When you are an entrepreneur, it doesn’t matter if you are a baby boomer, a millennial or even a generation X. We all share that one common trait, we hate working for someone else. So, we work insane hours (that make our friends look at us in awe) to get a side business off the ground.
The big problem?
Despite global markets being in a fluid state of motion, consumer budgets are growing tighter.
Even worse?
Trust has never been harder to earn from a business perspective.
So, there you have it. If you are not seeing the results you were hoping for from your business –
it’s probably because you need to start thinking outside the box.
Which is exactly what I want to help you with in this article. We include three tips to help you start off the right way straight from the word go.
Step One | The Most Important Step – Know Your Business
Here is a prime example, back in 2016 a young entrepreneur started a fitness blog. It all started on Instagram, and grew from there. But over time, the lack of vision, and the failure to launch a brand-image irreparably hurt the business.
This step may be common knowledge, but we cannot emphasize how important it is to know your business.
When you are working a full-time job, and trying to launch a business on the side – you will get distracted. You will lose focus.
Which is why the first thing you want to do is define your business. Ask yourself what is your vision? Where do you want the business to be in 5-years?
But the most important aspect of your written plan should be what problem do you solve for customers? What makes you unique over competitors, and why are potential customers interested in that?
Here is a guide to writing a simple business plan for complete beginners.
Don’t Be Afraid To Think Outside The Box – Being Different Is A Good Thing
Here is a scary fact, over 543,000 businesses are started up MONTHLY in America. That’s right people just like you, looking to escape their mundane office jobs.
But it gets worse.
More than half of these businesses fail – every month.
Now there are tons of reasons why. From a lack of work ethic, right down to an unclear vision for the business. But another reason why businesses fail more than they succeed is because they forget in the business world – you want to stick out like a sore thumb.
You want to offer a unique angle to a service or product that your competitors are offering.
Whether it be through unique, high-quality social media content. Informative blog posts and podcasts, cut-edge discounts and specials… or if you really want to be unique, why not revolutionize your marketing campaign; personalize with customers and build trust by creating your own cards.
There are so many ways that you can differentiate yourself – it is important to take the time and put some thought into it. You’re trying to be better than the other businesses out there. Don’t think you can’t come up with the next big thing. Put some real thought into it and you’ll be surprised with the results.
Failure Is The Skipping Stone To Success
The biggest mistake you can make is to harbour jealousy when it comes to entrepreneurs who have made it in life.
“We all reap the seeds that we sow”
What you may forget is these individuals in the nice cars, with the dough to show off. The businesses that are considered pioneers in the industry; there is nothing different behind their business and yours.
These were not overnight success stories. You need to be prepared to fail. Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, even Gary Vaynerchuk all hit their own stumbling blocks, and look where they are now.
Whether it’s as simple as a bad review from a new client, or a huge milestone falls for the roof – stay strong, and keep working. You will make it as long as you never lose sight of the end goal.
Here are some great tips to help you cope with business failure.
Make Sure You Maximize Your Productivity Daily
We all have those days. Where we think we are working hard. We seem to be super busy. But at the end of the day, we look back and think, “How did I waste so much time today.”
The problem is.
When you are trying to work 2-jobs at once, well… wasting time is not something you can afford. We all have the same minutes, hours, and seconds in a day – it’s a simple matter of how you invest them.
A great tip is to make use of organization tools, I personally love Trello, it keeps me on my game at all times.
If you really want to maximize your after-hour work productivity to exponentially grow your business, make use of a sweet little time productivity trick known as Pomodoro. Which essentially involves removing distractions for 25-minutes at a time, and focusing solely on work.
These tips will help you excel at your job. Keep these in mind – and think of new strategies to help you along the way. Your ideas will really help you and you’ll be thankful in the long run.
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Author Bio:
Susan Ranford is an expert on career coaching, business advice, and workplace rights. She has written for New York Jobs, IAmWire, and ZipJob. In her blogging and writing, she seeks to shed light on issues related to employment, business, and finance to help others understand different industries and find the right job fit for them.
