OK, now I really got your attention

What’s this nuclear plant in a second floor apartment? Am I going crazy or maybe it’s a good moment to call SRI (the Romanian “brother” of the more famous CIA)? Or maybe I need some medication (you know, those nice things we are offered daily in the spam we can’t live without.

No, I am not mad and I didn’t fall in the April Fools Day trap either, I am just presenting an idea I got today while going home with a taxi. This nuclear plant in an apartment stands for any weird business idea we might have that is very hard to be put to work.

One of the first things you need to ask yourselves when thinking about a business is: “Can I really manage this?”. I had a friend who wanted to start a kindergarten in a 5 rooms apartment with a very very small yard. She said she’s so passionate when it comes to kids, that it just didn’t matter. And since I have the talent of ruining other people’s dreams I was able to shatter this in few well asked questions:

• you know you need: a dorm, a large bathroom, a sport hall and a kitchen (at least), these are the rules in my country;
• you know you have to hire teachers, janitors, a nurse at least;
• you know you need more space in the yard;
• you know you won’t be able to make some money from the few kids unless you ask for some huge prices no one will pay;
• you know no one would bring their kinds in this dump.

She was a bit mad at me for no letting her dream, but she eventually agreed that I do know what I am talking about (I should after spending my high-school years learning to be a kindergarten teacher).

I also have my dreams: I would love creating furniture or having a custom car painting firm. No, I don’t have experience in either of them, but I am sure my passion and hard work might help me. And who cares I am a woman. But I cannot do any of these. I don’t have the space needed, I cannot even use my vacuum cleaner without making my neighbrours angry. So my business ideas remain in the “daydream” stage. I know I’d made some awesome donuts too, but there’s no place for such heavy cooking.

So, to end this hectic article: we need to know if our business plan is really viable. If we can afford the space, if the business plan is guaranteeing us some future earnings at least. If this is something we can do and not as utopic as my nuclear plant in the apartment.

Sometimes we fail to notice the most obvious things.

Filed under: Painful business truths by ramona