One Year
It’s official… I have owned a business for 1 whole year! Not gonna lie there were a lot of growing pains in this last year. Lots of trial and error plus tons of learning which I think is the perfect formula for a business owner. So in honor of now being an official business owner (now that I’ve been doing this for a year and built from the ground up), I will give a breakdown of what it looks like to start a business.
To first start a business you have to hammer out the nitty-gritty and to do that you need to brainstorm! What are you going to sell? Where do you acquire your product? How can it be self-sustaining? Is it a realistic business idea and product that can actually sell? What is your brand/aesthetic? What do you want to have your company motto be? Next, you need to figure out where to get your products and what platform to sell them on.
Once your research is finished you need to get it legally finalized. You will register it with your state and get the LLC name registered/ get an EIN number for your business. It’s easy just to google what to do/paperwork you need for your state. You can even call the capital of your state and ask the business department where to start. Mostly Google is your new best friend. You also need to set up an email, and social media for your business. An email is required for a lot of the paperwork and having it as your business email works best.
Secondly, you need to organize yourself. What all do you need to sell your product? You need your product, supplies to mail it if your business is online and a place to safely store your product. Knowing what you need is just the beginning. As you go along you will realize there is so much more that you need, but having an idea and working on gathering those supplies really helps.
The next step is to know where you are going. Where do you want to be in a year? In two? Five? Knowing your short and long-term goals is super important. It helps you to organize your brand, and how to go about making your goals a reality. It helps you know what is required of you and what kind of schedule you need to set for yourself. It gives you a chance to see what is realistic for your lifestyle. It also helps you to not accidentally set your business on the back burner and forget about it/or burn yourself out only working on it. The most important part of having a business is finding balance in your life.
Then, you need to set up a launch, and post like crazy and organize how to post on social media. This is the part where you google everything again. You need to google ways to market your business, to get noticed on social media, and a million other ways to make your business something that draws people in. You will need to be in a mindset of being okay with failure and constantly having to try new things until you see something working. It’s hard because now it’s all up to the client now, not how hard you work. You can be the hardest worker ever, but you rely on customers and gaining the attention of your audience
Lastly, you need to keep dreaming bigger and better. Keep planning things out and new surprises to bring your brand and company to a new level. To continue to make your goals become a reality and appeal to your audience.
Now I know this sounds overwhelming, but if I can do it, you can too! It’s about being resilient and willing to learn even when you fail. Having a business isn’t easy, but there is something so thrilling seeing something you’ve built from the ground up grow and watch your goals become a reality.