How to Find the Business That's Right for You Ready to dive in the BIZ Experiencesial pool but unsure which direction to go? Follow these steps to help you decide what kind of business is for you.

One of the scarier moments in an BIZ Experiences's life occurswhen he or she chooses what business to go into. It can feel likeLet's Make a Deal: "If I choose Door #1, it couldbe a fabulous fortune or a pile of dung, and until the curtain ispulled, there's no telling which."

Fortunately, choosing a business doesn't have to be thatrandom. Here's a three-step plan for avoiding the dung pilesand finding a good business that's right for you.Because when choosing a business, one size definitely doesn'tfit all.

Step One: Answer These Questions
1.Would you pay $10,000 to$100,000-plus to have the business specifics laid out for you,cookie-cutter style? If so, consider purchasing afranchise. Check out BIZ Experiences magazine's Franchise 500 listing for moreinformation on the top 500 franchises as ranked byBIZ Experiences. Just be sure that before signing on the dottedline, you've thoroughly investigated the opportunity, talkedwith at least a half dozen franchisees who were not handpicked bythe franchisor, and understand that you'll be subject to therules and regulations of the franchise for the life of thebusiness.

2.Is there a type of customeryou'd find it easy to sell to? People who: (Check all thatapply).

• are in a particular occupation or industry(specify).
  
• with a particular hobby or recreational interest(specify).
  
• are in a certain income bracket (specify).
  
• are of a specific age, gender or background (specify).

For example, a self-employed psychologist who works best withmiddle-aged men might decide to market exclusively to them. Thatcan help him stand out from the zillions of other shrinks huntingfor clients.

3.Look at your current work.What do your customers or colleagues complain mostabout? Could you start a business that solves thatproblem? A machinist for a large aviation firm heard constantgripes from co-workers about the unavailability of parts. He quithis job to start a homebased parts courier service and had just onecustomer: his former employer.

4.Do you have a hobby orpersonal interest that could be turned into a homebasedbusiness? For example, I know a lot about breedingroses. I could run a business in which I teach people a great newhobby--breeding roses. My target audience would be senior citizens.They have money and time for hobbies. And it's something youcan do forever--many of the world's leading rose breeders areover 80. I'd conduct free seminars at senior centers to showpeople the joys of rose breeding. Then individuals could hire me toshow them how to do it, just as people hire golf instructors orpiano teachers.

5.Do you believe in a productor service that you might like to sell? Consider theproducts or services you love to use. My sister, Sandy, lovesmakeup and runs Let's Make Up, a successful business in whichshe offers free makeovers. The makeovers usually result in a$100-plus sale of make-up because the customers like the result andwant to buy all the secret potions Sandy used to create thatperfect look.

Caveat: All things being equal, service businesses aresafer than product businesses. There's no costly inventory, notheft problem, no spoilage. Plus, service businesses are usuallyeasier to run from home.

Steps Two & Three

Step Two: Peruse the Options
Perhaps Step One already generated your perfect business, but morelikely, it only helped you identify key attributes of thatbusiness. Now it's time to scan actual business ideas. Look forthose that match the factors you identified in Step One, butdon't be afraid to pick something that mainly just mainly feelsright. A good business choice usually appeals to both head andheart. Here are quick ways to expose yourself to thousands ofbusiness ideas:

• Look in the index of your Yellow Pages or Business-to-BusinessYellow Pages. It lists practically every kind of business outthere. Any you might like to run? Swiss career counselor, DanielPorot, suggests you can devise a unique business by combining twoYellow Pages categories. For example, combine accounting andpsychology to be an accountant for psychologists.

• Check out our Low-Cost BusinessCenter.

• Peruse books that profile home businesses, including Best Home Businesses for the 21stCentury by Paul and Sarah Edwards, Working Solo by Terri Lonier, and thebook I co-wrote with Paul and Sarah Edwards, Cool Careers for Dummies. It profiles512 great careers and self-employment opportunities, including manythat are little-known but rewarding. (Restaurant menu designer,anyone?)

• Once you've picked out a possible business, find Web sitesfor such businesses using your favorite search engines. That Websearch can provide an instant education about the range of suchbusinesses and perhaps some features you'd like to incorporateinto your own.

A bit of reassurance: Don't make the mistake of thinkingthat your business idea needs to be original. In fact, it'srisky to be original--that makes you a guinea pig. Better to take aproven business concept, combine the best features of yourcompetitors into your business and open up shop on the Net or inyour home. Of course, you needn't forego all creativity.Perhaps, add a new service to a business's roster of provenservices, target a new audience in addition to the traditional one,or somehow just tweak the concept.

Step Three: Put Your Toe in the Water Before DivingIn
A business idea may sound great in theory, yet flop in practice.Sometimes it may, indeed, be a great idea--but you may not have theskills to make it succeed. To reduce the risk of that happening toyou, watch someone in your prospective business in action. Forexample, if you're thinking about being a Web designer, watchone for a few hours. Could you see yourself, with training, doingthat 40 hours or more each week? If so, try to learn the firstpiece of necessary software on your own or with a tutor. Are youcatching on quickly? If so, chances are, you'll develop theskills needed to succeed.

Other times, a business succeeds only because of Herculeaneffort--an owner willing to work 90 hours a week or invest afortune to ensure its success. Are you willing to work that hard tobring your dream to fruition? Very few people are equipped tohandle that kind of commitment. And more than likely, you don'thave a fortune to invest either.

Still other times, the idea is good but its heyday is over. Openthe umpteenth balloon-delivery service in your city and you'llface a double whammy--a market that's already saturated and afad that's fading. Risk-reducer: a survey. Before deciding tostart a business, talk to 25 people in your target market--catch'em in front of a store, call people out of the phone book,arrange a get-together of friends of friends of friends, whatever.Describe your product or service and ask them how likely they wouldbe to buy it. Beg them to be brutally honest--"Better to knownow than after I've opened the business." Ask themwhat's the most they'd comfortably pay for your product orservice. How could you enhance the product or service so they'dpay more?

Most Important of All
Most aspiring BIZ Experiencess put a lot of effort into choosing theirbusiness. But the fact is, just as important as the right idea isthe smart, nose-to-the-grindstone implementation of that idea.I'd sooner bet on a smart, hard-working balloon-deliverybusiness owner than on a dimwitted, lazy Internet security businessowner.

Dr. Marty Nemko is a small business consultant, host of"Work with Marty Nemko," a radio show that'sbroadcast on an NPR affiliate in San Francisco, and co-authorof Cool Careers for Dummies. He speaksfrequently to organizations and can be reached at mnemko@well.com.