Starting your own business from the ground up can be one of the most difficult challenges you’ll face in life. There are setbacks, heartaches, and certain failures that are right around the corner. But, it’s the American Dream and you have what it takes to make.
However, if you want to save yourself some trouble along the way, we may have some advice to help you on your journey.
Top 7 Pieces of Financial Advice for Entrepreneurs
First and foremost, you’re the accountant. You need to be vigilant when it comes to dollars spent and dollars earned. One of the number 1 reasons businesses fail is because they run out of money. You may have already known that but the reason people run out of funds is usually because they weren’t monitoring the cash flow close enough.
Spending is the most important aspect to pay attention to. If you have to buy accounting software to do it then, by all means, pay for the service.
Limiting spend is a necessity when you open up shop. Many business owners feel the need to buy a leather couch for their waiting area or the latest iMacs for their employees. That stuff can wait. The important thing to do is make sure your business operates well first. When you start making money the upgrades can be a priority.
Brace yourself for the worst case scenario. If you feel the need to quit your day job to pursue your idea of a great business, think again. You have to wait until your business can replace the amount you make before doing anything hastily.
Going along the same route as monitoring your spend, make sure that every dollar you spend is in some way related to acquiring a customer base. If you don’t have customers, you don’t have a business. If you do spend money, it needs to be in advertising and marketing so there will be clientele waiting for you when you open the doors to your business.
You also need to pay yourself. People starting their own business often don’t make a lot, in the beginning, that’s why they sacrifice their own pay to make the dream happen. If you want your business to succeed, you need to ensure you’re in good financial shape first. At some point, you’ll eventually break if you’re not making any money. If you’re stable, you’ll eventually get the ball rolling, even if it takes longer.
Set goals for your business. It may sound cliché but you really need to make reachable goals. Your dream might be to run a multi-million dollar organization but if you don’t measure that from week to week then you might as well keep dreaming. No matter how small the goal is just make sure you’re getting closer.
