John Crickett, of Business Opportunties and Ideas, is kind of an inspiration to me.
He provides, through his excellent blog, a ton of advice that enrepreneurs and small business owners can draw upon to make what they do rock solid. None of his stuff is throwaway, all his guest posters know exactly what they are talking about (little biased there), and everything he posts to his site is instantly valuable. Go visit. You’ll learn something.
Anyway, I asked John for an interview. He agreed.
Pay attention. There’s some good advice in this interview alone.
John, Sum up you and your site in 50 words or less.
Business Opportunities and Ideas provides a list of business
opportunities and business ideas that I’ve come across / think of, along
with my advice on how to turn them into successful businesses.
What made you start the site?
My wife was fed up of hearing about all of my business ideas. I kept
hearing a lot of hype about blogs. So I thought blogging about the ideas
would be a good way to share them, create a conversation and help others
learn about business, whilst at the same time learning about blogging
myself.
What kind of feedback have you received?
Very positive feedback from all sorts of people, ranging from highly
successful entrepreneurs, through business angels and venture
capitalists to academics studying entrepreneurship.
What has been the most profitable part of your site?
Given that the only real costs are my time and it’s as much a hobby as
a business it’s all relatively profitable.
One ‘killer tip’ for anyone who is running a home business?
Don’t get distracted.
There are a lot of small business blogs. You are an established presence. What makes you different?
Blogs are essentially an open conversation, or a stream of though
which others can chose to join in with or not. As such my blog is
different because it’s my thoughts based on my experience, knowledge and
personal biases. No one else can offer that.
Did you do anything else before this on the internet or is it your first venture?
I’ve worked with/on the Internet since 1996 and I’ve been running
Internet related businesses of my own since 2001.
Who is your inspiration? Why?
When it comes to business I’ve been inspired by a lot of people, from
successful small business owners through to the likes Warren Buffet.
Generally I’m inspired by those who have just gone out there and done
their own thing despite others telling them not to or that it’s impossible.
In your point of view, which are the best places to market your site online?
Search Engines. They provide highly targeted traffic.
What, in your opinion, is the best way to start out in business? What industries, sectors, and so on?
Start in any industry which you know something about and have an
interest, better yet a passion for.
The best way to start is to: start now, fail fast, fail cheap:
http://www.businessopportunitiesandideas.co.uk/999/how-to-start-a-new-business
And finally John, what is the best piece of advice you have ever received about business?
Go and start a business. Now.
Regards, John
