Guest Post by Derek Goodman, Inbizability
There are so many things you need to know as a new business owner, but the information is dense, scattered, and hard to find. You don’t have time to read the 50 books and 200 blog posts everyone recommends to you about marketing. But you’re going to make mistakes if you try to do it all on your own.
Here, One Click Advisor has done the research for you. In this guide, we’ll tell you which areas you need to pay special attention to so that you avoid costly mistakes when starting up your small business and where to find more help.
- Planning. The critical area and that many business owners don’t pay enough attention to is planning their business and budgeting ahead of launch. So make sure that you do sit down and crunch the numbers, and think through all of the costs that you will need to cover in the first few years of your business so that it doesn’t catch you by surprise.
- Marketing. Many entrepreneurs spend the bulk of their time developing their products and leave marketing as an afterthought. But if you want to make sure that your products reach consumers, you need to spend some time and energy developing a solid marketing strategy. With so many available resources, it doesn’t have to be a painful exercise, and the payoff will be huge.
- Connecting. It’s easy to get caught up in all of the tasks you have to do to get your business running. But don’t forget, the reason you’re creating a business in the first place is to deliver your products and services to your customers. So make sure you start connecting with them as soon as you can. Engage with them on social media, or keep them up-to-date through email newsletters.
- Accounting. Whether we like it or not, having reliable and timely accounting is a must-have for all businesses. But it doesn’t have to be complicated. Take a look at some of the full service options available in the market for easy to use at home accounting solutions for your small business.
- Invoicing. Another area that is critical when filing your taxes is making sure that your invoicing is done correctly. Use reliable invoicing software such as Quickbooks or Freshbooks to do all of the work for you and make it easy for you to comply with regulations.
- Learning. It can be a challenge when you have so many things going on to make sure you find the time for new knowledge. But it’s the best way to make sure you stay on top of your game and consistently deliver the best results possible. Make the most of all of the online learning options available today. You can even get an advanced degree in business or marketing from home at your own pace to really up-level your skills.
And remember to network. There are plenty of potential advisors out there, even among your existing circles, who can help steer you in the right direction. Staying connected will let you get some great advice from people with experience running their businesses or managing other companies, and you never know where you might strike gold.
And finally…
Welcome to One Click Advisor! We would be remiss if we didn’t give you a brief tour of the site and what it can do for you. The free Business Builder is a consulting session, solving your business plan questions in minutes. Your challenges and opportunities can be sorted into one of three areas.
Marketing, because it brings in the customers. Start or continue that plan here.
Operations, because it keeps your customers. Start or continue that plan here.
Finance, because it is the scoreboard. Change the “score” and explore financing here.
With One Click Advisor, you can launch your business in one click! We also provide insight into marketing, operations and financing. Check out our offerings today!