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Let's Talk Business

 
steward
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I think it would be useful to conglomerate or connect all the pieces of knowledge everyone has about businesses into one big piece so that everyone has a quick tool they can go to to find resources on starting a business. I am putting this out there ahead of time; I have never started a business of my own; I am in high school. However, I would like to learn as much as possible which is why I think it would be neat to put everyone's knowledge into one big lump of knowledge, resources, etc.

To make things a little organized in our posts of resources, here is a simple format:
National Resources go first
State Resources go second
City Resources go third
Everything else

Since I live in Katy, TX (a suburb west of Houston) this is what my post would be:
USA Small Business Association
USA Small Business Association for Non Profits
Start a Business in Texas
Start a Business in Houston
Start a Business in Katy, TX

Some things already covered on permies.com:
Paul Wheaton promoting other people's kickstarter It also has a post by Jennifer on what makes a good kickstarter campaign. Then, Adrien has a discussion on advertising your stuff on permies.
Paul Wheaton discusses residual income streams in a thread and a podcast.
Daniel Kern has a good example of a business plan.
Diego de la Vega started a great discussion on whether anyone makes money with permaculture.

Some other useful resources:
Freecycle is good for getting stuff for free.
Heirloom Seedswap, Seed Savers Exchange, and Garden Web Exchange can connect people with others that might be willing to trade with you.
WWOOF connects farmers to those who wish to volunteer on farms.
Shared Earth connects people with land to those who wish to garden.
IndieGoGo is a resource similar to Kickstarter.
HelpX is kinda like WWOOF; it connects farmers to volunteers.

 
gardener
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I'm not sure what you are asking for? Links for help in starting a business? Advice for the same?

I guess first thing is get a job in that industry at whatever level you can get. From there you can see how it flows.

Second is find a mentor. Someone who doesn't drink your koolaide. You want someone who will tell you straight up if it's viable.
 
Dave Burton
steward
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I am looking to try and catalogue all the information and advice out there about businesses and how to start and manage a business. I am looking for every resource people can advise. I am looking for how to start a business anywhere.
 
Dave Burton
steward
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SCORE is the Service Corps of Retired Executives who are willing to give advice to startups and small businesses for free.

Here are links to advice/centers from ALL fifty states in the USA in alphabetical order on starting a business:
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Conneticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming

Let's make government and businesses less scary one bit at a time! =)

I love TEDtalks! Here is one by Jay Silver about how to have fun in designing:


 
Dave Burton
steward
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Here are some more resources for starting a business:
Canada
Europe
 
gardener
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Thank you for creating this thread and finding all of the resources you have so far.
 
Dave Burton
steward
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You're welcome! Please post any and all resources you find, too.
Here is a video from the Stanford Graduate School of Business about starting and managing a business:
 
Dave Burton
steward
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I think some people might find this video informative:
 
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There are a couple of problems with the premise of this thread. First is the idea that we could possibly aggregate all of the knowledge and information about starting a business here. The subject is huge. Libraries are filled with attempts to cover it, piecemeal. Scores of major universities have massive programs in Business Administration, with loads of professors with opinions on this subject.

It is just a huge, huge subject. Then there are all the differences of opinions among "experts". People with great track records and antithetical approaches to business.

And then all the differences among different kinds of businesses.

And then the differences between conventional, traditional business models and the models being driven by the internet and online shopping.

Then the differences between both of those and a permaculture business paradigm. On this last, I do not know if anyone has yet attempted to seriously address it. I have not seen any books that appear to do so. Of course that does not mean they do not exist, just that I have not become aware of them to date.

 
Dave Burton
steward
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Yeah, I guess narrowing the scope would best to make this thread more useful. If you find out about a permaculture business get-started book, article, podcast, video, etc, please post about it! I would love to know more!
 
Remember to always leap before you look. But always take the time to smell the tiny ads:
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