Tips for beginner entrepreneurs. Tips for a budding entrepreneur. Loan on preferential terms

24.03.2020

In each region of our country there are programs that provide various subsidies, compensations, benefits and other types of assistance. What forms state support for entrepreneurs exist and how to use them? We will talk about this in our article.

To date, the most popular programs to help small businesses are:

  • business start-up subsidy for the unemployed;
  • business development subsidy for start-up entrepreneurs;
  • surety under credit and leasing agreements;
  • compensation of part of the interest on loans;
  • reimbursement of part of the costs under the leasing agreement;
  • issuance of loans at reduced rates;
  • reimbursement of expenses for participation in exhibitions and fairs;
  • tax incentives for start-ups and existing entrepreneurs.

Let's consider all these types of state support in more detail.

Start-up subsidy for the unemployed

If you are unemployed and want to try your hand at business, at first you can be helped by a subsidy from the employment center in the amount of 58,800 rubles. This type of state assistance is provided to unemployed citizens free of charge. In order to receive a subsidy, you need to contact the employment service at the place of residence, register for unemployment, write and defend a business plan. In some employment centers, you will additionally need to undergo a short training in the basics of entrepreneurship and psychological testing.

It is best if your future business will have a social focus and you will create one or more jobs. For example, you will be engaged in the manufacture of folk art products. Business ideas related to the production or sale of alcohol, the opening of a pawnshop, network marketing are not accepted for consideration. After defending the business plan before the commission and if it is approved, you conclude an agreement with the employment center to receive a subsidy. Please note that an individual entrepreneur or LLC should be registered only after the conclusion of the contract. It is necessary to follow this procedure, since the contract is concluded with you as an unemployed person, and not as an entrepreneur or legal entity.

Registration costs are also reimbursed by the state. Reimbursement is transferred after the fact, that is, you must pay for registration at your own expense, and then submit documents on payment to the employment center.

The amount of the subsidy may increase if you hire one or more unemployed people who are also registered in this employment center (+58,800 for each employee hired). This program is for sole proprietors only.

Within three months of receiving the grant, you must confirm that the funds have been spent in accordance with the approved business plan. If your business “holds on” for less than a year, the money will have to be returned to the state.

Subsidy for start-up entrepreneurs

For business development, you can get a more significant amount - 300,000 rubles (500,000 rubles for Moscow entrepreneurs). In order for you to be provided with such a subsidy, at least a year must pass from the date of registration of your individual entrepreneur or LLC. The money is issued after the defense of the business project, but on the terms of co-financing, that is, you invest 50-70% of your own funds, and the state compensates for the rest of your business development costs. You can spend the subsidy on the purchase of equipment, equipping jobs, purchasing raw materials, paying rent. Another condition for granting a subsidy is that your company does not owe taxes and insurance premiums. Irrevocable loans are most often issued to entrepreneurs who carry out social important activity- are engaged in consumer services, work in the field of education, healthcare, etc. For the spent public funds will need to report in detail. You can find out all the details in local governments or business support funds in your region.

Guarantee under credit and leasing agreements

Almost every region has guarantee funds that can become guarantors when an entrepreneur issues a loan or concludes an agreement with a leasing company. Such a guarantee is an additional advantage when obtaining a loan. For the service, the fund will have to pay 1.5-2% of the guarantee amount, which, as a rule, is 30-70% of the loan amount.

How to use the Guarantee Fund:

  1. Find out the requirements for borrowers on the fund's website or by phone.
  2. If you meet them, then specify which banks are partners of the fund. Select the bank you would like to borrow from.
  3. When contacting the bank, indicate that you would like the Guarantee Fund to act as your guarantor.
  4. If your loan application is approved by the bank, then together with the bank you need to prepare documents and an application to the guarantee fund.
  5. If the fund decides positively, a tripartite guarantee agreement is drawn up.
  6. You receive a loan and pay for the services of the guarantee fund.

The Guarantee Fund must be located in the same region where your business is registered.

