Five Ways To Ensure Your Business Is Set Up For Success

According to a recent report, over 595,000 businesses close annually, many of have only been open for a handful of years. Fortunately, however, many of the challenges that lead to closure are prevetnable, providing you’re willing to put the necessary work in.

With that in mind, here are five ways in which you can ensure that your business is set up for success.

Take advantage of your USP.  Being able to identify what sets your business apart will help you to take advantage of this. For example, you can then ensure that your USP is embedded into all of your marketing campaigns, making it easier to prove to potential customers that you are bringing something new to the table. 

Ensure your practices are above board. Landing your business in legal trouble is sure to put you on the path to premature closure. As such, you should ensure from the outset that all of your practices are above board. For example, filing for an FEIN should be a priority ahead of your launch, as, without this, you are unable to open a business bank account or trust or hire any employees. 

Don’t hire until you’re ready to do so. While you may be keen to reduce your workload by expanding your team, it's important that you do not do so until you are sure that your startup is ready for its first employee. For example, you should ensure that you have enough additional work to make hiring an employee more beneficial than outsourcing. Similarly, you should ensure that you’re in a strong financial position and that you’ll be able to offer them a fair and competitive salary, and that you are prepared to take on a leadership role.

Write a business plan. Then, rewrite it. Putting together a business plan can also help ensure that your business is set up for success. This is because it then serves as a guide that you can use to stay on track for your short and long-term goals. As a general rule, your business plan should be as detailed as possible and should be split into numerous sections. For example, it should touch upon any market research you’ve carried out and provide the reader with insight into your target audience.

However, its important to remember that your business plan is something that you should update continually, especially as your business undergoes a period of significant growth. After all, updating your business plan meansthat you’re able to factor in any changes you are experiencing, such as shift in customer expectations. 

Keep an eye on your competitors. Keeping an eye on your competitors can also help ensure your business continues to perform well moving forward. After all, when you share the same target audience, figuring out the steps they are taking to grow their customer case can be incredibly beneficial. While you should never copy the actions of another business, being aware of their movements means that you can take action to stay ahead of the game or remain as competitive as possible, no matter what industry you work within.