One of the forms of an emigrant's American dream come true is the organization of a small successful business in the United States. The stories of modern corporations and global brands, born during periods of great upheaval from a successful initiative, provide grounds for supporting and developing business ideas in the United States.
Commercial prospects during the crisis
The economic crisis is like a powerful earthquake: can be predicted but not prevented. And although the crisis itself is a regular phenomenon, only such as the Great Depression of 1929, the echoes of which were noticeable until 1939, or the "credit rush" of 2008, which started in the United States and swept around the world, remain in memory.
An analysis of which businesses opened during the crisis in America leads to several conclusions:
- there are products that will be in demand in any circumstances: food production, household goods, professional services;
- a special role is given to advertising - with the correct presentation of information, you can significantly save your budget;
- getting rid of unnecessary assets, reorganization or re-profiling allow you to free up part of the working capital;
- a merchant must be ready to experiment and revise approaches, but must abandon risky investments and financial adventures.
Examples of successful anti-crisis ideas
There has always been a general consumer demand. No recessions, depressions or even wars can destroy this economic engine. Even during the Great Depression in the United States, businessmen managed to open very profitable enterprises:
- The general pessimistic attitude of the population has generated a steady demand for inexpensive entertainment. During this period, cinemas and sporting events brought in income.
- During the Prohibition era, former brewers mastered the production of low-alcohol beverages such as ginger beer.
- Pepsi's successful anti-crisis solution was the release of the same drink in a capacity doubled compared to Coca-Cola at the same price.
- Procter & Gamble has taken a creative approach to promoting the product. The advertisements were distributed in the form of Ma Perkins' evolving storyline radio shows, which regularly featured the name and types of products.
There are also examples of luck for 2008, when the games of banks with statistics and investor confidence in the reputation of large construction companies led to a global financial catastrophe. It is known that former physician Michael Berry managed to earn more than $ 200 million for himself and his hedge fund clients by buying up bankruptcy insurance securities (default swaps).
Legal forms for business registration
In the United States, as in Russia, you can conduct business on behalf of an entrepreneur or legal entity. Different types of business in the United States in terms of direction and scale of the undertaking should be clothed in one of the organizational forms.
| Organizational form type | Analogue in RF | Distinctive features |
|---|---|---|
| Corporation, Incorporated (Corp., Inc.) | JSC | Provides free issue of shares. Income tax payment can be carried out at the company level, or the burden of paying taxes can be shifted onto the shoulders of shareholders. |
| Limited liability company (LLC) | OOO | The financial responsibility of the participants is determined by the amount of their initial contribution. Tax liabilities are paid separately by each founder |
| General partnership | Full partnership (partnership) | A separate legal entity is not registered, the participants are fully jointly and severally liable for all obligations |
| Limited partnership (LP) | Limited partnership | The partners include persons with both full liability and limited (no more than the size of the contribution) |
| Sole proprietorship | SP | Does not require additional registration or tax registration. At the end of the year, a declaration is simply submitted |
Small business as the backbone of the US economy
Up to half of America's working-age population is employed in the small business sector or self-employed. After lowering corporate income tax rates to 21% and reducing self-employed income deductions, businesses in America in 2021 showed entrepreneurial optimism. The overwhelming majority of the economically active population is ready to either register their own business or expand an already operating business.
In the United States, back in 1953, the Small Business Administration (SBA) was created. Her responsibilities include developing support measures and ensuring access to government concessional lending.
The SBA defines the criteria for categorizing a business as small. Since there is no single standard in America, small companies can be companies with a turnover of more than $ 30 million or more than 1,000 employees, depending on the field of activity.
For example, a construction business in the United States can be considered small if the gross income does not exceed $ 36.5 million, there are no restrictions on the size of the state. You can check compliance with the limit values using the online tool on the SBA website.
Preparing to start a business
A start to any commercial enterprise is given not by the registration of a business entity or the conclusion of a partnership agreement, but by a detailed study of a business idea and a business development strategy. This includes:
- the formulation of the concept and distinctive features that make a new product or service in demand among the consumer;
- miscalculation of financial costs and cash flows, including the need for external borrowing or attracting investors;
- a progressive plan of action: determining the location, methods of attracting a client and sources of distribution of advertising information.
Nearly all modern American small business ideas aim not only to meet demand, but also to make it easier for consumers to access their products. For example, a product is offered to be selected through the application and delivered directly to the customer's door. And this applies not only to clothing or equipment, beauty salons have become mobile (they come directly to your home), grocery stores and public catering.
In order not to miss out on a part of the target audience, at the stage of preparation, you need to take care of creating a virtual platform for your business, and therefore, explore ways to open an American website.
You can register a domain in the .us zone with the help of a hosting company from anywhere in the world, but subject to confirmation of US citizenship, resident status or legal business.
Trends of today
The philosophical idea that there is nothing new in this world does not apply to business. If a specialist wants to sell his skills with a profit, he must update them to modern realities and take into account new business trends:
- digitalization - a modern client wants most of the issues to be resolved remotely;
- mobility - but the consumer wants to receive a service or product as close as possible to himself;
- interactivity - often the buyer is interested in the process of creating a product and even participating in it;
- an individual approach - to take into account individual "wishes" means an increase in income;
- originality of the idea - the product should stand out from a number of analogues or be completely unique.
Along with innovative endeavors, the ability to sell is just as valuable as the skill to do something with your hands, so a talent in product promotion can become the basis for creating your online store.
