Starting Your Small Business - Are You Ready?
What you'll learn
- Understand and define why you want to start your own business.
- Uncover the myths and realities of business ownership.
- Assess if you are ready, willing and able to be your own boss.
- Understand the characteristics of a successful entrepreneur.
- Use the Business Ownership Readiness Scorecard to help you get ready.
- Identify what you may need to develop or improve before starting a small business.
- Identify the help you need to get your business started.
Requirements
- No experience or special knowledge required before taking this course.
- All you need is the willingness to learn, and the dedicated to complete this course.
Description
Have you been dreaming and planning to start your own small business? Are you ready to be your own boss? Are you not sure how to get started or if you really are ready? If you are considering starting your first small business, and you have questions like these and more, then this course is for you!
Before you decide on a business idea or start writing a business plan, and before you take a course on how to start your business, it’s important to assess how ready you are to be your own boss.
After completing this course, you will have a clear understanding of what you need to do next to get started on your path to business ownership.
This course focuses on helping you determine if you are currently ready, willing and able to be your own boss. And if you are not ready now, you will have a clear understanding of what you need to launch your first business.
The Business Ownership Readiness Scorecard will be your guide to understanding where you are now, and the specific areas you need to learn more about and the help you need to be a successful business owner. This tool will bring clarity and direction to what can be a confusing and overwhelm process.
It all starts with your personal why. Your vision for your future, and understanding what motivates you. Why do you want to start your own business? This course will help you define your reasons for wanting to start a small business.
To become your own boss, you have to be ready, willing and able to overcome the obstacles and challenges that can keep you from realizing your dreams. You have to be mentally and emotionally ready, you must be willing to put in the time and effort, and you must able to afford the investment of time, money and energy.
By the end of this course you will have a much better understanding of what it will take to be a business owner. You will also be able to identify what you may need to work on before you launch your business, and the team of people you will need to help you along the way.
Who this course is for:
- If you are thinking about starting your first small business, this course is for you!
- If you are considering leaving the corporate world and becoming your own boss, this course if for you!
- If you have always dreamed of building your own company, but don’t know where to start, this course is for you!
Instructor
- 4.4 Instructor Rating
- 12 Reviews
- 21 Students
- 1 Course
Henry is a Serial Entrepreneur, Small Business Coach, and Host of The How of Business podcast show.
Henry has over 35 years of diverse business experience, including successful careers in the information technology industry, sales, sales training and business ownership. He is currently the Managing Partner of Levante Business Group (supporting entrepreneurs and small business owners and producers of The How of Business podcast), co-owner of iTopIt (a self-serve frozen desserts restaurant in Colorado Springs), co-owner of L3 Destinations (a Travel Agency co-founded with his wife), and a minority partner and investor in Office Evolution of Plantation (an executive suites and co-working business center franchise location). Henry currently resides in a suburb of Dallas, Texas with his wife Pam.
He has been directly involved in over 11 different small businesses since purchasing his first business in 1991. He has developed and launched his own businesses, and has bought and sold businesses as well. Henry also serves as a volunteer SCORE Mentor.
Business Ownership Highlights:
Henry has been a part of more than eleven different business ventures over the past 29 years. His entrepreneurial experience began in 1991 with the eventual ownership of three Mr. Jim’s Pizza franchise units in the Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas area. He performed as CEO of these franchises, with responsibilities for planning, systems development, financial management, and marketing. He purchased his first Mr. Jim’s franchise with a partner, increased sales 255% over six years, and sold that unit in 1999 for a 46% annualized return on investment. Henry sold these restaurants in the early 2000’s, and no longer operates any Mr. Jim’s Pizza franchises.
In 2002, Henry became a licensed Real Estate Agent focusing on residential home sales and investment properties. He was a member of the top-producing real estate team in Coppell, Texas and one of the top teams in the state, achieving RE/MAX Executive Club level in 2004. In 2005, MAR Property Investments was formed by Henry Lopez and his partners, specializing in residential properties and undeveloped land investments in Florida. Henry led MAR Property Investments to acquire a portfolio of properties in Florida including rental homes and residential lots. Henry has also invested in rental homes in the Dallas, Texas area, and is currently an active commercial real estate investor.
Henry’s next business venture was in property management as the majority owner of Old World Salons, a suite-salon business with two locations in North Richland Hills and Southlake, Texas. Old World Salons leases individual suites to independent health and beauty professionals, and Henry purchased this existing business in 2008. Under his ownership and management, this business generated average annual cash flow margins of 29%, with occupancy rates in the 95-100% range. As owner and President, he was responsible for all business owner activities including planning, financial management, operations management, systems development and sales & marketing (including online and social media). Henry sold Old World Salons in 2014, realizing an annualized total return on cash investment of 58%.
In 2010, Henry Lopez and David Begin founded iTopIt , a self-serve frozen yogurt restaurant in Colorado Springs, Colorado. iTopIt was first to bring the self-serve frozen yogurt concept to Colorado Springs. The business was created entirely by Henry and David, including development of the brand, restaurant design and operating systems. In addition to his leadership and overall management and planning responsibilities, Henry is also responsible for all marketing activities including online and social media. In the first calendar year of operation, iTopIt generated a profit margin of 25.6%. Henry and David continue to own and operate iTopIt, with potential future plans to expand and also possibly franchise this concept.
Combining their passion for travel and experience in the industry, Henry and his wife Pam (a former American Airlines flight attendant) founded L3 Destinations in early 2015. L3 Destinations is a full-service Travel Consulting business, offering custom cruise and land vacations, group travel, and business incentive travel programs.
In 2015, Henry co-founded Levante Business Group, dedicated to helping people start, run, and grow small businesses. Through Levante, Henry offers Business Coaching and Consulting services for select clients. Levante Business Group also offers on-line learning solutions, webinars, and other tools and resources for small business owners.
Levante Business Group produces The How of Business Podcast. Henry is the host of this top-rated on-demand show which provides practical advice, tips and techniques for small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs.
In 2016, Henry invested and became a minority partner in Wild Blue Car Wash when he partnered with carwash industry veteran David Begin to build and operate the third location of this exterior-express car wash business. David Begin and Henry Lopez sold these highly successful car wash locations in 2019.
Henry’s latest business venture is Office Evolution of Plantation. Opened in 2020, this franchise location provides Coworking and Private Office Space for business owners in Plantation, Florida. Henry is a minority investor and partner in this business, and served as business coach during the development by majority owner Ed Uribazo.
Henry is also a volunteer mentor with SCORE, providing small business mentorship services for existing and aspiring small business owners in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, for all types of small businesses.
Henry graduated from the National School of Technology with a certificate in Computer Programming, and also attended Miami-Dade College.