Last Updated on Apr 8, 2020 by James W
Starting a new business is an exciting adventure, and it can open many doors for your future career prospects. However, your arm is not long enough to contain the checklist of things you need to consider before you get started. We’ve included six of the most critical items below.
1. Are Your Premises Ready?
When you’ve signed on the dotted line to secure your lease for your new office or store, the real fun begins. You get to decorate, furnish, and customize it to suit your business vision. However, it’s also a good idea to enlist the help of a local commercial electrician to check everything is how it should be. A commercial electrician will be able to identify danger points, as well as provide tips on where you can save money on power bills.
2. Be Sure
It may seem silly, but before you open for business, it’s helpful to know this business venture is what you want. If you don’t believe you will be happy doing this in five years’ time, now is a good time to reconsider your options. About half of businesses succeed after the five-year mark, so if you’re not comfortable doing your job for that long, is this the right path to be traveling down?
3. Close the Wallet
Becoming a business owner is exciting, so once your financial institution has given you the green light, you might feel the need to go crazy with spending. However, not every product you intend on stocking or supplying is vital for you and your customers from the outset. Instead, purchase what you need, and slowly grow as revenue starts to flow. Over 80 percent of businesses that fail do so because of cash flow problems.
4. You Won’t Know It All
While it’s helpful to understand how to run a business and how to prepare your taxes, don’t be disheartened if you can’t make sense of everything. Irrespective of how prepared you may think you are; there is always going to be something you don’t learn until later. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Learning on the job is just as beneficial as learning from a book.
5. Open a Book
Speaking of books, it never hurts to open one. Books are helpful for if you want to know what it takes to be successful or if you’re stuck for ideas, need motivation, or you just require extra knowledge for day-to-day business operations. It could be a paperback book, an Ebook, or even an audiobook. Whatever it is, don’t be afraid to use knowledge learned from them to your advantage. At least 30 percent of survey respondents worldwide read at least once a day and see benefit from it, so if you haven’t picked up a book, there’s no time like the present.
6. Don’t Sweat It
When you’re open for business, you’ve got a million and one things on your mind. While you probably expected that, remember not to sweat the small stuff. Focus on providing quality products and services, and leave less critical tasks until last. It might seem like getting business cards, and sorting product displays are essential – and they are – but your core job is to increase your cash flow. Work on opening your store on a high, and then move onto those smaller tasks.
When you’re open for business, there is so much to remember. However, you don’t have to tackle everything at once. Take notice of these six points, and let everything else fall into place.
