reach.

Time to move on to the next tip:

Third tip for business development: entrepreneurship is the key to success

You must be a "non-employee". You must be a businessman. You have to organize things. You must lead people with you. They should see you entrepreneur. Feel it in conversation and in business. You must see ideas, you must take everything you need... You must be ideological. You must be enterprising.

That is, on the basis of readiness for business and confidence in business, entrepreneurship is formed - the ability to take certain actions to achieve success. Plus, when people feel this ability, your inner core, then they will really follow you.

Thus, we have voiced the first three tips for a beginning businessman - and we hope that they really helped you.

Based on materials from http://www.openbusiness.ru/html_sovet/11zapoved.htm

Very often, active and self-confident people have the idea of ​​starting their own business. And not in vain - the energy for action, experience and desire to change their lives for the better do not allow such people to be content with little. But not everyone’s ideas turn into achieved goals.

Various factors stop him: a person realizes what responsibility he will have to take on, or is faced with strong competitors, unfavorable market conditions and other difficulties. Over time, ideas to start your own business remain just ideas.

We have prepared a selection of practical tips for beginning entrepreneurs that will help them achieve success and see the most positive aspects of this type of activity. When we say positive, we mean unlimited opportunity to create: in your own company, you can build a unique corporate culture, set the pace of work, contribute to the development of your employees, establish valuable contacts, and so on.

1. First, perceive money as a holistic flow, without focusing on issues of profitability.
By ensuring a good gross income, you will receive a decent net profit. Setting up a system is the first challenge for a person opening his own business, and you can make adjustments and improve processes along the way.

2. Don't expect a sudden, miraculous jump in profits.
There are no jackpots in business; you have to move forward in small steps every day, investing time and effort into future profits.

3. Don't pause in moving towards your goal.
No breaks! Yes, there will be failures, but they are not a reason for a time-out, but rather the opposite. More movement, activity, continuous search for clients and partners. Such activity will sooner or later take off.

4. In matters of business, listen to people who have been involved in it in practice, and not in words.
Only experts who know this kitchen from the inside will suit you as an advisor. Only a person with personal experience in entrepreneurship can give valuable advice to a beginning businessman.

5. Be persistent in business.
If you have chosen a course, move along it, because excessive variability in decisions will only harm the result. Additionally, by not sticking to your own stated ideas, you will create confusion and misunderstanding among your employees. And if you have already had to change plans due to objective reasons, be sure to inform your colleagues about it. You should have one main goal (known to your employees) that you need to focus on.

6. From now on, optimism is your life partner.
Maintain a positive attitude and faith in success in any situation. Only with a positive person is the team ready to accomplish real feats! Infect others with a good mood. A healthy team atmosphere is very important for the profitability and success of the company.

7. Make friends with innovation.
In any area of ​​business, they are the key to prosperity. Understand the technologies and innovations in your field, be on close terms with the developers or manufacturers of your product. This way, information about future trends will come to you first-hand. By offering your customers only in-demand services and products, you will be one step ahead of your competitors. And this is a direct road to leading positions in the market.

8. Communication is at the forefront.
Communicate with clients as much as possible. Let them convey to you their desires for what your product/service should be. Hear them. In addition, by communicating directly with your target audience, you form a positive attitude towards your person and your brand. Feedback is guaranteed to you, and you can look at this from a practical point of view. Who wouldn't want free market research?

9. Test any idea before implementation.
Research, collect data, study facts and figures, make presentations to the team - create a powerful information field around a new product or service. This way you can identify and eliminate possible problems at an early stage.

10. Arm yourself with the legal framework.
Knowing the law is a powerful privilege that can save you a lot of trouble and help you assert your rights. When faced with various government authorities, you will not allow them to dictate their terms. If you don’t want to personally delve into all the intricacies of jurisprudence, then buy this knowledge - hire a lawyer.

Yes, the path of aspiring entrepreneurs is not easy. But owning your own business gives you freedom of choice: how to live, how much to earn, when to rest, how much to work. Trust your instincts, don’t give up halfway - and achieving any goal will only be a matter of time.

Are you thinking about starting a business or growing an existing one? To avoid wasting time, effort and money, you need to draw up a business plan. Studying the practically useful information presented in this book will help you with this. You will learn about what needs to be done before opening a business, how to think through the mechanism of its functioning, how to calculate costs and evaluate the profitability of investments. At the end of the book there are tasks, after completing which you will receive a business plan for yourself, investors, and creditors.

* * *

The given introductory fragment of the book How to prepare a business plan. Advice for a beginning entrepreneur (Nadezhda Kotelnikova, 2018) provided by our book partner - the company liters.

Read the book and understand how not to lose your business investments.

