I came across a recent posting from Samantha Kelly of the Irishbizparty and she was looking to put together some valuable tips for starting a small business. Having recently read a few interesting articles and also being a year into my new venture I decided that I would put together a quick blog to try and capture some of the most important things that i have experienced that may help others starting out.

The next big idea, or even a new idea that you think is going to take the world by storm, or maybe its a passion for something that you truly believe will be successful and people will be interested in. For whatever reason you decide to start your own business, you have to be fully committed in seeing its journey from start to finish. With everything in life there are going to be good times and bad times normally for a small business the latter dominates. One of the best articles that I have come across about starting out is linked below;

A MUST READ FOR ALL NEW BUSINESSES

I think it should be the starting point for any new business entrepreneur starting out, it highlights all of the harsh reality checks that starting a new business brings with it and this in my personal experience is something that the majority of people tend to overlook. Obviously if you have got as far as starting up your new business you believe in the idea and you think you have a good shot at making it successful but there are plenty of external factors that can affect the success of your business, whether its financial constraints, disbelief of family members, relationship issues as your new business takes up every last second of your free time. For whatever reason it is,  some people may experience all three some of you may be lucky enough to avoid them all but you must be aware of what lies ahead.

Having attended various networking events and local chamber of commerce events there was a common theme that stood out to me, in situations like these you have a split few seconds where business get the chance to make an impression on you. You will subconsciously make a decision there and then about the business owner, the product and the company and its offering. It is crucially important for new businesses to be prepared for this split few second introduction and  make that impression count. The best way to do this is by having the following question prepared;

What is your business? ( In one sentence)

This seems like a very straightforward question but it one that most businesses struggle with when asked, yes most people will be able to deliver a long winded answer describing everything they do and all of the services / products they offer but making them capture their business in a sentence is where the problem lies. To be able to summarise your whole business in one sentence may seem impossible but it can be the separating factor  between you and all of your competitors when the opportunity arises. I know from a personal point of view having listened to numerous businesses introduce themselves that the businesses that can deliver this one sentence, are the businesses that capture my attention.

-Terry