What You Need to Kickstart Your Business

A Guest Post by Lily Harris

You’ve got the idea. You’ve got the business model. You’ve got the funding. You’re finally ready to get your business off the ground, and you want to do it right. You only get one chance to launch your brand, so we’ve put together this quick and easy guide to help you to kickstart your new business and get yourselves off the ground as quickly as possible.

Get your technology in place 

Having your technology in place is essential. Without it, launching a new business can be messy and risk alienating potential customers. Indeed, the expert consultants at Helastel are emphatic about the importance of having ‘a pragmatic, achievable and effective plan that solves your business challenges’ before they arise. For any new business, it’s highly recommended to invest some initial time and money in researching or consulting a specialist about your business’ tech needs, as this will save you time, money and energy later on. It will also ensure that your business gets off to a smooth start, making the experience more enjoyable for you as well as your customers. 

Choose the right bank

New business owners often underestimate the importance of finding the right business bank account. If you fail to shop around and get the best business bank account from the get-go, you may miss out on many benefits which could help you get your business off to the great start it deserves. Business Advice suggest that whilst ‘many of the banks will offer the same core features, there are lots of intricate differences from fees and charges to mobile banking services’; and these need to be considered. Taking some time to research before just jumping to a familiar bank name will help you get your business off on the best financial footing. 

Start Building a Community

Start engaging with your target customers before you launch your business. Don’t wait until you need them. Instead, get to know them in advance; ensuring that you are up to date with what they want and that they know you will be able to offer them what they want. With the popularity of online forums still growing exponentially, social media platforms provide an invaluable opportunity for you to engage with your future consumers. We suggest you begin curating your community by setting your business up with a social media profile and adding frequent soft sell content which focuses on highlighting the lifestyle you want associated with your product or service. This will mean that, by the time you’re ready to launch, you have already got a following of people who have bought into the idea of your brand. 

Go through thorough testing

By ensuring that you have thoroughly tested your product or service before you open your business to the wider public, you will be able to iron out any issues with greater ease. The small business forum Byte Start advises new business owners to ‘think of it as your chance to jump into a flight simulator before you try to fly a jumbo jet, a dress rehearsal for a big new play, or the small scale model of a building you might be thinking of creating.’ As implied, it’s far easier to make changes before you have officially launched your business, Testing will also help you to make contact with other potential consumer markets and can give you some confidence-boosting reviews from real users while the stakes are still low.

Launch your business with an event

Launch events are a great way to kickstart your business. Not only will it show your financial backers that you are off to a great start and show your appreciation to your friends and family (whose support and good-will you are still likely to need); it will also provide the perfect opportunity to consolidate your brand image and gain that much-needed early exposure. For this reason, make sure to invite the press and influencers who inspire your target audience. However, you must remember not to just plan an event that you would like to go to. On their blog, Eventbrite has suggested that you start by asking yourself: ‘What kind of event would your target audience attend and enjoy?’ If you plan the entertainment, food, and location with your target demographic in mind, your event will be worth every penny.