I was prompted to write the book by my own children, who, while still in college, wanted to open their own small business. I had to act as an investor. For many years I have been engaged in the practice of financial consulting for established entrepreneurs, whose businesses were mainly at the stage of growth or maturity. The experience of creating a business was only my own, as a partner in a consulting company. But opening a consulting business was based on knowledge and did not require serious financial investments. But I had to invest my savings in the children’s business. I had to act not only as an investor, but also as a consultant in order to return the money.

Somehow, unnoticed, clients appeared - aspiring entrepreneurs. It became clear what knowledge those wishing to open their own business lack. Also, people began to seek advice who, when opening their first business, did not calculate anything, and made money thanks to a successful coincidence of circumstances: low competition with high demand for their product (work, service). But high competition and consumer saturation force entrepreneurs to make calculations. Especially if starting a business requires a significant amount of money. Then it is worth calculating in advance the feasibility of investments in order to avoid a nervous breakdown from loss of capital or the need to give the latter back to the creditors from whom they took the money.

Based on issues of consulting practice, I divided the book into seven modules. Each module contains: objectives, key terms, a list of recommended readings, content text and self-test questions.

The objectives of the module will allow you to understand what you can learn after studying the topic.

Key terms Master business terminology.

Try to think about the answers to the questions after each module and apply them to your business idea.

Most likely, you need to prepare a business plan to convince investors of the advisability of investing money in your business. Study the topics of the module, allow you to complete the tasks at the end of the book. By completing the tasks, you will be able to assess the feasibility of implementing a business idea and draw up a business plan for yourself, investors and creditors.

Useful reading, sincerely yours Nadezhda Kotelnikova..

Module 1. Entrepreneur as business founder

Don't be afraid to do what you don't know how to do. Remember, the ark was built by an amateur; professionals built the Titanic. – Dave Bury, American publicist

Module Objectives

While studying the module you:

– understand what it means to do business;

– learn to conduct a rapid assessment of the attractiveness of a business idea from a market and financial point of view;

– get acquainted with the typical mistakes that a novice entrepreneur makes.

After studying the module you will learn:

– choose a way to open a business;

– conduct an express assessment of the attractiveness of a business idea;

– choose the right name for a new business.

Key module terms

An enterprise is an independent economic entity created in accordance with current legislation for the production and sale of products, performance of work and provision of services in order to meet public needs and make a profit.

An organization is a group of people whose activities are consciously coordinated to achieve common goals.

Enterprise economics is a system of knowledge related to the process of developing and making management decisions in the course of enterprise activities.

A business is an interrelated set of activities and assets conducted and managed to provide investor income or other economic benefits by the organization's policy makers.

Entrepreneurship is an initiative economic activity carried out using one’s own or borrowed funds, at one’s own risk and responsibility, with the main goals of making a profit and developing one’s own business.

An entrepreneur is a subject of market relations, acting at his own risk in order to make a profit.

Profit is the financial result of an enterprise’s activities. Profit is calculated as the difference between the revenues earned and the expenses incurred by a business over a specified period of time.

Franchising (franchise) is a method of cooperation when one party transfers to another the right to a certain type of business, technology, business model and trademarks.

The lump-sum fee is the cost of the franchise, which is paid to the franchise owner for giving the entrepreneur the right to work under his own trademarks, using his own technologies, with his own goods.

Royalty is a regular, often monthly payment to the franchise owner.

Commercial concession is the name of franchising in Russian legislation. A commercial concession agreement is a document that is subject to mandatory state registration.

1) Kawasaki G. Startup: 11 master classes from the ex-evangelist of Apple and the most daring venture capitalist of Silicon Valley / trans. from English, - M.: United Press LLC, 2010. - 254 pp.

2) Kamprad I. There is an idea!: The history of IKEA / Ingvar Kamprad, Bertil Torekul; Per. from English – M.: Alpina Pblisher, 2013. – 293 p.

3) Kordok R.P. Upgrade thinking: A look at business from a height of 10,000 meters / Per. From English – M.: Alpina Business Book, 2006. – 155 p.

4) Kroc R. McDonald's. How the empire was created / Ray Kroc, Robert Anderson; Translated from English - M.: Alpina Publisher, 2016. - 260 p.

5) Matsushita K. Business mission / Konosuke Matsushita; lane from English – M.: Alpina Publishers, 2010. – 193 p.

6) Knight F. Shoe seller. The story of Nike as told by its founder / Phil Knight; Per. from English – M.: Eksmo, 2017. –512 p.

7) Trump D. Think big and don’t slow down! / Donald Trump with the participation of Bill Zanker; Per. from English – M.: Alpina Business Book, 2008. – 310 p.

