🎯 Day 1: Decide What You Are Opening (and Who Pays)

The "who pays" test

A business is somebody paying you money for something, repeatedly. Before the name, the logo or the Instagram page, answer one question: who, specifically, will pay for this in the next 30 days? If you can name three people or three kinds of people near you who already pay someone for it, you have a business. If you cannot, you have an idea — park it and pick one you can.

Pick from the list, not from the sky

Jamaica rewards boring businesses that solve a daily need: food, hair, transport, repairs, cleaning, lessons, deliveries, rentals. We have written a full guide for more than fifty of them — daycare, car rental, bakery, courier, pharmacy, cleaning, security, restaurant, salon, tours. Read the two or three that fit your skills and money, and pick the one where you can name the first customer today.

Money you have vs money you need

Most of the guides list the real startup cost in JMD. Match it against what you actually have. A business you can open with what is in your account this month beats a better one that needs a loan you do not have yet. You can always grow into the bigger version.

Homework

Write one sentence: "I am opening ___ for ___ in ___ (town), and the first person who will pay me is ___." Say it to that person this week.

✅ Do this now — step by step

1. Read the start-a-business guides for the 2–3 businesses that fit your skills and your money.
2. Pick ONE. Write the one-sentence description with the town and the first customer named.
3. Message that first customer today: "I am starting ___ next month — would you be my first? I will give you a good price for honest feedback."
4. List what you must have on day one (equipment, stock, phone, transport) and what can wait.
5. Set your opening date 30 days from today and put it on your phone calendar.

⚠️ Mistakes to avoid

• Starting three things at once — one business, one town, one customer type first.
• Picking the business you wish existed instead of the one people near you already pay for.
• Spending the first money on a logo and merchandise instead of on what makes the first sale.

🇯🇲 How it plays out in Jamaica