When thinking about starting a business you want to think about “Why are you starting the business?” Quite often someone decides to start a business with the mindset they will have more free time, work at home, and also have a flexible schedule. Unfortunately, you should avoid these myths. Most the time, starting a small business isn’t any of the things. Instead, it is extended hours, working at home can be a distraction, less flexibility, and there are lots of hats to juggle. It’s very different then working for a company and it is vital that you keep all of this at heart when deciding if starting a small business is right for you. If it’s, then let’s dive into getting started with your business idea!
Attitude is EVERYTHING. You need to continue to keep a cheery attitude. A lot of things are going to happen during the lifecycle of the business, both good and bad, and what is important is to keep a confident attitude.
BIGGEST OBSTACLES TO OVERCOME
Both biggest obstacles startups face whenever starting a business is money and status. It is advisable to make sure you have the ability to stay afloat and have a way of financing when getting started. And reputation can be an obstacle because you don’t possess a reputation or customers. Unless you start out with a group of customers, usually you are starting out very alone.
WHAT YOU NEED?
VIABLE PRODUCT
You need to give a product/service that people want to buy. incorporation services singapore Researching similar products/services is important to see what else is out there that is similar to your idea and then determine how your product will be much better than the competition. It is also important to be able to bring experience to the table. It’s the experience you have which will make the company. Typically, you need to have a niche in order to have a focused approach and decide what type of company you need it to be. Lastly, you must consider when you can sell enough of your service or product to make a living. Will you be able to cover all of the expenses and salaries that come with a business?
BUSINESS PLAN
A business plan is completely essential. Exactly what is a business plan?
Start with an executive summary, which is a high-level description of what the business is going to do. Next, you need a business description that lays out the business in detail. Then, comes the marketplace analysis, who is likely to be your customer and who is your competition? Next, is organization management. Who’s going to manage the business enterprise? Will you manage it yourself or are you going to hire someone from the outside to handle your business? Usually you are starting managing the business yourself. Next, you need a sales strategy, what type of sales strategy are you going to encompass? And lastly, it is advisable to include funding requirements and fiscal projections. What kind of funding should you start the business and how much do you project to create?
A written plan is critical. It is absolutely essential you write down the above information on paper.
There are many business plan templates available to help. Even though you are an established business, you don’t need anything complicated. Yet another resource is a very simple roadmap. This breaks out 30 days by month projections for just two 2 years. What trade shows will you attend? How many people will you hire? What type of marketing campaigns will you run?
Last, goals are extremely important. You should set specific goals in your organization plan so you know what your location is heading.
MEANS OF FINANCING
How will you finance your business? Some of the key issues to ask are how much money will you need to remain afloat? Will you be going for a salary? What will your non-salary expenses be? How many people do you anticipate hiring the first year? What about company benefits? Even though you are by yourself, you will require benefits and insurance. These are all questions you must think about.
Should you self-finance or take out a loan? Self-financing is often recommended in case you have enough money in the bank to float the business as well as your salary for a year or two. This option reduces the pressure. The final thing you want is pressure from creditors. Loan products are going to be difficult to procure. If you manage to get a loan, you will have to personal guarantee and you will need collateral.
There is also the chance for a financial business mate, however, a financial business partner can often lead to meddling and pressure. It also may cause you to run the business differently then you envisioned. Remember, you are starting the business to put your own spin on it!
A fourth option is a funding company. This is usually a viable option because they will most likely carry out your payroll and invoicing for you personally. Sometimes the funding company provides a basic ATS system aswell that could help you start off. The downside to a funding company is often it really is hard to breakaway. You have to pay off loans with interest and oftentimes it is not financially feasible to breakaway. If you use a funding company, you need to be sure to understand the agreement and know very well what it takes to step away from the funding company.