Opening a new business should be simple. The truth is that we encounter multiple complications along the way. It is also true that many times, we put the difficulties on ourselves. We stumble over our own hesitations. We doubt our abilities, our instincts, we stop seeing the obvious, and we procrastinate. To make opening a business simple, you have to map out the route and understand what it means to start off on the right foot. It is an essential requirement to learn to have a good relationship with uncertainty and risk

There's a belief that business starts with a good idea: false. Many wonderful ideas become failed projects. This false idea has led to the financial bankruptcy of those who indulged in the idea without understanding the terrain in which they have to land them. There are a lot of good ideas that sound great but can never take root. We need to learn to distinguish which ones will germinate and which ones will not.

I insist: opening a new business should be simple. Business begins when someone identifies a need in the market and can effectively satisfy it. The difference between entrepreneurial projects that start with a good idea and those that start from a need is that the former have a very high failure rate, while the latter have a better chance of succeeding.

The needs of the market are opportunities that are there waiting to be satisfied, beyond the circumstances that surround them. The key is to consider how the market operates. The opportunity operates based on the principle that customers are willing to spend, and although there is competition, there is also an audience that is willing to receive the added value you offer. Of course, this vision is not within everyone's reach; the most successful innovators do not benefit from an existing market: their revolutionary solutions do not follow the path marked by others.

​The creation of a new business is thus simple or complex, depending on how you see it. There are steps that make the process easier:

  1. Detect a need that is not being met.

  2. Offer a way to satisfy it.

  3. Be the link that customers are looking for.

  4. Give a new alternative/category/product.

I am very much in awe of the examples of visionaries who have the acumen to connect these dots and give their clients viable solutions. Most of the time, the connection of this data is not so obvious or apparent. Sometimes, these meeting points can seem very far away, and if we look closely, it is possible to connect them. The more natural the connection, the better.

One way to visualize it is with concrete models. For example, data that seem divergent can result in big business: the high levels of obesity – according to the World Health Organization, Mexico is the country with the highest levels of obesity in the world – the number of Mexicans with diabetes – The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) estimated that there are around 26,578 children aged 0 to 19 years with type 1 diabetes in Mexico, while 4 million 949 thousand adults in the country have undiagnosed diabetes—and the consumption of soft drinks in Mexico, which according to Yale University, occupies the first place.

Diabetes and the consumption of soft drinks provide a way to connect these dots and offer an innovative solution to the Mexican market. For this reason, the consumption of bottled water in Mexico is the highest in the world.

Another example: we can look at the population age pyramid. We realize that the world is getting older. Older adults are a wonderful market because they are people who have free time and money available. It is an almost virgin market because the prejudice that exists due to ageism also has them very neglected.

The innovation gaze seeks an approach that looks outside the box. It's true: sugary drinks are a health risk. The most current estimates attribute 7% of deaths in Mexican adults to its consumption. These data opened up the opportunity for him to face the market from another perspective. Services for older adults are increasingly in demand, which is why this segment is growing at breakneck speed. It has double-digit sales increases. Although it may seem surprising, it is not so surprising.

To make opening a business simple, you have to start off on the right foot. It's about spotting the tipping point of consumer preferences and being there to offer them what they need. Obviously, it is not magic. You need to understand the market and interpret the data that is available. Success comes from recognizing what people need and giving the market a viable alternative. The consumer is not stupid, and when it comes to choosing, he will opt for what is not most convenient for him.

Opening a business is simple if we consider ourselves as an intelligent option rather than having good sense, more than with a good idea. It is about attacking a real and imperative need. It's that simple, business starts when someone is able to identify a need in the market and can meet it. In this way, the relationship with risk and uncertainty becomes much friendlier. It is reduced.

The dream of the entrepreneur is that customers come knocking on his door. This is achieved when we have the ability to pay attention and see what the consumer is asking for. Of course, it's not always so explicit. Although it is not that difficult. Think about what it is that you don't like to do that you would like to delegate to someone else, and for which you would be willing to pay. It can be something extremely complex or something really simple. Imagine a way to make it happen. Assume, from a customer's perspective, where and how you'd like to find them. The alternative operates. It's not that complicated, is it?

The problem is that many entrepreneurs get so excited about their project, they fall so much in love with their idea that they don't even go through these simple steps. They make a leap that becomes a somersault and omit the essential. To find momentum, you have to start with number one. Opening a new business is that simple. We don't have to complicate ourselves so much trying to speed up what deserves the time to take firm steps.