Compensation of part of interest on loans

If you have taken a loan for business development in one of the Russian banks, you can compensate for part of the interest on the loan at the expense of the state. The amount of the subsidy depends on the current refinancing rate and the size of the loan. This type of support is valid in almost all regions and covers most activities.

Reimbursement of part of the costs under the leasing agreement

Another popular view assistance to small businesses from the state - compensation for part of payments under leasing agreements. If you lease production equipment or vehicles, then you have the opportunity to return part of the funds. The maximum amount differs depending on the region: for example, in Moscow it is up to 5 million rubles. For more information, contact your local small business development department or business support funds in your area.

Issuance of loans at reduced rates

In many subjects of the Russian Federation, there are microfinance programs for small businesses that enable entrepreneurs to receive loans and short-term loans on favorable terms. As a rule, the loan amount is from 10 thousand to 1 million rubles for a period of 1-3 years. The interest rate varies from 8 to 10%. Some regions provide loans at a lower rate - 5% to entrepreneurs who work in the manufacturing or agricultural sector, provide household services, that is, are engaged in socially significant activities. In some cases, you can get a larger amount - up to 5 million for a longer period - up to 5 years.

To get a loan, contact the business support fund in your region. There you will be told what requirements the borrower must meet, what documents and possibly collateral are required to obtain a loan. Based on the documents and collateral provided, the fund's specialists will make a decision on issuing or refusing to issue a loan.

Reimbursement of expenses for participation in exhibitions and fairs

This type of state support for small businesses will allow you to reduce the cost of participating in exhibitions and fairs, that is, to take the opportunity to present your product to a wide audience, find customers and partners, and exchange experiences. The state can pay two-thirds of your participation in such events - rent and delivery of equipment, registration fee. Travel, accommodation and food expenses are not reimbursed. The grant is granted once during the current financial year. The amount of the subsidy is from 25,000 to 300,000 rubles, depending on the region.

Tax incentives for start-ups and existing entrepreneurs

From January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2020, the regions have the right to set a zero tax rate for 2 years for first-time registered individual entrepreneurs. This applies to entrepreneurs on the "imputation" and the patent, who work in the industrial, social, domestic or scientific fields. For example, in 2016 tax holidays» operate in the Bryansk, Voronezh, Kostroma, Kursk, Lipetsk, Moscow, Omsk, Tula and many other regions.

Also, since 2016, as anti-crisis measures to support small businesses, in some regions there are reduced tax rates for entrepreneurs on the simplified tax system - from 1% and UTII - from 7.5%.

Other forms of state support for small businesses

In all regions of our country, training and advanced training of small businesses is carried out, which includes a variety of trainings, seminars, conferences. For any questions that inevitably arise both for beginners and for those who already lead entrepreneurial activity more than one year, you will be advised professional accountants, lawyers and other professionals. These services are provided free of charge.

How can I find out about support measures in my city?

A detailed description of support measures can be found in the SME Business Navigator, a free resource for entrepreneurs. Here is a database of all state and municipal organizations that support small and medium businesses in your area.

If after reading the article you still have any questions, ask them in the comments.

In this post, I want to review the most common beginner entrepreneurs mistakes and give some advice on how to avoid them and not repeat the bitter experience of others. I think that this topic is quite important, because, as the statistics say, not everyone who decides to do their own thing succeeds.

Many of them leave entrepreneurship and return to, having received not only negative experience, but also financial losses. Often the fault is just those errors, which will be discussed later.

So, I will describe the main mistakes and allow myself to give some useful ones. tips for budding entrepreneurs on how to avoid them.

Error 1. Focusing on the success of others without regard to details. Very often, a novice entrepreneur makes a decision under the impression of the results of the work of someone else. These can be some success stories read on the Internet or books, or personal observations of the development of a business project in your city or on the Internet.

