Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

Why not first start with a phone card vending operation? Seems to me I`ve seen a couple of these advertised over the years, particularly designed to place phone cards into all sorts of retail stores.

The big market is exactly that---families out of the country, whether in Europe, Asia, or Mexico. To try and start an entire phone card company would be a major headache, especially if you have little business experience. You`d be competing directly with massive companies like ATT, Verizon, Sprint, etc.

On the radiography, the problem of huge up-front investment is the sticker. Given how hard it is to get this kind of funding, I`m thinking that if you were to set up a vending company for the cards, you`d begin learning a whole lot about business. That`d give you some time to learn how to best present your case for the large loan on the radiography equipment. Not to mention, time to get all sorts of licensing and things.

I`d probably give a strong recommendation that you NOT quit your current full-time job without first having some very clear and specific understanding of what`s involved. You also might try setting up an appointment with your local SCORE organization, for a more in-depth discussion and analysis of your ideas.

Great! No matter how complicated, if you take it one step at a time, you can usually get a lot accomplished. Remember, this isn`t a race. :-) You have your life to create all this, because....it IS your life. Right?