A rewarding career can seem out of reach when you're a parent, let alone a parent whose disability impacts your work. Starting your own business might be an appealing way to support your family while following your passion. These tips shared by Swaggypost.com will start you on the path toward business ownership in simple steps.
Pen a Business Plan
A business plan is like your small business roadmap — and it might be hard to get anywhere without one! One of the first steps to start a new business is to get it all on paper.
A good business plan describes the company, outlines how you'll sell your services or products, and covers how finances will work. Your plan should also cover how your business will run and what legal structure it uses.
Choose a Legal Structure
Before you can start serving customers, choosing a business structure is a must. The structure you choose will depend on how you plan to run the business and whether you plan to expand.
For example, you might form a Limited Liability Company on your own, with a plan to include others later as you grow and attract investors or partners.
You will also need business licenses and permits; which documents you need will depend on your location and the type of business you operate.
Explore Funding and Grants
The biggest challenge in starting a business can be the startup cost. How you fund your company is dependent upon what you plan to sell and whether you need to buy equipment or raw materials, rent office or warehouse space, and other factors.
With your business plan in hand, consider how much funding you need and how you can find it.
If startup costs are low, you may be able to use your personal savings. Or, you may be able to crowdfund your startup with community support; Nationwide recommends researching platforms and fees before committing to a site. Grants from the government and other sources can also provide the financial support your organization needs.
Brush Up on Marketing (Hint: Business Cards)
No matter how great your product or service is, without marketing, your customers may never know about it. Marketing is a huge part of running a business, whether you DIY or hire out some help. There's a lot to learn when marketing your small business, so it's important to research before jumping in. Alternatively, plan to hire a single person or team to handle your marketing.
However, one thing you definitely want to have is a business card. They may seem old-fashioned, but business cards can still have an impact. Employing a business card generator can be an easy way of creating one that reflects the image that you want to present. The generator allows you to customize your cards, from the fonts to images, in order to make them as unique as possible. In addition, it also helps save time since you don't have to worry about designing or ordering them separately. Designing and printing business cards is just a click away - simply click here to get started.
Hire Out Help Early On
When you're starting a company on a budget, you might be tempted to do everything yourself. But hiring help early on can help you grow your business faster — and reduce stress! Especially as a parent, time is a resource you won't get back, even though your business might be your the other “baby” you have in your life right now.
Yet as a small business owner, you can support others with disabilities by focusing on inclusivity in your hiring. Your company can even qualify for tax incentives when hiring people with disabilities, notes Efficient Hire. Growing a team involves a few more regulatory steps, however. You'll need to adhere to employment and tax laws. You'll also need to post a job opening, conduct interviews, and find people who support your mission.
Add a Home Office
Working from a home office is ideal for the modern entrepreneur. A home office provides many benefits, such as more flexible hours and the ability to focus on the task at hand without distractions from coworkers or other external forces. Moreover, working from home can help entrepreneurs save time and money in terms of transportation costs and commuting time. Furthermore, it allows businesses to scale efficiently and operate with fewer resources, creating an environment where innovation is more effectively nurtured.
Starting a new business can seem daunting when you're balancing your personal life, parenting, and other daily demands on your time and energy. But launching your great idea sooner rather than later can change not just your life but your family's, workers', and customers' lives too.
