7 Tips for Starting Your Own Business
1.Be Clear on Why You want to Start a Business
While the idea of starting a business may be daunting, the fatigue of looking for a job may be even greater. Taking control of your working life by venturing out on your own may be scary, but doing nothing can be worse. That said, don’t start a business because you’ve run out of options. If you’re truly interested in doing your own thing and you’re ready to go for it with gusto, then small business ownership can be the most frustrating and the most freeing avenue—with the possibility of the greatest financial security. A great business to start and do your own thing, is working with children. Within this industry, one franchise stands out, High Touch High Tech.
2.Determine Your Business Type
You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. The best idea for you may be tried and true with your personal twist. Look into franchising. It’s a great way to start a business with the help, leadership and experience of the franchisor. Franchisees are people just like you, that found a franchise they could relate to and get passionate about. This leads to lots of satisfaction with your business.
3.Create a Simple Business Plan
Most new aspiring businesses owners think they’re supposed to sit down and write a detailed and lengthy business plan, making all sorts of wild assumptions about how much money you’ll make in five years, and so on. Some people worry so much about dotting every “i” and crossing every “t” until their plan is just perfect, they never start their business. For a basic business, I favor a one-page business plan that covers what you offer, who you’re targeting, how much you’ll charge and what you’ll do to make it happen. It’s a fluid process that will change once you dive in, so keep it simple at the start. If you consider a franchise, you learn the successful business plan from the franchisor, during your training.
4.Nail Your Target Customer
Determine exactly who your customers are with great specificity. If you’re creating a skin cream, don’t say “all women” or “everyone with skin” could buy from you. Is it targeted to women who visit a dermatologist for monthly facials or to women who grab anything from the drug store aisles? Your ingredients, process, packaging and pricing will all determine who the customer is. Be specific: I’m going to provide bookkeeping services for restaurants; I’m going to create social media campaigns for self-published authors. The more you can pinpoint your targeted client, the more focused your marketing efforts will be to reach them. You’ll be able to ask for the right referrals and you’ll know who and what to search for on the Internet.
5.Perfect Your Pricing
Your pricing shouldn’t just cover your costs; it must also generate a profit for your business. Don’t undervalue your time and talent, which is a classic mistake. One option is to work the numbers from the top down: What are you looking to make annually? How does that break down monthly and weekly? How many products must you sell or how many clients will you need to bring in to meet those numbers? What are all of the costs associated with delivering that product or service? None of this requires fancy charts or advanced accounting skills. Play around with the numbers so you know what’s realistic as you get going—and revisit your numbers monthly. Pricing however, is not the only path to success. It turns out it matters what you do. Try to help people in some way. A business that helps children is very rewarding.
6.How to Find Start-Up Money
Until you start bringing in sales, you must keep costs down. Think creatively: it would be great to rent a fancy commercial kitchen to bake those cupcakes, but use a cheap or free church or community kitchen in off-hours instead. I worked with a woman to launch a series of art classes for kids, but she didn’t have money for supplies. The solution: she required parents to purchases the supplies and pay for the courses upfront. Forget hiring a full staff; ask friends for help and train interns. Barter for key services.
If tapping personal savings isn’t an option or if you need a more creative financing option, one of the fastest growing now is crowdfunding, which allows your network of friends and family to contribute to your start up costs if they like you and want to support your small business idea.
Another avenue is franchising. Many franchisors have their own financing that you can arrange with them. This financing is really helpful, and you pay the loan back with your profits!
7.Go Out and Get Customers
This is where the magic happens. Nothing else matters if you don’t have customers. The majority of your time and effort must focus on sales. Having a smart marketing plan to attract interested people, and then convert them to customers is your number one priority. Don’t get overwhelmed about how to dive in: just start where you are. Create a list of 50 potential prospects that you’ll go after and begin making calls one by one. Build a serious social media presence for your business where you can engage directly with your target market.
Dreaming about how fabulous your business can be is good; but doing something to get it there is sensational. It’s all about the hustle: the decisions you make and the actions you take each and every day – that’ll get you where you want to go. Take that dream and look at all your options with franchises. Does any of these franchise opportunities resonate with you? Try to find a franchise opportunity that you can be passionate about. This is the path to success.
To learn more about franchise opportunities with High Touch High Tech, visit us online at ScienceMadeFunFranchise.net.
High Touch High Tech is the leader in innovative hands-on science and nature experiences for children, serving over 4 million children annually with 27 franchise locations across the United States, Canada, Turkey, Singapore and South Korea.