6 Things That Every Entrepreneur Needs to Run a Successful Business

Deciding to start your own business is an exciting milestone in the life of any aspiring entrepreneur. Your dreams of quitting your day job and becoming your own boss are now a genuine possibility. While starting a business may be something that you have always dreamed of, it is vital to be aware of the realities and challenges of going it alone. Being prepared for the obstacles and unpredictable times ahead enable you to start your entrepreneurial journey in the right way and also give your new business venture the best possible chance of success.

A Fully-Formed Idea

It is so easy to get carried away when the prospect of making your business dreams a reality. However, this can lead to you rushing into starting your business without a fully-formed idea, which is a big no-no.

Before you commit to launching and growing your business, you need to know that your business idea is viable and that people will actually buy what you want to sell. This requires thorough research and detailed knowledge of the industry in which your business will operate. Starting a business without this knowledge and without a properly thought out idea is a significant risk, leading to failure. 

A Strong Business Plan

Along with ensuring that you have a fully-formed business idea, you will also need to put together a robust business plan. In the rush of enthusiasm to get started, you may want to skip creating a business plan, but it really is an essential task. The process of writing your business plan is a useful task in itself as it will serve as a blueprint for growth. This is also because getting your business idea down on paper will help you to clarify how and why you are starting your business and the nuts and bolts of how it will work. While writing your business plan, you may find that additional ideas pop into your head for you to explore.

A business plan enables you to clarify how your business will work, and also provides a useful point of reference to refer back to in the future. Just keep in mind that your business plan doesn’t need to be 100 pages long. It only needs to contain the relevant information that will guide your business from point A to point B.

A Back-Up Plan

The aim of starting your own business may be so that you can go it alone and never be dependent on an employer again. If your business is successful, then this could absolutely be the case. However, having a back-up plan is also essential. Starting a new business is a risk, no matter how well you plan your new venture. 

To mitigate some of the risks involved in launching a new business, you may want to consider working your current job on reduced hours or finding other part-time work alongside your starting your business. Although this may not provide the clean break that you planned initially, it does provide you with some financial security and a safety net if things don’t work out as you had expected. Be smart transitioning from employee to employer.

Determination

Some people are naturally suited to becoming an entrepreneur. For these people, the characteristics required to launch successful businesses come easily. Two traits that you absolutely need to become a successful entrepreneur are determination and tenacity.

Starting a new business is not easy; each day will be hard work while trying to find your feet and establish your company. There will be setbacks along the way; this is to be expected. However, the critical thing to remember is that most of these setbacks can be overcome through hard work and determination. Having the tenacity to keep on working to grow your business against the odds will help you to achieve longterm success.

A Marketing Strategy

Many entrepreneurs take a hit and miss approach to their marketing. Dabbling in a bit of advertising here and there and maybe the odd post on social media may feel like enough, but it really isn’t if you want to build a sustainable brand. Successfully marketing your business is essential to help raise awareness of your company and your products. Marketing your business does not require a huge budget to spend on billboards and television adverts; what you really need is a strong marketing plan with a few strategies that can be implemented on a shoestring budget. 

Taking a consistent approach to your marketing is far more important than the amount that you have available to spend. Even on a low budget, you can achieve great results from your campaign if you have a comprehensive marketing strategy in place and follow it consistently. Digital publicity, blogging, content marketing, and social media marketing are great ways to build your brand and thought leadership without spending a lot of money.

The Ability to Adapt

Being flexible and open to adapting your business is vital if your business is to remain profitable in the long term. Changes to market conditions, technological advancements in your industry, and changes in buying behavior from your customers make it necessary to adapt your business. An ability to respond to changes quickly will also give you an advantage over your competitors.

5 Things That Will Keep Your Business Running Smoothly

It can be easy to assume that one of the hardest things about running a company is right at the start, when you are starting it, and getting things off the ground. You will be full of hope and excitement to get the whole business going and looking forward to the future. But in reality, there are a lot of people that can start their own businesses and companies.

