1. Find what you like to do
Do not start a business if you do not believe that it is your passion and what you love.
Mark Cuban, CEO of HDNet and HDTV cable network.
If you decide to start a business just for the money - stop. The prospect of wealth that is waiting for you over the horizon, will maintain the enthusiasm, but not for long. The business can not do without force majeure and hardship, besides the first time a new business will be unprofitable. The mere desire to earn long will you encourage.
To deal was successful, turn it into their passion. Understand what to do, help the answers to three questions:
- What do you like?
- Is this love around?
- Are people pay money for it?
Remember that the business does not have to be something innovative. Do not be afraid to open a coffee shop or tire Only due to the fact that someone else has already done it before you. Main add your business is something of themselves and deal with them with love.
2. Surround yourself with good people
If you build a company, you need to gather around him a great people.
Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX and Tesla.
It does not matter what is the essence of your business and what views on the conduct of business do you practice - you will in any case need a team. Control and do everything yourself you just do not turn out: will not have enough time and effort.
So things went well, gather around him the coolest professionals who share your views. Find like-minded people can be, for example, seminars, trainings or forums for young entrepreneurs. Choose people as assistants, not only for personal but also professional skills. Business - work, and thus friendship is relegated to the background.
Remember that your colleagues and partners - not just performers, but a team that is working on a common goal. So treat them with respect.
And do not forget to follow the team: even the great professionals can be lazy, to score a job or be late. put tasks in special applications, such as the "Beeline Tracker", and monitor their implementation. Set the working time accounting program and ask the employees to celebrate when they start to work and how many go home.
Read control officers
3. Remember to budget
Understand how to build their business with a small budget. Then reduce the budget even twice
Seth Goldman, President and CEO of Honest Tea.
Money - the foundation of your business. Dispose carefully seed capital. Make a financial plan in which you will enter the necessary expenditure and budget for the month.
Compare expenses and income: most likely, the first time the cost figure is high. Do not worry, this is normal for business: to start to make a profit or at least break even, you need to wait a couple of months, six months or even a year. The time depends on many factors, for example, on the volume of production and staff.
Therefore, before the start of the business obzavedites cash reserves, which should be enough for at least the first 2-3 months.
To finance plan does not become a multimillion-dollar amount, save. Save money can be on several points:
- Get used furniture and equipment. Buying items to the office with it, spend twice as less money.
- Work from home. While this is possible, keep things remotely and rental. Remove the room when build up a customer base.
- Use the online bookkeeping services. Take an accountant in the state with the first months of costly and monitor yourself for the budget - it is difficult.
Read about the benefits for small and medium-sized businesses
4. Do not hurry
Business - not a sprint, but a marathon.
Seth Goldman, President and CEO of Honest Tea.
Crowds of customers and mountains of gold does not come instantly. To be successful, take your time and proceed according to plan. Business plan. In it must present these items:
- General view of the business. What are your goals? What you need to conduct business? Does the office need? What are possible pitfalls?
- Products and service. There shall describe what you are going to sell to its customers not only the product or service name, but also a brief description.
- Price. To determine the cost of your products or services: find out the average price in the market and make sure that customers are willing to pay a fixed amount.
- Advertising. Select a site for placement and the budget that you are willing to spend on promotion. Do not seek to cover all advertising channels at once: it may be misspend.
- competitor analysis. We need to understand what your edge is, and what to bet in the development and promotion.
- Finance. Always make sure the budget balance.
5. Do not be afraid to take risks and make mistakes
To play on a grand scale, sometimes you have to take risks in a large way.
Bill Gates, one of the founders of Microsoft.
Many successful entrepreneurs have created their own multi-million and billion-dollar empire precisely because of the risk. Perhaps the coolest example here Jeff Bezos - the richest man in the world.
In 1994, when he was 30, he quit his job and opened the Amazon. First it was an online store with books, and now a huge marketpleys. Explaining his decision, Bezos said,Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and brother Mark give a rare interview about growing up and secrets to success"I just presented itself in 80 years. I would not want to be an old man, sorry for their missed opportunities. "
But the risk is, of course, should be reasonable. Always leave space to retreat and replenish your air bag as possible. Leave high positions in international corporations with a great salary for the sake of running your own business - risky, but you can always go back to hiring. It is quite another thing - to sell their only property in the name of the first installment of the purchase even the most unique product.
6. Do not spend a lifetime at work
Nobody else on his deathbed not regret that so little time spent in the office.
Richard Branson, the founder of the corporation Virgin Group.
Business should not take all your time and thoughts. So you can quickly burn out and lose touch with friends and family. Unload help:
- Schedule. Take the time to solve business issues and hours of privacy and rest.
- delegation of tasks. Cope with everything you are unlikely to succeed, so do not be afraid to delegate some of the questions the team.
Read about delegating tasks
7. Be prepared to compromise
Your most unhappy customers - your best source of knowledge.
Bill Gates, one of the founders of Microsoft.
Self-evident truth, which is dangerous to forget: without customers you have no business. Therefore, your main task is first to attract them, and then store loyalty. And remember, keep customers cheaperCustomer Acquisition Vs. Retention Costs - Statistics And TrendsThan to find a new one. Do not go in the wake of the popular misconceptions about the fact that if one client that is not liked, it can be neglected, because come another, and a third.
But, of course, all their borders. Every business has a brand and untouchable foundations - vision, mission and values. It is better not to change ever. Exceptions are made only in the event that the case is not glued. Perhaps the problem is in these bases.
8. Never give up
I never give up. And give up, only if I was dead or completely incapacitated.
Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX and Tesla.
Mistakes and failures are completely deprive the desire to continue working. But do not hurry. Failures are absolutely everyone. They have not spared even those whom we now believe is incredibly steep and successful.
For example, the master of horror Stephen King publishedCelebs who went from failures to success stories his debut novel "Carrie" with only 31-th time, having been refused by 30 publishers. Great animator Walt Disney, "asked" the first work due to a lack of creativity. And Harland Sanders - founder of KFC - was dismissed with 12 works and began selling their fried chicken only 62 years old, and in 65 years brokeColonel Harland Sanders Biography. But still I did not give up, and eventually 600 cafés have been opened in the United States, where they served chicken in his original recipe.
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