Of course, the positive experience of other people can serve as a good help and motivation for a novice entrepreneur. But the problem is that in most cases he sees only the “tip of the iceberg” and does not know how things are in reality: what difficulties the now successful businessman had to face and how he overcame them. Very often it may turn out that success in business depended on some subjective factors that were inherent in successful businessman and which a novice entrepreneur does not have.

A banal example: a novice entrepreneur sees how a certain store is successfully developing, opens his own similar one, but immediately “falls” under a bunch of inspections by regulatory authorities, which find a lot of violations and literally do not let them work, and even issue huge fines. In fact, it turns out that the owner of the store, taken as an example, is the son of a high-ranking official, so they don’t “touch” him, and he himself sent all these checks to eliminate a competitor.

Advice: if you decide to build a business on someone else's example, you need to carefully study all of its “underground”, not only visible, but also hidden, and even then draw a conclusion whether you can repeat such success.

Error 2. Desire to make money by selling a business idea. Another common mistake entrepreneurs make is believing that they have come up with some super-profitable business idea that the world's richest investors should literally fight over. A novice entrepreneur tries, but it turns out that those who are able to invest in his idea do not even take him seriously.

In fact, selling a business idea to an investor is one of the myths that aspiring entrepreneurs believe. In fact, there are many resources on the Internet filled with business ideas and even ready-made business plans access to which is absolutely free. Question: why should an investor buy something that can be easily found for free, and quite possibly even in the best possible way?

Tip: If you want to make money selling a business idea, you need to start putting it into practice, even in small volumes, so that you can see the actual, not the predicted result from its implementation. This is one of the most important conditions for (you can read about the rest at the link). Yes, at the same time you will have to risk your money - there is no other way. Even if you yourself are not ready for this, then the investor is even more so.

Error 3. Perfectionism. Very often, a novice entrepreneur strives to create an ideal business, which is basically impossible. Now literally every business will necessarily have its shortcomings and vulnerabilities. Therefore, waiting for the perfect opportunity to open a business, a novice businessman, at a minimum, will lose a huge amount of time and potential profit, and most likely will never open it at all. Meanwhile, non-perfect competitors will take over the market and make money.

Tip: Aspiring entrepreneurs do not need to strive for perfection, perfectionism is their worst enemy. If you want to develop the perfect business idea, find the perfect environment, the perfect time to start a business, chances are you will never start your own business. Therefore, open not an ideal, but a profitable business.

Error 4. The desire to snatch as much as possible. Of course, in most cases, a novice entrepreneur opens a business primarily to make money. This is normal, and there is nothing wrong with it, the main goal of a business is to make a profit. But the mistake here is when a novice businessman does not think about anything else but money, money literally overshadows his eyes and turns off his brain.

The fact is that it happens when a business, as they say, “fell into the stream” and brings a good income, which once could only be dreamed of. A novice entrepreneur rejoices in this and "baths in money." However, such a phenomenon is almost always of a short-term nature, the trend may soon change, and the business will turn from super-profitable into super-unprofitable. And all because a novice entrepreneur, making mistakes, did not think about developing his business, did not invest money in it, but used all the profits for personal needs.

Tip: A business whose main goal is to “squeeze” as much profit out of it as possible will never last. If you want your business not to be focused on a one-time profit, but to become a source of constant cash flow, you also need to constantly take care of its development, investing labor, time and, of course, capital.

Error 5. Mixing business and friendship. It often happens that a novice entrepreneur, not knowing how to say “no”, takes on a job (or even worse - as a partner) some friend, relative, relative of a friend, etc., who, in fact, is completely unsuitable for this role. In the future, he is forced to constantly face the problems that he creates, to suffer losses from this, because he feels obliged to this person and cannot say goodbye to him, so as not to lose a friend.

Tip: There is a saying: "Friendship based on business is better than business based on friendship." A novice entrepreneur must understand this, and share the business with friendship, so as not to lose both in the end.

Error 6 . Opening a business without prior market analysis. Another important and common mistake of novice entrepreneurs is that they introduce their business idea to the market without conducting preliminary research and not knowing if the market needs it? That is, they are confident in what is needed, but this is only their self-confidence and nothing more.

