9 tips for your business part 1/3
We know, we know... starting a business is difficult.
There is so much we have to think about:
√ choose a target audience,
√ develop your visual identity,
√ post on social media,
√ make a website,
√ find customers,
√ get your finances right, and so on.
That is why many companies close before they even really start. If you don't get organized, behind-the-scenes tasks will take up your entire day (and night!) and you won't have any time to devote to your main activity.
We divided this post in 3 parts, to make it easier for you to find, and put in practice, some good tips to help you get through the painful process of setting up your business.
1 | Believe in your ability and your talent
Often when starting a business, we are unsure about our ability to have a business of our own, relying only on our talent. we ourselves had concerns such as:
√ What if I don't have customers?
√ What if they don't like our work?
√ What if we spend a lot of money initially and our business still doesn’t go anywhere?
Can you relate?
But if you really want to succeed, you need to have courage, believe in yourself, and seek people (whether family members, friends or even a stranger in the bank line) to whom you can present your new business.
You never know where your next (or first) customer will come from. No opportunity should be missed!
You will inevitably find moments in your business when you have to do things that you are not comfortable doing. But do it anyway, and then congratulate yourself on your achievement.
If you are a photographer, for example, but are uncomfortable with children's parties, learn to accept that situation for the sake of your business.
If you are an architect looking for young couples as your target audience, but you have the opportunity to make renovation plans for your doctor's office, go for it.
If you are a yoga teacher and want to have your own studio, but were invited to teach at your daughter's school, don’t pass up the chance.
In other words, don't say no to anything!
2 | Don't be a hermit. Get out and meet people!
Take a few hours out of your week to take a class, go to the gym, meet up with friends, or see your family. Your social network is just as or more important than the business you are seeking to build - believe me.
If you have an online business (like us) it is very easy to spend hours behind a computer getting everything out of the way, like creating content or designs, social media posts, blog posts, or spreadsheets.
But, as we said above, you never know where your next customer will come from.
3 | Stay on top of your financial life from the start
Everyone wants to make money, but when you are the creative part of the business, you don't exactly know how it happens.
You may have a small business now, but what about in 5 years?
How can you keep track of your finances so that you can understand your business growth?
Never underestimate the usefulness of a simple Excel spreadsheet to help you understand both your income and your expenses.
When you stay on top of this information, you’ll be prepared for many different scenarios, like buying a new computer or your camera, investing in a stock photo membership, or hiring an assistant when your workload becomes too much to handle.
In addition to setting up a spreadsheet, open a financial account just for your business; do not mix it with your personal savings. If you decide to have a partner in the future, you will be grateful to have made that decision today.
Even if you don't have a legal business, it’s still a good idea to have two bank accounts so that you can count on that income at the end of the month, as well as build up your working capital within your company's account.
Everything is important at the beginning of your business.
Everything.
Even your positive attitude.