8) Walton S. How I created Walmart / Sam Walton; Per. from English M.: Alpina Pblisher, 2016. – 224 p.

9) Schultz G. How Sturbucks was built cup by cup / Howard Schultz, Dorie Jones Yeung; Per. from English – 4th ed. – M.: Alpina Pblisher, 2016. – 284 p.

10) Ash, Mary Kay Mary Kay @: the path to success / Mary Kay Ash; lane from English – 2nd ed. – M.: Mann, Ivanov and Ferber, 2010. – 256 p.

1.1 What does it mean to be an entrepreneur?

The thought of starting their own business comes to many people. The opportunity to own your own business seems more attractive than the prospect of working as an employee. As a rule, when starting their own business, people want:

– earn more than they could earn as an employee;

– get the opportunity to work for yourself;

– do not experience pressure from superiors;

– gain the opportunity to make decisions independently;

– get the opportunity to effectively use your skills and abilities;

– gain the opportunity to independently plan your time.

Opening your own business requires an entrepreneur to:

– first of all, organization, which is expressed in the ability to plan your time and the time of others;

– financial discipline;

– the ability to unite a team, since an entrepreneur’s income in business directly depends on how efficiently his partners and hired personnel work;

– endurance and excellent health;

– risk appetite;

– the ability to foresee the situation, and to be a successful entrepreneur it is important to be one step ahead of the market.

At the initial stage, the owner of his own business will need to master a variety of skills:

seller - to convince customers to purchase goods and services from you, and not from competitors;

supplier - work with suppliers so that they do not fail with deadlines and give the best prices;

marketer/SMM (Social Media Marketing) manager - to organize product promotion on the market and draw attention to the product through social networks;

accountant - to keep tax and management records yourself and not waste money;

The leader-entrepreneur must ensure that his team works effectively.

As the business develops, the entrepreneur will be able to hire professionals. And then the skill of an entrepreneur as an organizer and leader will come first.

Before starting your own business, it is recommended to make a list of the advantages and disadvantages of working for yourself, at a state enterprise, for another entrepreneur or a private organization. The comparison should be made on the following parameters: salary, sick leave, vacation, pension, independence and job security. It should be noted that running your own business is a responsibility around the clock. An entrepreneur is responsible both to the partners he brought into the business and to the investors from whom he took money.

Business requires constant attention at any time of the day, so the entrepreneur needs the support of others, such as family or friends. Before making the final decision to open a business, you need to consult with your loved ones and discuss the possible consequences of the decision to open your own business. The entrepreneur’s relatives need to clearly understand that his/her attention at the initial stage will be completely focused on the business, and most likely family money will be invested in the business. In practice, an entrepreneur often becomes a slave to his business: he works 12-14 hours a day, doesn’t earn much, spends almost no time on himself, etc. But if you organize your business correctly, then over time you can really have a good income and free time. Studying the material in this book and applying it in practice will help you avoid a number of mistakes and loss of capital at the stage of business formation.

1.2 Express justification of a business idea

Before starting a business, an entrepreneur should conduct an expert assessment of the idea. A business idea should be assessed from the point of view of:

the demand for the product (work, service) that the entrepreneur is going to offer to the market. It is necessary to answer the question why consumers will purchase goods from a newly opened enterprise, and not from competitors. It is necessary to assess the market capacity - the possible volume of sales of goods at a certain price level;

technical feasibility of implementing a business idea. It is necessary to evaluate whether it is technically possible to create a product ready for sale. And also assess the availability of resources necessary to create a product (work, service);

the seriousness of the entrepreneur’s intention to engage in this type of business;

the entrepreneur's ability to create a product and sell it. It is necessary to understand how the product will be created and how to sell it. To do this, you need to clearly understand the mechanism of business functioning (more details in module 3);

costs associated with starting a business. You should draw up a detailed business investment plan. Calculate the project implementation schedule. Information on how to calculate the investment budget for starting a business and select sources of its financing is presented in module 4;

profit that the entrepreneur can earn. To do this, it is necessary to calculate the estimated income from the sale of the product (work, service) and the current costs of its creation. You should also calculate the payback period for business investments and assess the risks associated with opening and operating a business (detailed information is presented in Module 5).

When starting a business, it is important to understand when an entrepreneur will start making money. As a rule, the following steps go from idea to profit:

1. The emergence of an idea.

2. Expert assessment of a business idea.

3. Raising funds (searching for partners, investors, creditors).

4. Acquisition of resources necessary to start a business.

5. Creation of a product (work, service).

6. Bringing the product (work, service) to the market.

7. Business registration, choice of organizational form and taxation regime.

8. Conducting operational activities of the business. At this stage, the entrepreneur begins to earn profit from his project.