It also often happens that one business idea can be very much in demand in one place, but absolutely not in demand in another. All this, of course, leads the novice businessman to losses.

Some believe that market research is a waste of money, which is not enough to start a business, and here, in fact, they go nowhere at all. This is the deepest delusion. Look at the world's most successful companies - they regularly spend on marketing research simply colossal sums, millions and billions of dollars, and therefore they always know exactly what their consumer needs, and strive to satisfy his needs as much as possible. Don't you think that this is a big part of the secret of their success?

Tip: before you open your business, be sure to research the market to find out how much it is in demand, and whether it is in demand at all. Moreover, with a small scale business, it is easy to do it yourself and even at virtually no cost. For example, by conducting surveys on social networks.

Error 7. Overconfidence. A novice entrepreneur is sometimes too self-confident, believing that his business idea has no equal, and its implementation will be successful. A positive attitude is one thing, but excessive self-confidence and, as a result, a loss of vigilance on this basis, is already another.

Something absolutely new, in demand, can only be created by a few out of millions. If what you have in mind is not yet on the market - maybe it's not because no one else had guessed it before, but because it is not in demand, and previous attempts to introduce a similar product to the market ended in failure?

Tip: Never, under any circumstances, in business, you should not be overly self-confident and lose your vigilance. Perhaps your competitors are just waiting for this to force you out of the market - do not give them such an opportunity. If you are not able to objectively evaluate your actions and opportunities on your own (sometimes it is really difficult), ask other people to do this. If their opinion differs from yours, perhaps there is reason to think.

Error 8. Don't take on multiple tasks at the same time. The well-known saying “If you chase two hares, you won’t catch one” can be fully applied to starting a business. Very often, a novice entrepreneur tries himself in different areas at once, as a result, he fails to develop any of them well.

On the one hand, this is always a plus. But, on the other hand, business is a business that requires, in addition to investing capital, large investments of labor and time. And one person simply physically cannot simultaneously use his labor and time in several business areas at once.

If you want to open a business in several directions at once, then do not start all these directions at the same time. It is better to first bring at least one thing to a level that will allow you to devote less time and work to it, and only after that switch part of your attention to the second thing, and so on. This will be much more efficient.

Error 9. Forget about clients. I have already written more than once, and I will repeat again that one of the main success factors in business, without which it is unlikely that it will be possible to open a business at all, is a client-oriented approach. That is, first of all, a novice businessman should think about the interests of his clients and how he can satisfy them.

However, it often happens that at some stage in the development of a business, when profits are already starting to come in, the entrepreneur forgets about customers, stops paying special attention to them, thinking that they already exist, and then “and so it will go.” This is a huge mistake that can easily lead to ruin.

Tip: Under no circumstances should you forget about the interests of customers and stop focusing your business on them, even if you already have a million of these customers. As soon as the consumers of your products and services feel that your product no longer satisfies their interests in at least one important criterion, you will begin a downward trend, which can be very difficult to stop.

Error 10. No specific target audience. Very often, a novice entrepreneur opens a business without a clear idea of ​​who he is focused on. He can reason something like “the more customers there are, the better.” This is a very serious mistake, because in this case there will be, on the contrary, not more customers, but fewer, perhaps - in general, critically few.

Tip: Any business should be focused on a specific target audience otherwise, who is it for? No audience, no business.

Here they are - typical mistakes aspiring entrepreneurs and advice on how to eliminate them. You must understand that all of the above is the result of the negative experience of a huge number of novice businessmen, which cost them huge financial losses. In business, as in any business, it is better to learn from the mistakes of others than from your own. So take this information seriously and take note.

The site is a lot of useful and up-to-date information about different ways of earning and investing, competent management of personal finances and the family budget. Join the number of our regular readers and improve your financial literacy. See you soon!

After deciding to become a businessman, many beginners have a question - where should they start? There is no universal recipe for a success story, although the advice of those who are already considered not beginners, but experienced entrepreneurs, will not hurt anyone.

