Are you unemployed and desperate for income?
Is your present income insufficient? Would you like to improve your status?
Or, have you simply lost your passion for your job and would like to try something else?

A new business could be an answer to all your problems.

Despite today’s slow economy, it is possible to start and maintain a small business if you have a dream and a passion for it. Dr. Timothy Woods, dean of the business administration department at Fresno City College said that beginning a business starts with passion and continues with enjoyment.
He added, “Look at your passions; say okay, who am I going to be competing against? How am I going to connect with customers?”
Once you have a passion in something and the business idea comes, the next step is creating a business plan. Fresno City College has some of the tools necessary to create such a plan.  Dr. Woods said that BA 10, one of the classes offered by the business department, covers the principles of business. Additionally, the Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization club, a student-run organization, supports entrepreneurs through different stages of managing a business.  Both the class and the club can help with creating a business plan.
According to the Fresno City College website, the CEO club seeks to “promote entrepreneurship and to gain an understanding of the world of business and encourage participation in collegiate/community organizations.” The CEO organization informs, supports, and inspires college students to be entrepreneurial and seek opportunity through enterprise creation. The goal is to acquire knowledge and skills regarding teaching, service, leadership, organizations, networking and communications as it relates to entrepreneurialism.
Vice President of the CEO club, Annette Dedios said, “You don’t have to be a business major to be involved in the CEO club.” She said taking business classes and certificate of achievement courses at Fresno City College can help move a person towards a new business idea.
Chris Tidwell, Fresno City College student and future independent residential inspector, said he is taking a Building and Safety Code Administration course. It consists of architecture, mathematics, and a combination of federal, state and local building procedures, materials, and regulations and laws.

Financing is a recognizable obstacle and there are usually three options for financing a small business: family and friends, investors and bank loans. This is where the business plan comes in handy – it is wanted by the lenders or investors to read before they supply. Take an initiative to use any resources that are free such as the Internet.
Don’t forget the legal issue – there will be a required legal structure and then the time to file with the state to incorporate and obtain federal identification.
The economy struggle is not the only reason for individuals to start a small business. “My main reason that I want to work for myself is that I want flexibility in my schedule,” said Tidwell. “The freedoms to involve myself in my daughter’s class, go for a run, volunteer in church, or invest time in SHARED PARENTING OF AMERICA, a local non- profit, are all things that an employer would not be willing to work around. Working for myself lets me choose what takes current precedence,” he added.
Starting a small business may seem intimidating, but it is very possible. “In any job, it needs to allow the individual to do what comes naturally to their personality; not to just perform tasks but develop new tools and ways of thinking that makes the thing they do better for everyone.” says Tidwell. “I do not feel fear about being self-employed.”