
Being a young/new entrepreneur requires a lot of time and effort, includes dealing with business-related anxieties and stress, as well as, overcoming countless obstacles you certainly will encounter along the way. Everything will be worth it since you'll be taking your career one step further by investing into turning your passion into a business – a business you'll love working on a daily basis to build up and you'll be supporting until you reach your goal.
The one thing you need to know when starting your own business, is that the bulk of work ahead of you will be overwhelming and pretty demanding. Do not let that get you down though; that is your dream you're working for, after all.
I recently spoke about my personal entrepreneurial success story at Startup Athens - invited by the Living Postcards platform. I shared a brief story about my career path over the years, from the early start in aviation to the launch of my personal profit-making blog and finally to creating my personal business, The Vip Excellence Career Center.
Below you will find my tips on how to start your own business, what your first steps should be, what you need to do and how you can eventually grow your business.
Being passionate about it isn't enough.
You need a plan.
FIRST THINGS FIRST
Before starting, do a quick test. Take a deep breath and answer the following questions. After that, you'll be more certain of the reasons that drive you into launching your own business.
a. Why I need to start my own business? Is it the money? The creative rush or something else?
b. What am I good at?
c. Which are my most efficient skills?
d. Am I going to offer a service or sell a product? If I want to offer a service, am I really skilled to do so?
e. What am I passionate about?
f. Do I have the means to fund my business?
#1. THE CONCEPT
A business idea and a concept are the two essentials you need before starting. Once you have these, you should do a small research to find out whether your product meets the market's needs, what makes it unique and why you believe it will be successful.
#2. THE BUSINESS PLAN
A good business plan is an important step towards creating a profitable new business. An operational and financial plan will assist your brand- find an expert to help you outline the basics.

#3. THE LEGAL ADVICE
I can't point out enough the importance of investing into having a skilled legal advisor as a part of your business team from the very beginning, like I did. I invested in a remarkable prfofessional lawyer, who made sure my idea will be able to stand as a legal concept as well as to be able to be developed into something succesful in the near future.
Beleive me, this investment will save you from numerous sleepless nights.
#4. THE FINANCIAL ADVICE
Before launching your business, you need to speak with an accountant to solve any financial questions you may have. Books, taxes, payment methods, online payments and other financial-related problems should be taken care of by a tax advisor.
Your legal and tax advisors may point you to different directions – step forward and set your own business' path by determining what is best for you and what is not. Let them work on the project while doing your own research so as, in the end, you'll createa final plan based on the expertise of the three of you combined.
It is up to you if you'll continue working with them after launching your business. I have been working with my team since day 1 and continue doing so.
#5. FUNDING YOUR BUSINESS
I am certainly no expert to advise you on how to fund your business plans but let's be honest about it: money is an important element when starting a business. My suggestion would be to try figuring out your financial support one step at a time. Every startup is unique and there's no need in comparing your idea to someone else's.
Take small steps and avoid investing a great amount of money at the very beginning. You could begin working from the convenience of your own house until you feel ready enough to join the market with your own working space. Alternatively, if you are unable to fund your business, you could do some research into startup funding programs to find the one suiting your business' needs.#6. THE WORKING SPACE
I firmly believe that the working space you choose for your business is important as it represents your identity as a business owner, your image. As convenient and cozy as it may sound to work from home, you'll eventually have to find a space that embodies your concept the best possible way.
I had a hard time finding my space – it took me over 7 months to find the ideal office but since I walked into it, I knew that was it! I ensure you, you'll feel the same way, time be it.
Tip: do not rush into booking a space – check the market, compare prices and most importantly: find a space that fits your concept as well as yourclients' needs.
DREAMING OF BECOMING A #GIRLBOSS?
Check here my Super Tips!

The Vip Excellence, my new business in Athens
#7. THE CLIENTS
To grow your business and acquire your first clients may be a quick process but it may take a while too. Doing your research and getting to know the market prior to your business launch will help you get your clients faster – either way it will be a difficult process since you will be new to the market.
Having the option to work a while from home before investing into having your personal working space will help you brand your services/products and learn more about the market.
#8. THE WEBSITE
There's not really much to say here. Without a good website, there's not a great business. As much as a great space makes a good business, a great website addds to that even more. In addition, your website can be launched before even having a business space. Invest time into writing quality content and, of course, finding a skilled developer to support your website.
An excellent online presence is one of the most important elements your business should feature.
I was incredibly lucky to have my sister developing and supporting both my websites. If you need more info concerning her, just message me!
#9. ADVERTISING & MARKETING
That could be done by professionals or - should you have certain marketing skills and you're willing to learn more by yourself. Advertising is essential for your business to launch since it will decide its' success from the very beginning.
Good news is that with the marketing tools available nowadays and by doing some reading around the use of social media, you can easily get the job done by yourself. All your social media platforms should be active as they are the best way to get your business out there as efficiently and easy as possible. Use Facebook, Pinterest Instagram and Twitter to serve your marketing purpose.
#10. THE TEAM
As important as it is to establish an idea and set a business plan, hiring a great team of people is an essential element to building a successful business. You should choose wisely by defining a list of your needs and your overall "chemistry". Find people who will believe in what you're doing and who will be having the same passion and creativity to put into their work as you do - or at least having the passion to work for that.
Your team will help you grow your idea and support you in each step of the way. As confident as you are in achieving your goals, hiring a good team will be the most important decision you'll take.
"THE BIGGEST MISTAKE A SMALL BUSINESS CAN MAKE,
IS TO THINK LIKE A SMALL BUSINESS"
IS TO THINK LIKE A SMALL BUSINESS"
So, #TargetHigh and Good Luck!
For any questions you may have, just email me or contact me via my Facebook Page!
Photo by Mike Tsitas
The content on this blog is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
You may not republish, copy or modify the content without my consent.
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