Quora users are the most popular tips for newbies who decide to become businessmen.

Often, having decided to start their own startup, future businessmen ask themselves a lot of questions. Among them, for example, questions of the following nature: “Do I need to learn how to program to make the next Dropbox?” or “Should I learn sales techniques?”

These questions can be very different and quite unexpected. However, the main question that comes from the lips of a novice entrepreneur is very simple and complex at the same time: “how and where do I start?”

Some believe that in order to become a creator successful startup You don't need qualifications or a lot of money. A businessman should not be a genius or even come up with a particularly good and original idea. All an entrepreneur has to do is to create something that can constantly bring in money (we are not talking about a money printing press).

One has only to think of a company as a machine or machine to be designed and built. Here, for example, how McDonalds would look like in this perspective:


Your "machine" always consists of certain parts. She sells something for someone, reinvesting part of the funds to increase sales in the future. What is left of the earnings is the profit for business owners. Compare McDonalds Business Diagram with Google:


If you manage to design, build, own and take care of such a machine, you can become a very rich and successful entrepreneur. This does not mean that it is easy and simple to do this, but most of the obstacles that you think will be in your way simply do not exist.

After reading the previous two paragraphs, you might think something like: “So McDonalds with Google, where are they and where am I…”. Therefore, it's time to imagine yourself in the place of a business founder - a young man who does not like his job very much, but is generally persistent and stubborn, and sometimes even stubborn. These qualities, as well as energy and determination, are important for a future entrepreneur.

So how do you make a lot of money?

Maybe an "idea" will help you with this? Please forget all the bullshit you've heard about the value of ideas. Ideas are cheap and fleeting, business ideas themselves are worth less than a half-eaten sandwich. At least you can eat a sandwich.

No, you certainly need an idea. But understand that even the most successful companies were not founded on crazy or brilliant ideas. Starbucks chose a banal way to make money by selling coffee in Seattle.

Facebook built the best MySpace ever. Google has built the best search service, an analogue of Yahoo. Microsoft copied Apple, which in turn copied Xerox. original ideas overrated. But the real value is the time, the specific moment of bringing these ideas to life.

Google chose a great time to build the best search engine, it is unlikely that anyone will be able to repeat this now. Facebook, in turn, released its product on time, and Microsoft played on the interest of users in personal computers and offered them a more convenient way to manage them.

Therefore, when starting a business, you need to find something that is currently under-represented in the market, a product or service that can become in demand. It's no secret that it's easier to improve on an existing idea that hasn't been fully implemented or not successfully implemented than it is to create something completely original.

People are afraid of starting a business in areas where there is competition, but competition can be a great help for a future businessman.

For example, the best place creating your own restaurant - not far from another successful or, even better, not quite successful restaurant, because its owners have already done the most for you main job- they built client base, created an interested audience that is looking for a restaurant in that particular place.

Lot good business was created against the backdrop of another, less successful one. Therefore, sometimes it is better to have a few rivals than not to have any at all. You just need to become 10% better. The easiest option is to create something that you personally or your friends would love to spend money on.

Another secret to future success is to know as much as possible about what you are doing, to be truly passionate about your work.

Most entrepreneurs were able to convince other people to believe in themselves. When Steve Jobs founded Apple, he had neither money nor customers. However, what he did at the very beginning was an important hallmark of a great entrepreneur.

First, he convinced a local computer store to accept cash-on-delivery Apple computers that didn't exist at the time. He then convinced a parts supplier to sell him the parts he needed. Jobs acted in this order, thanks to which he received a guarantee that someone would buy computers created with the help of purchased components.


Most new entrepreneurs are forced to get out the way Steve Jobs did in his time. This and that may sound a little threatening, but that's the way it is. In doing this, the novice businessman will have to learn to navigate between building the perfect company (idealistic goal) and paying the bills (realistic). Having missed one of the parties, you can face a situation of a complete collapse of the business.

