There is nothing more exciting and frankly intoxicating as starting your business finally. The joy of seeing something come to fruition is inexplicable and so thrilling.
Sometimes however, you come up against long odds and you feel like you are trying to pull off the impossible when it all goes wrong and all you want is to give up.
Don’t give up
Go back to the beginning
What made you want to do this business? What gave your heart that flutter that made you smile and say to yourself, I think I can pull this off? There is still a business in there. You just have to find a way for it. Different and profitable.
Dig into that central feeling and the emotional core of the business and your vision and make things happen. Then vision is very important and is the key. It is what drove you to start putting money and time in the business? Before things went sideways or just did not kick off the way you wanted.
So, don’t give up. Revise the plan get help where you think you went wrong. Sometimes you might just need to step back and do some self-discovery or get support from an expert so they push you to try again.
Make a New Plan
Crafting a good plan is much like building a house. You need a foundation, a good one. In your case the business idea. Then you need legs for it to stand on, the how. The how which will need a lot of research as the research is key. The logo, the colours, the fonts of the business card all this does not matter if you do not do your research. The preparations are very important.
You need to envisage potential challenges, design solutions, and prep every aspect of the business. If you are going to sell shoes, whom are you going to sell them to, why have you chosen this group in particular, how much will you charge. When can you conduct business? Where can you conduct your business? Research and prepare.
The research will bring out the dos and don’ts and maybe the what to sell. It may not even be shoes.
Revisit the Target
Your initial target may have been to be the biggest in your street, social media circles or to open a physical location. The fail may have come because the first target was not attainable and reasonable as from the beginning.
Do not give yourself a target that is far too high. Remember the targets do not always need to be sky-high to convince the customers that your business is worth supporting. Each business is different. Each customer is different. Some start slow then build up gradually.
Try Again
Take your revised business back to market and try again. Remember even with the best laid plans, the re-launching can go wrong. However, do not let this put you off. Keep going, learning and changing because the headaches of reaching your goals and the setbacks will not stop. Keep up with what is going on in the market you operate in and get to know the different local players.
Also those customers you had in the beginning go back to them. Get back to them and convince them to try your business again. Most people will come back if they like what you are selling. And some will come on board, not just out of a desire to help, but because they know your struggle. People just need to be reminded.
Market yourself
Competition is fierce. You need to develop your niche in the local market and be known as the one to go to for a type of service or product. Try to stand out as this will help differentiate you in the busy market place.
Update if you have, your websites, social media profiles and business cards and fliers and all the channels that you use to market your business. Also, go after leads that are generated in the chatter on line. Reach out to people that are seeking a service or product like yours.
Everyone is a prospect. Basically, everyone you meet is a prospective client, because everyone buys a service or product. A big part of doing business is often cultivating leads, as well as meeting and following up with potential buyers.
Develop a Network
This starts with people you know, such as friends, family, people in the same business or people with a large following on your platform. There is nothing more valuable to a business than then a large network.