The perfect entrepreneur’s guide

One of the most important things in business is managing your time. It’s easy to waste time on unimportant things when, in fact, there are far more important things waiting. Use a calendar to remind yourself of important tasks and to know when to complete them. Opt for a free service like Google Calendar that integrates just as well on your mobile device.

Don’t waste time

Put yourself a rule, if you have a task to do and it takes less than 5 minutes, do it immediately! There’s no point postponing it. If, on the other hand, this task takes more than 5 minutes, add it to your calendar when you have plenty of time to complete it.

Using a task manager

Here is another very useful tool to manage your daily tasks: Trello. It is a free service that allows you to create cards in tables and categorize them by columns. You can invite members of your team to join your board and set tasks for each of the team members. You have the ability to add timelines to each card and also leave comments for your team members on each card. Trello can be used as much for managing your tasks for a self-employed worker, or for managing tasks for an entire company. Try the mobile app too, available on Apple and Android!

Know your target audience

When you’re going into business, it’s important to know who you’re talking to. Who is your clientele? Who is your target audience? Are they more male or female? What is the average age? What are their habits? Try to categorize your customers as much as possible. The more you know about your customers, the more easily you will be able to find other customers.

Determine the best advertising platform

When it comes time to advertise to get new customers, there’s no shortage of choices! Evaluate all possible advertising platforms to reach your customers: an ad in a local newspaper? An advertisement on Youtube? An ad on Facebook? A billboard next to your point of sale? etc Once this list is completed, quickly estimate the return on investment based on your available budget.

For example, if you had a starting budget of $5,000 and a billboard display near your trade is $5,000 for a month, it won’t is not very advisable to invest all your budget in one place where the return on investment is not really quantifiable. You could instead go for platforms that allow you to calculate the return on investment directly in order to know if the operation is profitable or not in the short term. Save unquantifiable ad placement vehicles for later when you have more budget and are able to do longer-term marketing operations< /span>

Creating a marketing campaign

Once your ad placement platforms have been determined, you need to create the campaign. Brainstorm the best way to reach your target audience. Will you reach your target with a humorous tone or rather with a serious message? Find your concept and hire a freelance graphic designer or a creative agency to create the visuals for your campaign. Unless you have a good knowledge of graphics software, leave this task to a professional for best results. He will be able to advise you on the design and will give a professional look to your visuals.

If you opt for an advertising placement on the web, make sure to always program a conversion in the process in order to optimize your campaigns and invest more in what you actually brings in customers. See our section Referencing Paid for more information on this.

Creation of a custom logo

Each company is unique. Every business has its strengths and weaknesses. This is where your logo will help highlight your strengths and competitive advantage. It gives a unique image to your company to set it apart from others.
Your logo should be custom made and tailored to your needs. Do not use templates available on the web because there is a good chance that it is already used by someone else. Opt for a simple, readable and easily memorable logo.

The starter kit

Once your company is registered or incorporated and your logo is complete, it’s time to create your sales tools: business cards, flyers, website, stationery, posters, presentation folders, etc.
The image you give when you submit a quote with a letterhead printed in a press kit in your image directly reflects the professionalism and seriousness of your company.
Always keep a few business cards on you no matter where the wind takes you because you never know who you might bump into!

Knowing how to delegate to the right people

When your business begins to grow, you will have no choice but to delegate some of your tasks due to lack of time. Take care to choose the right person for the right task.
Clearly explain the tasks to be accomplished and follow up regularly. You certainly can’t expect the tasks to be done 100% the way you want every time because everyone has their own way of doing it, that’s normal!

Your competitive advantage

Why are you the lucky winner of your target? Maybe you are the best, the cheapest or your product or service is simply unique?
Make sure you know your competitive advantages. When a customer asks you the question, you should be able to answer them in a simple and effective way.
Remember, the confidence you project is the element that is likely to make all the difference.

Focus

It is essential to set yourself a goal as soon as you start your business. This objective will have to be achieved, no matter the cost. Even if it costs you endless nights of work, you must keep the focus on this same objective.
Don’t choose a goal that’s too easy to achieve. The goal must take you out of your comfort zone and force you to explore something else!

Structuring

In the long term, you will benefit from setting up a structure with solid foundations. So take the time, from the start, to organize yourself well and do things right the first time. This will save you from having to go back later. Take the time from time to time to take a step back from your daily tasks and thus get an overview.

Are your goals still the same? Has the market changed since your launch? How could you improve the quality of your products and services?

With a good solid foundation, you will have no problem adapting to new challenges. Document all tasks and processes, you will surely need it one day or another.

Passion

If you go into business one day, it means that you want to take on new challenges. Find your passion and develop it over time. If you wake up in the morning and you see your work day as a burden, it means that you no longer have this flame in you.

The passion must be there at all times. Do not let it die out, otherwise you will have a hard time succeeding as an entrepreneur!