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Describe A Small Business You Want To Start: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

  • What business would it be?
  • When do you want to start it?
  • Why have you not started it yet?
Show all 33 answers

Cue 1:What business would it be?

  • Begin by clearly stating the type of small business you want to start, such as a café, online store, or tutoring service.
  • Explain what makes this business unique or appealing to you, and how it relates to your interests or skills.

Example

I would like to start a small café that specializes in serving traditional Indian snacks and beverages. I have always been passionate about cooking and sharing my family recipes, and I believe that a cozy café would be a great way to connect with my community while promoting our rich culinary heritage.

Cue 2:When do you want to start it?

  • Mention a specific timeline for when you plan to launch the business, such as in the next few months or after completing your studies.
  • Discuss any preparations or steps you need to take before starting, which can help clarify your timeline.

Example

I hope to start my café within the next six months. I am currently working on developing a business plan and saving some money to invest in the initial setup. I also want to take a short course on business management to ensure I have the necessary skills to run it successfully.

Cue 3:Why have you not started it yet?

  • Be honest about the reasons for the delay, such as financial constraints, lack of experience, or personal commitments.
  • Emphasize your determination to overcome these challenges and your commitment to starting the business in the future.

Example

I haven't started my café yet mainly due to financial constraints. I want to ensure I have enough funds to create a welcoming environment and offer quality products. Additionally, I am currently focused on my studies, which takes up a lot of my time. However, I am determined to overcome these challenges and make my dream a reality.

Conclusion

    Example

    In conclusion, starting a small café is a dream of mine that I am passionate about. While I face some challenges, I am committed to preparing myself and taking the necessary steps to launch it in the near future. I believe that with hard work and dedication, I can turn this dream into a successful business.

    Following this structure will ensure you cover all the essential points while providing a clear and engaging response to the cue card topic.

    Tips to answer this Cue Card

    1: Vague Business Ideas

    Being unclear about the business idea can confuse the listener. It's important to provide specific details about what the business is and how it operates.

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    Tip

    Clearly outline the business concept, including its purpose and target market, to make your answer more engaging and informative.

    2: Lack of Timeline

    Not mentioning when you plan to start the business can make your response seem incomplete. A timeline adds depth to your answer.

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    Tip

    Include a specific timeframe for when you want to start the business, and explain any steps you plan to take to reach that goal.

    Ignoring Challenges

    Failing to address why you haven't started the business yet can make your answer seem unrealistic. Acknowledging challenges shows thoughtfulness.

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    Tip

    Discuss any obstacles you face and how you plan to overcome them, which demonstrates your commitment and planning skills.

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    IELTS Cue Cards asked last week

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    Describe your favourite food at a traditional festival or a special event in your country
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    Anonymous student Band 7.5

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    Answer

    I like to taste different types of cuisine. Here I would like to talk about my favorite dish at my traditional festival of Onam which is Sadya. Sadya is popular in my city. We are experimenting these cuisines on Onam festival day. Onam is a famous festival in my city. All family members get together in my home and we make a delicious Sadya. There are many ingredients includes that Sadya. Moreover, we make a big feast that day as well as we create a lot of memories together and we wear that day the traditional dress called Sari and men wear the Dhotis. That festival is really important to us because the whole day we are conducting different kinds of games at our homes and all the family members came together. It's a memorable day in my life. This is the festival. We are making the Sambar and Aviyal. These all the kinds of foods are making with the vegetables.
    Talk about a toy you liked in your childhood
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    Anonymous student Band 8

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    Sector 34 Test Centre, Chandigarh

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    The toy which I liked in my childhood was a panda doll, which makes me pleasant and makes me more blush. The pandas are the most beautiful creatures of the world, which looks gigantic and has pooshy cheeks and they are like stars in the clouds and they dream in me. Furthermore, these have been given by my father. My father is a very very beautiful artistic person, who makes me think of that. Every day you will face every difficulties and make you suffer and move forward. Pandas are always seen in Japanese countries. It is my lifelong dream to visit a Japanese country and click a photo with the original pandas, which makes sounds better.
    Describe a time you were in a place where you didn't know the local language
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    Reported by

    Anonymous student Band 6.5

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    Whitefield Test Center, Bengaluru

    Answer

    As India is a very large country full of diversity, so there are many places which have their own language and speak their native language. The place which I visited and I didn't know about their language was Leladakh, which is about 300 km away from my hometown and it is a very good place as it consists of different kind of trees, animals and have many scenic views and I visited over there last year in summers as it was the best time to visit because it has many, it was cold over there and we had summers in our area so it was the best time to visit over there and I went over there with my whole family.
    Describe a time when your friend damaged something you owned
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    Anonymous student Band 7

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    Begumpet Test Centre, Hyderabad

