The views of this article are the perspective of the author and may not be reflective of Confessions of the Professions.
Starting a small business is like a whispered secret club. It can be challenging to gather the confidence to jump in and when you do it is hard to find advice past the people trying to sell you something. We are here to show you the six secrets we know about running a small business.
Loans
In the UK there are many places offering small business loans. If you have a good idea and you want to move forward with it but don’t have the money you can apply for one. Go with a government small business loan or a starter help service to make the most out of the money. You might even find that you receive a free grant for part of it.
Grants
If you have a niche business there are often grants that you can apply for and assistance to help get you going. The government are hopefully bringing more of these out since the pandemic wiped out so many businesses. Remember that you are not on your own and there is often more help out there than you first expected. At the same time do not rely on a grant unless you have to.
It is fun choosing a name for a business but make sure you give it some thought.
Consider these two points:
Does my name show what I sell (especially important for online businesses)?
Is my choice of name available? Not just in business and domain providers but on social media channels and email accounts.
Keep Active
When you start your social media pages ensure that you have a bucket load of content and posts ready to go over the first month of your business. Study what hashtags etc.. to use when you start out and use your newness to advertise you.
Use Free Tools
There are countless free tools on the web for small businesses to use. Study and research what you can get for free in your business and advertising plans. Don’t pay out for anything if you can get the same service elsewhere for free.
Take this logo design site for instance. It is full of great templates and designs and totally free to use. You can create as many logos as you like and download them for your business’ use totally for free. Other sites and graphic designers charge a bucket load for the same service and often you can come into trouble when their designs don’t fit what you had in mind. Visit www.logocreator.io for free access.
Work Hard Play Hard
Starting a business is not easy. It is time consuming and becomes part of your daily life and thoughts. When you start a small business, you invest so much of yourself into it creatively that it can be hard to switch off. You may find that you easily work seven days a week on it without stopping, and before you know it you are a total workaholic who can’t leave the house.
Don’t let it get to this point. Take a day off per week, two if possible. Make time for yourself. Have some fun with friends and have a separate work phone if you can. Have time to wind down in the evenings and start late in the mornings if you so wish. There is no boss telling you what you need to do, except you. So, be nice to yourself!
Running a business is so rewarding when you get going. Give yourself achievable goals and research as much as you possibly can. The reading will pay off like a waterfall at some point. Take any times you mess up as unavoidable steps towards learning how to run the best small business ever. Celebrate the milestones and ensure you continue to love what you do.