Startups in the USA
The term start-up, which is fashionable today, came into use at the end of the last century and began to be used as a characteristic of some new promising commercial undertaking. In order for an enterprise to be rightfully called a startup, it must meet several criteria at once:
- the idea for the business must be fundamentally new;
- startup founders undertake to solve the existing problem with the help of their product: optimize promotion, reduce the cost of production by introducing innovations, simplify access to services;
- investors do not invest money in a real enterprise, but allocate funds for a business plan.
The best American startups that have reached a capitalization of 1 billion or more in three years of their existence and even faster are called “unicorns”. These include such modern business monsters as Facebook, Twitter and Uber.
Unusual ideas for aspiring businessmen
Small business is considered one of the pillars of a market economy: small-scale production of industrial goods and food products, provision of services and performance of work for remuneration. Avoiding stagnation in this segment is possible only if you constantly offer the consumer a new, improved or optimized product.
For inspiration on this difficult path of self-development, you can see interesting US business ideas:
- A disposable The Plantable Coffee Cup containing plant seeds. According to scientists from the state of California, this will reduce the volume of household paper waste and participate in greening the planet;
- a working carousel in the center of the Carousel Bar in a New Orleans hotel - a spinning attraction showcasing reproductions of city attractions;
- virtual presence at public events - the idea has already been implemented in the form of LiveLike VR for football fans;
- CleverPet pet game panel, allowing you to remotely entertain your beloved pet at home.
New ideas appear almost daily - Americans are very receptive to new things.
Perspectives for Russians
The biggest challenge for a foreigner in America is overcoming his own laziness and unwillingness to develop. The difference in mentality is felt much less if the migrant adopted, learned the language and socialized in the country. This factor largely determines what kind of business Russian-speaking migrants can open in the United States.
Most often, foreigners make money with their hands. This is helped by the knowledge and skills that they received at home: repair work, help in everyday life or looking after disabled loved ones, organization of delivery, logistics.
It is quite possible to confirm your foreign diploma and work in a specialty received at home if you show diligence and perseverance. The reward will be a sharp increase in earnings and professional relevance.
Business in America for Russians will also become promising if it is associated with the provision of services to former compatriots: advice and assistance for the adaptation of new migrants, shops and food outlets for foreigners, assistance in employment, trade in goods from Russia stationary or via the Internet.
Searching for a business idea
Today, a well-chosen franchise can bring almost guaranteed income to an investor. Of course, brands such as McDonalds require millions of dollars in investments, and not everyone will agree to cooperate. However, less popular brands are also capable of generating stable profits.
American websites of business ideas will help you find your direction:
- Entrepreneur.com offers affordable franchises and advice for aspiring entrepreneurs. Separately, it should be noted a convenient search by geography, type of activity and level of investment.
- Coolbusinessideas.com is focused on finding original ideas and commercial solutions. To help the user there is a rubricator, the site is dynamic and is constantly updated with new materials.
- Businessknowhow.com is somewhat cumbersome in appearance, but contains a lot of useful information on organizing a case and practical advice (legal and financial).
- Thebalancesmb.com provides powerful support for small businesses both at the registration stage and in the subsequent record keeping. The project is non-commercial, it does not provide individual paid consultations.
Business plan preparation
The national American feature in business can be considered an unprecedented openness to new ideas and beginnings. However, time is the same resource here, so they will not waste it on lengthy conversations.
From the point of view of an investor, the one who will clothe his commercial considerations in a clear and transparent business plan will be able to obtain the necessary start-up capital, consisting of:
- resume - a general description of the company;
- technological description;
- marketing strategy - methods of product promotion and market analysis;
- financial plan - calculation of investments, payback periods, profitability, an analytical review of potential risks, etc.
The creation of a full-fledged project will require a large amount of research and calculations. In such a situation, it is easier to use online services for creating standard plans, for example RocketLawyer, or with the help of the state agency SBA, which offers assistance in starting a business, as well as in finding and obtaining financing.
American business success stories
The post-industrial economy is characterized by a decline in the share of the industrial sector and the strengthening of non-material industries. According to the latest data, the service sector in the United States accounts for up to 80% of the country's total GDP. This is due, among other things, to the fact that most corporations have moved their production to countries where you have to pay much less for hired labor than at home.
But, even with this in mind, in America, a lot of people are employed in the service sector:
- food service - most Americans prefer to dine out;
- private medical offices - a highly qualified specialist can earn several hundred thousand dollars a year;
- trucking business in America - a good driver "on free bread" can earn even more than when hired by a large transport company (provided that you have a lot of experience and documents confirming your qualifications);
- digital services market - programmers all over the world prefer to work on a freelance basis, as this provides them with freedom of movement and choice of residence, including to reduce taxes and receive deductions when declaring income. For example, in the state of Florida there is no local income tax and part of the cost of paying for an apartment can be written off if you register it as a place of business;
- home business in America - without leaving your home, you can earn on the services of temporary babysitting for children or animals (sometimes even for plants). The services of consultants and companions for single people are in demand, as well as assistance in acquiring skills: training pets, correcting behavioral problems, and so on.
- ad-hoc assistance for a fee - recharging phones and gadgets on the street or delivering food for people stuck in traffic.
Going on a free commercial voyage, one should also take into account the saturation of the market. So, if you come up with an idea to open a restaurant in the USA, you need to understand that, for example, in Brighton Beach, this sector is already oversaturated. This means that you will need some kind of original service or offer that will arouse initial interest and help transform an occasional curious visitor into a regular customer.
Conclusion
Often, it is the examples of successful megacorporation owners that inspire people who want to change their place of residence and even direction of activity. Before making the final choice, it is necessary not only to analyze what kind of business is popular in America.The key to success is to offer the client a new and more effective solution to his problem.
