LeaRae Keyes, RN

Before you even start your nurse entrepreneur - nursepreneur career, there are important things to consider. The success of your nursing business will depend on it.

Practice as a nurse for a few years - this will help you develop an area of expertise that may guide you to a unique service or product that you could develop and offer as a nurse entrepreneur. Having a few years of experience will also give you credibility when you venture out into your own business. 
 
Have a business idea - an idea about what it is you would like to be doing before you start your own business. Once you have the idea, the research, defining your target market, developing your niche, defining what you will provide, and determining the price for your products or services will follow.
 
Have a business vision - so you know what it is you are striving to achieve. It is important to visualize how you would like the end product or nursing service to look before you even get started. Anticipating the end result will have a big impact on what you do in the early steps. You will also be better able to measure the success of your nursing business if you know how the milestones and end result are supposed to look. 
 
Have a written business plan - so your goals, milestones, and action steps will be clear to you and to anyone else who may be helping you. Having your plan in writing will be a more powerful tool than if you simply have an unwritten plan. The act of writing it and then reading it will help you think of ways to bring about the results you are seeking.
 
Have enough reserves - to get you started and to keep you going. Not having enough cash reserves is one of the biggest reasons that new businesses fail. You also need to consider reserves of time, support, space and sales skill. 
 
Don't do it all alone - start and grow your business faster and with less effort with help. There are a number of ways to get the help you need as a solopreneur. You can create a team by forming a success team, master mind group, research and development team, or networking team. You can also develop partnerships and strategic alliances.
 
Learn marketing and sales skills - before you start your nursing business. You can begin to learn these skills by taking a class, an ecourse (an on-line course), or using an eworkbook. Another way to learn these valuable skills would be to get a job selling for at least a year.

Sales is an area that seems to be a problem for most nurse entrepreneurs since nursing schools do not prepare nurses for sales. However, if you are going to be a self employed solopreneur, you need to be thinking about how you will sell your products or services. You can then develop a written marketing plan covering how and when you will do your marketing activities.  
 
Consider the endless possibilities for being a nurse entrepreneur - take your time in choosing and developing your nursing products and services. Also keep in mind that some aspects of your service or product may change during your first few months or years in business. Therefore your marketing material will likely change a number of times. Don't get stuck with a lot of outdated, expensive marketing material.
 
Develop some passive revenue - passive revenue gives you a way to bring in revenue which is not directly tied to your billable hours ("Get revenue while you sleep!"). You could earn passive revenue with one of more of the following types of products: CDs, DVDs, tapes, workbooks, books, booklets, ebooks, teleconferences, teleforums, classes, ecourses. 
 
Don't let fear of failing get in your way - every entrepreneur has done things that they consider to be failures. Perfectionism can really get in your way if you are afraid to fail. The important thing is to keep trying until you get it right.

And keep your "day job" if necessary.