Organizing Your Start- Up
Organizing Your Start- Up
Professional organizer Sandi Einstein shares some helpful tips for organizing your start-up business.
HAVE A PLAN
Ask yourself the following questions when starting your new venture:
What are my goals with this business?
Make your goals specific, measurable, and realistic. Act on your goals and make them timeable. Commit your goals to paper – in other words, write your goals down. Then tell someone else about your goals.
How important is making money to you? How important is it for you to feel personally fulfilled by this business? Are both goals equally important?
To better understand and sort through these issues, list out all the reasons why you intend to proceed with stating this new venture.
Who is your target audience? Who do you want to sell to? Who do you want to work with?
These questions will help you to start to write your business plan. The business plan will be your guide. As your business evolves, your business plan will change.
SET UP YOUR BUSINESS BEFORE YOU PUT OUT YOUR SHINGLE
Consider the following issues when starting your new venture:
Open a business checking and savings account. Do you need a loan or a line of credit to start your business? If so, how much are you able to afford? Open a business credit card. Use the business credit card only for purchases made for the business.
If you plan to incorporate, hire an attorney. An attorney can write your articles of incorporation, do a name search and register your company name. You will also want to think about trade marks, trade names and service marks. If you are developing products, you will need to find an attorney who is a patent attorney. If you are designing a clothing line, you definitely will need to learn about trade marks and service marks.
Find an accountant to help you with your finances. Your accountant will advise you on running your business legally and efficiently.
Talk to your accountant about a method of invoicing your clients. Do you want to bill your clients / customers or receive payment at the time of service? Or do you want to use merchant services so your clients / customers can pay for your services or products with credit cards.
Create files for tracking your hours and your income. Either use a computer program, such as, Quicken, or use columnar pads to record sales and expenses manually.
You will also want to hire a graphic artist to design your logo, business card, brochure, invoices and promotional materials. If your business warrants a web-site, a graphic artist can help you design and set up the web-site and get the site up and running.
Be professional. Your business card, brochure, web-site, and any materials with your company name on them reflect who you are and what your business is about. Be clear and precise in what your promotional literature conveys.
IS THERE A PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR YOUR LINE OF BUSINESS?
Find out if there are professional associations related to your business. One of the most important things you can do as a business owner is to affiliate yourself with professional associations. You will gain a wealth of knowledge from these organizations, as well as, make connections with other professionals in your field. You also want to build credibility in yourself and what you do.
In addition to professional associations, join networking groups. Networking groups connect you with people outside of your field who may need your services or products. These groups also give you the opportunity to connect with other professionals and learn from their expertise. When you run a solo business, things can become lonely, therefore, it is nice to make connections with other professionals.
SELF-CONFIDENCE
Self-confidence is key to a successful business and a successful business person. Networking can help you gain that self-confidence. At networking groups, you tell people what you do. The more you discuss your business, the easier it becomes to convey and clarify your message.
Practicing what you do can also help you polish your act. Before I started my business, I organized home and business environments for friends and family members. This practice time helped me develop and refine my skills, as well as, gain the confidence needed to organize professionally.
You can also contact the media with press releases. Anytime a story is written about a business, that story gives the business owner and the business credibility. One of my clients refers to me as “a one woman marketing machine.”
I contacted the press to get the word out about my business, a business that was not totally understood when I started. So I had to sell myself and my business to the press in order to let others learn about my business. Remember, you are your best sales person.
KEEP THE BUSINESS SEPARATE FROM YOUR PERSONAL LIFE
If you have a home office, it is sometimes hard to differentiate between personal time and business time. Set clear and definite goals about what hours and what days you will be working. Will you answer the phone twenty-four seven or between nine and five? Do you plan to work seven days a week or four days a week? For example, when I have a consulting appointment set for a Saturday, I take a different day off during the week, usually Friday. Don’t let your business run you. You need to run your business.
If you have clear goals about your time, you will make better choices about how you use your time, both professionally and personally. You cannot replace time. You cannot buy back time. Time is a precious commodity, so use it wisely by making the right choices. Don’t be afraid to say “NO”. Do not over-commit yourself. Successful people are able to say “NO” when “YES” is not an option.
DELEGATE, DELEGATE, DELEGATE
Even though you may be the sole proprietor of your business, it does not mean that you have to do everything. Play upon your strengths to do the things you are good at. Hire others to do the things you are not good at doing or do not like to do. Hire a secretary to do paperwork. Hire a bookkeeper to keep track of your sales, invoices and banking. Hire a professional organizer to help set up your office. Hire a decorator to design your office and order furniture. Delegate responsibilities so you have time to do the things you like to do.
Take care of yourself, get plenty of sleep and stay healthy. Give yourself permission to take a day or afternoon or weekend off just for fun and relaxation.
Sandra M. Einstein is the president of e=mc2 organizing & coaching consultants, inc.
She helps busy individuals organize their time, space, papers, commitments and time.
Her mantra is “efficiency equals managing the chaos & clutter”. Ms. Einstein can be reached at 440.423.1787 or emc2org@aol.com.
