There are few things more stressful than getting a business off the ground. There’ll be a lot of big questions that need answering, so it’s no surprise that many entrepreneurs end up neglecting lesser-known areas of the business in favour of seemingly more important, high- profile decisions. If you’re not careful, though, ignoring these areas could backfire and cause disastrous effects on your business going forward. Here’s three fundamentals new business owners often neglect.
Researching the Market
One of the first things any business owner needs to do is identify their target demographic. You can do this through focus testing different kinds of consumers and seeing whose feedback best aligns with your overall strategy. What many inexperienced entrepreneurs fail to do, however, is also take into account whether or not the location of their business accommodates this kind of demographic. In order to stand out from the crowd, you’ll need to be aggressive early on. You can’t depend on your audience to find you. Try testing out different areas with the use of temporary premises. This will give you a better idea about which areas will produce the greatest results in the long-run.
Laws and Regulations
Each individual industry has its own set of unique laws and restrictions that companies have to abide by. Failing to comply could result in your company’s license to trade being restricted, potentially costing you at the busiest time of the year. You may also develop a bad reputation amongst wholesalers and consumers alike. The first thing you should do is decide which legal structure suits your business. You’ll then need to register for the appropriate tax before you start trading. If you’re planning on employing any additional staff, you’ll need to learn more about your legal responsibilities you have as an employer, including aspects like pay, tax, and insurance requirements.
You Can’t Do It Alone
When people hear about bedroom startups making it big, they often forget to think about all of the employees and business partners that have helped to make them who they are along the way. The media romanticises entrepreneurs like tech visionary Steve Jobs or Richard Branson, founder of multinational conglomerate company Virgin. Without the right logistics partners or third-party support, however, they may never have been able to bring their products to the mass market. A successful business owner needs to realise early on that they can’t do everything on their own. Learn how to delegate responsibility when needed and take the time to research any potential business partner.