When starting a business and introducing a product (work, service) to the market, the life cycle of the product must be taken into account. The life cycle of a product (product, work, service) is the time from the initial appearance of a product on the market until the end of its sale on the same market. Demand for each product exists on the market only for a certain time. Then it is replaced by another, more advanced product. In order to constantly earn money, an entrepreneur needs to constantly introduce new goods (products, works, services) to the market. Below is a brief description of the stages of the product life cycle:

Stage 1. Bringing the product to the market. The stage is characterized by a very high degree of uncertainty of results, since it is difficult to determine in advance whether the new product will be successful. An entrepreneur must actively inform consumers about a new product. At this stage, as a rule, the high costs of production and promotion of goods are not compensated by earned revenue. There is no profit at this stage.

Stage 2. Increase in sales volumes. Characterized by rapid development of sales. If a product (product, work, service) turns out to be in demand by the market, sales volumes increase. To meet growing demand, an entrepreneur needs more money to produce or purchase goods. Business costs are often not offset by earned revenue.

Stage 3. Achieving maximum sales volume. The stage is characterized by making a profit from sales of a given product in a given market. It is important to control and prevent increases in costs associated with production, purchase, and promotion of goods. Stabilization of sales may be a signal that it is necessary to either expand the product range or enter new markets.

Stage 4. Steady decline in sales volume. Here it is important to reduce the volume of investments in a product (product, work, services) in a timely manner and gradually replace the product with a new product or diversify the business into another direction.

When evaluating a business idea, you must remember that no one in the world started their own business, initially having all the necessary skills and knowledge. The best teacher is practice, which teaches you to learn from your mistakes and constantly improve.

1.3 Ways to start a business: independently or by franchise

Below are ways to start a business.

The first is the invention and launch of an innovative product on the market. For example, like the iPhone back in the day. Such products are expected by consumers. But in order to conquer the market, an entrepreneur needs significant investments to launch large-scale production and form a sales network. The key factor for success here is the entrepreneur’s ability to sell goods. Sometimes you need the ability to attract investors' money to your project.

The second is bringing to market an analogue of an existing product. Sources of business ideas can be hobbies, previous place of work, simply market observations, dissatisfaction with demand for a certain product in the region.

For example, in 1992, two entrepreneurs: Vadim Lyubimtsev and Pavel Shutov, came up with the idea of ​​organizing the sale of ice cream from trays on the city streets in Novosibirsk. The idea was a success, since at that time there was a shortage of this product in the city, and there was no specialized trade in ice cream. Subsequently, the sale of ice cream from trays grew to the level of Inmarko's large business. You can find out more about the creation of this and other companies on the brandpedia website.

The third way to open a business is through a franchise. At first glance, this is the simplest and safest way. After all, it’s easier to take something that has been successfully implemented in another region or country, that has already been tested and generates income there, and implement it at home. The risk of losing investments is reduced compared to the first two methods. But it is not always possible to successfully copy what is implemented somewhere. In real life, every company is different. Companies are different because they operate in different markets, even if they operate in the same industry. Companies are different because they have different value systems, life cycle stages, owner experiences and goals, management styles, and external environments. Therefore, the solution to the same situation may be different in companies of the same size and industry and market, but with different organizational cultures or connections with authorities, etc. And all decisions in the company directly or indirectly affect profits. Therefore, despite the fact that, along with a franchise, the entrepreneur is provided with a way to create a product and the technology for selling it under a single brand, the entrepreneur’s enterprise will differ from the franchisor’s enterprise. Purchasing a franchise has its pros and cons.

– use of an already promoted trademark. The entrepreneur does not have to invest a lot of money in advertising, because the efforts to promote the brand have already been made by the franchisor. It should be noted that this advantage manifests itself when a franchise of a well-promoted brand is purchased;

– the entrepreneur understands the mechanism of business functioning, the business model;

– the entrepreneur understands who can be a client, who will buy the product and why;

– good franchisors do not leave their partners to their fate, but provide them with training, effective ways to build a business and advice on how to use their innovations. It helps to learn and gain experience from professionals, instead of learning from your mistakes;

– counterparties and suppliers with whom you will have to interact are also guaranteed by the franchisor, you do not need to search for a supplier of a particular product or ingredient, or beware of dealing with a fly-by-night company.

Thus, with the help of franchising, an entrepreneur will be able to invest his efforts and funds in an already successful business, gain invaluable experience, a recognizable brand, already established connections and an established reputation. That is, to gain competitive advantages in the market from the first days of work.