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    When I was a kid, I had a little pencil box which had these four buttons which gave the pencil box an operative use. When you press the button, the box would open up. When you press the second button, a little part of it would slide out. Basically it was just a little electronical and a fun thing to have and I owned it when I was in 6th. One day after break, I was standing and talking there with one of my friends and another friend of mine was running through the hallway and accidentally she pushed my shoulder and my pencil box hit the ground and it broke into multiple pieces to the point that it was not functional anymore.
    Describe a book you recently read
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    Anonymous student Band 7.5

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    CBD Belapur Test Centre, Navi Mumbai

    Answer

    It Ends With Us is a book I read recently. It's by the author Colleen Hoare. It's mainly a story about two teenagers, Atlas and Lily, and how they just handle their life going through high school, adolescence, and just domestic violence at home. Both of them come from very, very different families. However, they have one common determining factor between them, which is domestic violence. The abuse that they've seen their moms go through is just insane, and they connect through that on a different level. They're actually in the same high school, but they never speak to each other until Atlas actually crashes into an empty house next to Lily's villa. When Atlas is homeless and he doesn't have anywhere to go, he just comes and breaks into the house next to Lily's, and Lily helps him with all the daily necessities like clothes and food, medicines and stuff. Furthermore, their friendship blossoms into love, but it doesn't really fructify as Atlas has to leave. This book really gave me a lot of knowledge about domestic abuse and how to deal with it.

    All Answers

    Here are all the answers by real-users practicing speaking for IELTS Cue Cards on our IELTS Prep App.

    Band 6

    I would like to start a tuition center in a small scale basis. I have been teaching for more than 10 years. I'm really attached with the children and I know the pros and cons of the teaching field. Currently I'm taking classes in my home but I have I'm planning to do that in a small to rent house and I have to make some arrangement in that place. I want to open a proper tuition center and actually we have additionally I have to talk about the financial. Financial is the first and main reason we need a financially stable. We need our family support to run the tuition center smoothly and also I have to take care of my children and my family. There are several reasons taking so long time to start a center. Actually I'm planning now I'm planning to start it before next year. Actually I'm planning for the thing what are the necessary things I have to make for it. I have started making lesson plans and the schedules timings and all those things way without clashing my day to day activity and I have to mention the reason why I haven't started before. Firstly I have to talk about the financial reason. I have to support my family and my husband has to support me. These many reasons taught me to start the business and a few years ago my children were very small. I have to take care of them in a good way so that that is why I'm not able to start my business too early.

    Band 6

    Since I'm a working person working for a company right now from a very long time it was my dream to start a small business of a cafe of American fast food which considers of pizza, pasta, burger and a lot more thing. I couldn't start it right now because obviously it's a risky task it requires lot of experience with lot of paperwork and everything. I am not ready as of now so I couldn't start it but yes I'm working on it definitely will try to start it as soon as possible once I feel like that okay I'm ready for it and I find some great location then definitely I'll start a small business of my own and yes and I hope that I get a lot more people to come and to enjoy the place thank you

    Band 6

    Actually there is a one thing I want to start as a small business and after that I want to make it big in future is that is alcohol delivery app which make it available or easy to people who want to buy this drink in easy format while staying at their home or not able to go outside. In the past I have started some small businesses such as cloth business named as Chelsea wife but I only learn how business work there. Furthermore I want to build this app as an app in start and after that I want to develop its own website by seeing its revenue and outcome of this app. But however there are some things that is opposing for this technology is that this is making people easy to drink alcohol and making them intoxicated which is wrong for societal health but the thing is we have to develop a technology in future or it can be done either wise so I want to make this happen as soon as possible and this thing can be seen in future as the government also take 200% of taxes in this whole industry and earn 5 to 6 thousand of income from a single brand.

    Band 6

    A small business I want to start is a saloon and a parlor shop because I learned makeup from LACME Academy and I love doing makeup so that's why I want to start a parlor and I want to start in 2026. I had not started yet because I have not enough money yet so that's why I had not started yet. Well in 2026 when I start it I have to collect some money and then I started and because I have not started yet.

    Band 6

    The small business I always wanted to start is a clothing business. I love getting ready, I love this fashion sense. I always wanted to have this business in my mind so that I have a like lot of collection where I won't be able to repeat the clothes once I wear, I love getting ready and taking pictures. So, why not this came in my mind like why not I start a business and help other people as well. So, I think down the lane next 5 to 6 years I might start this business. The reason for me not starting right now is I think I am too young for it. The investment, the time consuming, the planning takes a lot of effort which I think I can't put it right now. So, down the lane next 5 to 6 years if I have a proper plan, proper investment, talking to people about it and how to get the garments from. I think it will be the right time to get into that business. Although there are lot of small business happening right now but I want to come with a unique trend, unique type of clothing where nobody else have. I mean everybody has it but I want to come up with a new strategy in the market. So, the strategy whatever I wanted to have will take some time so that I can analyze, I can talk to people, my family probably so I can get the different ideas and overall I can start it. See business has to start a business it is not like in one go we can't just start it. We need like lot of effort, time management as well. I think it is better to take time and invest properly and yeah moreover my family is very supportive for me. I can ask them for anything and everything they are always there no matter what investment definitely comes from my family if I am not earning, if I am earning definitely it will be mine. So, yeah also they will be our integral part.

