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Tips for starting a business - take the first step

There will never be the perfect moment or timing - get started and follow your own path

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By Ben Robson

Co-founder, GOAT

Inspiration for starting a business – advice from a startup founder

“There will never be a point in your life where it’s the right time to do a great thing.

You have to create the perfect moment and the perfect situation”

My inspiration to be Co-Founder of GOAT was to have the freedom to control my own destiny i.e. working hours, type of clients we work with, values of the business. In addition, one of the main drivers was seeing the ‘stock’ solutions that a lot of clients get in the industry and wanting to create an offering where clients feel like a partner, rather than just an opportunity to make a profit.

Financial backing

We had no financial backing at launch and worked purely from a small amount of savings to kick things off. Having the skill-set to build websites and market ourselves online, including the production of marketing collateral, copywriting, blog posts, social media campaigns and more was a real asset and meant we didn’t have to outsource to get ourselves known.

Top tips for starting a business

  • Focus on a niche – don’t try to sell yourselves as the master of everything. It’s better to be specialists in specific areas, rather than light-touch in all disciplines. You will enjoy your work more and your clients will appreciate the high-level of expertise you deliver
  • Be proud of being a small  being a small team is an asset, allowing you to offer a more personal service and deliver on campaigns quicker, because you have a smaller pool of clients to focus on and less management levels to work things through
  • Grow locally, then expand My top tip would be to start off small. Prove your worth and build awareness in your local business community, taking time to understand local business’ needs and challenges. Your name will soon become synonymous with good quality work and an ethos for caring about your clients’ business success
  • Network, network, network you can only achieve a certain amount online, e.g. offering a good experience for users of your website, or producing traffic attracting, engagement-driving blog posts etc., however, nothing beats getting out there and meeting people. The old adage, ‘people buy people’ rings true and you will be far more memorable to others and likely to get new business and recommendations by building a report in with people in your community 

Experiences for others to learn from

  • Get a good accountant – A good accountant will remove any stress you may associate with completing your business tax returns, while saving you time and money in the long-run
  • Think fast, act faster Got a great idea? Don’t worry too much about getting it perfect before launch. Think ‘minimum viable product’ for your marketing campaigns and get them out there. You will feel invigorated by the speed at which you can take an idea from inception to launch and soon generate a pace for marketing yourselves that become second nature – allowing you to reap the benefits of increased brand awareness and generate good examples of your own work to show off to prospective clients
  • Always ask for a testimonial from clients – Word of mouth / recommendation marketing is the most powerful form of endorsement for your business. Always ask for feedback on your service and incorporate this to make future improvements in your processes, while shouting about your successes

Challenges and roadblocks you may face

  • None – only you can be a roadblock It sounds corny, but only you can get in the way of your own success. There’s always a solution to a problem and as long as you keep a cool head and don’t take anything personally, any challenges you face will be seen as an opportunity to improve things for the better

As the video below highlights beautifully – there will never be a perfect time or moment to do a great thing, you have to take the first step:

To find how GOAT’s research led process can help you achieve business growth online, contact us today.

You can also follow @GOATDigital on Twitter, for all the latest digital marketing news and updates.

Thanks for reading.

Quote: Eric Thomas, from video compilation: There will never be the perfect time, take action now

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