Starting a business is challenging, and no successful entrepreneur starts a company overnight. While there is no perfect formula to follow to become a prosperous business owner, there are a few beginning steps that can set you up for long-term success. Here are my three helpful tips for starting a successful business.
Passion drives flourishing businesses, but no company can be successful without knowledge. This is why it’s vital to educate yourself on business practices and industry knowledge. Try to absorb everything that you can. Mike Kappel, the CEO of Patriot Software, LLC, recommends listening to what others have to say, including friends, family, and experts. By talking to others, conducting research and reaching out to experts in the field, you’ll gain helpful knowledge and advice. While you are learning, be sure to keep notes and start developing your business plans. Don’t forget to conduct research on target markets, estimate profits, and find out legal requirements. The more you learn initially will help develop your business success and hopefully prevent surprises down the road.
Cash flow is the lifetime of all businesses and an important measure of success, and you’re going need to a lot to start a company. Conducting research will help you determine how much it will cost for you to develop your product and service and what price you need to sell at to make money. Brad Sugars, the founder and chairman of ActionCOACH, suggests overestimating expenses and underestimate revenues. “I’ve never seen a startup business where expenses were at least 30 percent more than initially planned or anticipated, and revenues are at least that much less.” Sugars writes. It also may be necessary to contact investors for business funds.
As a startup, you’re going to have limited funds, so take advantage of free resources. Whether you need help creating a website, developing a logo, or making business cards, there are so many free sources that you can use. There are free resources that can help build a business profile, create a website, develop social media practices, help track productivity, and even assist with accounting and payroll needs.
Becoming a business owner, especially a successful one, takes much more than just following these three tips. However, educating yourself, managing cash flows, and using free tools are great beginning steps to take. Success does not come overnight, but these tips can help get you started.
David Jeansonne is the founder of Traffic Jam Events™, a nationally renowned automotive-marketing firm. He is also an award winning entrepreneur and business strategist. Read more of his entrepreneurship advice or check out his Twitter!
Originally published at davidjeansonne.com on March 28, 2018.
