One of the best things about the business that I am in is that I get to see behind the curtains of a LOT of industries. I see the good, the bad and I definitely see the ugly. One thing that is constant across all industries is ‘change’. The reason I want to talk about change is that it’s nothing to be frightened of! As more and more technology enhances and streamlines our everyday way of life, it is impacting on our employment. Casualisation of the workforce is not ideal but its happening, so rather than sit back, it’s time to take control.

Never before has it been easier to start and build your own business. Between smartphones, apps, social media and DIY webstore templates – the only thing holding you back is you.

Here are just a handful of the things to consider along your ‘entrepreneurial apprenticeship’:

1. What is your product? Work out what it is that you wish to sell. You may decide to sell handmade items, on sell items or sell your services. Importantly, make sure someone wants to pay for it! A lot of great ideas don’t necessarily translate to sales.

2. How much will you charge? How much is someone willing to pay for your service? Is there much competition for your product? Will you cover your costs AND make a profit? Anyone can be busy. It is vital that you are not ‘selling yourself busy’ and are actually making more money.

3. What entity will you trade as?
This is very important and requires the advice of your accountant. Make sure you make an appointment before you get too far down the track.

4. Get Online! This is the critical way to reach your new and potential customers. 

5. START! A great place to start is on the social channels – Facebook, Instagram and Twitter – by having your business ‘social’ it allows you to talk with your audience in a more meaningful and unique approach. A web page nowadays is just about mandatory. Ask anyone under 50 when was the last time they picked up that big old yellow book to check for a business in the area? #googleit

Purchasing your domain is not vital but certainly helps. This allows you to own your web address i.e.
mygreatnewbusiness.com.au

Once you have your ducks in a row, you can use a webstore like Shopify (www.shopify.com) to showcase your products and services.

There are thousands of free ready-made templates that are all customisable to your preference and have inbuilt functions for you to accept credit card payments and direct deposit. You can have it linked directly to your Facebook page (i.e. a Facebook Store) plus it also allows for plenty of other apps to be connected to your ecosystem (get used to this buzzword!).

A perfect example is MailChimp (mailchimp.com) which records email addresses and provides a very user friendly way of sending your own newsletter or specials email.

And finally, the most important backbone of your business is the administration and accounting side of things.

We can’t recommend QuickBooks Online (quickbooksonline.com.au) enough.

QuickBooks records all of your transactions (Invoices, Bills and Statements) for GST, Reporting, preparing your Payroll and much much more.

There really has never been an easier time to start a business!