Starting a bricks and mortar business at Internet speed

How long does it take to start a business? Orange Katz is now in third month of operation. We managed to launch within our self-imposed deadline, which means we created a business from scratch in 3 months. That's how long it takes to start an Internet business, right? Apparently, that's also how long it takes to start any business, as long as you know what you're doing. Here's what we (i.e., me and the wife) did over the past few months, fast-forwarded since the last blog entry on 20th July. It's not necessarily in order. - signed a lease on our business premises. - came up with a company (Orange Katz) and a concept (Katz Gallery, a classroom within an art gallery). - incorporated the company. - opened bank accounts. - registered with the relevant authorities (local council, Inland Revenue, etc). - bought equipment and supplies for renovation. - hired people to do the renovation. - we weren't satisfied with the quality of work by the contractors, so we did it over ourselves. My wife did most of the painting herself. Our friends helped out. - signed up for electricity, water and telephone services. - interviewed candidates for art teachers, and chose one. We're very with how our choice turned out. - went for art training. - finished the business plan. - looked at funding sources, then abandoned the idea. We used our own money and borrowed a little from family and friends, along with credit cards. We spent a lot less money than we originally thought would -- we bootstrapped like mad. - we bought most of the furniture from IKEA, mainly because of their 12-months, 0% installment plan. - sourced for arts and crafts suppliers, and bought our opening of inventory. - personally delivered over 2,000 flyers to homes around Katz Gallery. That's a lot of walking. Especially in the middle of hazy weather. - got the website done. - held a promotional workshop at one of the local shopping centres. - held an Open Day. - held an Open House in conjunction with the Eid celebrations. As of this week, we have signed up 51 students. That's enough to pay our rent, utilities, and teacher's salaries. We're still a long way from profitability, but the day when we become cash-flow positive isn't that far off. Obviously we won't make millions in the first few years (real-life, bricks and mortar business don't scale as well as Internet ones), but hopefully we'll have enough to live on. I have to say that most of the effort and the energy came from my wife, who was (and still is) doing her MBA at the same time. This has been a fantastic experience, and we have both learnt a lot. It's not as easy as we thought -- but if we can do it, then anyone can. If you have an idea for a business, I'd encourage you to go for it. Entrepreneurship Start Up