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The early days of starting a small business can be very exciting… but also a bit daunting. When you’re a beginner trying to get your first entrepreneurial venture off the ground, it can help to have some expert perspective in your corner. Here are some tips and insights from members of the online small business community specifically geared toward beginners and new businesses.
Boost Your Business KnowledgeWith Free Online Courses
Getting a top notch business education doesn’t need to be expensive. In fact, there are plenty of free resources out there to help you get off on the right foot. Susan Solovic lists some helpful business courses which also happen to be free in a recent post.
Move From Business Analyst to Business Architect
Creating a business takes plenty of planning and analyzing. However, at some point you need to start actually building and putting processes into place. In a recent Process Street post, Benjamin Brandall details how you can go from being a business analyst to a business architect.
Know These Name Restrictions Before Registering Your Business
Choosing a name can be one of the most important factors in building your brand early on. Beyond simply picking something that sounds good however, you’ll also need to consider some of the restrictions in place. Nellie Akalp explains some of the issues impacting new businesses in various states in a recent CorpNet post.
Try Customer Journey Mapping
No matter what kind of business you want to start, it’s important you have a firm grasp on your customers’ journeys so you can effectively market to them during every step of the process. In a recent Pixel Productions post, Chris London talks about why customer journey mapping is so important. And BizSugar members also comment.
Learn About Behavioral Triggering Emails
Email marketing is a must for any new business owner. And sending out emails specifically based on a customer’s behavior is a concept making a lot of sense for all different types of businesses. Learn more in a recent Marketing Land post by Jose Cebrian.
Don’t Let the Facebook Algorithm Negatively Impact Your Business
Facebook’s constantly changing algorithm has been the cause of much ire for small business owners in recent years. However, you shouldn’t let such an issue stop you from making the most of the free platform. Here Ramon Ray of Smallbiztechnology.com offers some tips for businesses using Facebook on how to make the most of the recent algorithm change.
Start Automating Your Small Business Processes
If you want to save time when starting your new business, it can help to automate some of your processes. Getting started can seem overwhelming, so here’s a quick guide from Tomi Saikkonen on the Right Mix Marketing blog.
Consider a Company Formation Agent
All of the paperwork and other important items going into getting a business off the ground can seem complicated to a newbie. So a company formation agent can help to walk you through the process, or you can simply try to handle all of it yourself. Ivan Widjaya discusses both options in a recent Biz Epic post.
Find the Best Place to Start Your Small Business
You know the old saying: location, location, location. The city where you choose to start your small business can make a huge difference when it comes to your success. Here, Jonathan Dyer of Dyer News shares some of the best and worst cities for small businesses. And members of the BizSugar community chime in with thoughts too.
Manage Your Social Media Marketing in One Dashboard
As a new business, social media can be one of the most attractive marketing tools, since most of the platforms are free — or have free options. However, managing all of those platforms separately can be a pain. So learn how to manage them in one dashboard in a reccent Social Media Examiner post by Mitt Ray.
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Aira Bongco
Customer journey mapping helps because it allows you to give exactly what your customer needs in a certain part of their journey.