Top Tips on How to Start a Successful Business

N. Ozenci
Staff Writer/ Marketer

1) Research:
Research your product and target market completely when setting up a business so that you can assess, develop and validate your business ideas to get a deeper understanding of its commercial potential. 

Place yourself in the shoes of your customers to identify their needs and wants. This helps to make sure you are offering what people want to buy not just what you want to sell.

2) Educate yourself:
Business start-up success does not usually happen without massive, inspired action. Learn the language of marketing and how to boldly ask for what you want often. Be committed to learning as much as you can about sales, marketing for a successful business.


Too many entrepreneurs focus on getting their brand right before they start to generate leads. That is exactly the wrong way to go about business. Leads are always more important than your brand therefore don't waste money perfecting your brand and spend that same money to buy new customers. 

3) Learn from your mistakes:
Make bold choices and learn from your mistakes as this is a normal part of the process. You will not succeed without missing the mark more often than not. 

4) Always find new ways to keep cost low:
Make sure your plan is thorough and be prepared if things do not go to plan. In your plan it is also wise to always overestimate expenses and underestimate revenues in the first couple of years.

5) Get cash flowing: 
Find ways to get money up front and your cash gap will never be an issue. One way is to get customers to pay an up-front monthly fee to guarantee their delivery or availability of items they will buy continuously.

6) Find creative ways to increase profit: 
There are many ways to increase profit: Developing effective ways to convert more leads into customers, increasing the number of times those customers buy from you; increasing the average price point of your sales and increasing your profit margins.

7) Continuously test, measure and track your results: 
Through testing and measurement you can develop, improve or change your strategy or program.

8) Prioritise adding value instead of offering discount: 
Whenever you discount, you are taking money directly out of your pocket and directly from your bottom-line profit. Offer your customers added value all the way up and down your product or service line. One way could be to increase your margins with the low-cost or no-cost extras and any kind of, “freemium” offerings. This will encourage customer loyalty and word of mouth will spread across your customer base.

9) Seek help: 
Find someone who is successful in business, outside of your business, that you can rely on for objective business advice and to hold you responsible for getting results. You can even employ a business coach to give you a helping hand.

10) Take positive action: 
Believe in yourself and your abilities then take action! Always find ways of solving problems through planning.