Opening a business can feel intimidating but this guide gets you started right away!
NEW SERIES: Guest blogs!
New in Pauliina With 2 “I”s: We invite entrepreneurs and industry experts to share their best tips and tricks through a series of guest blog posts. In the first part of the series, Amy Collett shares her quick and proven strategies to open a home office in only a weekend.
Opening a business can feel intimidating, but in today’s connected world, there’s no reason to delay getting started. With low overhead costs and plenty of opportunities for growth, a home-based business is the way to go for countless entrepreneurs.
For those starting from the beginning, these tips will help you launch your home-based business in no more than a weekend.
Let’s get started!
Outline a Business Plan
Sketching out your business idea is the first step to launching a business ASAP. You likely have an excellent idea for your venture already but putting it on paper can help make it a reality.
This simple downloadable template outlines all the necessary details: your products and services, marketing and operational plans, organizational structure and necessary startup expenses.
Stay Motivated and Moving
Staying motivated and productive in a home office is not always easy. So, your first at-home task is to designate a quiet work area from which you can run your company.
Create a workspace with comfortable, high-quality furniture, and make sure your tech can handle the tasks you need to complete. Finally, set boundaries for personal versus work responsibilities to ensure the tranquility you need to truly focus.
Knock Out a Website
A website is an absolutely critical part of your new venture. The sooner you have a website to work with, you’ll feel more official – and you can begin to navigate the best method of attracting customers. If your big idea involves eCommerce, setting up a storefront will be your first step. For companies selling a product, consider these quick (and well-known) options for creating a website and store in one:
For service-based entrepreneurs, you can choose from a variety of site-building products to get your webpage up and running. Finding the perfect fit will depend on the type of service you’re offering, what your budget is, and how tech-savvy you are.
Even if it isn’t perfect just yet, having an online home is the first step toward getting your product or service in front of customers.
Read More: Why your website should be the homebase for your business?
Get Social (and Branded)
Since you’ll be managing your business online, connecting social media accounts to your brand is an essential step. After all, you can promote your product or service on social platforms, run paid ads to your target audience, and invite customer engagement. The key is to not overdo it.
In fact, selecting a couple of social media sites that complement one another can help you build up a recognizable brand (and an engaged following). Think about your ideal consumer and where they’re most likely to ‘hang out’ to zero in on the perfect platform.
For example, 32.5 percent of users on TikTok are aged 10 to 19, notes Statista. In contrast, 30.9 percent of Twitter users are between 25 and 34. Depending on your target audience’s age, gender, shopping habits, location, and other traits, you can develop a profile to center your social media marketing efforts around.
Read More: How to choose the perfect social media channels for your business
Start Advertising to Secure Clients
Advertising will be the bulk of your work in your company’s early days. Marketing your services or products involves knowing who your target audience is and putting yourself squarely in their view. Fortunately, advertising comes cheap these days, especially in terms of digital marketing. Still, a solid strategy – and a product or service that solves consumer problems – is vital. Once you connect with willing customers, you’re off and running.
How about content?
No matter what type of business you launch, connecting with your audience will be a crucial step in making a profit. But how to create content that is meaningful and valuable to your audience?
Check out these 10 content ideas that work on every channel:
Amy Collett is creator of Biz Well, a website that helps professionals and entrepreneurs build and strengthen their personal brand. When she isn’t helping clients boost their careers or businesses, she enjoys coaching her daughter’s soccer team and training to become a yoga instructor.
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