There are a millions of start-ups each year that do not go anywhere that is why the first year is really very crucial.
What should you expect on the first year of your small business? What problems are you going to encounter?
Most important of all, what can you do to ensure success?
Here are some small business tips every entrepreneur must do on the first year:
Table of Contents
PREPARE TO GET A LOT OF “No’s”
If you’re not ready to receive 100 consecutive Nos, then you’re not ready to have a business.
Hundreds of people will throw away your lovely brochure, hundreds of people will not give you a call back, hundreds of people will unfollow you.
Learn to live with it! Instead of getting upset, use these Nos to motivate you into getting thousands of Yeses.
KEEP LEARNING…WITHOUT SPENDING!
There are so many free seminars and conferences.
There are also so many free resources online that you don’t have to spend a single cent to learn. But the best way to learn is when you
LEARN FROM A MENTOR
Ask advice from someone who’s successful.
The rules of business is pretty much the same but make sure he knows a lot about your endeavor. Make sure you pay his dinner, as well (and make it an expensive one).
If you make him/her feel cherished, he/she will be more willing to help you. Leave the entitlement attitude at home. Lastly, you should address the question: what’s in it for them.
Sure they’d say they just want to help, but that’s not how the world works…especially for businessmen.
WORK HARD
Your small business should consume you.
If it’s taking 12-14 hours of your day, then that’s definitely a good sign. Expect to have all-nighters 365 days if you’re planning to turn your start-up or small business into a success.
Of course, that’s an exaggeration but you get what I mean.
BUT WORK SMART
If you can’t handle the hard work mentioned above, hire someone to help you. Look for shortcuts in doing things.
There are so many tools that can help you achieve this. But more than the tools, you should THINK how you can achieve the same outcome without sweating so hard.
MARKET ONLINE
You can’t have a business nowadays without having any online presence.
At the very least, create a really catchy website and a Facebook Page.
Here are some tips on online marketing that everyone must read.
BUT IF YOU’RE TARGETING LOCAL, MARKET OFFLINE
You might think that online marketing is enough, but offline marketing is still very powerful.
If you have a local coffee shop, give away coupons, flyers, free coffee. Or hand out some awesome brochures (they don’t cost much but have good returns!). Be creative!
There are a hundred more tips but these will do for your first year. The rest, you can learn as you go. Good luck!
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James Hill is a veteran of the music industry. He first worked at Warner Reprise Records then later joined Interscope/ Geffen Records where he managed producers and songwriters and got his first platinum record for Keyshia Cole’s The Way It Is. He is now helping indie artists with branding and manufacturing through his company Unified Manufacturing, a CD/DVD, custom vinyl records and merch company in LA.
