There's no such thing as Overnight Success
- Don’t overestimate what you can do in a year – but don’t underestimate what can be achieved in five years.
- Be resourceful – don’t be afraid to continually ask your friends and family for their opinions and support. Running a business can be lonely and sometimes isolated, so it’s important to establish a support network early on. Also think about joining a networking group to learn about others experiences and share your own.
- When you’re at school or college learning new things you have peers, teachers and books…so apply the same rule when learning about running your own business. Never stop learning; even when your business is doing well, you can always learn from others.
- Learn to be tough and decisive – don’t be put off by negative feedback – stay motivated, and try to surround yourself with inspirational, positive people.
- Don’t convince yourself, at the first sign of success, that you can afford the big desk and large leather chair…park that for a rainy day. You may be in profit in the early stages of your business but consider all the possibilities and risks of spending unnecessary amounts of money.
- Your business plan is your future – constantly update and review it, and always refer to it when planning the future development of your business.
- Make sure you’re proud of what you are doing and enjoy doing it.
- Know when to bail out...
- Modern communication is fantastic and achieves great results, but never forget that you are the personality behind your business – your potential customers will buy from you face to face, and this will help forge long-standing relationships. Working on excellent customer relationships will bring in new customers for many years to come.
Katie Moore
Director Business Startup Community
www.startupcommunity.co.uk
For more useful tips and suggestions, why not visit the Business Link website? www.businesslink.gov.uk/southeast