The thing that separates the wheat from the chaff are the things that happen in the future; can you keep the business running well, and earning enough to keep things going? So with that in mind, here are some tips that can help you to keep your focus, and help to keep your business running efficiently, years down the line.

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Invest in your employees

Every business owner needs to remember that a business is only going to be as good and successful as the people who are doing the work each day. Even if your business was dreamt up by you, having a team on-board to help with it and share their expertise in different areas is a must. But as the team is what makes the business, investing in your team is a good idea as it can pay off. Making sure that your employees feel valued is a good start, as well as making sure that you pay them a competitive wage, and help them with areas of development.

Stay organized

It is important that you do all that you can to stay organized as a business owner. This can help to eliminate money issues as you’ll be organized and checking when things have or haven’t been paid. If you are someone who isn’t naturally organized, then don’t imagine that suddenly when you are a business owner that this will come to you. Instead, work with someone, or outsource to someone who is capable and can keep you on track. 

Improve technology

In recent years, through business and everyday life, you will have seen plenty of changes in the world of technology; it is getting upgraded constantly and can keep updating itself. So in order to keep up with the times and make sure that you are using technology to help your business, you need to invest in new technology. It could be something simple and straightforward, like getting ergonomic chairs that will be better for your team. You could look to use apps, or even create one, as part of your business. In fact, an article like this one https://www.intellectsoft.net/blog/kubernetes-vs-docker-a-comprehensive-comparison/, could be useful if you were looking into that, as it talks about deploying software efficiently, and helping you to operate at an unprecedented scale. You could also look at using more effective storage methods like the cloud. Make sure that you are happy with it all, as well as your team, and then it can be a big help in business. 

Get networking

If you are looking to keep your business running for a long time, then one of the ways to do that is through networking. If you are someone who has tried to do networking before, then it can feel a bit of a strange thing to do. The reason being is that it is all about going to events, talking to plenty of people, and talking about your business and what you do, as well as finding out about them. From there, you can look for ways to collaborate or help one another, if needed.

If you are someone who is naturally talkative, then it can be something easier for you than others. If not, then it is time to step up your small talk, as mentioned in this article https://www.themuse.com/advice/an-introverts-guide-to-networking. Have open body language so that you look approachable, and have things ready to ask people and talk about. It is also a good idea to listen carefully, so that you can hear and respond to people appropriately, and answer with something interesting. Then once you have some common ground and you know a little about each other, then you can move forward with something potentially happening together in business. 

Take a breather

The final note to think about is to make sure that you take some time for yourself every now and then. If you don’t, it can quite easily lead to burn out. Even if you work quite long hours, just switching your phone off for some of the day or evening, to be present with family and friends could be enough. You won’t be in a position to lead a business if you are struggling yourself.

All You Need To Know About Starting A Home-Based Business

By Amy Collett

Working from home is a dream for thousands of people, but making that dream a concrete reality is one of the most daunting things you will ever do. After all, it takes a lot of guts to let go of the safety net of a steady paycheck to work for yourself, but the rewards are well worth the risks. Running your own home-based business gives you flexibility, control, and incredible job satisfaction, but getting started can be the hardest part. That is why we’ve compiled everything you need to know to finally take that step and answered some of your most burning questions. 

Where Do I Start? 

There’s not one correct place to start when setting up your home-based business, but your website and social media presence is a good place to start. If you don’t have any experience with building a website, don’t worry: it’s not nearly as intimidating or expensive as you would imagine.

Essentially, you will need a domain (the name of your website) and a web hosting provider. Both are usually available through web building services, and doing everything in one place is better if you are a beginner who is making a simple website. Modern web builders feature intuitive, easy-to-use, drag-and-drop interfaces, allowing anyone to put together a good-looking website with little to no design experience. Check out this detailed guide to web builders to help you choose the best one for you.

Think about what your website needs, and try to keep it simple to start with - an “about me” section, portfolio, and contact page are usually enough. Then, consider which social media platforms you want to be on. Doing something visual? Instagram is a must. Showing off your way with words? Keep a witty and engaging Twitter feed.