    Band 6

    A small business I would want to start is a South Indian hotel. So in our country mainly they are either Udupi Joints or E2P Joints which are Adyar and Bhavan Joints. These hotels mainly sell all South Indian dishes which may be Dosa, Idli, Vada, Set Dosa, Masala Dosa and so on. The reason I want to start this is because first off it is a very very very proprietary kind of business. So basically everyone and anyone comes for this kind of business. It's not a very specific business. So let's say if you sell only non-veg food in a hotel there will be only non-vegetarians coming. Even veg and non-veg in India there is a stigma that if there is non-veg being sold in a hotel and if it's in the same oil you cannot eat the food from that hotel. So if it's an only veg and pure veg hotel it would attract people who are non-vegetarians and South Indian food does really attract a lot of people due to its affordable rates. I want to start this business maybe far in the future when I move abroad mostly so when I have the capital and the funds. The reason why I cannot you know open a business like this right now is because I do not have sufficient funds and I'm pretty young to open a business of my own. South Indian restaurants do have this thing where it attracts a lot of people from a lot of cultures like Muslims, Hindus, Christians etc because of their variety of options being very standardized and having a patented taste. Due to this factor I would say it makes it the most affordable business to start and run and it does give you the most highest long-term profits also on the other hand which makes this a very efficient business to start and put up but it has its own drawbacks here and there compared to other businesses but yeah that's about it

    Band 6

    Recently I have been looking my financial year closing and thought to share with now so I started this business called Piyush Advertisement Company where it was a social media company that manage your all social media accounts and it generally supports on increasing the reach and providing the optimization on your profile however it was pretty much difficult for me to start with that because I was new in this industry and want to gain some experience so there were many pitfalls on that starting with the businesses but I would say there were different people that helped me a lot to create this business and I would definitely help them to nurture this business more and I want to stay close with my nature of businesses however I started it when I was in third year of my bachelor because of covid-19 outbreak companies were pausing their hiring and I was in a graduation and want a job but took it a opportunity give my last shot to start a business and invest all my money in this entrepreneurship so I always wanted to get into entrepreneurship but I was pretty much thinking in a way how should I start which field or which niche should I move so I always been found of different social media and I always wanted to be a creator but now I will be on the other side of table and helping these creator to enhance their profile invest in their social media account by managing the post by putting some content adding a hashtag so that time it was booming and lot of creator have been created in the epidemic of covid.

    Band 6

    The business, a small business that I want to make is a cafe in which only guys are allowed. This has been a long time idea because always when I hang out with my boys, it has always been we are not able to get a place where we can hang out and chill. So it has always been a dream of mine that I make a cafe where I can only allow boys and they can sit and chill there. It will have multiple gaming areas and a eating area and also a physical activities area where I want a small basketball setup also in my place. I have not done this yet because I don't have enough funds but in the future I plan to make this little cafe in my area where I am staying currently. It is a very good area where I believe I can get a lot of customers. So basically in this cafe there are going to be seatings in the ground floor and in the upper floors there is going to be a gaming parlor and in the third floor I want to make a basketball area where the people can play basketball there. So I want to create a small spa where people can after eating or after playing there where we can relax and chill and sit there and we can just talk about things and that is basically my idea.

    Band 6

    The business that I want to start is being a makeup artist, I initially like in my childhood days I never showed interest towards makeup, but growing older I realized the okay the place the makeup stands in okay and also how important makeup is or how commercialized it has been becoming now, so I would want to start a business that is related to makeup, I wanted to start it like after completion of my undergraduate, but I couldn't because of you know the family crisis or they just did not want me to like change my path, so I am I still have the thought in my head and I will probably do it after my post graduation or once I am all settled in my life by that yeah once I am all settled in my life I think I might start or I might start considering the act of starting a business.

    Band 6

    Mining is one of the business I would want to start because it mining is a business where it has a huge margin for the profit and but it is a capital intensive business so it requires more capital when compared to other businesses but mining is a one of the business where you can have the huge growth and it has up to 50% margin so mining has huge potential to grow because it directly related to the real estate and construction so we can have the stone used in the mining where probably used in the construction and as well as railway sector so I would like to start it because I have I want to experience the process and I would I still know I did not start because I don't have that much capital so I am waiting for the banks to approve my loan so that I can start my business.
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