Last Updated: Sep 9, 2018
Wondering how to start a business? This startup guide will help you understand what it takes to start a business and turn your business idea into a profitable small business.
Are you thinking about starting a business? If so, you’re in good company. Each year, hundreds of thousands of people start businesses in the United States, alone.
Like you, they are men and women who dream about becoming their own boss, controlling their own destiny, and possibly making more money in their own business than they can working for someone else.
These business startups are as varied as the people who start them. They’re hair salons, software development companies, retailers, social media consultants, HVAC services, health coaches, and just about every imaginable type of business.
The one thing many of these would-be business owners have in common is that they know what they want to do, but they aren’t sure how to start a business and make it profitable.
There are a myriad of resources out there that provide tips, do’s and don’ts and success stories. But trying to weed out the sales pitches from the practical information is time consuming. That’s why we created this guide for starting a business. We suggest you read this guide first, and when you’re ready to move forward, use our business startup checklist to make sure you complete all the important steps.
The best way to start a business is to break the project down into small steps and complete those steps one by one. The first step is to know whether you’re cut out to run your own business.
Dreaming about starting your own business is easy. Setting up a small business and working at it until it becomes profitable isn’t so easy. It’s going to require time, money, focus, persistence and a whole lot of things no one talks much about. In fact, if you ask experts “what does it take to start a business,” the standard answers you’ll get will usually focus on skills, interests and experience.
While those things are important (they are first on the bulleted list below), your personality, attitude and soft skills are equally as important. Before you start your business be sure you ask yourself and honestly answer all of these questions:
RELATED: Tips for succeeding in your own business
If you aren’t sure what kind of business you want to start, think about your interests and skills, and the types of businesses that may be related to those skills. Use our business ideas section and our list of 300+ businesses to start to help you generate your own ideas.
Once you have a business idea in mind, you need to research the business so you can determine the likelihood that customers will want what you sell and so you know what will be involved in operating the business.
Market research will give you insights into who your customers will be, what they are looking for, and how you’ll need to sell to them.
Figure out who your customers are and where you can find them with this free, fillable Market Research Worksheet.
Industry publications and local resources such as a local office of the Small Business Development Corporation (SBDC) or SCORE can often help you locate much of the research information you need. If you need more specific data than you can find for free, or if you don’t have a lot of time to spend hunting down sources of information, you can purchase a variety of research reports from Bizminer. The company is an excellent source for industry and location-specific financial analysis and market research data, as well as other data helpful for writing business plans. (Note: BusinessKnowHow is an affiliate for Bizminer and will make a small commission if you buy through our links.)
Buying an existing business or a franchise can be advantageous to starting your own business in some cases. If the business you want to buy is doing well and gets repeat business, your initial marketing chores will be easier. Your startup will be less stressful, too, if the existing owner is willing to show you how they run the business. If you plan to buy a well-known franchise, your new business will have immediate name recognition, and the franchise will provide some training.
Despite the apparent advantages, there are still no guarantees of success. In either case you’ll be laying out a lot of money up front and possibly incurring a lot of debt. Thus, before you proceed, look carefully at issues like these:
If you are thinking about buying a franchise, we suggest purchasing The Franchise Buyer’s Manual. The book is written by industry expert Ed Teixeira, and is sold by BusinessKnowHow in the Business Know-How store.
Before you go ahead with the purchase of either an existing business or a franchise we suggest you consult your own accountant and attorney.
To be honest, a lot of one-person startups skip this step or gloss over it. But that’s not a good idea. A business plan forces you to look at all the marketing, operational and financial information you’ve collected, and to lay out specific plans, goals and timetables. Once it’s written, it will serve as a roadmap to keep you on track and help you reach your business goals. That’s why it’s important whether you’re planning a business that will require a lot of money to start, or just want to be a one-person business.
Business plans typical include these elements:
Executive summary Written last, this summarizes the key points in the plan. It’s critical if you are seeking investors. If the summary doesn’t excite potential investors, they won’t read the rest of the plan.
Business description This section describes the nature of your business, the industry it fits into, and the need your business will fill.
Products and services you sell
Sales and marketing information and goals (how big is the market you can reach, why will they buy from you, how will you reach them, what competition you’ll face)
Operational information (location, equipment, employees, management, production, distribution, form of business and other operational details)
Financial details (projected startup costs, financing, projected monthly expenses and profits and break even point)
No matter how big or small a business you’re planning to start, be sure that all of the information and projections are based on facts you’ve researched. If you won’t be seeking investors and won’t be spending a lot of money to start your business, your initial business plan can be fairly short and simple.
If you will be investing a lot of money into your startup or seeking investors, you’ll need to include enough details to support your assumptions and show how the investment will pay off. In either case, business plan software such as LivePlan can make the process of writing your business plan easier. [Note: BusinessKnowHow is an affiliate of Live Plan and Palo Alto software and will make a small commission if you buy through our link.)
RELATED: Where to Find Money to Start a Business
Now you’re ready to deal with the nuts and bolts of launching your new business. The specific tasks you’ll need to complete will depend on the nature of your business. Among them will be naming the business and making sure you have the right to use the name, registering the business with appropriate authorities, choosing a form of business, getting business licenses and certificates, getting a tax ID if you will have to collect sales tax, renting space (if necessary) and getting an accounting system set up. You’ll also want to get a website and social media accounts set up for the business.
The easiest way to keep track of all of these startup tasks is to create a checklist. This startup checklist will help you decide what should be on your own list.
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Starting a business can be overwhelming! Use this free
Business Startup
Checklist to make sure you don’t miss any important steps. This
downloadable Word document lists the steps you need to take to get your business
up and running, and includes space for you to note your own comments and
deadlines. You can get the checklist free when you subscribe to the free
Business Know-How Newsletter.
Now it’s time to let the world know you’re in business and welcome customers. Even if you are opening a shop in a busy downtown area, you can’t expect customers to miraculously show up on your doorstep. You have to start marketing and selling. Do everything you can to build word of mouth. Send out publicity. Create fliers and brochures. Get to network meetings. Tell all your friends. Ask for referrals. Get on social media. Place ads you want to place. If you need more suggestions for finding customers read these articles:
Most businesses don’t become successful overnight. So don’t be discouraged if it takes time to get a steady stream of customers. Keep marketing and talking to potential customers. Ask customers and prospects for feedback (and referrals!) and make adjustment to your business plan if necessary.
© 2018 Attard Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be reproduced, reprinted or redistributed without written permission from Attard Communications, Inc.
About the author:
Janet Attard is the founder of the award-winning Business Know-How small business web site and information resource. Janet is also the author of The Home Office And Small Business Answer Book and of Business Know-How: An Operational Guide For Home-Based and Micro-Sized Businesses with Limited Budgets. Follow Janet on Twitter and on LinkedIn