– when purchasing a franchise, you must pay a significant lump sum fee and then pay monthly royalties;

– you will have to follow the franchisor’s business model, you will have to leave your own ideas. That is, the main disadvantage is the restrictions on freedom of activity established by the franchisor;

– franchisors may oblige the purchase of products from specific contractors who may supply them at inflated prices;

– the franchisor may apply restrictions on exit from the franchising system by concluding a concession agreement. And indicate in the contract a ban on opening organizations in this field of activity for a certain period. Thus, the franchisor is trying to protect itself from direct competitors.

Suppose, after weighing all the pros and cons, an entrepreneur takes the first step towards creating a franchise business. First of all, you must decide on the scope of activity and evaluate this activity in the region where you are going to open a business. Much of the success will depend on the selected team, in some cases on the chosen location of the business. Next, you need to decide on the franchisor. Be sure to read the franchisor's documents. Check all legal documents, documents for registering a trademark, clarify what rights to it will be transferred under the concession agreement. Below are the main points that the concession agreement between the franchisor and the entrepreneur should contain:

subject of the agreement (franchise);

term of the contract. If the term is not specified, then the contract is considered to be concluded for 5 years. The validity period of the agreement cannot exceed the validity period of the granted right to the trademark.

rights and obligations of both parties. The contract must contain a complete list of rights granted to the entrepreneur and a support system for his business;

the size of the lump sum contribution and what is included in it;

procedure for calculating and paying royalties;

restrictions on the activities of the entrepreneur. The franchisor may oblige the entrepreneur to sell products (works or services) at prices established by the trademark owner. And also limit the territories in which an entrepreneur can sell goods, perform work or provide services.

conditions for termination of the contract.

The concluded concession agreement between the trademark owner and the entrepreneur is subject to registration with Rospatent.

1.4 Choosing a business name and registering a trademark

If an entrepreneur wants the business to be recognized in the market, it is important to choose the right name. The name of the business or brand being created must be:

- concise, simple;

– easy to hear and memorable;

– easy for visual perception. The title should be readable at first glance;

- easy to pronounce. Brands that have three or four consonant letters following each other are considered unpronounceable;

– unoccupied on the market, that is, when choosing a brand name, you cannot violate the rights of others.

Before giving a name to a business, it is worth checking whether it will fall under the scope of someone else's trademarks. The law prohibits the use of names that coincide with already registered trademarks. In addition, you should avoid names that do not completely match, but the buyer may decide that all this is a product of the same company (Kenzo - Enzo, Lancome - Loncame). They may be found to be similar, which is considered illegal use of someone else's trademark. The illegal use of someone else's trademark is subject to liability.

Administrative responsibility (Article No. 14.10 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation). An administrative fine in the amount of five times the cost of counterfeit goods and their confiscation;

Civil liability (Articles No. 1515 and No. 1537 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation), compensation up to 5 million rubles or twice the cost of counterfeit goods;

Criminal liability (Article No. 180 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), imprisonment for up to 6 years with a fine of up to 500 thousand rubles.

Let's look at the concept of trademark, trademark and brand. A trademark is a designation used to individualize goods of legal entities or individual entrepreneurs. A trademark certificate recognizes the exclusive right to a registered trademark. Civil Code of the Russian Federation Chapter 76. Rights to means of individualization of legal entities, goods, works, services and enterprises. A trademark is registered for 10 years. Then you can renew the validity of the trademark an unlimited number of times. The trademark of the Russian Federation is valid only on the territory of the Russian Federation. On the one hand, Chinese manufacturers will be able to produce goods on their territory with a logo registered in the Russian Federation, on the other hand, they will not be able to import these goods into the territory of the Russian Federation.

“Trademark” in business has a similar meaning to a trademark, but is never mentioned in the Civil Code of the Russian Federation, so from a legal point of view it is not entirely correct to use this term.

A brand is a logo + reputation + recognition + impressions + associations. How is a brand related to a trademark? A trademark can be called the legal side of a brand. A brand needs protection, and a trademark provides it.

You can select the names of already registered trademarks if:

– trademarks registered in other countries. If an entrepreneur does not plan to do business abroad, then he can only check trademarks registered in the Russian Federation.

– trademarks of goods or services that are in no way related to the type of activity of the entrepreneur. If a trademark is exactly the same as the entrepreneur's brand name, but is registered for the sale of shoes, and the entrepreneur develops websites, there is no threat;

– trademarks that were registered more than 10 years ago and were not renewed. If the rights to a trademark are not renewed, its legal protection is terminated.

An entrepreneur should check whether someone is already using the trademark. You can follow the steps below for searching and analyzing trademarks.

Stage 1. Search for registered trademarks. All trademarks registered in Russia are contained in Rospatent databases, the search for which is paid. But some services collect information and provide free access to it, for example, onlinepatent. An entrepreneur needs to formulate search queries as follows:

search for each word separately if the name consists of several words;

use search masks: request “house” if the name contains the word “home”;

check synonyms, similar words and translation into English (pyaterochka - piglet, house - home, aribolt - oribold).

