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Entrepreneur Will King tells us that it has never been easier to set up a business. As he says, “you can set up a business trading and selling worldwide within a matter of hours”. But if it’s so easy, then why aren’t more people doing it? Alas, while it is possible to have a company up and running before lunch, it’s a little bit more difficult to have the same company still doing business several months and years down the line. But it’s not that difficult. With a few key steps factored into the process, anyone with an idea can turn a company into a profitable business. Just take a look at some of the essential details we’ve outlined below.
An idea is worth it’s weight in gold, but what will actually get a company up and running is…actual gold, preferably in the form of money. The vast majority of factors that determine whether a business will be successful or not – including the ones listed below – will come down to whether the company has the necessary funds to make them work. Before you really get going with your idea, you’ll need to ensure you have the funds in place, otherwise you can cause yourself complicated problems further down the line. But just like setting up a business, it’s also never been easier to get funding for a company – from sources such as unsecured business loans and the rest – and get your business underway.
Funding is check one, staff is check two. You cannot make a business a success all on your own and will need to have good people around you. Get the right people in, ones that you can trust to do the jobs you’ve asked them to do; if you find yourself always tempted to double check what someone you’ve employed is doing, you’ll never have time to focus on your own work.
This is the information age and there’s no excuses for not conducting thorough market research during the development of your business. It doesn’t matter if your idea if completely unique or a different spin on an existing market; you’ll need to have a wealth of information to hand about who you’re actually trying to engage with. There’s plenty of advice online about how you should be conducting your market research. Once you have, you’ll have a clearer image about where you stand in the market and where it might take you in the future.
It’s important to have an online presence. Every innovative business is doing interesting things with their allotted internet space. Take the time to really curate your website and get the professionals in – a poor website can spell the end of a business, especially if it’s one that operates exclusively online. Also important is maintaining social media accounts and regularly updating your site. What your business actually does is less important when you’re building an online profile – it’s about keeping it interesting for visitors! Have a look in the Marketing archives here on the blog!