How to Run a Successful Business
- Mark Edwards ·
- 0 Comments ·
- March 14, 2019
There are many benefits to be had from running your own business, but it isn’t all about enjoying your own free time and choosing when you do and do not work. Approach self-employment as an easy option or as a charter for a life of leisure and you will fail. Whatever else being an entrepreneur involves, a life of relaxation free from exertion and hard work is not what it is.
But it is undeniable that being your own boss does bring in its wake certain freedoms that being a wage-slave does not. The sense of satisfaction which comes with achieving results from your own hard work and foresight is difficult to overstate. Rather than simply being a part of a machine, you are operating the machine. Success or failure is in your own hands.
The First Step Towards Enjoying Success Is Avoiding Failure
According to figures published by the Small Business Administration (SBA), around 20% of new businesses fail in the first year, rising to 50% over a period of five years. It is therefore essential that potential pitfalls are identified at the beginning rather than later at a point at which they may be much more difficult to overcome. Some prior training in business management could be of real benefit in this regard.
There are a number of reasons why so many small businesses fail, but bad planning is up there with the best of them. It is difficult to credit that anybody would go to all the effort of launching their own venture without having first researched the market or considered what sources of finance they will need and how they will repay it, but incredibly some do. Factors such as incorrect pricing and over-dependence upon a small number of customers are also major contributing factors. Ideally the small entrepreneur should opt for slow but steady growth with a wide customer base which can withstand the shock of one or two clients proving to be less than reliable.
Acquire the Skills Today for Success Tomorrow
It is always a good idea to learn some business skills which will be needed in the field. There are a whole bunch of institutions that provide courses and it really isn’t too difficult to look online for something which suits your specific needs. Look to choose online diploma in business management or something along similar lines, which will provide you with all the background and training that you will later need.
Achieving some level of certification in business management skills is not only beneficial in terms of your own understanding of how running a small enterprise works, but it also demonstrates to others that you are a reliable and credible person with whom to do business with. Clients are not unreasonably hesitant to enter into relationships with small operators without a history of successful product or service delivery. Letters after your name or a certificate on the wall go some way to allaying any such fears.