Going into business, no matter what your big idea is or how attainable you think your goals may be, can be hard to manage in the initial stages. You have to make sure that every little thing is in place, ensure you’re able to go through any rough patches and plan for growth if and when it comes. All this might sound difficult, but knowing what not to do is a little simpler.
Here, we go through a few things which your start-up business would do well to follow. They are:
Having goals in place
Before you even begin to trade, you should know where you want your business to be in the short, medium and long-term. As advised in this blog post from Conference Genie, it’s also worth knowing how you want to achieve your goals, as they simply don’t get reached without at least some forward planning.
Being flexible along the way
This is something many unsuccessful start-ups fail to do. Almost inevitably, circumstances may change internally or externally that could change the course of your company. Using them to your advantage or adapting to them is a must if your enterprise is to thrive for the foreseeable future. Otherwise, you could find it difficult to continue trading.
Setting up a flexible business requires changes to be made fundamentally, starting from your company culture. For a start, you need to adopt the lean principles from top to bottom. Going lean means you are embracing changes and focusing on creativity and innovation in growing your business.
Get all the basics before trading
Your business is likely to need plenty of kit in order to be able to function properly. Some of the essentials may or may not include:
- Office space, possibly at home
- Office furniture such as a desk, office chairs and possibly shelving for paperwork
- A company vehicle for collecting stock/making deliveries
- A computer
- A reliable internet connection
- A smartphone
- A landline telephone
- Stationery
All that should be sufficient for you to get started, but it’s important to try and get value for money for whatever you choose to buy, just in case you worry about being able to make ends meet early on.
Make your workspace a comfortable and quiet one
There’s a strong possibility that you might choose to set up shop at home, something close to three million people in the UK have done. If so, make sure you find somewhere quiet to work with and make it look professional and tidy. Blocking out background noise by keeping the doors and windows closed helps.