Value-added businesses range from small consumer-oriented businesses owned and operated by an individual or a small group of individuals to large multi-million dollar processing businesses owned by hundreds of investors and professionally managed.  Regardless of the type of business you are considering, starting a business is a major undertaking.

The information provided in this section focuses on starting a small business that is either independently owned or owned and operated by a small group of individuals. There are no hard and fast rules for searching and building businesses, but there are some guidelines to increase your probability of success. Developing a Business that Makes a Difference provides a brief and broad overview of these rules to help with the primary steps towards successful business development. Getting the Green Light on a Value-Added Venture provides an overview of the major steps involved in starting a value-added business.

To help you assess if you are ready to start your own business, answer the questions in Do You Have What it Takes?  Another assessment tool is Test your Business Success Quotient. Preparing for Market Development helps value-added groups get started developing a business organization. To help assess the start-up costs of starting a business, use the outline in How Much Money Do You Need?

For more information on starting a small business, see the information in the box at the right.