The search will take a lot of time, but there will be a chance not to miss similar names.

Stage 2: Analysis of found trademarks. When analyzing the names found, you must:

create a selection of identical and similar trademarks;

exclude from the sample those signs that have not expired and that intersect with your activities. Since if your name and field of activity completely coincide with an already registered trademark, you will have to come up with another name;

In practice, different situations arise. For example, an entrepreneur is going to produce cosmetics. There is someone else's trademark registered in relation to beauty salons. You should not choose this name, since the buyer may decide that this is all a product of one company, since large salons sometimes produce cosmetics of their own brands. Because of this, they may recognize the products as homogeneous and decide that the entrepreneur is illegally using someone else’s trademark. In order to make the right decision in controversial situations, you will have to carefully study the norms of Rospatent (http://www.rupto.ru/) on determining the similarity of designations and homogeneity of goods and services and look for similar situations in judicial practice.

After the entrepreneur has chosen a name, you should think about registering your trademark. It is worth registering a trademark if an entrepreneur is going to develop his own unique brand, wants to make it recognizable, and the reputation of the business he is creating is important to him. A trademark can be registered by:

legal entities (LLC, JSC)

individuals with the status of individual entrepreneur

Below are the main reasons for registering a trademark with Rospatent:

Protection from competitors. A brand registered as a trademark will prevent the possibility of counterfeit products being released by unscrupulous competitors, which otherwise could lead to the loss of market share and reputation.

Increased business value. Having a registered and promoted trademark can significantly increase the market value of a business. And accordingly, the entrepreneur will be able to sell the business profitably.

Opportunity to scale your business as a franchise. A trademark is a necessary object when concluding a commercial concession agreement.

Protection from unscrupulous partners... Suppose, at the initial stage of business, an entrepreneur registered a trademark for his individual entrepreneur (individual entrepreneur). In the future, when expanding the business, he and his partner will organize an LLC (limited liability company). An entrepreneur will be able to conclude a concession agreement on behalf of an individual entrepreneur. The LLC will transfer money to the entrepreneur for the right to use the trademark. Thus, the entrepreneur will completely deservedly receive income, and will also protect himself from a situation where partners want to “take away” his share in the business. It is clear that if the trademark has been promoted by this point and the brand is recognizable, then changing it will lead to a colossal loss of income.

Tax optimization. Within the framework of the law, there are algorithms with the participation of a trademark that can significantly optimize taxation. For example, individual entrepreneurs using the simplified taxation system and LLCs using the general taxation system enter into a concession agreement with each other. The LLC will transfer money to the individual entrepreneur for the right to use the trademark, thereby increasing its expenses and reducing the tax base. The individual entrepreneur will pay 6% on the income received. While the corporate income tax is 20%.

To register a trademark, an entrepreneur must take the following steps:

– it is necessary to make sure that the chosen name has such a legal possibility;

– pay the first part of the duties (minimum 14,200 rubles).

– prepare a set of application documentation and send it for consideration to Rospatent (Moscow);

– go through the paperwork procedure until a positive decision is received;

– pay the second part of the fees (approximately 16,200 rubles) and receive a certificate.

In terms of timing, the entire process of registering a trademark will take about 14-18 months. Based on the Russian application, you can submit an international application indicating the required countries, and each of these countries will begin its own procedure for considering the registration of a trademark.

If an entrepreneur feels that someone is violating the rights to his trademark, then the initiative to eliminate this violation should come from him, that is, government agencies will not independently monitor violations. Let's look at what an entrepreneur should do when he expects the illegal use of his trademark:

1) make sure that the alleged infringer is actually using his trademark. There must be an identical or confusingly similar trademark designation. The activities of the alleged infringer must be related to the list of goods and services from the entrepreneur’s trademark registration certificate;

2) record the fact of use: buy a sample of the product, take a screenshot of the site (you can have it certified by a notary), etc.;

3) submit a claim with demands. This may be termination of use, payment of compensation or damages, conclusion of a concession agreement;

4) if you can’t reach an agreement, you can go to court. But before applying, be sure to make sure that you have completed the first two points of this list correctly.

The copyright holder must monitor the illegal use of a trademark. Government authorities are not required to do this. It is important to understand that registering a trademark does not automatically eliminate unfair competition. Registering a trademark provides legal grounds to fight it.

1.5 Typical mistakes that a new entrepreneur makes

There are typical mistakes that a new entrepreneur makes.

First. Inability and/or unwillingness to count money. When investing in a business, it is important to record all expenses. After opening a business, it is necessary to constantly monitor and plan cash flow.

