Starting Your Own Business: How To

At Bentley, there’s an undeniable entrepreneurial spirit at Bentley University. Starting your own business can be one of the most challenging and rewarding endeavors that someone can engage in, but it’s important to consider a few different aspects. Here are five elements to consider when you think about starting your business:

  1. Your Business Idea
    1. Make sure you thoroughly understand not only your business idea and business need but also the industry you are entering. By figuring out what your competition looks like and truly researching the market, you will be in a much better place as an entrepreneur.
  2. Mission and Goals
    1. Consumers often support a message that companies send and both short-term and long-term goals are crucial for a business to succeed. For continuity, and because so many new businesses fail, it is important to have a message that employees know and agree with.
  3. Performance Metrics
    1. How will you track performance and success? Are there any KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) that you will put into action right away? These are important to make sure your business continuously improves and that you are tracking how far you’ve gotten with your goals. 
  4. Financial Performance
    1. Think about how you will fund your business but also your future strategies regarding business profits and reinvestment. Is your business within an industry where investment in research and development is crucial? Thinking about who will be making decisions regarding funds is also a huge consideration. 
  5. Marketing
    1. You want people to know about the goods or services you’re providing. The absolute best way to get the word out about you is through some kind of marketing plan. Whether you want to pay for advertisements or gain a following through other measures, it’s good to know what your marketing objectives are.

To read about how to start your own business in eight clear steps, read this article. To gain a little more information, here is another article with both similar and new ideas.

 

By Alina Minkova
Alina Minkova Creative Blog Curator