Get your small business started on the right foot

The idea of being the owner of your small business or even just starting a small business can be fascinating. After all, you’ll be your boss. People always desire to have complete control over their time and goals. You will be working for yourself doing something you’re interested in or have a real passion for the chosen business activities.

“According to the Small Business Administration, small companies create 1.5 million jobs annually and account for 64% of new jobs created in the United States.”

Beginning a small business is equally rewarding and daunting! However, being a small business owner does have its fair share of challenges. If you’re about to start your small business or just started your own business, the tips here can help you step out on the right foot for success!

Let us get started with the critical point of proper business planning.

Tips for making your small business a success

Tip 1: Make a solid business plan

Irrespective of how modest your beginnings are in starting your business, you definitely need to have a business plan. Skipping the process of planning your business is a rudimentary mistake that many small business owners make. Here are some pointers you can keep in mind while framing your business plan:

• Have a defined mission statement
• Define your business commodities
• Identify and establish the various responsibilities and roles in your business
• Define your business goals
• Come up with your definition of success in your business

The great news is that you’ll find lots of free business plan templates that you can access online for more guidance. If you need further help, you can also get advice from business start-up consultants.

Tip 2: Opt for professional help

Starting a small business is associated with a host of legal filings, tax forms, regulations, and financial requirements. Verify whether your business requires any special licensing, insurance eligibility, etc. Is there a requirement to report and collect sales tax in your business? Answering all these questions will require you to seek the right professional help. Professional help implies legal help and financial aid necessary to get started on your small business journey. 

Tip 3: Utilize online marketing strategies

Budgetary constraints can be a considerable obstacle in starting your small business. A great way to reduce costs is by making full use of online marketing strategies such as social media marketing. You can consider making full use of social media marketing because advertising and marketing your small business through social media websites is a wonderful cost-saving way to equalize the playing field with significant industry competitors. A survey showed that businesses reported a 31% brand lift by implementing digital marketing strategies.

Tip 4: Solve issues instead of selling products

If you look at any big successful business, you will notice that the business approach is solution-oriented. Businesses become successful when they strive to solve pertinent issues. Instead of thinking about what kinds of commodities I can sell, ask yourself, “what kind of problems will my commodities solve?” The price of items becomes a secondary concern to customers when the commodity can potentially solve a significant problem.

Tip 5: Find a mentor

When you’re an entrepreneur, you’ll understand the value of reaching out to an experienced business person for guidance and mentoring. As an entrepreneur, you’ll need to keep learning and keeping yourself updated with industry-specific information. You’ll have many roles to play (e.g., accountant, salesperson, marketer, owner, etc.). Therefore, expanding your knowledge under a mentor can be very helpful.

Tip 6: Use modern technology to automate and improve productivity

You can look around for low-cost automation tools like SaaS applications to help process your accounting and invoicing tasks. For example, these applications can download invoices automatically from various portals and save your time, among many other benefits.

The lack of funding, poor planning, and an incomplete understanding of the market are the significant reasons why many small businesses fail. Implement the tips mentioned above if you’re about to start an all business! Always remember to be resilient, consistent, and patient. Also, think of implementing top-notch strategies such as invoice automation and using technology applications to save time and effort. Good luck!

Discover GetMyInvoice for digital invoice management.