One Entrepreneur On the Start: Marc Anderson

This is part of a series called "The Entrepreneurs On The Start."  This interview is with Marc Anderson.

What was your first business venture?

My first and current business venture is a business called TalktoCanada.com which provides online English language teaching lessons to students globally.

What made you want to go into business for yourself?  

I had a desire to be my own boss since I was a kid and working for other employers I knew that it just wasn't the lifestyle that I wanted.  Some people like safe and secure but I like venturing into the crazy and unknown.

Would you go into business, if you had it to do over again?  Why or why not?

I would definitely go into business again because it's such an experience to mold your future through your own hard work.  If you work for somebody else and the company is big you just don't get that feeling at the end of the day that you made much of a difference besides pushing some paper.

What were some of your biggest lessons learned about starting a business?  

Don't expect success overnight or even within the first few years.  It's tough to make it let alone making enough to live off the income created from your own business.

What advice would you have for others considering going into business for themselves?  

I think the advice I would give to anybody starting out is to focus on a business that has good potential for success.  This doesn't mean to play it safe but rather means to do your research and be prepared for the unexpected.

Any final thoughts on starting a business?  

If your going to work 80 hours a week in your new business and you like every minute of it then this may be the right path for you.

Marc Anderson is the founder of online English language training site TalktoCanada.com.  He has spent the last four years developing online training using WebEx, Skype and telephone for the masses.  When Marc isn't working on his startup he spends his time reading books and playing with his baby son Daniel.