Planning to launch a business in 2021?
Kudos for having the courage to make a bold move in a very tricky environment, but if you’re determined, diligent and have a worked-out route to success with realistic goals along the way, fortune should favor the brave.
If you’ve got a little downtime over the festive season, the following five tips for starting a business in 2021 are a stitch in time that might help you avoid a few pitfalls!
1. Research
You’ve probably done so already, but be sure that there’s actually tangible market demand for your business offering and work out where you stand in relation to your nearest competitors.
To help with this, talk to market research experts like M-Brain for advice on everything from industry trends to customer preferences.
2. Network online
Particularly if you’re a B2B business, LinkedIn is a great place to network and over the past couple of years, the content shared on it has become less stuffy and traditionally corporate, and more personable, relatable and (dare we say it!) fun.
If you can network in an authentic, relaxed but authoritative way on the platform, you’ll nurture valuable leads over time.
3. Delegate
Many new entrepreneurs think they have to do everything for themselves, from marketing to personal assistant work and accounts, to property maintenance.
But at least part of the reason you’re leaving a salaried role is probably to spend more time focused on your core skill rather than those pesky admin and bookkeeping tasks you’ve got no time or aptitude for. Whether you want to outsource legal support to Mason Bullock or use Express Writers for your marketing copy, delegate to avoid burnout and costly mistakes!
4. Drop the baggage
We’re talking emotional baggage here, rather than your trusty Samsonite set!
Lots of us start businesses after negative experiences as employees, but our motivation to do things better once it’s our turn to be employers gets warped by lingering thoughts of bitterness and a drive for revenge.
Don’t bring that negative energy with you into a new enterprise — resolve to operate in an ethical way but drop the baggage at the door and start fresh with a positive and hopeful outlook.
5. Differentiate
If you’re entering a competitive marketplace, you’ll need to look and feel different to your competitors — it’s not about style over substance, but rather a matter of caring enough about what you do and the way you do it to find novel ways of expressing that through your branding and customer service.
For starters, a good look at brand archetypes will help you develop a distinctive voice, tone and style, which will in turn inform everything from your copy and messaging to brand logo, colors, and values — find out more in this article from Medium.
These five tips should help your new business survive and thrive in 2021 — best of luck!
