The Beginner’s Guide to Starting a Business

Owning your own business is rewarding and liberating, but it’s the very beginning that throws the most challenges at new business owners. It’s important that you give your business the best start possible to set it up for future success. Here are the basic first steps you’ll need to follow.

Find Your Passion

The first step to starting a successful business is to find something that you’re passionate about. If you love what you’re doing then it’ll be easy to succeed and stay motivated.

Seek Out Skills

Once you know which of your passions you want to pursue professionally, seek out knowledge and skills in that area. If you’re going to do it for a living then you really want to know what you’re doing and be able to tackle any challenge you may come across.

Do your own research, attend training, go to relevant seminars and events, complete courses and gain any relevant qualifications. If you find that you’re lacking, you can find other qualified people to work with you as staff. If you plan on buying a franchise, make the most of their in-house training and support too. For instance, a Coral Homes franchise business would provide training on how to manage your business, how to adhere to their standards of quality, and how to follow their standardised procedures and practices, while starting an independent small business would leave all of that up to you. Find out more from Coral Homes

Research the Market

Do plenty of research into the market in which you’ll be competing. You need to be sure that your product or service fulfils an existing need in order to be appealing and profitable. Consider what competition you’ll have and how you can stand out from your competitors. Take a look and what kind of prices and quality you’ll have to compete with, as well operational costs and potential profits. It’s up to you to understand the market and your place in it.

Facts and Figures

Here’s where things start to get technical. You’ll have to sort out your finances and develop a clear and concise business plan. Apply for loans if need be, calculate your start-up costs and legal fees, develop a budget etc.

Create a Brand Name and Identity

Once you’re sure the business will be viable and you can get yourself approved for finance, it’s time to develop your brand. Decide on a business name and register it, then think about your brand image (logo, slogan, website etc). Establish an online presence too. In this step you’re essentially creating the face of your business.

The Legal Stuff

Make sure you’ve completed and submitted all the paperwork and fulfilled all your legal obligations. You’ll probably need one or more licences and permits approved before you can start trading. It’s a good idea to get professional help if you can, by enlisting a solicitor, bookkeeper or other relevant consultant.

Get Ready for Operation

Now it’s time to set up shop. Get everything ready for the moment you open your doors and serve your first customer. Think about hiring and training staff, ordering stock, establishing your premises, setting up any services like a business phone line, internet or operational software etc. Make sure you’ve got everything you need for a fully functional business.

Marketing and Promotion

Marketing and promotion is the last major element to consider at start-up. Generate a little recognition and hype so that your target market know who you are, where you are and what you do. From ads to promotional events, competitions to sponsorships, whatever your medium just make sure you send a positive and memorable message to your potential customers. It’s a good idea to either enlist a professional to help with this, or to do plenty of research to ensure you’re being as effective as possible.

These simple steps will help you build strong foundations for you business, meaning you start strong and glide toward success. With the right beginnings and plenty of dedication your business will grow and flourish into an asset to be proud of.

 

Tags: Business, Business plan, Small business, Startup company

Category: Business