Has the Pandemic Made You Think About Starting a Business?

The ongoing Coronavirus pandemic has made many people revaluate their careers. There has been a significant number of people setting up a business at home to try and make some extra cash. Perhaps they have been furloughed or lost their jobs altogether. Others just want a change of direction to enable them to have a better work/life balance. 

Here we look at some of the things that you will need to think about if you are considering starting up or have started up your own business thanks to the pandemic.

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Have a unique selling proposition

There are very few totally original business ideas. Whatever it is that you decide to do, there is a good chance that someone else is already doing it. That is absolutely fine – there is room for you as well, but you need to make sure that you have a USP; a unique selling proposition. This is what makes your business stands out from others. What makes you the best business to buy from or use? Make sure that you communicate this clearly to your market.

Offer your customers choice

Customers are more demanding than ever. They want, and expect, choice in all areas of their shopping habits. Whether it is a choice of colours, shipping methods or payment options, the more options that you give them, the more chance you have of them buying from you. For example, when it comes to payment, allow them to pay through Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal and Inoviopay. These are all secure and trusted methods of payment.

Consider your marketing strategy

Marketing is one of the most important parts of business yet is also one of the most overlooked. Think about it; If no one knows that you exist, how will you make any money? While the more money you can set aside for marketing the better, it does not have to cost you massively, especially in the early days. Pages and groups on the main social media platforms, an email sign up list, a white hat link building strategy and carefully targeted PPC (pay per click) advertising can be enough to set you off in the right direction.

Outsource when and where necessary

In the early days your budget may not allow for this, but as soon as possible, look at outsourcing some elements of your business. For example, find a professional web designer to take control of your website or a social media manager to deal with your social marketing strategy. This will ensure that you have an experienced and skilled individual or agency helping you while allowing you to concentrate on the things that are important – growing your business.

There are lots of things to think about when starting a business, and this is just the tip of the iceberg. 

A solid business plan should take you forward, listing what you hope to achieve, when you hope to achieve it and how you will achieve it. With this and the above points, you will be well on your way to launching a successful post-pandemic business. Good luck!

This is a collaborative post.