One of the best things about the resources available to us today is that it can be far more viable and realistic to be able to  set up a business then it used it be. You don’t necessarily need a major capital investment or a large team to get started: if you’ve got an idea and the drive to make it a reality, then you can launch and start to build a biz! However, there are some downsides and potential limitations to doing things by yourself. For example, customers may perceive you as inferior to larger companies who have a team of employees working for them. So it is important that you work on making your business present professionally and that you have all your bases covered to deliver an amazing customer experience and product or service. Let’s take a look at some tried and tested methods for doing this…

You Are Serious
First thing’s first: you have to treat your company as a serious venture. If you don’t, then it’s highly unlikely that anyone else will. This is perhaps one of the most fundamental mistakes that solopreneurs make: they don’t take themselves seriously, and it shows. Everything in life is about presentation and having the goods to back it up! If you’re projected a confident image that tells the world that you know your stuff and have put in the work to support what you are delivering then that’s what your customer will truly experience.

The Basics
There are some telltale signs that give away a company as a one-person operation. For example, if you have an “[yourbusinessname]@gmail.com’ email address, or your website looks like you built it yourself in a couple of hours, then yes, you’re going to look like a small and unprofessional company! So make sure that you’re sending the right message. It doesn’t matter how small you are, it’s always possible to present a professional image. Have a website built by professional website designs. Get a virtual address so that you can list a location that isn’t your home as your company headquarters. Add multiple communication methods, including phone and live web chat, so that your customers can always get in touch with you. You’ll find that once you’ve got the basics in order, you automatically present a more professional business profile. 

Working With Others
You may be the only employee of your business, but that doesn’t mean that you have to be the only one who works for your company. How does this work? It’s called outsourcing. This is the process of hiring another company to do a job for you. You’re just buying the service; you’re not hiring them in the traditional sense. There are any number of tasks that you can outsource, including your IT needs, reception, social media marketing, accounting, and so much more. This is an especially effective method because it gives you access to high-quality talent without having to break the bank. 

Personal Branding
One of the challenges of being a solopreneur is that, well, there’s only one of you. You can’t impress people by numbers. When there’s only one of you, you have to work on making a name for yourself. People will be more inclined to give their money to a business if they believe that the person that runs things really knows what they’re talking about. If you can establish yourself as an expert in your field, then customers will come. So how do you do this? It’s all about your personal branding. This is the process of getting your name out there. Giving talks and being active on social media will allow you to demonstrate your expertise to the world!

Make a plan to ensure your books nice and clean
It’s important to look at bookkeeping as an ongoing task that needs to be kept on top of. Often business owners start off with every intention to keep on top of their books…next thing it’s Christmas and not even one bank reconciliation, invoice or expense has been entered. What happens if you don’t clean your house for 6 months? It would be very messy, stressful, be a big job to clean up at the cost of increased time and money. You need to ensure your bookkeeping will be fresh, clean and up to date. Most of all STRESS FREE. Engaging a bookkeeper from somewhere like Busy Bee Advisors to work with you throughout the year can significantly help you when it comes to completing your year end tax return and other annual compliance. The last thing you want to do is be pulling out old invoices or trying to work out what you purchased 9 months ago from a bank statement that doesn’t really give you any hints.

Free Social Media Tools
One of the best things about running a company in the modern world is that you have access to so many tools that you can use to help your business grow. While there may be some areas of business where the disparity between the large and small companies may be unfair, there are some where things are more equal. Social media is one such example. If you’re continually posting excellent content that people like, then it won’t matter how big you are. So make sure you’re making the most of these free tools. 

Big Mindset
Finally, take a look at your mindset. What does it say about your business? Some small businesses will stay small forever (no matter how they try) in the eyes of their customers because they think in small terms. If you have a big mindset, then you can cultivate an approach that takes risks, achieves big things, and all-around function as if you were a bigger company, even if you haven’t quite reached that level yet. 

TDP x