"New year, new me." That's the enthusiasm of many people when entering the new year. And, maybe you are one of them. Whatever your resolution is this year, it will certainly help you become a better person, including when you want to start something new, a business for example.
Some say, starting a business is not difficult if we already have enough "provisions", for example privileges. However, if we start a business completely from scratch, you could say this is a big gamble. The potential for success is there, but the opportunity for failure is also quite open. Well, failure is what shadows many people's intentions to start a business. In fact, according to the results of the SMERU survey in 2020, around 73 percent of the younger generation had a strong interest in becoming entrepreneurs.
Therefore, so that fear does not continue to haunt you, you need the right strategy to design the business you will run. The following are tips for becoming a successful businessman that you can follow.
The first thing you have to think about when starting a business is determining what business you will run. Make sure you have a passion for running the business. Because, in the future you will devote a lot of time and energy to starting a business and building it into a successful business. Therefore, it is very important for you to really enjoy what your business is about.
Once you know what business idea you will run, it's time to determine the uniqueness of your product. The product you choose may not be something truly new, but by presenting its uniqueness it can give the impression of being a fresh product. With this attraction, it will help your business be easily remembered by consumers so you can compete in the market.
So, how do you determine the uniqueness of a product? First, find out what consumers like and observe how your competitors have been doing so far. After that, then determine the unique value of your product. Ask yourself, for example, whether you are a person who prioritizes quality, have ideas that go against the grain, or whether you can offer more diverse purchasing methods, and much more. Note these points and from there you will find the uniqueness of your product.
Having a business plan is an obligation for anyone who wants to go into business. No matter how large the scale of your business, it still requires a business plan. Why? A business plan is like a GPS that will direct your business path in the future. Good planning will guide you through every effort in starting and managing a business well. Through your business plan you will also detail all the important elements of your business continuity.
Next, to create a business plan , it's actually not difficult. A business plan will usually project what your business will be like in the next 3-5 years. Break it down into several planning details, such as capital; sales and marketing; pricing; operations, and so on
In business, you need a support system that will help you start and run a business. They could be family members or friends who can support you and be excited about your idea. Apart from helping your business operations, a support system can also be a place that always motivates you when your business goes up and down or doesn't meet your expectations.
When all the planning is done, the next most important thing is to check whether your business capital is sufficient. Business capital is needed to meet all the equipment and materials needed to produce goods. To get sufficient capital, it can come from savings that you have allocated, looking for investors, taking advantage of government assistance, or using crowdfunding schemes.
Simply put, separating personal money and business money will make it easier for you to evaluate your business, is your business making a profit or is it making a loss? If you are profitable, you can start expanding your business. However, if it turns out you are losing money, it's time for you to find out where you are spending too much or review your business strategy.
To separate them, you can create a special account for business. From this account you can see how your business's cash flow is.
After the COVID-19 pandemic era, people's habits of shopping online have increased quite a bit. You can take advantage of this condition by opening an online shop in several marketplaces. Apart from being free, using this online shop will also expand your target market reach. The transaction process itself is also easier because various delivery options are available.
Social media is still the main choice for intensifying business promotion. According to Hootsuite data as of February 2022, the total number of active social media users in Indonesia is 191.4 million users. You can use this large amount to optimize promotions through various social media channels, such as Instagram, Tiktok and Facebook.
After that, try to study the social media behavior of each platform so that your marketing is effective. You can also use advertising features from several platforms to attract more consumers.
These are the tips that you can apply to guide you to become a successful businessman. Apart from that, it would be even better if you also look for a mentor who has experience in managing a business to guide you. You can get it from your relationships or by taking various business classes that are widely available today.