Ending Soon! Save 33% on All Access

How Can a Wannabe Entrepreneur Turn to Become One Becoming an entrepreneur is never easy, but it may not be as risky as many people think

By Satanik Roy

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

Shutterstock

Entrepreneurs are the lifeblood of the economy. They own and operate everything from small grocery stores to digital startups. No matter what the size and scope, there are entrepreneurs behind every business and private company in the country. But for every entrepreneur that becomes a success, there are many others who fail. 50per cent of business doesn't make it past five years. According to Fortune Magazine, a staggering nine out of ten startups will eventually fail. Those numbers may seem disheartening, but it doesn't mean one should never consider entrepreneurship for a career.

With genuine passion, hard-work, a great idea, and a knack for learning, anyone can build a business and become a success. A few ways that can help wannabe entrepreneurs turn into successful entrepreneurs:

Finding the Industry or Niche

The most obvious first step is finding the specific niche. Many people want to become entrepreneurs, but they don't know what industry to get involved with.

More often than not, the niche will be something one has worked or probably have a good understanding. The current experience is a great place to starting looking for the niche.

It will also help if one loves the niche. To have years of success, one has to have to love what is done. Eventually, money won't be a big enough motivator to keep working sixty to seventy hours a week to sustain the startup. One would need more than money to keep them motivated, a purpose.

Researching about the Market

One should research the available market, analyzing the area for demand and need. Finding the answers to these questions, and more will be essential to long-term success.

Educating Self

There is a common myth in popular culture that successful, self-made entrepreneurs never graduate from college. The numbers, however, don't back this up. According to a team of researchers over 95per cent of entrepreneurs in high-growth industries have at least a bachelor's degree.

Scaling the Startup

Many aspiring entrepreneurs think that fast, rapid growth is the sign of a successful startup. However, most ventures are built slowly, over years. Whenever possible, entrepreneurs will build slowly, starting with the very first sale and crawling forward. Building slowly allows to learn and make adjustments before plunging headfirst into the business. Dealing with new situations provides valuable on-the-job entrepreneurship training. In many cases, entrepreneurs will keep their day jobs while building the business in their spare time.

Choose a business mentor

A startup mentor is an experienced business professional who provides with advice, guidance and support at launch and maintains during scaling of a startup venture. Having a mentor will boost business' performance, and increase chance of success, as more often a mentor acts like a "Devil's Advocate' challenging decisions, helping analyze your ideas to see whether it is viable, connecting with key business people and customers, providing a fresh perspective on how to scale, being a sounding board when an entrepreneur needs to discuss difficulties, challenging to set goals that may achieve better results.

Creating the business plan

Once one has come up with an idea for the venture and done some research and planning, one needs to write a business plan. This should outline: the key business objectives for the next three to five years, the strategy how can these objectives be met, the timelines these objectives are expected to meet, requirements to run day-to-day operations, and make business decisions.

Sort out your business finances

All ventures require a seed capital, enough money to set up the startup and cover operational expenses until the venture starts to generate a profit or raise investments.

Becoming an entrepreneur is never easy, but it may not be as risky as many people think. It includes long days, working weekends, and dealing with a variety of unknowns that make most people quit before they start. The risk is often the major reason why people avoid becoming an entrepreneur when managed properly, being an entrepreneur can actually be one of the safest careers possible.
Satanik Roy

Co-founder, hyperXchange

BIO - Satanik Roy, a 23 yo mechanical engineer turned entrepreneur started from his dorm room, and went on to build Hyperxchange growing it to over couple of million dollars valuation. Satanik has authored two book, a poetry book which has been published worldwide and is a bestseller. His next novel 'I Met The Demon' is set to be published in a month's time. He has completed post graduation from 'The Stanford University'.  

 
Leadership

How to Break Free From the Cycle of Overthinking and Master Your Mind

Discover the true cost of negative thought loops — and practical strategies for nipping rumination in the bud.

Science & Technology

Bad Data: The $3 Trillion-Per-Year Problem That's Actually Solvable

How the right tech can help entrepreneurs make data more accessible and accurate, avoiding massive losses in the process.

Side Hustle

These Brothers Had 'No Income' When They Started a 'Low-Risk, High-Reward' Side Hustle to Chase a Big Dream — Now They've Surpassed $50 Million in Revenue

Sam Lewkowict, co-founder and CEO of men's grooming brand Black Wolf Nation, knows what it takes to harness the power of side gig for success.

Growth Strategies

EdTech Crisis: Rise And Downfall of Byju's

The downfall for the company started when it failed to release results for FY2022 and later they were released after 18 months. The company is yet to declare its FY2023 results.

News and Trends

Soleos Solar Energy Secures INR 48.5 Cr Funding

This funding infusion will help the company in generating its working capital, global renewable energy portfolio development and establishing manufacturing facilities across the globe.

News and Trends

Whats Fuelling Growth Of Indian Aviation's International Ambitions?

In April 2024, India's international airline capacity reached 7.3 million seats, an increase of 17 per cent from the 6.2 million seats scheduled in the same month in 2019. This change can be attributed to a noticeable shift in spending patterns that emerged after the pandemic, as evident in the increasing inclination of Indians towards international leisure travel