Launching a business is an extremely exciting time. All of the hard work you’ve been putting in is finally about to come into fruition and before long, you’ll begin reaping the benefits. But are you really ready to launch your business?
Hopefully, the answer to this question is yes. However, it might actually be a no. So many businesses launch without following certain procedures to make sure that they not only succeed, but so that they are also operating legally.
Not only that, but if you launch too quickly and don’t have the right support in place to carry your business, you might find it difficult to keep up with supply and demand. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some things to double check before launching so that you can avoid any costly mistakes.
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Are you registered?
One of the first things you need to do as a new business owner is make sure you’re registered. And, believe it or not, this step is often overlooked to begin with. When you’re starting a business, you need to register yourself. How you go about that will depend on where you operate from.
Registering yourself also lets people know that you’re a legitimate business and immediately shows that you’re trustworthy. You might even want to consider trademarking yourself to let competitors know you’re in business. It might seem strange so early on in the process, but if you’ve got a great idea that isn’t trademarked, there’s nothing preventing anyone from copying it.
Not only that, if you fail to register yourself as a business and begin trading, you could get in a lot of trouble with your government due to tax implications. So, your best bet is to get yourself registered now rather than later to avoid any bumps in the road.
Do you have logistics planned realistically?
Logistics play a huge part in a lot of businesses, and it’s important that you think this step through now. While you might only expect to shift a small amount as your first open, you might be surprised. When this happens, you could be left with a lack of stock, a lack of team members to deal with that demand, and a whole lot of unhappy customers.
Your best bet is to look into supply chain management early on in the process because you may very well need it. Sure, you might plan on starting with a handful of people on your shop floor and a few in the warehouse, but what happens if you have a flying start? It’s not just warehouse management you need to think of either; you need to keep in mind the demand for goods being delivered or even returns and how you’re going to handle that.
While things may start off slower, it’s important to have this side of things planned and ready so that if you need to jump into action, you can prevent any loss of sales or unhappy customers.
What marketing have you done?
You might not have launched yet, but you should have done some sort of marketing by now. Even if you can’t justify spending lots of money on marketing campaigns, it doesn’t mean you should sit there and wait for the launch of your business.
By now you should at least have active social media accounts. Spend some time posting each day about the upcoming launch of your business. This is the perfect chance to taste behind-the-scenes content of your launch as well as products people can expect and more.
If you really wanted to create a hype, consider launching a giveaway on your channels. Ask people to share, like and comment for a chance to be entered into the competition. You’ll be surprised how far something as simple as this can take you! Not only does it build up hype, but for the price of one product, you’ll have people queueing up on the day of your big launch to see what all of the fuss is about.
Do you have a solid team?
A business can only run as well as the team behind it, so now more than ever is the best time to look at who you’ve got representing your business. Even if your team doesn’t necessarily require any special skills, why not spend some time together as a team before you open?
This will allow you to bond as a team while also learning each other’s strengths and weaknesses. You can spend some time working out how you’re going to work together to make this launch as amazing as you’d always hoped it would be.
You can also incentivise your team by offering a small prize for those that collect the most email addresses or sell the most produce. Either way, getting your team excited about your business will certainly help things go off without a hitch.
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Have you considered a soft launch?
The big launch of your new business might feel a little daunting, so why not consider a soft launch? Open for a limited amount of hours and see how things go! You could always post on social media about your soft launch to help drive more people to see what you’re about.
This will help you get the feelers out there, and after you can then regroup and make any changes if needed ready for your grand opening!
Is everything looking ship shaped?
Finally, there will have been a million and one things on your to-do list lately. Step back for a moment and take a breath. How does everything look? Does it look how you’ve always imagined it? Are there any changes you could make now to make the best first impression on your customers?
If you’re struggling to see any problems, take the journey as the customer and have your team members do it too. Small changes like carrier bag placement might come into play and before you know it, you’ll be ready for the launch of your business!