One more thing follows from this rule - you should not prematurely scale your business, you should not immediately build a large company, waste time describing the company's mission and program documents. Produce and sell. The time for HR will come later. Don't be surprised if you've changed your entire company by then.

Building a business process is ideal if the business is successful without its founder.

If you drop dead tomorrow, your business should continue to run without you. McDonalds has built a business that works even if they hire minimum wage employees.

Their business is successful because all processes are clearly written in it. Each hamburger consists of a predetermined number of ingredients and nothing is left to chance. Their brand is so strong that people are lining up all over the world to try the banal potato and sandwich.

But even when the business is already built, all business processes work perfectly like clockwork, keep learning new things. You never know what your next business will be, where else you will decide to apply your efforts and talent as a businessman. In the same way, you do not know which of your knowledge and skills acquired in childhood, adolescence, or which is your hobby, will turn into your business.

To collect practical advice aspiring entrepreneurs, we interviewed businessmen in the professional community on Facebook. The result was a list of 10 items.

1. Take your time to quit your job

Your own business seems like a tempting prospect when you push the subway on your way to the office. Working for yourself allows you to calmly wake up when you want, go on sick leave and pick up children from school on time.

But when you quit, it will not become calmer:

  • To be in time, you have to wake up early
  • Going on sick leave means losing income
  • Picking up children from school in the middle of the working day will still be inconvenient

And all this against the backdrop of unstable earnings.

In order not to regret your choice, prepare the ground before you leave the office. The most comfortable option is to start selling a product or service in your spare time. And quit only when you accumulate the primary pool of clients and get the first serious money.

If you can't balance your work and business, include your time and salary in your business plan. This makes it easier to understand whether it is advisable to do your own thing or whether it is better to remain an employee.

2. Write a business plan

There are two types of arguments against a business plan:

  • Why waste time when everything is so unpredictable in this country
  • But Steve Jobs\Henry Ford\Roman Abramovich succeeded without business plans

But still, it is worth calculating the basic business scenarios and the market volume. This will help to structure thoughts and get rid of doubts - or vice versa, to doubt the viability of the idea. Other things being equal, good planning won't stop you from becoming the next Steve Jobs.

3. Work on the product and marketing

“Which is more important: the product or its marketing?” is a question that causes stabbing in the marketing community. Some say that if you know how to sell, the client will gladly buy even a copy of the head of Jason Statham in 1:6 scale. Others believe that if you make a really cool product, everyone will know about it without marketing and advertising.

The truth is in the middle. A bad product with good promotion can show impressive initial sales, but it will be difficult to retain buyers. Such a business will not last long, especially if the market is small.

Most likely, no one will know about a great product without marketing. Yes, sometimes entrepreneurs have succeeded only at the expense of quality. Salvatore Ferragamo built an empire from a 2x2m shoe store with no marketing department. But that was at the beginning of the 20th century. Now, in order to break through to the consumer through the information noise, much more effort is needed.

So develop marketing, product, sales - and do not enter into pointless arguments about what is more important.

4. Pay taxes

Many businessmen believe that it is difficult, expensive and pointless to work "in the white".

“Are you going to pay repairmen through a legal entity?!” - the real phrase of a regional entrepreneur who suspected the tenant of paying taxes.

Companies pay for the services of contractors in an envelope, give out “gray” salaries. All the same, they work like that - and nothing.

Now imagine that such a company fires an employee. After that, he sends an application to the Federal Tax Service about "gray" salaries and other violations directly from home. Then the entrepreneur will face fines of hundreds of thousands of rubles, forced labor or prison.

It's better to be honest right away. It is more difficult, but to help novice entrepreneurs there are:

  • Benefits for small businesses (see Federal Law No. 477-FZ of December 29, 2014, Letters of the Ministry of Finance of Russia No. 03-15-05 / 32582 of May 26, 2017, No. 03-07-03 / 52967 of October 21, 2014, dated 08/30/2017 N 03-07-08 / 55656, regional sites to support entrepreneurs)
  • Services for bookkeeping: Kontur, "My business", "Sky"
  • outsourced accountants

5. Don't work with friends and family

At first it seems great idea- start a business with a friend (brother, matchmaker) who has the necessary competencies. This is someone you've known for a long time. You can rely on him.

