I'd love to run my own business, but doing what?

[hellohellohihi]

Title says it all really. I've no idea what kind of business to set up. I'm not specially good or skilled at any one thing. I don't have specific passions.

When other people talk about their businesses I get all enthusiastic for them and can think of loads of ideas for them and think I would love to do the same for myself, but have no idea of what to do.

Anyone else in a similar boat?

It's the idea that I'm lacking. I think the implementation or practical side would be great, just no idea what I could implement, if that makes sense...

I would love to set up a takeaway that sells diet meals (like that diet chef thingy but you can just buy on demand rather than pay a subscription and pay a fortune). Then nobody would have any excuse. Somebody round here does sunday dinner deliveries, that's really took off apparently.

I won't though, have no desire to work for myself.

*diet as in perfect portion sizes and healthy, no crap in it etc

I was in your position a few years ago - I needed something flexible but didn't have any strong creative skills I could use. However I did have a great passion for books and reading so I decided to join Usborne. I felt it was a great half way house - you run the business but have support for marketing, publicity etc. So you could look at this type of company (often called network marketing) and find something you are passionate about or even look at franchises.

How rural are you? Soft play areas are good if you'll have the footfall-I wanted to do this moving back to NI but by time I got here one had opened. Lots of add ons you could do, cafe, 2nd hand children's stuff, kids club, parties etc

I've had an idea for a long time now but just would be crap at the implementation or practical side.

Have ds with sn who has great people skills but no chance of competing in the job market. There are quite a few parents who would love somewhere for their sn dc to work. ds currently has a saturday job working in a church tearoom and loves it so I want to set up a cafe or traditional tearoom place (not a starbucks / cafe nero etc as the pace there is far too fast for him to cope) where he and other young people like him could basically run it with support.

There is a place in Rye Sussex called the Mariners where it seems to be a success and I would want to emulate that somewhere by the sea. I'd probably want to run it as a charity but it would have a board of trustees or similar that would make sure ds was financially secure after we've died.

what about direct selling, I have just started working for a new Beauty retailer, think Avon meets Space NK. They are all about helping women get back to work, and promoting female entrepreneurs. You can start your business with them for £199 and get £500 worth of product have a look www.myshowcase.com its really fun, no hard sell because they are such great brands.

Hmm, not sure about the idea of a franchise or direct selling for someone else. And there are 4-5 great soft play places round here plus another handful of mummy-run businesses offering pop-up soft play sessions.

Eat your veg, I'm by the sea! One of the local colleges has sn employees in the cafeteria, I think it worked really well. And funnily enough I was reading an article in the paper yesterday about more of these charity/training type things.. I think they're called social enterprises.

Right now wouldn't be a great time for me leave my secure, decent-paid, v flexible job and ironically I'm the happiest I've been there in years. But I would still love to run my own business one day.

I range from wondering about opening an independent cinema to becoming a landscape architect.

I did consider a few years ago becoming a life coach, but now it seems everyone and their aunt is one. And would you believe so is my own mother! Shame really as a) I think I would've enjoyed coaching other people but dont feel i coukd go into it now and b) she's too close for comfort to coach me!

Ah, Hello, I'm just like you - would love to work for myself but not sure what I'd do. I, too, have considered life coaching, plus everything from starting a cleaning business to property development, and everything in between. I'm still no closer to deciding what I really want to do .

Glad I'm not alone! I often find myself getting carried away with ideas based on other people's skills - eg. DH is a carpenter and I think it would be fab to set something like this up near us: www.thegoodlifecentre.co.uk/ and where my mum has really struggled to get clients through the door for her coaching business I can think of a million ways that she won't even consider! I'm so frustrated!

I was in the same boat. It took two years for my idea to come to me. Think about aspects of what you have enjoyed in previous roles/roles you would be applying for now that you could do independently/what your strengths are.

My idea just formed one day and was a far better fit for me than the other ideas I had struggled with.

Just re-read this bit 'I'm not specially good or skilled at any one thing. I don't have specific passions' - I'm sure there must be something that you have a stronger interest in, and some things that are your stronger skill areas.
Good luck!

I have an idea but no one to do it with ie if it takes off I willneed a partner