Human behavior, including that of consumer behavior, involves a complicated process of stimulus and response system to many factors and motives. People engage in business because of the following reasons: power, profit, service to the community, prestige, livelihood, social approval, etc.
Businessmen want to earn profit, serve the community, and achieve prestige because of certain stimuli, and these are the motivational factors.
Based on studies of the hierarchy of needs of man (from Maslow), there are five basics needs of men that are to be satisfied continually.
First, physiological need or biological need- the essentials for survival, such as the need for food, clothing, shelter, air, and water. This is the basic needs of men that need to be sustained. Especially when you have already a family and a need to earn more so as to have a decent meal every day. Those with families engage in business rather than become an employee because they want to have more time with their family, especially to bond with their kids. Having a business of your own, means you own your time.
Second, safety need- it is the desire for security, stability, or protection against danger. Having a business of your own means you are “in” in the community. People regard you as a person with more money in the pocket, thus capable of owning a business. Business owners also are expected to have a brilliant mind because they are able to invent a new business or pioneered a service.
Social need- the need for group belongingness, affection, love and friendship. Having a business of your own, bind you in the community where you belong. You create affection to your customers and need to build friendship with them so that you will have loyal customers in the long run. You won’t be alone in your business; you need people to help you and work for you. They are your employees. You must create an atmosphere of friendship between you and your employees so that you will always have their support when something goes wrong.
Ego or self-esteem need- the need for self-recognition or group satisfaction. Artists that would like to be popular and hungry for recognition drives them to start a business of their own. For instance, you’d like to be known as the best custom bookmarks designer in the world, a bookmark printing company is ideal.
Self-fulfillment need- the need for the realization of personal goals or ambition. Everyone has a dream. But few of them dare to realize this dream because they are afraid they might lose. Engaging in a business is like a gamble. Either you lose or win, fail or succeed. But there is no harm in trying. As some would say, it is better to have tried than to never have tried at all. If you have an ambition, make it happen. If it happened the way you want it to, that is the time you can tell yourself that you have succeeded. Start a small business, and then make it big. If your ambition is to have a bookmark printing company, start as a shop, then aim to become a Fortune 500 company later on.
To sum it all up, if you want to start a business of your own, assess yourself if what drives you to go into business is it to earn from a hobby or if you want to be a boss and not a mere employee. Or are you obliged to run a family business? If either one of these is your motive, as long as your heart is into it, you will succeed.
Author Resource:
Troy Duff works as a businessman and currently runs a printing company that offers custom bookmarks , banners, magazines, flyers, door hangers, catalogs, table tents, presentation folders, bookmark printing , custom printer and other printed ads.