Making the leap from working as an employee to self-employment is a big move. If you believe you have the skillset and an idea that works, by all means go for it. It takes time to set up and get settled but in the long term it can be the best decision you’ve ever made. Being in control of your own working hours, salary and much more is extremely empowering and we’ve put together a few top tips to help you on your way to self-employment success.
Focus
Building your own business takes time and effort. You need to be wholly focused on the cause with no other distractions to ensure your goals are met. There are lots of things you have to do such as registering for tax, putting together strategies and plans and these need to be completed to achieve success.
Keep Costs Low
It’s easier to be wowed by the idea of a flashy brochure, an expensively designed website and ploughing funds into an intricately designed business card. However, if you keep costs and overheads low, you’ll benefit in the long run. Funds will need to be allocated for accounts, for stock and much more so you’ll regret spending a fortune on specially designed business cards when there are affordable options out there.
Value Promotion and Marketing
Self-promotion is extremely hard, especially if you’re new to it. Promoting the qualities of yourself and your business is uncomfortable at the best of times but when you are self-employed you are your business and it matters that you engage with potential customers and show them what makes you the best in your field.
Microfinance
To microfinance means to employ the services of a financial service provider to help small businesses or entrepreneurs where banks may not wish to lend money. This can be really beneficial as anyone is eligible to a microfinance, especially if you need a small financial boost to get you up and running as a business or trader.
Network
Self-employment can be a lonely business as you may initially spend a lot of time in isolation setting things up. Getting involved with local business organizations and like-minded entrepreneurs will help you build a network and many of these people may actually need your services or want to buy your product. The wider and more far reaching your network is, the more potential it has to benefit your company in the long run.
Multitask
When you first start out, it’s likely it’ll be only you involved. This means you need to be able to handle all aspects of your business single-handedly until the time comes that you may need further support. The ability to multitask is an essential skill all self-employed people must employ from record keeping to promotions and IT to sales you need to be able to do it yourself and be confident in every aspect.
Turning to self-employment can be the best decision of your life, giving you the freedom to work on something which you are passionate about and in complete control over. The aforementioned tips should always be kept in mind to ensure your new venture is kept on track and if you’re looking to be a success, they should be considered essential.
Louise Jenkins writes about Microfinance, for more information visit https://www.communitypayday.com/