Part 1: psychological necessities.
Starting a business is tough enough in these economically trying times. Add a seemingly relentless global pandemic to the mix and it’s certainly a bit more difficult. With this and all the other world-ending, economy crashing issues we’re currently facing, it seems that unless your surname rhymes with Husk your startup will operate no longer than a week, let alone a year or 5.
There’s no way to know what to expect when you start a business. You can plan and organise all you like but you will undoubtedly find yourself surprised by the small and big things that you desperately need and never expected to. We were certainly surprised by some business-running necessities that we didn’t anticipate. This post is part of a series, read part 2 here.
So, without further ado, here are the unexpected necessities of a startup that we experienced.
Networking
It’s important that you immediately begin building a network for your business. The old “it’s not what you know, but who you know” story, really does make a big difference when you’re starting up.
You want your brand to be well-known enough to not have to spend a ton on marketing, but still get a decent amount of leads, simply through the network of people that know of your business. So start early and build as fast as possible.
Our Managing Director takes this notion one step further: It’s not what you know, it’s not just who you know, but also what you know about who you know. But that’s a whole other blog post.
Coffee
Find a good quality coffee to look forward to after a tough few hours. To boost energy and morale.
Down-time
Make sure to allocate some time to not working. We all think that more hours means more money, but there is a fine balance between the more hours = more money and more hours = faster burnout.
For those business minds out there, it sounds counter-productive. But we would argue the opposite. If you take some time to rest, you are likely to be more productive during your working hours. (Just don’t rest too much.)
Treat Yo’self!
A small treat once in a while makes a big difference. We have a Get-Fat-Friday, where we spoil ourselves with something extra tasty.
Focus on the small things
The logic goes that 1+1 does not equal 100. But if you do each one thing well, you will eventually get to 100.
If you do all things half-heartedly, then you’re going to be getting a fraction of the result on each thing, and it will take you double or even triple the amount of time to get to the same goal. So be brilliant in the small things.
Get enough sleep
Sleep 6 – 8 hours. Fun fact: A lack of sleep affects the body in the same way that drinking alcohol does. And you can’t be drunk on the job!
Be Open Minded
Be open-minded with your business. You won’t rake in the business if you’re exactly the same as everyone else. So, think outside the box where you can, and allow that mindset to drive your business forward.
Business Management System
A proper Business Management System, when you have employees, is essential. We realised that with employees, comes more business. And with more business, we require better company management systems to ensure that the work done (by everyone) is brilliant.
Conclusion
All the points we’ve covered are more psychological than cost related.
But companies are run by people and we feel that this is a conversation that needs to be had when it comes to business. And these things all play into great effect when it comes to the goals, ambitions and daily operations of one’s business.
For more information about the financial and monetary necessities read part 2! These have been our unexpected necessities while starting a business. If you’re starting a business then we hope these tips will help you. If you have a business of your own and experienced other unexpected necessities, let us know all about them on social media.
