Starting a small business can be daunting. So much so that you will need to be very clear and determined on providing something of value that others want. How will you help? What problems will you solve? And, these are only a few questions.
There is so much information out there, and it’s hard to know where to start, but have no worries after doing my own research and recently attending an entrepreneur workshop for womenI; have you covered with this ultimate guide!
You’ll find links to resources that will help you get started as well as tips for marketing your new venture. If you’re considering starting a company in your community, then this post is ideal for you!
1 – Research which services or products your area needs.
One of the first things you should do when starting a small business is research which services or products your area needs. What problem are you solving? You can start by using keyword generation tools like ahrefs to start finding the most searched for keywords that aren’t too competitive.
You can also start this process by seeing how many other businesses offer similar goods and services, then find out where they are located, who their customers are, and more about them.
If it looks like people don’t use these types of companies very much, then that might indicate that there isn’t as big of a market for products or services as yours. On the flip side, if lots of local businesses already exist in your area, but no one seems to be getting any traction, then perhaps it’s time for something new. How can you create something unique?
2 – Build a competitive service or product.
Even if you’re not the first to market, that doesn’t mean your small business can’t be competitive. You have to find a way to stand out from the others, so people become loyal customers.
Start by looking at what other companies are doing and see if theirs is something you could improve upon. For example, maybe their prices aren’t low enough, or they don’t do enough marketing on social media – either of these things might provide an opening where your company can gain some clients because they’re a bit more unique than everyone else in those areas.
3 – Create a strategic business plan.
I’ve written about business plans multiple times on this blog. Your business plan includes all the information you need to make your small business a success. The best option is by researching business plans and start by using a business plan template.
A business plan template is your roadmap of how exactly you’ll accomplish what it is that you want for your company and how much money it will cost, as well as things like who will be doing each part and when certain milestones should be achieved (i.e., profits by year two).
Then if anything along the way seems too difficult or costly, you can revise this document accordingly until everything falls into place.
What I found interesting in last week’s workshop was that they offered us all a one page questionnaire that equaled a one page business plan template.
How amazing is that! If you’re interested in the one page business plan template, shoot me an email or leave a comment below.
My plan is to make a printable for December because December is National Write a Business Plan Month!
4 – Design a responsive website.
Having a great website is especially important for businesses just starting in the digital age. If you don’t have one, then it will be difficult for people to find your company, and what good is a small business without customers?
Your site should include details about who you are and what services or products you offer, but it also needs to look professional so potential clients know they can trust your brand.
To get this done right, make sure that everything from color scheme to fonts matches seamlessly. A responsive template will ensure that all of these elements scale correctly on any sized screen – no matter if someone views them using their laptop computer at home or phone while standing in line somewhere else.
5 – Understand how the marketing funnel works.
Marketing is one of the essential parts of your small business. Without it, you won’t be able to get people excited about what you’re offering, and they’ll never even know that there’s a product or service out there explicitly suited to them.
To start this process off correctly, make sure everyone in your company understands how an effective marketing funnel works. This will ensure that when customers enter into this system at any point – whether they’re just browsing through social media posts on Instagram or looking for information via Google search – then their path leads straight towards purchasing yours truly.
6 – Use the top mobile clock apps for productivity.
Mobile clocks are all about making your life easier. Owning one means never having to worry about what time it is, no matter where you go or what activities take place during that day.
In addition, the phone versions tend to be a lot more convenient than the ones we used back in middle school and high school because they’re always available at our fingertips – open up an app and boom: instant access to knowing exactly how much of the current day has passed!
Try out the top mobile time clock apps to try if you want this functionality on your mobile device today.
7 – Target your audience on Facebook ads.
There’s been a lot of internet chat regarding Facebook ads. If you’re unfamiliar, you should know that they allow you to target a specific demographic or geographic group with pinpoint accuracy.
This means that if someone lives somewhere where prices are high, for example, it’s going to be much easier for them to find out about your discounts through an ad on this social media platform than anywhere else.
The only downside is that these ads don’t come free – Facebook ads take a cut from every purchase made thanks to one of their promotions, so they have stringent rules when allowing advertisers access. Make sure that you account for this in your business plan.
8 – Start running Google ad campaigns today!
Another thing to make note of in your business plan under marketing is Google ads. Google ad campaigns are one of the best ways to get your small business out into the world. They’re also incredibly affordable, which makes them a bonus over Facebook ads for those just starting and trying to keep their expenses under control where possible.
Google Adwords is beneficial because it lets you choose keywords related to what people might search online when looking for a product or service like yours, so if someone types in “organic dog food,” then they’ll see whatever ad was paid for by your company along with all other results on this particular topic at the top of the page (including any that show up as sponsored posts).
As long as these campaigns continue running successfully, there’s no reason anyone should ever go without knowing exactly what you have to offer!
9 – Offer superior customer service!
If you don’t remember anything else from this ultimate guide, remember that customer service is the backbone of any business.
If you’re unable to provide top-notch assistance at all times, then people will quickly start looking elsewhere for a company that can care about them and what they have to say!
It’s also important not to get discouraged when things don’t go as planned – after all, everyone has bad days from time to time, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise if someone isn’t happy with their purchase or experience overall.
What matters most here is your willingness to work through these issues to ensure that every customer walks away feeling satisfied by the end of the interaction.
10 – Scale your business adequately.
Last but not least, scaling your business. Suppose you’re planning to take on a large number of customers and orders in the future. In that case, this process must go as smoothly as possible because if there are any snags along the way, they’ll likely take more time than anticipated, which can lead to missed deadlines and even upset clients!
Keep an eye out for when your company is growing well (or at all) so that you know exactly when it might be worth thinking about hiring extra help or bringing someone new into the fold.
Final Thoughts
In summary, there are many different ways that you can successfully get your small business off the ground and into a position where it has the potential to grow even further.
This might take some time, but thanks to social media platforms like Facebook ads combined with Google ad campaigns, chances are good that if you keep at this long enough, one of these efforts will eventually really pay off.
