Anyone who wants to become self-employed is confronted with a multitude of questions. Even if it may be a little tedious at first, it is all the more important to take your time and prepare well for starting your own business . Otherwise the entire project threatens – in the worst case – to collapse.
The good news: Being independent is usually associated with a very special kind of flexibility for those affected. Many people who have once been able to experience the advantages of being their own boss can (and do not want to) imagine working in a traditional employee relationship.
The points to consider in this context are not rocket science. With a little patience, research and motivation, you can create a reliable basis for your own independence.
Start your own business – these are the questions you should ask yourself
Many founders share the goal of “finally” realizing themselves. Despite all the enthusiasm for your own products and services, it should not be forgotten that the upcoming independence should of course also make sense from an economic point of view .
In order to identify possible risks early on, it makes sense to ask yourself a few questions and answer them honestly (!). In some cases, it is also helpful to take advantage of relevant counseling services. Sometimes the expertise of uninvolved third parties can ensure that “thinking outside the box” that is sometimes necessary in order to broaden one’s own horizons.
What are your unique selling points?
Every company or every self-employed person has to assert itself against numerous competitors. Therefore, in the first step it is important to ask yourself where your own unique selling points are.
Or to put it another way:
what could induce customers to choose your company and not the competition?
Are the advantages in a special service offer? Maybe in the price? Or somewhere else entirely?
One thing is certain: Anyone who has found out what makes their own offer so unique should also make this aspect visible to the outside world.
Many customers love individual brands with rough edges, which – of course – also convince with regard to the price-performance ratio offered. Sometimes it is definitely worth being a little braver here and – depending on the industry – maybe even (in a positive way) to “shock”.
How successful are your competitors?
Observing the competition is an absolute standard for many successful entrepreneurs. At least one can learn from their positive experiences and wrong decisions. Mistakes made by the competition – for example in connection with certain social media postings – should not be repeated.
However, the success of the competition can also have an incentive effect and help you get the best out of your own project.
Who is your target group?
An important question! After all, the type of marketing measures used depends on a correct target group definition. It is therefore important to ask yourself early on who is to be addressed by the respective products and services.
This aspect becomes interesting not only in connection with marketing that is as effective as possible, but also in relation to cost-saving marketing . Those who know whether they are more likely to reach their potential customers online or offline, whether it makes sense, for example, to invest in radio advertising or what is important to them, can plan more well-founded and accordingly use their advertising budget better .
Business plan – yes or no?
Difficult topic. A few years ago 99 percent of all successful entrepreneurs would have said that a detailed business plan is the basis for all further developments and is therefore essential.
However, opinions on this have been diverging for some time. After years of doing business, some entrepreneurs declare that although they became successful, they never really had time to create a classic business plan . After all, this covers several pages and relates to all topics that could become interesting at some point with regard to your own independence.
Some entrepreneurs also decide to outsource the creation of a business plan in order to be able to refer to the relevant data afterwards, but to have time to focus on everyday business even during the start-up.
Whether a business plan should be drawn up depends, among other things, on:
the individual character of the founder
his willingness to take risks
the corporate purpose
dependent. However, it is also clear that there is hardly a better way to deal with the profitability and possible challenges of a company. In a detailed business plan, all the relevant points are processed one after the other, so that the founder is “forced” to take a stand.
Do you want to know more?
You can find our business guide here
Which type of company is possible?
Founders have the opportunity to choose between several different types of business . Contrary to many prejudices, however, the type of business does not depend on the size of the company or the number of employees.
