If there was a golden entrepreneurial template, everyone would be lining up for a share of the profits. Unfortunately, in today’s economic climate, there are no guarantees that what works for one entrepreneur will work for another. Two similar ideas may result in the clumsy business startup succeeding over the carefully crafted business plan, for no apparent reason other than one business opened at the right time. A budding entrepreneur may be facing some of their worst difficulties over the conflicting advice they’re receiving.
The best business plan begins with research. The new business owner will learn from authoritative sources, including books, journals, blogs, and successful entrepreneurs in a similar field. However, over time you may realize that common advice may be the worst thing for your startup launch. You’ll receive many tips during your new business launch, but not all of them will work for you. Be wary of one size fits all advice, particularly from the well-seasoned millionaires who have forgotten what it’s really like implementing startup tactics in today’s competitive market.
Delegate, while strategizing.
One of the main problems with the “delegate first” school-of-thought is that it doesn’t take into account that most new businesses today are lean startups, and there are few funds in the budget to include personnel. There’s nothing wrong with getting your hands dirty, after all it worked for Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. The only person who understands your vision is you, not a CEO for a big box company.
Content marketing will pay off in the end.
Unfortunately, you could hire a celebrity writer to produce the best content for your website, but that’s not what’s going to attract customers to your door. Most new businesses work by word-by-mouth. You’ll get new business when your happy clients recommend you to their needy friends. Great content can attract the attention of your customer base, but don’t forget to focus on your great products or services first.
Buy a time travel machine.
Being everywhere, particularly when you’ve just launched your business is going to be both costly, and time-consuming. Focus on one particular region and find out where your customers are coming from. From there, decide whether it’s profitable to focus on a new target market, or to attract local customers.
Become a salesman.
Most entrepreneurs are not good with salesmanship, nor is it required to have a successful enterprise. Steve Wozniak preferred to stay behind the scenes, while Jobs went out to do the selling. If your products have value for your target market, they’ll sell themselves. Most customers are turned off by harsh elevator pitches anyway. The soft sell is what works today, and as you build trust for your potential client base, you’ll discover that you don’t really need to close the deal, so to speak.
If you need help planning effective marketing strategies tailored to your new business startup, please contact Direct West Media Group.
