Financial and operational success are two of the most important goals for any business owner. You don’t put your time, money, and sanity into a business idea with the hope that it will be a failure, right? Well, that means that you need to get your head down and start to consider the things that your business needs the most to be well received by the audience you’re aiming for, despite how boring and laborious those tasks may be.

You want a solid business foundation, a strong support system, effective marketing campaigns, and a superior IT strategy to ensure that you can input the ideas that mean the most to you and your business bottom-line. So, that means that you need to know exactly what will make sense for your business to be a successful one and thrive in the future. With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at the items things that your new business needs to grow and succeed.

Cash on Hand. Let’s be honest, without hard cash or some type of financial reserve, you’re not getting anywhere fast! A lot of small business owners fail at money management, though, so while it feels like something that should be common sense, you’d be surprised at how many entrepreneurs aren't sorting and spending their business funds properly. In many instances, they spend more than they earn and lack a fundamental understanding of bookkeeping and how to balance a budget. So the lesson here is to know what your finance options are, and make sure that you are always prepared for challenges or economic downturns. Keeping at least $5K in reserve in the bank can help weather unpredictable challenges.

Marketing Strategy. When it comes to investing in marketing, digital advertising, PR, or social media strategy development and execution, most small business owners and entrepreneurs view it as another expense or something that they’ll only invest in when they get time, or after they’ve launched other important initiatives. However, for your business to stand out against your competition and build your brand, you need to invest in a diverse array of marketing activities. Marketing can be complex and difficult if you don’t have the skills, knowledge, or experience to develop and implement such strategies.

Fortunately, you don’t have to do it alone. You can partner with a digital marketing agency or publicity firm that will help guide you throughout your marketing journey. A strong agency partner will develop your short and long-term strategies and execute those tactics. This means that you’ll still have enough time to handle the other essential business processes and operations. As an aside note, we usually tell clients they should allocate seven percent of their net revenue to spend on marketing for the year.

Strong and Supportive Staff. You may be the brains and leader of the operation, but without knowledgeable and experienced staff, your business is not going anywhere. You need people—good people at that—to help you to run each department of your business. You cannot be successful without a strong team working in the right positions, and so you need to take the time to interview the right candidates. Once you determine right people for the right positions and onboard them, then, you need to support them in any way they need! You also need to think outside the box and outsource some of your tasks to experts, and you can see more information here about who you could need. It’s important to research your options so that you get the best of the best every single time.

The Right Tools and Equipment. You cannot operate successfully without the right equipment, resources, and tools, so take as much advice as possible about what you need in terms of technology, furniture, marketing materials, and everything else that your business could require to keep running and growing. Conducting the right research is key, and you can be ahead of the game simply by knowing you are using the right tools to run your business correctly. Don’t be fooled that all you need is a laptop and yourself—it’s so much more than that! This is especially true if you’re selling products as you need to maintain inventory, fulfillment, and many other operations.

Excellent Mentors and Coaches. Your staff is an excellent support system for you—you know that already, but starting and running a business is HARD work. You need cheerleaders—a strong support structure to keep YOU motivated and inspired to weather the tough and unpredictable times. Every business experiences it.

While you’re over there motivating everyone else on your team, you need to ensure that you also have the motivation to keep going yourself. Don’t be fooled about what you think you may need, and instead invest in what you know you will need. Personal cheerleaders are a must, but maybe with fewer pom-poms.

Your business can be a success if you’re focused and input what you need the most. Don’t be afraid!