I frequently visit business chat rooms and forums in search of helping people achieve their goals of starting a business. I offer advice to upcoming businesses or people who have questions about opening a business and there is a common question that is usually asked at least 100 times a day. Are you wondering what the question is? Believe it or not, the question is the most simple question to ask, yet the most complicated question to answer. The question is: "What kind of business should I open?" It may sound like a simple answer but here's why it isn't!

I want to first make a suggestion to everyone that asks this question. When you are asking this question, have some kind of idea about business and give a general idea or consensus on what type of business you are looking to get into. Is it an e-commerce business where you offer products or is it a business where you offer services? What kind of hobbies and interests do you have that can be related to opening a business? Every single person is different, which includes their likes and dislikes and how much time and money they have to invest in their business, therefore it would be nearly impossible to answer this generic question without some more information.

If you don't have an idea about starting a business then you probably aren't ready to open a business. A business takes a lot of time and a considerable amount of money, in addition to ideas and creativity to differentiate your business from your competitors. Be sure to give more details that can help a business professional answer your question accurately.

If you need help coming up with an idea for starting a business, here are some questions that you shoulder answer to get an idea as to what type of business would suit you well.

1). What are your hobbies and interests? This is important because you want a business that you will enjoy which will help you be able to sell your business better when talking to potential customers.

2). Do you have any special skills or training? If so, is there a way you can turn this into a business?

3). How much money do you have to invest? Are you going to purchase inventory and if so, is your investment amount going to cover your initial business costs?

4). What kind of people do you want to sell to? Do you want to sell products targeted a teenage girls or perhaps men who are sports enthusiasts? What kind of products would fit well with this group of people? How and where would you advertise to this particular group?

5). What is the popular trend right now? How many businesses are offering this product or service? Can you find this product at a good enough price to make profit and still sell it competitively?

Tip: Do research before you invest any money into a business. Although it may look like you are getting a good deal, you might be getting damaged goods (figuratively). Basically meaning, just because you get a product at an amazing price, it does not mean you will be able to sell the product. If there are 500 other stores selling the same product for less or no one is interested in buying that product, you just lost a lot of money. First & foremost, research the market before starting a business to see what kind of competition you will have and if you can offer something different to your customers. That is the best advice anyone could give a potentially new business owner, do your research!