Thinking About Starting Your Own Business? Read This First!
Julie Starr • May 18, 2021
There is a huge step to take if you want to
start your own business
and be someone who feels as if they matter. Many of us spend time staring out of the window of the office and daydreaming about the things that we really want in life. For some of us, it’s an international vacation complete with cocktails. For others, it’s the chance to branch out and start their own business.
You can make list after list of the ideas that you have for a business, but unless you pick one, you won’t be able to start anywhere. You can make a lot of progress with your dreams if you take the pen off the paper and actually go for what you want. One of the best ways that you can see how your skills are going for you is to actually take the plunge and start a business that makes sense for you. If you want to own your own business, you should go for it as early as possible. So, with this in mind, here are some things that you should think about before starting your own business.
- Your Business Concept: Before diving into the entrepreneurial journey, it's crucial to have a clear and compelling business concept. This involves understanding what your business will offer, who your target audience is, and what makes your idea unique or necessary in the market.
- Business Plan: A solid business plan is the blueprint for your success. This should include your business objectives, marketing strategies, operational plan, and financial projections. A well-thought-out plan not only helps in organizing your thoughts but also is crucial when seeking funding or partnerships.
- A Business Name: The name of your business is your first impression in the market. It's important to choose a name that is memorable, reflects your brand identity, and resonates with your target audience. Utilizing a premium business name generator can help in brainstorming creative and unique names, ensuring that your business stands out and is easily identifiable.
- The money. Oh, yes, you need to think about the money, but it’s not about the money you could earn here. It’s about the money it will cost you to begin on your own. You may need used trucks or other vehicles to get your business off the ground, and if that’s the case, you’re going to need cash to help you to do it. You will have a lot more chance of success if you have money in your business to carry you through it.
- The flexibility. The chance to get out there and work the hours you please is a good reason to go ahead and start out on your own. The first few years you will be working all of the hours that you can to get your business off the ground and successful, but that doesn’t mean that it will always be inhumanely busy!
- Better balance. Most people choose to go out of their way to start their own business, and they do it for the better work and life balance that they can get. When you set your own schedule, you can finally start working the way you want to work and not the way that someone else is telling you to work. Setting your own schedule makes a very big difference to the way that you work!
- Control. When you take control of your own business, you get to choose everything. From the color of the trucks you buy to the space you pick to store the things that you need to store, you are the one in total control of it all.
- You get to be independent. No one is telling you what to do anymore. You can take all of the things that you hated about being an employee and ensure that none of your new staff feels that way about you. It’s a good way to ensure that you are the best you can be.
The best branding doesn’t always come from big campaigns or expensive graphics. Sometimes it’s the smaller stuff that leaves the biggest impression. Things people actually use, touch, or carry with them. That’s where your brand can quietly make its mark without needing to shout about it. If you’re only focusing on social media and business cards, you’re leaving a lot on the table. Here are five overlooked ways to get your name out there that feel natural, useful, and more personal. Thank-you slips If you’re already sending out orders, there’s no reason not to include a short thank-you slip. You can easily get these made through any decent online print shop , and they’re usually pretty cheap to run off in small batches. Just a simple note that says thanks, maybe with a reminder to follow you online or a cheeky discount code for next time. It’s quick, thoughtful, and makes the whole order feel more finished. Customers notice that kind of detail, especially when everything else they buy online comes with zero personality. You don’t need a complicated design either. Just something clean with your logo, a message that sounds like you, and maybe a social handle. The point is to give them a reason to come back or remember your name without it feeling forced. Branded zip pouches If you sell physical products, offer services, or run events, small zip pouches are surprisingly effective. Think of the kind you’d use for stationery, receipts, or travel bits. You can get your brand printed on the side and hand them out with purchases or include them in welcome packs. People keep them because they’re actually useful. They get tossed in handbags, school bags, or glove boxes and your logo just keeps turning up. Cleaning cloths for glasses or screens This one works brilliantly if you’re in tech, health, beauty, or anything involving screens or eyewear. A simple microfibre cloth with your branding on it can go a long way. Everyone needs one. Whether they use it for glasses, a phone screen, or their laptop, it’s something they hang onto. It’s not the kind of thing people throw away, and that means your name sticks around too. Receipt envelopes You might already use little envelopes to hand over receipts or business cards. Branding those envelopes is a small change that makes a big difference. Instead of someone getting a scruffy bit of paper in a plain sleeve, they’re handed something that feels a bit more finished. You can even add a message inside. Doesn’t need to be anything dramatic. A simple “thanks for visiting” or “see you next time” is enough to add a personal touch. Wet wipes or mini hand gels If your business is in hospitality, food, or anything hands-on, branded wet wipes or pocket-sized hand gels are surprisingly popular. People actually use them, especially at festivals, food stalls, pop-ups, or kids’ events. They end up in handbags or cars and stick around longer than you think. They don’t scream “marketing” either. They’re practical, and when done right, they make your business feel thoughtful. That’s what good branding does, it shows you’ve thought ahead.
What happens when students stop waiting for adults to fix things and start conducting their own energy audits? Money gets saved. The lights get switched off. Data gets analyzed. And a quiet revolution in sustainability begins—inside schools that once overlooked their own inefficiencies. Across the globe, student-led energy audits are proving that change doesn't always need to come from a policy shift or a major capital budget. Sometimes, it begins with a clipboard, a spreadsheet, and a group of curious minds asking: Why are the hallway lights on at noon when sunlight floods the building? The Energy Detectives These audits aren’t science fair projects. They’re rigorous investigations, often done in collaboration with facilities staff, local environmental nonprofits, or even engineering mentors. Students go from classroom to classroom measuring electricity usage, checking for phantom loads , and identifying where heat is escaping in winter or air conditioning is leaking in summer. One high school in Ontario saved over $12,000 a year after its Grade 11 physics students ran an energy audit and suggested simple changes—LED upgrades, motion sensors in bathrooms, and smarter heating schedules. They didn’t just propose ideas. They pitched them with spreadsheets, thermal images, and payback timelines. It worked. Learning That Pays Off—Literally Unlike textbook learning, these audits blend real-world math, environmental science, economics, and persuasive communication. Students aren’t just learning about sustainability. They’re doing it. And the savings add up. From dimming overlit hallways to reprogramming HVAC systems that run all weekend for empty buildings, students are surfacing blind spots that administrators often overlook. In some districts, their findings are influencing energy policy. Elsewhere, the audits have inspired school boards to hire sustainability coordinators—often alumni of the student programs themselves. There’s something poetic about a school funding new books or laptops from money saved by students who found out the vending machines didn’t need to be plugged in 24/7. Why This Matters More Than Ever With education budgets tightening and utility costs rising, every dollar saved is a dollar that can go back into classrooms. And here’s where it gets interesting from a family finance perspective, too. If you’re a parent setting aside money for post-secondary savings, every bit of school efficiency helps. Fewer energy costs might mean more programming, better STEM facilities, or even bursaries. That raises a broader point: when families save for their children’s future, they often look into RESPs (Registered Education Savings Plans). And many wonder—is a RESP deduction available on my taxes? While contributions themselves aren’t deductible, the gains grow tax-free, and students often pay little to no tax when they withdraw the funds during school. A Movement Worth Replicating These audits aren’t just an exercise in environmentalism. They’re leadership labs. Students learn how to spot inefficiencies, speak up in board meetings, and make a business case for change. They don’t just flip switches—they shift mindsets. And they carry these habits into adulthood. The result? A generation growing up not only with climate anxiety, but also with tools to tackle it.