Opening your own small business can be overwhelming. However, by taking certain steps now you can set your new company up for success in the long run. Discover 5 things that 2021's entrepreneurs need to do before opening a business.
5 Steps to Take Before Opening Your Small Business
Perform Market Research
Understanding your market is crucial to creating a successful business.
Conducting market research will tell you more about the industry you’re entering so you can do so with a better understanding of both your customers and your competitors.
A market analysis will help you understand:
- Your future customers
- Your customers' buying habits
- How large your audience is
- How much people typically pay for your product
- Who your competitors are
Create Business Goals
Once you have a better understanding of your audience and market, you can establish more realistic goals for your company's growth.
Define both short and long term goals for yourself. These goals can then be broken down into objectives that will give you clear, measurable steps towards achieving those goals.
There are many ways to set business goals for yourself. Two of the most popular approaches to setting realistic goals are using a SWOT analysis and setting SMART goals.
A SWOT analysis can be done before setting your goals, and involves evaluating your company's:
- Strengths
- Weaknesses
- Opportunities
- Threats
Once you have done this and have a better idea of where you stand, you can use the SMART method to create achievable goals. SMART stands for:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable
- Realistic
- Timely
Establish an Online Presence
Modern shoppers expect to be able to shop and order online, making it even more essential for your business to have a great digital presence.
Invest in a professional, branded website with information about your service lines and products. If it's relevant for your company, offering e-commerce or online ordering can help you better cater to the online shoppers of 2021.
Understand Your Risks
Understanding your risks is vital to keeping your business healthy in the long run. Knowing your risks, and accounting for them, can help you set your company up to better weather future disasters.
Creating a risk management plan can help you adequately account for your risks. Consider:
- What loss control measures you need to take
- What your safety practices are
- What laws and regulations you need to comply with
- Disaster preparedness and recovery
Create control measures to manage these risks, and get your team on board.
Invest in Business Insurance
Finally, the most important part of an effective risk management strategy is having the right business insurance coverage. The right insurance coverage can help you protect yourself against the risks unique to your company and industry
Consider what type of coverage your organization will need. This could include:
- Workers Compensation, which is essential for any businesses that have employees.
- General Liability, which covers risks like injuries and damage to third parties.
- Commercial Property, which covers things like business property, inventory, and other assets.
You can save on your insurance by investing in a Business Owner's Policy bundling multiple policies together.
Are you starting a new company? Taking a moment to create a plan for your business can help you set yourself up for many successful years to come. For the problems you can't plan for, make sure you have the right business insurance.