Second. Lack of control over customer debt repayment.

Third. Taking out a loan without a clear understanding of when it will be repaid. There are no calculations of project payback periods or cash flow forecasts.

Fourth. Misunderstanding of marketing fundamentals, incorrectly defined consumer profile and sales channel.

Fifth. Inability to manage your time.

Sixth. Ignorance of the basics of accounting and tax accounting.

Seventh. Inability to build financial relationships with business partners and hired personnel. It is necessary to agree with business partners on the division of responsibilities and profits (more details in module 4, topic 4). Hired employees must understand for what duties they receive wages. The mechanism for calculating and paying wages must be clear to both the entrepreneur and the employee.

Eighth. Lack of understanding of the fact that the main asset of a business is people. It is important to understand the following relationship:

Opening a business only makes sense when the entrepreneur is confident that by bringing people together to work in the business, a synergistic effect will be achieved. Achieving a synergistic effect in business is manifested in the fact that bringing people together allows you to get greater results compared to if they acted separately. A synergistic effect will be achieved only through competent people management.

Self-test questions

1) What do people want to achieve when starting their own business?

2) What skills should an entrepreneur have?

3) By what parameters should a business idea be assessed?

4) What advantages and disadvantages of opening a franchise business can you name?

5) What should you pay attention to when concluding a franchise agreement?

6) At what point in time does an entrepreneur begin to earn profit?

7) What are the typical mistakes a new entrepreneur makes?

Using the text and social science knowledge, formulate four pieces of advice for an aspiring entrepreneur starting a business.

Over the past 250 years, humanity has managed to significantly increase production and improve the quality of life. And now the economic progress of society is opening up more and more effective ways to transform the resources at its disposal into desired goods and services. But this does not negate the fundamental law - a person still experiences and will experience a deficit. The world's resources are limited, but human desires are endless. And since it is impossible to have everything you want, you have to choose.

If we use labor, machines, or natural resources to produce any one product, this forces us to abandon other goods that could be produced in a different situation. This choice in a market economy is made by consumer demand and production costs. Demand for a product is a consumer signal indicating to the entrepreneur what should be produced. However, in order to produce, the initial resources must be “purchased” from other uses. The cost of purchasing resources reminds the entrepreneur that there are other industries that require the same resources.

As a result, producers have a strong incentive to supply only those goods that can be sold at a price at least equal to the cost of their production, and especially those goods whose value in the eyes of the consumer most exceeds the cost of their production.

It is important to understand that a product can be provided to a person or group of people for free only if someone pays for it, and this will only redistribute the burden of costs without reducing it in the least. Politicians often talk about “free education”, “free medicine” or “free housing”. These expressions can only mislead. None of the goods are provided for free; each of them requires scarce resources to produce. For example, buildings, labor and other resources involved in the learning process could be used to produce food, provide recreational and entertainment services, etc. The cost of “production of education” is the cost of those goods that had to be abandoned as a result of this that the resources required for their production were spent on education. The government can shift these costs from one shoulder to another, but it is impossible to get rid of them. The rule “you have to pay for everything” is true in all cases of life.

(R. Stroup, J. Gwartney)

Explanation.

The following advice can be formulated:

1) study in detail the market for the product or service that is planned to be produced;

2) draw up a business plan for the development of the company;

3) find the most profitable loans;

4) be honest;

5) not to produce goods that harm people;

6) remember about the environment.

Other advice may be formulated.

Your own business is better than any job. Many people are ready to start a business, but in order not to burn out, you must first study the theory. One of the important points is studying the opinions of those who have already become entrepreneurs.

Practical advice and recommendations will help not only ensure an effective start, but also successful development.

We have collected useful tips for beginning entrepreneurs on this page. In order to do so, you need to start “spinning” as early as possible. Businessmen periodically fail, and this happens for one reason - they choose the wrong strategy and do not listen to the words of experienced people.

1. Don't give in to the urge to spend the first money you receive from your business. You need to put all your profits into circulation so that you don’t have to ask to stay with friends later.
2. Most people who don't become entrepreneurs complain that they don't have time for it. If you do something you really enjoy, you will miraculously find the time you need.
3. It is necessary to work on your environment, communicate with the same purposeful people who want to open their own business. The Internet is ideal for this.
4. The decision to go full-time into business and give up work is difficult to accept. You need to be brave and do it. Burn all bridges so that there is nowhere to return. You will start working actively out of despair.
5. Forget about embarrassment, don’t care what others say. If you have an interesting idea in your head, you need to implement it. Stop being afraid of ridicule, refusals, looks, your financial situation is much more important.
6. You need to believe in your own strengths and be 100% sure that the chosen idea will work and bring a lot of money. Don’t stop repeating to yourself - soon things will go uphill.

