Assess Your Skills

• Perform a thorough self-assessment. Write down the different types of jobs you have had and the skills necessary to do the job. This task might seem of little value. However, it helps you think through your skills, and going through the process will highlight what you don't want to do. For example, if you list a former job as a clothing store cashier and think through the skills you used, you may understand that you dislike dealing with a lot of management but enjoy customer interaction. Consider selling clothes at the flea market, starting a resale shop from your home if restrictions allow, or starting your own online children's clothes store. Use skills from your past experience or from a former job. For example, you may have worked in shipping and receiving where everything had to be well organized. You can use those skills to become a home organizer, start a cleaning or junk-removal business.
  
  

Explore Your Interests

• Start doing what interests you. If you love being funny around your friends, start a birthday party clown business or create humorous videos to market on the Internet on your own site or to sites that need interactive content. You may decide that your communication skills are a good fit for becoming a life coach or an elder care consultant. If you like to write down your humorous, thought-provoking ideas, make them into greeting cards and market them online or at local businesses.
  
  

Examine Your Needs

• As your explore ideas, document the costs associated with starting the business and determine whether you need to obtain formal training or additional support. You may enjoy airbrushing as a hobby, but airbrushing custom cars requires capital to get started. You can start out by face painting or creating airbrushed artwork if that fits your budget and plan to expand into custom cars. You may be great at fixing lawnmowers and small equipment but have no idea how to market yourself. You can either budget in someone to help you or you can teach yourself the additional skills you need.
  
  

Be Realistic

• It's important to be realistic about what you can accomplish with your current talent, budget and lifestyle. Choosing wisely will help you increase your chance of success. For example, if you were only adequate at math and prefer to be physically active, becoming a bookkeeper is not a good decision. You might be more suited to becoming a local walking-tour guide, starting a "casino night" company or a car-detailing business. You may need to brainstorm 50 to 100 ideas or more before you settle on one that fits your personality, budget and skills.