If you plan on owning your own small business overseas, no matter what size, you're going to make mistakes. Don't worry about it. Screwing things up will help you and it's part of the game. But you can minimize them by learning from others, starting with my top 20 greatest hits (or misses), one for every year I've been in business (in no particular order).
Use these examples, large and small, as inspiration for your own ideas. There are cafes, art galleries, bakeries, hotels, cooking schools, outdoor guides and so much more. I highly recommend you visit most of the websites to see how creative people can be. Make sure to write down anything that strikes your interest in your planning notebook.
PRWeb has created this matrix to show how different types of content can appeal to different consumers and offers facts or suggestions about each.
One site I check daily is Springwise.com, which offers new business ideas collected from around the world. A network of 15,000+ spotters send in suggestions which are then filtered by editors. As an American abroad, you could (1) look through the ideas from your country, or (2) look through those from other countries to see…
Take what you know and become a self-employed consultant for others.
This is a quick and easy video course to come up with good ideas for a small business, especially ones that will work well overseas. The purpose is to help you through the process of coming up with good business ideas step by step. The comedian Steve Martin had a famous bit that started “I’m…
Starting your own small business, especially while living overseas, shouldn't be approached lightly. Once you start, the details pile up and the problems begin. Many books will include chapters to help you determine whether you are really ready. But the questions can be a little silly in my opinion, simply because it's hard to look…
This graphic takes a look at international buying habits online and off. click image to enlarge.
Expatwomen.com has created an excellent resource for women of all nationalities who find themselves in other countries. According to their website: We share 2,000+ expat women blogs, interviews with successful women living abroad, 300+ readers' stories, information for nearly 200 countries, links for expat clubs and international schools, an inspirational blog, a free monthly newsletter…
One of the fastest approaches for finding a good small business idea is to look at common existing businesses that you could start in your country, needing only to adapt it locally. Because the business isn't new, there should be lots of basic information to help you. If you wanted to start a cafe on the…
Four short videos to help you brainstorm ideas based on your interests and where you live abroad.
CLICK HERE to get started finding small biz ideas that fit you and work well overseas.