Business Startup Advice

Business startup advice can float the boat or sink you. With a small business startup you step into the abyss where survival will depend upon your selling and social skills. Being self-employed means you don’t have the cushion offered by your former employer. Mistakes then brought rebukes, but were recoverable. Making mistakes now can cost you. By keeping focus on service and professionalism, you can minimize mistakes and succeed.

You’ll need at least six months of operating funds as a cushion for lean start-up times. Unless you operate out of your home, you’ll need money for a rented office in a good location. Factor in utilities, phones, an employee to answer them unless you operate solo, office supplies and postage. Equipment needs include furniture, lighting, file cabinets, a capable computer with updated software, a laser printer, a copier and a cell phone. You’ll need a reliable automobile that looks good and auto insurance.

A graphics consultant will be needed to develop a logo and print materials, unless you’re very skilled at desktop publishing. There are also printing and direct mail costs to consider.

Phone book advertising will require a year’s contract with monthly fees depending upon the size of your ads. Newspaper advertising adds up quickly. If you advertise on the internet, there are start-up and monthly costs in addition to developing and maintaining your website. You can even offer free articles that include a link back to your website about business startup advice as a means of garnering free advertising.

You’ll need PR money for business lunches with prospects, hosting local chamber of commerce breakfast meetings, lunches or functions, attendance at business social functions wherever you can finagle an invitation, and the inevitable donations to those seeking fresh sources of funding from any new business owner.

Marketing is a full-time job on top of everything else you do. How you answer your phones, everything you send out, display, hand out or link to, must present an image of success and can-do professionalism, even if you lack a track record. You’ll need to stay on top of scheduled phases of your plan’s implementation and keep at it, difficult when things get busy. Business can dry up just as quickly when the flurry of jobs or orders suddenly dies.

Always invest time in honing your skills and developing new techniques. Read everything. Join industry groups.

Attend as many chamber of commerce sponsored or business special events as you can. Develop contacts. Sell your business services, products and yourself at all times. Talk to everybody everywhere about what you do. Initiate conversations. Exchange business cards and write key information on those cards regarding dates met, where and what was discussed. This will be golden information when you call contacts, reminding them where you met and talked about, creating a favorable impression that you’re someone who pays attention and that they were important to you.

Small business success is akin to gingerly stepping on eggshells while crossing a minefield with hope that nothing will explode. Sometimes things blow up. Not all attempts to see prospects will succeed. Some presentations will fail to get you the job and you’ll never know why. Some folks will hate your product line. Others will develop an instant dislike to you that you’ll never overcome. You may say something stupid while at a business social function and offend somebody. We’re all human. Don’t fall down and wet all over yourself if you make a mistake or develop analysis paralysis trying to understand what went wrong in a meeting. Things go South. Learn from your mistakes and move on. Have a positive expectation and you’ll succeed, with your yearly income growing as the result. It’s all up to you. Remember when you step into the abyss, carry a parachute. Be prepared, willing to accept the risks and roll with the punches. By doing so, your business will always remain a welcome challenge.

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