How can I assist my dad with his small business?
27. Dec, 2010 
1 Comment
Question by Alex: How can I assist my dad with his small business?
My father owns a small computer store and I really want to assist him with it. I want to learn to fix computers but I more so want to handle the management part of it. I want to help him with inventory, phone calls, sales, advertisement and those sorts of things. I would like to get to a high position in a large corporation in the future. I’m only 16 right now so I think this would be a perfect time to start learning. If anyone has any tips or other things I can help with please add them.
Thanks,
Alex
Best answer:
Answer by capitalist
It is absolutely the perfect time to start learning about business.
First, prove to him that you are reliable and worth something (to the business). Do the crap that he doesn’t want to like cleaning etc. I know that you want to be a big shot, but big shots didn’t get to where they are by being lazy and unwilling to do what is necessary. You don’t really need to ask about this, I am sure he won’t mind if you take out the trash and clean. But by being proactive you are showing that you want to help and learn. (If his desk is a disaster, though, don’t clean it. You may not know what is important and what isn’t)
Second, once he knows you are willing to work and actually want to, ask him what you can do that will help. Make sure you do step one first because otherwise he will be unwilling to delegate anything meaningful to you (until you have proven that it will get done well). I am sure that he would love the help; both because he is your father and because any business owner wants GOOD help. But you need to understand that often times shoddy work is worse than no work, because he may just need to redo it anyway. So prove that you will come through and he will absolutely start having you help more and more.
Pretty soon you will be doing all the stuff you want to (at which time you will realize that dealing with that stuff sucks worse than cleaning, but that’s another lesson…)
Good luck
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for my suggestion, I think the first important things is to make clear from your plan according to your father’s shop’s really urgent development needs. I am also running a international trading company, but most of the hard time is to find where my plan should go what I really should do. So it is reallly the very first steps for you to start to help with your father. For example, maybe right now your father’s shop need more customer resource, then you may have the plan to make some interest short introduction, maybe to stick on your around area on the internet. Just try to know the first key issue first, then you will be easy to find your way out.