Overcoming fears is difficult, as is breaking your usual lifestyle. No one will ever take the first step for you, you need to push yourself to do this and set yourself up for success.

It’s hard to even imagine how wide the opportunities each person has. Only one uses them, and the other is skeptical about every thought about starting a business.

1. You cannot be afraid of competitors; it is not the idea that is important, but its execution. Even if there are at least 100 food deliveries operating in your area, if you are the best, you will attract all the customers to you.
2. Beginning businessmen spend too much time learning. Reading articles like this is certainly helpful, but the amount of action taken needs to be greater.
3. As soon as you learn about something, come up with an idea, find an interesting strategy, immediately start testing it. Only your own check will help you draw the right conclusions.
4. Each of us has our own quirks, they distinguish us from the crowd. Use them to stand out with bright colors against the background of competitors. Feel free to use non-standard methods (advertising, promotion, promotion).
5. Think about your brand more often; constant thoughts will help in advertising. Brand promotion is important now, since it is no longer possible to lure customers with prices or quality.
6. When you launch an advertisement for your “brainchild,” give up the boring list of characteristics. Create emotional outbursts by telling how life will improve, how it will change, and what the client will gain.

It becomes more difficult to break through among competitors every year. But right now at this second the competition is lower than it will be tomorrow. The best moment to open a business has already arrived, it's time to act.

Having your own business is not only profitable, but also prestigious. People dream of becoming their own boss, choosing their working hours, managing important matters, and so on. But you can do it too.

1. Few people manage to immediately reach the pinnacle of success, so if you stumble once, you should not give up. Read the stories of successful people, you will understand that many did not achieve their goals the first time.
2. Business books suggest working at least an hour a day, but consistently. This is nonsense, at this rate you will only achieve good results in old age. You need to work hard and the more effort you put in, the better.
3. It is useful to record your thoughts and thoroughly understand certain topics. You can, just don’t look for additional income from this, first of all, the site will be useful to you.
4. An aspiring entrepreneur must learn a simple truth. To build a successful business, you either need to work hard or invest a lot.
5. Business is not just about money. A competent entrepreneur sees in him his own values ​​- freedom from work, stability, implementation of bold ideas and much more.
6. From time to time, fate gives us gifts. Random money, useful contacts, facing problems. All this should be used as an impetus to start a business.

There are many subtleties and delays in business, and until you understand them, it is unlikely that you will be able to make your business profitable. It is necessary to treat your activities not as work, but as a goal in life.

Advice for an aspiring entrepreneur starting his own business

Thousands of people open businesses every day, each with their own thoughts, strategies, starting money, and so on. You need to act wisely otherwise the abyss of bankruptcy will swallow you too.

1. It is impossible to do all the work yourself; you need to look for workers. There is one true rule here - hire long, fire quickly. Candidates need to be scrutinized, and if they can’t do the job, they should be fired immediately.
2. One of the problems that you encounter only after starting a business is stress. You need to be prepared in advance for stress, both mental and physical.
3. It is not necessary to implement the idea right away; you can test it on a small scale. For example, check how much interest there is in a product on the Internet.
4. You need to turn your company into a public favorite. Ardent fans will become regular customers, and at the same time turn into the best promoters.
5. Integrate modern technologies into your business. The same Internet helps to conduct large-scale advertising campaigns and gain popularity.
6. Every person has preferences, you must first get to know yourself in order to choose the best strategy, choose the right working hours and determine other important points.

When you just start launching your own business, doubts arise and it’s difficult to adjust to a new way of life. There will only be more problems, but solving them should be fun.

Business experience is invaluable, even if he is sad. That is why you should always act without worrying about the result. Whatever it is, the entrepreneur will still receive his benefit.

1. Real professionals use the 1000 days rule, in which during this period a lot changes in business and almost everything remains unchanged in normal work.
2. If your business starts to feel like you're at work, something needs to change. Make the right choice - work to do what you love or do what you love to earn money.
3. Almost all ways to get rich quickly lead to disastrous results. Don't try to get rich quickly; it's better to choose a cautious strategy.
4. It's normal to be afraid of negative outcomes, don't try to overcome this fear. Experiences force you to do everything right and keep track of things.
5. In any business, clients play an important role. It is necessary to find the right approach to them; experts advise treating them like family members.
6. Over time, business becomes a part of life, so you need to think through the idea in advance and decide whether you agree to merge with your business.

Find the time and energy right now to take the first step. In just a few months, you will be able to give your business advice to beginners. Just take your time, think through every step.

Experienced entrepreneurs constantly share their secrets and thereby help newcomers develop. All the tips presented will become the basis for starting your own business, regardless of what you do.

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