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Oct 13 2016

Business Startup 101: 10 Steps to Startup Success

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Starting a business can be a daunting process for some.  These steps will help you take make your idea a reality. All you need is an idea and motivation.  Now dive in!

  • Review your business idea and see what problem it solves. You want to ensure that it is a business that is not saturated in your market.  If there are an abundance of businesses of your type, you need to address how you will market your business so that it stands out from others in your business plan.  That brings us to our next step – the Business Plan.
  • Make a Business Plan: I usually get a lot of flack for this because a lot of potential entrepreneurs do not see the value in preparing a business plan.  Your business plan doesn’t have to be 20 pages long, a simple 2 page plan can be just as effective.  You essentially need to have your business goal, marketing plan, and your financial plan in order and the rest will come into play.
  • Register your business:
    • Determine your business type. This is a good place to consult with your accountant or your tax advisor.  They can help you determine with pros and cons for each business type and how it will affect you and your finances.
  • Business Name: your business name is VERY important. The worst thing to me is having a business that does not tell your potential clients anything about your business.  Don’t get me wrong, if you have a very large marketing budget and you have a plan type that solves a huge industry problem, people will get to know who you are.  Choose a name that will help your business propel
  • Logo: Not essential, but it does help with your branding
  • Online presence: ensure that your name or handle is available on all platforms. Try to understand the importance of online presence, Google ranking and SEO.
    • Website Domain
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
  • Licenses and Permits: If this applies
  • Set your launch date and start planning getting the buzz going
  • Find partners who have similar target audiences and develop strategies that can benefit both your business’
  • Business Development Plan: most small businesses forget this stage.  Having a successful business requires constant development.  As a business owner, you must figure out ways that can keep your business relevant.  A part of your development should involve polling your audience to see what their needs are and figuring out how to satisfy those needs.

Have start-up questions?  As us.

Dwania is the Founder and Executive Director of Canadian Small Business Women Contact Canadian Small Business Women:

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Written by Dwania Peele · Categorized: Canadian Small Business Women · Tagged: 10 steps to startup success, business development, business name, business plan, business startup, Canadian Small Business Women, Dwania Peele, Facebook, Instagram, license, Linkedin, logo, permits, Pinterest, Problem Solving, register, success, Twitter

Jan 13 2015

‘Journaling’ to Entrepreneurial Success

Tamara 14 (1)

One of the ways I approach finding effective strategies for building my business has come from very targeted research. This research involves looking to those who are farther along the entrepreneurial journey than me, then identifying what they define as contributing to their success.

One standout trend across industries was the use of journaling, in many different capacities. ‘Journaling’ is a term used (in this article) to define an individual who is taking time in their day as a part of a regular routine to physically write/record personal information, ideas, experiences and reflections.

You may have heard recent studies of science backing up the benefits of putting ‘pen to paper’ (ie: Mueller and Oppenheimer’s research found individuals had increased ‘conceptual understanding’ and consequent success in applying it to their work). Or you may have a personal practice of journaling for creative expression but not thought of it as a business tool. Even if you haven’t had any experience with journaling at all, I wanted to bring to you some of the methods (and benefits) that research has shown can contribute to success in business, so you can create a system that will work for you.

 

  1. Problem solving

Using journaling is actually a way to see solutions that may otherwise not have been seen, as ‘Fast Company’ (online) reveals. This process can include: asking questions, brainstorming solutions or writing from different perspectives. All of which can provide an alternative way to process complex information, beyond typing.

 

  1. Evaluation

Once you have written on a regular basis, it gives you an opportunity to review what has been written and find patterns and changes in momentum across a defined period of time. Using this type of reflection after the journaling has occurred was key in Julia Galef’s (President of the Center for Applied Rationality) work with her clients. She uses this strategy (along with her signature system) to help others change long-standing (often not helpful) opinions about themselves to create new patterns of behavior after this type of process.

 

  1. Focus

One downfall to using technology (widely known) is the abundance of distraction. Quick processing and easily found information make it easy to change activities with a click of a button. Using pen and paper gives you the opportunity to literally only have ‘one thing open’, no need to resist clicking on a new tab. Once your journaling is done, it is encouraged that you then simply ‘put it away’ and not disrupt the rest of your work that is not related.

 

  1. Productivity

A recent Harvard Business School study actually found that using ‘journaling’ (by reflecting at the end of the day) could increase productivity by up to 25%. This is based on the participants in the study being able to ‘visualize’ what is important and therefore make more progress towards a particular goal.

 

I can appreciate that all of these strategies (and subsequent benefits) can be integrated into your workday; no matter what business you are building. We live in a very abundant time in our lives, because technology is advancing and becoming very accessible to all. The great thing is, so is paper. By using journaling strategies in conjunction with digital tools you have an opportunity to create a system that can produce the results you want in your growing business.

 

Tamara is the owner and designer at ‘Your Pretty Pages’ where she provides templates, planners, guides and resources for creative entrepreneurs to get and stay organized. To support your successful planning, Tamara has just released the ‘Entrepreneur’s Journal’ which you can find here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/YourPrettyPages

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Written by Dwania Peele · Categorized: Tamara · Tagged: business development, Business Woman, Canadian Small Business Women, Center for Applied Rationality, entrepreneur, Entrepreneur's Journal, Evaluation, Fast Company, focus, Harvard Business School, Insights, Journal, Journaling, Julia Galef, opportunity, Problem Solving, processing, research, routine, Scientific Study, small business owner, small business owners, strategy, success, Tamara, targeted research, Your Pretty Pages

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