Make sure you regularly set aside time to maintain your online presence. Don’t worry if you don’t have anything to show off on your website or social media yet. Just setting the processes in place and having these ready for when you do will save you loads of work down the line. Online tools like Later (which allows you to schedule Instagram posts on a calendar) and IFTTT (which can help you update multiple platforms at the same time) can be a huge help.

How Do I Start Getting Clients?

This is probably the biggest question for most budding freelancers and entrepreneurs, and the answer is that it depends. If you already have an established network in your area due to past jobs, then this part can be easier for you. Reach out to any contacts that could be interested in your services, and let them know what you can do. Even if you don’t have an extensive list of professional contacts, you can start by reaching out to friends and family members to get the ball rolling.

 If you are freelancing, you may find online platforms like People Per Hour or Upwork extremely useful for getting your first clients. However, bear in mind that the jobs listed on these portals are not likely to be high-paying ones and that you will be competing with people from all over the world who can afford to request lower rates. If you do choose to use these services, make sure you take your time setting up an attractive profile and writing careful, tailored bids for work. 

Finally, you have the option of cold pitching. While this can lead to great opportunities, it does come with its challenges - think about how many unrequested marketing emails you receive at work or in your personal inbox that you actually read and pay attention to. Make sure any emails you send are personalized and engaging, and always try to find a specific email address on LinkedIn rather than a generic “Contact Us” one. This guide to cold emailing by the Harvard Business Review is a good place to start.

 What Should I Charge?

Again, it depends. It depends on the work you do, your level of experience, and your ongoing expenses. Take some time to look up the average rates for your area as well as the different ways you can charge for your work. For example, writing work can be paid per word, per piece, per hour, or per day. Consultancy rates can be hourly, daily, or weekly.

It is a good idea to set your ideal rate for each of these methods, as this gives you a starting point for negotiations. Be realistic - you won’t be able to charge high rates if you are a beginner with a small portfolio. However, you should also be able to take pride in your work, so know how low you are willing to go. One option is to offer different rates based on the complexity of different clients’ work and their budgets, and then establish a set rate based on what seems to work for the majority of them. Using an invoice app (Square Point of Sale is a popular option, and it’s free) will help you keep track of what you’re charging everyone and which rate(s) are the most widely accepted among your clientele.

Finally, many business owners just starting out wonder if they should accept “experience” as compensation in the beginning of their new venture. The question of whether to offer free or extremely cheap work during the start of your career is a difficult one, and it comes down to personal choice. Some people believe it cheapens their work and can lead to being trapped with low-quality clients, while others swear by it as a way to build experience. It’s best to take this on a case-by-case basis - for example, this list by Forbes outlines four times in which it’s a good idea to take on work for free.

How Do I Stay Productive?

One of the hardest parts of running a home-based business is staying productive. After all, home is where you relax, and there are endless potential distractions lurking around every corner. Being your own boss is all fun and games until you realize that you have to monitor and motivate yourself.

First of all, focus on properly setting up your home office. Working from your bed or the dining room table is an attractive option (and you can always do that occasionally), but you need a desk with a proper work area to get your head in the right space for productivity. If you don’t have a separate room to turn into an office, then a partitioned corner of any room can work. The important thing is that it has everything you need to be productive and that it feels separate from your home life. 

Technology is a great ally to the home worker, so use it to be as productive as possible. There are apps that can streamline your invoicing, web extensions that can block certain websites (we’re looking at you, Facebook) and thousands of online playlists filled with music to promote focus and concentration.

On the other hand, you can consider outsourcing your work or contracting it to people outside of your main business. When working with remote contractors or freelances scattered across the world, you need to know how you will pay them in the most cost-efficient manner. The best and most affordable way is by using electronic payment platforms, which can allow you to send money to the UK and other countries throughout the world.

Now that you know the basics, it’s time to start putting your plan into action. Don’t worry - anyone who has ever started a business has been slightly terrified, but the truth is that millions of people have fulfilling, prosperous careers working from home. With some planning, organization, initiative, and motivation, you can join them and have the business you always wanted.