3 Important Things New Business Owners Must Know

January 5, 2016

Starting a business can be a daunting task. Particularly if it’s completely new to you. New business owners are at a disadvantage because they’ve never started a company before. So, I thought I’d help you out and provide some important things that you need to know:

Understand Any Legal Business Issues

A lot of new business owners aren’t aware of the legal issues that surround businesses. When you start a company, you have to do a few things. One of those things is registering your business. An unregistered business is an illegal business. If you want to do things by the book and avoid punishment, you must register your business. As you can see on the Your Company Formations website, registering a business can only take three hours. It doesn’t take long, and it needs to be done. Other legal issues include things like trade licenses. Your business may need a license before you can operate properly. For example, businesses that sell alcohol are going to need the proper license to sell it. If you need a license and don’t have one, you could get penalized by the legal system. Your company could soon be shut down, and you’ll be in a lot of trouble. So, all new business owners must understand any legal issues.

The Customer Always Comes First

This is something that every new business owner needs to drill into their head. The customer always comes first. Without customers, you won’t have a business. And, these customers need to be satisfied, or they’ll soon leave. The easiest way to satisfy your customers is to put their needs first. Always do things that will benefit them, listen to what they want. If your customer base is calling for a reduction in prices, you should reduce your prices. It keeps them happy, and they’ll start buying more things. Also, ensure that you provide a quality customer service at all times. Make yourself available and make it easy for customers to contact you. This way, they’ll feel wanted and think that you value their opinion. Putting the customer first is an age old business cliche, but one that remains important to this day.

Don’t Be Afraid Of Competition

Competition is unavoidable in the business world. Chances are your business will already have a few competitors before you’ve set it up. If it doesn’t, you can bet they’ll soon turn up after your business enjoys some success! You can look at competition in two ways. Either embrace competition or be afraid of it. My advice is simple, don’t be afraid of competition. Look at it as a good thing. Use your competition as motivation to become even better. You want to ensure that you remain ahead of your competitors. Take on anyone that challenges you and get your business out on top. If you’re afraid of competition, then you’re likely to shrink away and get beaten by the rest. It’s important that you don’t let this happen!
Hopefully, all you new business owners out there will find this piece helpful. I highly recommend you take this advice on board if you want to run a successful company.

Mark Asquith

That British podcast guy, Mark is co-founder of Captivate.fm, the world's only growth-oriented podcast host. A Harvard, TEDx, Podcast Movement and Podfest speaker (amongst many more!), he's a wildly approachable Brit and Star Wars/DC Comics geek.

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