But keep in mind that within our culture it is difficult to distinguish between work and personal. An American can threaten an employee with dismissal, and an hour later sit with him in a pub and ask about the health of children. But it is difficult for Russians to conduct tough negotiations and share profits with a loved one. Either you spoil the relationship, or the business suffers.

If you are not ready to fight with a friend over a deadline, personal and business relationship better to share.

6. Plan everything

It is necessary to plan things - and this is not in doubt. There will be time - you can unwind and relax.

Only time for entertainment may not remain: when you start a business, things will increase. The result of working without rest is burnout and long rehabilitation.

In the planner, you need to include not only business affairs, but also entertainment. Treat it as part of your workflow.

7. Test the product on a real audience

Telling everyone you know about a new project is a good idea. But this is not a complete test. Friends may praise a product, but that doesn't mean they'll pay for it.

To "feel" the audience, conduct interviews with strangers from the desired segment. Where to look for them:

  • professional forums. Look for active participants and knock on them in a personal. If the rules of the form allow, create a topic with an invitation to test.
  • Reddit. It is a social news site with a huge audience. Find the topic you need and write messages to the most friendly participants in the discussion.
  • Social network. Join highly specialized communities and invite members to try the service.

Just write to a potential buyer about the project and the desire to consult. Offer a gift or a review of his product in return. Many people are happy to express their opinion to an interested interlocutor. And you will get honest feedback and understand the needs of the audience.

8. Save

Starting businessmen are afraid that if they start saving and bargaining with suppliers, no one will cooperate with them.

In fact, when you start cutting costs, nothing bad will happen. Save the most. If you suddenly remove an important expense item, employees will report this.

The best thing about saving in business was Robert Phifer in his book Costs Down, Sales Up. He writes that little things like L'Occitane soap in the office or expensive pens will ruin you faster than you think. And with contractors and suppliers you need to regularly bargain.

9. Befriend customers

There is an opinion that not all clients are equally useful.

“Think of the customer well. The question is why? Why do I need an idiot who spoils my nervous system. I'd rather work with those who bow before me, ”quote from a discussion of an article about customer relationships.

A few months after the launch of the project, the entrepreneur understands which clients are beneficial to him. But at the start, a selective approach to the audience is dangerous. Potential buyers easily find replacements for intractable companies. And if you think customers are idiots, like the commentator above, you will not only lose sales, but also your reputation.

Communicate and be attentive with each potential buyer. Sometimes dating leads to success.

10. Take care of your health and family

For a novice entrepreneur, the main thing is his business. All energy goes to partners, clients, contractors. And health, family and the whole world will wait.

But if you ignore some area of ​​life, it "sags". A business can take off or close, and you can continue to live with yourself and your family. So prioritize so as not to lose the main thing.

findings

  1. Before you quit your job, collect the initial pool of clients and get your first money.
  2. Do not joke with the tax, work "in the white."
  3. Product and marketing are equally important. Develop both.
  4. Don't work with friends and family and filter their recommendations for your project.
  5. Plan everything: business development in general, work and personal time.
  6. Do not cut off unnecessary customers on initial stage. You still do not know how the business will develop and who will benefit from your proposal.
  7. Remember about rest, health and family.

Starting a new business is always associated with great responsibility, hard and everyday work, and sometimes with the danger of failure. It will take a lot of effort from an aspiring entrepreneur to achieve success. In short, business is hard work.

But the end results of the decision to create own business, labor and risk can be really big. And we can talk here not only and not so much about money.

Satisfaction plays an important role here and about the pride that a person who achieves success experiences. It's a truly incomparable feeling. It is a feeling of victory, a sense of success and self-importance.

