What do you do if you want to pursue a career in entrepreneurship within small business?

1 Assess your strengths and interests

Before you dive into entrepreneurship, you need to have a clear idea of what you are good at, what you enjoy doing, and what kind of problems you want to solve. This will help you identify your unique value proposition, your target market, and your competitive advantage. You can use various tools and frameworks, such as the lean canvas, the business model canvas, or the SWOT analysis, to map out your strengths and interests and how they align with the needs and wants of your potential customers.

2 Explore different options and opportunities

Entrepreneurship within small business does not mean you have to start your own business from scratch. You can also join an existing small business as a partner, a co-founder, or an employee, and contribute to its growth and innovation. You can also leverage your network, your community, or your online platforms to find and create opportunities for collaboration, mentorship, or funding. You can also participate in events, competitions, or programs that support and connect entrepreneurs within small business, such as incubators, accelerators, or coworking spaces.

3 Validate your idea and test your assumptions

Once you have an idea or an opportunity that you want to pursue, you need to validate it and test your assumptions before you invest too much time, money, or energy. You can use various methods and techniques, such as customer interviews, surveys, prototypes, or minimum viable products, to gather feedback and data from your target market and measure your progress and performance. You can also use tools such as the lean startup method, the design thinking process, or the agile development approach, to iterate and improve your idea based on your learnings and insights.

6 Adapt and evolve to changing conditions

Entrepreneurship within small business is not a linear or predictable path, but a dynamic and uncertain one. You need to adapt and evolve to changing conditions, such as customer preferences, market trends, competitor actions, or regulatory policies, that can affect your business model, value proposition, or competitive advantage. You can use tools such as the pivot, the experiment, or the feedback loop, to assess and respond to changes and challenges and seize new opportunities and possibilities.