Compared to having a job, start a business allows us to be able to earn a high income, set our own hours, use our full potential, and have the satisfaction of having created and accomplished something on our own.
So, whatever your reasons, such as that you cannot get a job, you have finally convinced yourself of the advantages of start a business, or you have a revolutionary idea that could change the world, next I will give you the necessary advice that you should take into account anytime. to begin with and I have no idea how to do it.
Steps to know how to start a business
Think about what your business will be
This step is very important because if you want to start a business, you must have an idea of what it is going to be.
However, there are many people who, although they are clear that they want to start an activity of this type, do not know well what to do. Nobody can tell you which is the ideal business for you not even knowing your interests and passions. Start a business and what kind is your own decision.
So, to create a successful startup, you must combine 3 important factors: something you like, something you know or already have skills about, and something interesting to others.
Make your business plan
If you already know what business you are going to undertake, before you start going crazy looking for how to attract customers or where to get the money you need, you must make your business plan.
A business plan is a guide where you will see the most important ideas of your project reflected to guide you throughout the process.
Although the name may seem somewhat complicated to develop, do not worry, it is not as difficult as you think, and it will be very useful both to take the first step to start a business, and to solve future problems once you have opened your doors to your customers.
Within your business plan, you must answer the following basic questions:
- What is your business going to be?
- What are you going to sell in your business (products, services, etc.)?
- Who will be your clients (men, women, how old are they, what interests, how much do they earn?)?
- How are you going to reach them (social media, magazine advertising, brochures in their mailboxes)?
- Who are your competitors and how can you differentiate yourself from them?
- Where are you going to put your business (Internet, a physical location …)?
- What equipment, materials, and expenses will you have (to create a budget of the necessary capital)?
- How will you be able to finance your project if you need capital (investors, your savings, your family)?
- What risks are there?
If necessary, seek financing
The next step is to find the money you need to start a business if you need it.
For example: if you want to create an online store where you offer services such as consulting, you may only need very little savings for a website that will cost you very little each month, instead if your dream is to open a restaurant, a gym, or even a store virtual clothing, the investment will be greater and you probably do not have enough money to start.
Create the profile of your ideal client
It is very important to identify your ideal client by making their profile.
Ask yourself if they are a man, a woman or are they children, how old are they, what are their tastes, what things do they buy and where do they buy them (online or in physical stores), what are their needs and what problems do they have and how does your product or service can fix it.
Register your business
At this point, before starting to carry out the activity of your business, it will be necessary for you to register it and request the necessary licenses and permits.
Create your marketing plan to attract customers
This is the last step to start a business: create a marketing plan to know what message to transmit and through which channel to attract customers to your company.
For this, the client profile that you created previously will also be very useful, because with it you will know where your clients move and what they are most interested in.
Your marketing plan should include:
- What objectives do you want to achieve (attract customers, retain them, get X more percentage of sales, etc.)
- What strategies are you going to use (advertising, publications on social networks, discounts, organization of events, contests …)
- What means will you use to put your plan into action (traditional advertising, digital marketing)