by Archie June
Big things start with small ones, and this is a principle that is applied in the world of business. Where do you think all those big business started from? Take a look at their histories and you will find out that indeed, they first started as small companies and then grew on to become the big names that we are seeing today.
For a small business to be started and for it to flourish, there are three basic things that you need – enough capital, customers and proper management. Without these three, even the smallest business will not be able to thrive in this time when the economy is still getting back to its feet after the global recession.
No matter how small your business is, it needs enough capital so that you will be able to start with it. Because you are still starting, you will be going through a lot of expenses. You will need to pay for the place where you will set up your business, your employees, and for the things that you will need while conducting the business. Let’s say you are going to put up a boutique. Your expenses would be for the rent, for the employees who will help you with the boutique, and the stocks that you are going to sell. If you decide to manage the boutique on your own, then you are saving some of your funds. When it comes to the capital, you have to make sure that you have enough money to buy for more stocks when needed, and if you have employees, you have to assure that they will get there pay even if you didn’t do well during the initial stages of the business. Figuring out how much capital you need will require you to do some research regarding the business you are going to put up.
You have to make a business plan too so that your business can start off. For this, you can either do it on your own, or you can hire a professional to do it for you. If you have studied business, then you can do this business plan without the help of a professional. However, if you have no idea on how to do it, better ask for help. This business plan is a very important document that will convince a lender to let you borrow the amount of money you need for the capital. If the lender finds out something there that does not look good, he may reject your proposal.
Finding customers can be a bit crucial when setting up a small business. With all the businesses that are around, how do you convince people to try out your services? For this, you will need a marketing strategy that will make customers hooked to your business. You can do commercials, or you can do it by passing on flyers, or making endorsements to the people that you know so that they can spread the word. For this, the type of business that you have can actually affect your marketing strategy. Let’s say you want to put up a salon. To attract customers, you have to introduce a new beauty regimen so that people will come to you. Or maybe you can also hold some promos and other similar stuff so that customers can afford to give your services a try before finally making you as their favorite. You have to be creative to gather enough attention.
Once your business started, you will need to manage it properly so that it can be maintained. You need to account every transaction that happens in your business, even the smallest ones. Do not leave out any details so that you will be able to analyze later on what you have to do and what you should avoid. Accuracy is a very important factor for your small business so that you will know whether you are earning or not.
These three basic things are very much important so that a small business can start, and so that it will be maintained to grow into a bigger one.
Archie June wants every business to flourish. He writes about best small business credit cards on CreditDonkey.com where you can learn more entrepreneur tips including how to manage working capital and improve customer service.