Mind Surgery and 4 Business Models You Can Consider

Starting a business has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life, however I am not going to sit here and lie to you and say it is a walk in the park. Quite the opposite in fact as it can be as painful as surgery. Let me explain.

I have an online friend and fellow home business entrepreneur that recently had an open surgery on his shoulder and by the way he explained it, it sounded super painful. Due to my Sickle Cell Anemia, I know pain and still I would not want to go through what he did. Just the way he described it sounded awful.

This surgery was to correct an injury that he suffered ten years ago but during that time he would tell him self that “I can get by”. Throughout the ten years, from time to time he’d re-injure his shoulder but would still do nothing about it for a number of excuses such as the fear of the painful surgery and not wanting to pay for the procedure.

It was on Valentine’s Day 2012 that once again he injured his shoulder break-dancing and finally said to himself that enough is enough and booked an appointment to get the procedure done. Even today after he has gone through the surgery, he is still experience pain, recovering from the procedure. However, he now knows that no longer will he have to “just get by” with a bummy shoulder that limited the quality of his lifestyle.

So how does this relate to starting a business?

Transitioning from the E[mployee] Quadrant to the B[usiness owner] Quadrant as Robert Kiyosaki calls it in his book The Cashflow Quadrants, can be a painful process. “It is like having surgery on someone’s mindset”, my fellow home business, entrepreneurial friend says. It requires someone to step out of their comfort zone, take calculated risk, fall and get back up. This process can be painful, emotionally & physically. There has been may times that I wanted to throw in the towel and quit but then I’d ask myself, “Do I just want to get by in life?”.

Becoming an entrepreneur demands that you have a burning desire to create the lifestyle you desire, have courage, creativity, perseverance and tenacity. This can all be likened to having surgery on your mind so that you no longer have to ‘just get by” in life.

If you are ready to schedule your mind surgery and start a business of your own then continue reading. if you have excuses as to why you’re not ready for this mind surgery, then you can stop reading here and continue to “just get by” in life.

Here are some business model types for you to consider

Traditional Brick & Mortar ~ This is you typical business model; you know, the corner mom & pop shop, laundry mat, flower store, etc. These can be a bit of a challenge to set up because you need to find a good location and government zoning laws will affect your decision, hire and manage (babysit some) employees, purchase equipment and overhead cost that can stack up quickly. However, this model works great for many individuals and families.

Franchises ~ This business model is popular because all the systems are in place and they have been proven to work. On the flip side, not everyone will qualify to use the franchise business model. Let us use McDonald’s for an example.

McDonald’s corporation requires 40% down payment if opening a new restaurant and 25% to take over an existing location. Because the cost varies from location to location the minimum down-payment will also vary. Generally, you will need a minimum of $300,000 of non-borrowed personal resources to open a McDonald’s.

On top of that, they require you have significant business experience, the ability to develop & execute a business plan, manage finances, great management skills, good credit history and participate in ongoing corporate training. On top of all that, you have to pay them a fee from all of your sales and take care of your location’s rent.

So the question is, do you have good credit, all those skills, extensive business experience and $300,000 kicking around?

Affiliate Marketing ~ This business model is ideal for absolutely everybody seeking a change in their financial situation. In most cases there are no requirements and no fees to get started at earning money with this business model.

Some high profile marketing gurus may require that you own their product(s) before you can qualify for commission and some affiliate networks may have you prove you are experienced by requesting earning reports. However for the most part, you can get started as an affiliate (even on a part-time basis) without a website or any technical expertize and earn commissions selling other peoples products and services.

Think of affiliate marketing this way…I recently went to the movie theater and watched the movie Avengers. I though it was an awesome movies so I told my cousin and a few others about it. I know my cousin went because I recommended it. If the movie theater offered an affiliate program, I would have earned a commission off of whatever my cousin spent while there. So basically, we are all already experienced at this its just a matter of learning how to capitalize off it.

Direct Sales/MLM ~ This business model is very similar to affiliate marketing. The difference is that you can build massive leverage by training others to duplicate the process of marketing, sales and training. Once you have a team of people underneath you, not only to you get paid commissions for the sales you generate, but you also get a percentage of the total volume your team members have generated. The start up cost typically range for $250 to $500 with the options to upgrade to larger more costly investment packages. The business model also allows for you to work at it part-time around your personal schedule.

In my opinion and due to my circumstances when I was looking to start a business or anything that would allow me to make money from home, MLM and Affiliate Marketing were my only options. I didn’t have almost a quarter of a million dollars nor the business experience to start a franchise and I didn’t believe I had the creativity or resources to start a brick and mortar business. I did however decide to go ahead with the mind surgery and do what it took so that I can live a lifestyle according to my conscious design.