In order not to make a lot of mistakes at the start and in the end to achieve everything that a novice entrepreneur wants, we offer 25 outwardly simple but very important tips:

  • Dream. Don't be afraid to dream big. Dream that it is you and your business idea that will conquer the world. Only he achieves success who dreams big in small things;
  • Back up your dreams with action. Only he achieves success who not only dreams, but also acts. Always bring the results of your actions to the end. Do not become Manilovs and always "dreaming". Start now. Right now;
  • Believe in yourself and your business. You will be dissuaded. Many if not all. Acquaintance, relatives, friends. Listen to yourself. Strive to be calm and confident in your choice and decision. Discuss and defend your choice calmly and with dignity. Be confident in your product or service. You must be the first to believe in success and you will be the first in business;
  • Your business must be relevant. Make sure that your business is important and necessary not only for you, your friends, investors and shareholders. Your business should be relevant to as many people as possible;
  • Don't be afraid of mistakes. There is no life or business without mistakes. Don't be afraid to make mistakes, but don't repeat them. Learn from mistakes. Draw conclusions and, based on these conclusions, make adjustments to the business. Read a lot and learn from the mistakes of others. It's cheaper;
  • Discover opportunities. In oneself, in people, in situations, etc. Opportunities are always there. Many simply do not see them or do not want to see them. Do not be afraid of the difficulties of the absence of opportunities. Think, look and find opportunities. I assure you they are always there. There are really a lot of them;
  • There is no one way for everyone. There are many ways to make a million dollars. But there is no single and suitable recipe for everyone. Everything is very individual and much depends on the personal qualities, character traits and upbringing of the one who earns a million or dreams of it. Tailor the situation to suit your needs, not the other way around. Even if your original plan did not work, this does not mean at all that the second, third ..., tenth will not work;
  • Make and execute plans. It is very important to make clear and realistic plans, especially at the start of a business. Have a clear picture of what you will be doing today, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, a month from now, and so on. Know what you want to achieve and how you will achieve it. But know and understand that it is not always possible to realize in life what is written “on paper”, as they say: “point to point”. It's not realistic, and probably not necessary. The main thing here is that the changes made to the implementation of the plan do not change or break it radically;
  • Understand your business. It is clear that starting a business that you do not understand at all is a mistake that can be costly. But even if you are starting a business that you are well versed in, do not stop. Constantly learn, learn more about your business and related areas. Know what is causing supply and demand in your business and control these processes. Control costs and management. Control all the main things that can somehow affect your business. Chat and chat with other business owners similar to yours. Don't lock yourself into your business;
  • Understand financial matters. Understand and control. Control your company's income and expenses. Understand how, when and how much you will personally earn, and how much your company will earn. Do your best to personally understand financial indicators of his business despite the fact that the company employs an accountant or even several accountants. Knowing the real indicators and figures, you will know where your business is now and where it will go in the future, which means you can quickly influence its path if necessary;
  • Know and respect your customers. Your business will exist and develop if it has customers, buyers, consumers of your offers. And, of course, satisfied customers. No other is given. If you are not able to organize your company's work in such a way that you will have many satisfied customers, you will not be able to achieve success. If you do not understand what your and potential clients, you will also fail. Find out constantly what your customers want, what problems they have and think about how to solve these problems. Understand why consumers are not satisfied with the services or products of your competitors? Find out why satisfied? Offer cheaper and better quality. Keep constant feedback with your customers and get feedback from them about the work of your company. When they are disappointed, it will be too late. Talk, as soon as possible, personally with each client. Take care and respect them all. Even those who are not very pleasant or irritate you. Remember: there are no friends and personal preferences in business. In business, there is a customer and a profit;
  • Get out of your comfort zone. Entrepreneurship is a challenge. A challenge to your prevailing comfort, slender and measured rhythm of life. Entrepreneurship is always a loss of existing comfort and risk, since there is no comfortable and calm life with risk. It is important to understand this. Achieves success in business only a brave entrepreneur and risking wisely!;

Continued Part #2 >>>

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