Describe a small business you want to start.
You should say:
- what business it would be
- when you want to start it
- why you have not started it yet
and explain whether you would like to start this business now.
[You will have to talk about the topic for one to two minutes. You have one minute to think about what you’re going to say. You can make some notes to help you if you wish.]
Model Answer 1:
Although nobody in my family has ever been involved in starting or running any kind of business, I have held a secret wish in my heart since my early high school years that one day I would start a small business to try my luck with entrepreneurship.
Of course, I wasn’t too sure about what kind of business I would start, mainly because I thought that I would need a substantial amount of money to start a business. Besides, I also needed some time to understand the “tricks” of business before I could take some calculated risk in this domain.
So, I decided to wait until I actually start a job and have a first-hand experience in the real business world. By the way, later on, I realized that one didn’t really need so much money to start a small business, provided that he or she had a well-crated plan to outsmart his or competitors.
But, then just before a year, after playing with a lot of small business ideas with the scope of limited investment, I decided that I would start a fruit juice selling a business by using the possible freshest fruits. And all I needed for that was a suitable place to set up my business as well as some good and reliable sources of fresh fruits so that I didn’t really have to do juggling from one fruit seller to another. But, unfortunately, I am yet to find a suitable spot to start my fruit selling shop. On top of that, lately, I have also been very busy with my full-time job, which leaves me very little time to plan for the setup of my small business.
But, anyway, I would definitely like to start my business now because the longer I wait, the more difficult it will probably become for me to start my business. After all, the cost of starting a business keeps only rising these days, and I just don’t have the luxury to spend extra money or wait for eternity.
Sample Answer 2:
I am really lucky to have this candidate task card topic as it is something I would be able to talk about from my heart. I am 32 and a doting father of a 4 years old daughter. Both I and my wife work and I have been planning for a while to quit my daytime job and start a small business. I personally thank you for letting me talk about it.
The small business that I have in my mind is establishing a cyber cafe in our area. The cyber cafe I have planned for would be an exclusive one and primarily target the foreign tourists who visit our area. Though there are already three cyber cafes in our locality, most tourists do not feel comfortable there as they do not have a world-class environment and high-speed internet connections. My cyber cafe would have a large zone for browsing the internet, a small cafeteria, a bookselling point and definitely a very classy environment. If I can make my cybercafe popular, I would then plan to expand it in other tourists spots in my city.
Frankly speaking, I and my wife want to start it right now! However, from a practical point of view, it would take us another year to start it. The budget we would need to manage to launch this cybercafe is yet to be managed and we want to start it from the savings we have without taking a loan from a bank or family members. Moreover, we would need to resign from our current jobs and then arrange a suitable location and a great interior designer for our cafe. We will also need to hire 7-8 staff members to run this business. These all seem time-consuming to me and up until last January, we were not absolutely convinced that the time has come for us to start something of our own. Probably this is the main reason we are yet to start it.
Why do we want to start it? Well, I am not satisfied with my current job. Though I get a steady amount of money per month from my job, I have little time to spend with my family, take vacations and enjoy things I feel passionate about. The office consumes more than 50 hours weekly and most of my energy and this is why I often feel stressed out. I can not take vacations and manage time to visit my relatives. ‘Freedom’ – I guess is the reason I would like to start this business. I also want to stay close to my family and work as a free-lance journalist for a local daily newspaper. I have got only one life and I want to enjoy it and explore more possibilities.
Sample Answer 3:
This is a great topic to discuss and thank you for allowing me on the issue. Photography is an art but not everyone is the artist here. It requires some specific set of skills and expertise to capture a moment nicely. Besides, this is a very good business as well. So, I want to start photography as a small business for me.
Photography is now one of the most impressive ways to earn and a type of small business for the individual level. Since I am a student at graduate level, I think the earning would be enough for me. Besides, it would not hamper my academic activities as well. A large number of people, particularly students are engaged in this profession while most of them have no professional certifications in photography. But my six-month-long course on photography has made me skilled enough to undertake this scheme. In fact, this is the small business where you do not need to invest a huge amount of money to start with.
I am planning to start the business from next year. I live with my parents and this is a joint family in India. So, it often becomes difficult for the family heads to run the family expenses. My father is to pay a notable amount of his income after my education at a private university here in Delhi. So, I want to start the business as soon as possible. I have also arranged for enough money to buy a top-quality digital camera. If everything goes right with me, I am planning to advertise for my business. I have also planned to arrange for an office room on the ground floor of the house we live in. I have to pay the rent for the room though it belongs to my family.
I had long been planning to do something for myself so that I could bear my own expenses. Hence, the idea of photography appeared in my mind and I started thorough research. Actually, I wanted to be a professional photographer in all terms and thus I planned the entire scheme into different parts. As part of the plan, I had to complete a professional photography course. Then I learnt photo editing. These activities took around one year to complete. Basically, people seek skilled photographers with the latest device and technical know-how about photo editing. Without preparation, I would be unable to satisfy my potential clients. So, I could not start the business earlier.
Photography is a hobby to many but this is a business scheme for me to bear my own expenses. It has potentials to grow. I took several professional training to be a notable photographer and take the right shot at the right moment. There are certain categories but I have mastered almost all the skills. So, I think I would be a versatile photographer and someday will be a reputed one. I have planned to start it now and gradually I will grow. I also dream to open a professional photography institute in the long run but to fulfil the dream I have to survive. Initially, the income I will generate will be sufficient to meet my expenses and also I would be able to contribute to my family income as well. Considering all the issues, I want to start photography as my own small business that will grow to the extreme in future.
More Ideas to talk about this Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card topic:
Topic: Describe a small business you want to start.
1. The demand for catering service is growing in the downtown of New York Cities. So, I have a plan to start a catering business in this locality. I would like to start it within the next six months. I could not start it because I needed to analyze the business trend. The number of caterers providing lunch in offices is lower but they are having a good profit. And if I start the business, I would be able to make a smart profit and later my business will get expanded.
2. Writing is my passion and I think I would open a small business of freelance writing. I would like the start this business as I have gained a huge experience in writing. In fact, I have been ghostwriting for past three years. But owing to my professional engagements, I could not focus on the matter and now have the plan to open a small business. The business will also provide me with benefits like I will have an extra income. So, I want to start it.
3. The demand for antique products is high in Greece. A large number of tourists come here and get their necessary antique products. I have a plan to start a small antique shop in Athens. I could not start that because I needed to collect the necessary funds to start a business like that. This is a profitable business and has huge potentials to grow in near future centring the city I live in. Hence, I want to start it.
4. Rock bands are the sensation of the day and they use electric guitars during performances. So, I want to start an electric guitar servicing centre here in New Delhi. I was undergoing a course on guitar servicing from a local training institute. So, I could not manage time to start the business until today. But I have plenty of skills and the necessary funding to start it now. This small business owns potentials and guitar servicing will make me closer to the band groups.
5. Search Engine Optimization, also known as SEO is a great job in the present context. I have gathered a pile of experience on the issue. And I am planning to start an SEO service providing business shortly. I have a plan to open it within the next two months. As I was busy with learning and serving at an organization, I could not open it so far. I want to start the business because it would be a leading profession within next few years and the demand for SEO service will increase to a great height due to technological advancement.