Starting a new business can have many growing pains. If this is something you have never done before, there can be a steep learning curve. Even if you have decades of experience in business, starting a new one can test your patience and resilience. Here are some key ideas to focus on when you are in the beginning stages of starting up a new company.
Branding
Have a clear message and a great-looking brand that you believe in. The first person that needs to be completely invested in your business is yourself. Creating a brand that you believe in is the most important part of your business. If you believe in yourself and what you are doing, and you believe there is a purpose for it, others will believe it as well. Everything comes back to your brand. If your brand is over-complicated, or it is difficult to tell what your message or theme is, other people will be confused and will not be able to get behind what you are doing.
Networking
Building a business is hard. There is no way around that. The small business community can be a very tight community that you should invest time in. Going to events for small businesses that will put you in connections with other small business owners will be worth your weight in gold. Get to know your community and get involved in activities around you. Business owners who are constantly rubbing shoulders with a diverse and large number of people will be miles ahead of those that don’t, simply because of the fact that other business owners will help out other small business owners. You never know who you might meet and who might want to invest in you.
Marketing
Whether you hire out your marketing or do it yourself, the truth is that your business will not survive if you do not market yourself. You could have the most killer business with the best products on the market, but if people do not know about it or know that you even exist, that will not matter at all. There are so many different forms of marketing, and whichever method you choose, you need to at least do some sort of marketing to reach an audience.
If your budget is tight at the beginning and you want to wait to hire out your marketing, a free easy way to begin would be to make sure your social media is up to date and provides all your information. Oftentimes, the very first place someone goes to find out more about you is not particularly your website, but your social media which so happens to be free. Take as many photos as you can and get them on a social page. Letting people know where you are located and your hours of operation, or if you ship will also be important. This will be a great place to advertise any sales or special new products.
Trade Shows
Setting up a portable trade show display at a trade show is one way to help get your brand out into the open. You will be able to introduce customers to your business and talk directly to potential customers. Whether you have your pop-up display at a trade show or the farmers market, getting your booth out where lots of foot traffic is, will help you to attract more customers.
People will gravitate towards businesses with professional-looking displays. You could have the best product but if you look shabby and unprepared, people might have a difficult time trusting you. Don’t let someone who has an inferior product win over your potential customers just because their display looks nicer. Take some time to create a display that represents your brand and shows off your product.
Hiring
After your company is somewhat established, you will need to start hiring employees. The type of employees could either make or break your business. Make sure you hire people who believe in your brand and are just as excited about your business as you are. Some people are just not great employees, flat and simple. No matter how good you treat them, they could still be terrible for your business. Make sure you are reference checking and getting hard-working people that are outgoing, friendly, and who show up on time.
