It’s a great time to start up your business!
We’ve just come out of a pandemic, most of the world is dealing with inflation, soon to be a recession, and there’s a war in Eastern Europe.
The supply chain continues to be compromised, the “great resignation” is beginning anew, and the tech industry is slimming down. As a result, everyone is hedging their bets against an uncertain future.
A recent Business Insider article says that the number of business startups continues to grow, with more than 1.26 million new applications filed during the first three months of 2022.
And then there is the “hustle culture”—people sticking with their full-time day jobs while joining the gig economy.
It’s a chaotic time, and the economic future is uncertain, but there are opportunities. And you can grab one.
So, what’s holding you back? Money?
It helps to have a financial cushion before launching. Still, there are ways to startup your business with little money and without going broke.
Here are five tips to help you start your business without breaking the bank.
1. Keep Your Tax Obligation As Low As Possible
Before launching your business, consult with a qualified tax accountant or attorney to understand the ramifications of taxes on the type of company you set up. Unfortunately, many entrepreneurs skip this critical step because the paperwork involved in opening a business is easy to navigate.
Sole proprietorships, S corporations, limited liability companies, and partnerships come with different tax obligations.
Select a tax year that works in your favor. Be sure you understand what business taxes you’ll need to pay depending on your legal structure: estimated taxes, employment taxes, self-employment taxes, and municipal taxes.
Structure your company to the extent possible so that you have more money in your cash flow and less going to the IRS.
A healthy cash flow is the difference between success and failure.
According to data, poor cash flow is one of the leading causes of startup failures. Minimizing your tax obligations will go a long way toward helping you maintain a healthy cash flow.
2. Start Up Your Business In A Niche That Doesn’t Require A Large Space Or Production Equipment
If you launch your business in the service industry, you’ll save money on overhead. But there are other startup verticals that require minimal infrastructure to get off the ground. Whatever you can save on overhead goes into building a healthy cash flow.
By maintaining low overhead, you can stockpile revenues to help you scale up when the time is right.
Here are some of the hottest startup niches today, all of which you can launch with minimal operating expenses:
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- coding
- app development
- translation services
- digital/social media marketing
- coaching/consulting
- online dating consultant
- personal trainer
- graphic designer
- content writer
- copywriter
- web designer
- videographer/photographer
- accounting
- property manager
- voiceover artist
- data entry clerk
- social media management
As you can see, the list is almost endless. However, if you’re not ready to jump in with both feet, you can quickly start up your business in one of these niches while you continue working full-time.
3. Research The Market
Let’s face it; there is little originality today. So unless you’re creating code or building apps, chances are that your product or service is already on the market.
So, if you’re going to duplicate something already out there, be sure you have a convincing argument of why your product or service is better.
Differentiating yourself is the only way to compete in the marketplace. Once your target audience knows what makes you unique from the others, you’ll build a loyal base of repeat customers and referrals.
Word-of-mouth marketing is still the secret to success.
Check out the competition
- What are they doing, how are they doing it, and who are they targeting?
- What is lacking in the industry?
- What can you do that the competition can’t?
If you’re starting something new, why does the world need it?
Define your target customers
Identifying and understanding your target audience is essential to business success. For example, you have a great business idea or a new product—who will buy it? Who needs your service? Is there a market for your product or service? Who do you want to do business with?
The answers to these questions will drive your marketing strategies, including even the most traditional advertising campaigns.
If you have a good business idea and have done your research, you’ll succeed even if you don’t have a lot of money in the bank. You’ll attract investors, build up your working capital, and before long, your startup will be ready to go global.
4. Be Prepared For Setbacks
It can take time to build a client base. If you’re developing a product, there might be manufacturing delays, bugs in the system, disputes with suppliers, delivery problems, etc. You need enough cash to get you through these bumpy periods. Be flexible and let each setback serve as a guide to help your business grow and succeed.
5. Do Your Own Marketing And Focus On The Essentials
Website
You’ll need a website when you start up your business. But, when you don’t have much money, it’s essential to focus on your priorities—selling your product or service. It’s not necessary to hire a web admin or expend limited resources for website design and hosting.
Platforms like WordPress offer thousands of website themes that you can quickly adapt to your business model. A small investment in the domain name and SEO apps is all you need to get started.
However, once you’re off the ground, you’ll want to invest more time and resources into developing your website. You still want a website even if you sell products or services through social selling.
Your website is digital real estate. It’s the one place where all your customers and future customers come to learn about your company’s mission, objectives, and what you offer.
Your website establishes you as a legitimate business and as a player in your niche.
In the future, your website will host informative articles that help to establish your authority in your niche. And, when you’re ready to build a brand community, your website is the perfect home.
Social Media
There are many social media channels, and when you first start up your business, you can’t be on all of them. However, once you’ve defined your product or service, researched the competition, and determined your target audience, you’ll be better able to narrow down the choices.
If your customers are other businesses, you’ll want to prioritize LinkedIn. However, LinkedIn marketing is not only for B2B startups.
No matter your niche, you should open a Facebook company page and interact with relevant groups on the platform.
Depending on your business niche and target audience, you might want to invest in another social media platform, such as Instagram or TikTok.
Bottom Line
You can successfully start up your business without going broke by concentrating on the essentials and minimizing overhead.
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- Take advantage of tax breaks.
- Minimize debt and keep a healthy cash flow.
- Focus on delivering an excellent product or service.
- Build brand loyalty.
Once you have a healthy cash flow, you can scale up and add components to take you to the next level.
**Let us know what business you’re starting this year. Or, if you’ve launched, let us know how it’s going. And don’t forget to sign up for the blog. You’ll be among the first to know when a new article is published.