Strategic Planning for Small Businesses: Put Your Plan Into Action
Guest post by Kelli Brewer at Deploycare.org
Starting a small business is exciting, but it’s a long process that rarely happens overnight.
Strategic planning for small businesses means that you’ll have several essential steps to start. In addition to writing a business plan and applying for financing, you’ll need to choose the best location for your small business. That could mean renting an outside office space or converting an unused room in your home.
Plus, there’s marketing, business structures, and so many other things to consider. Below, we share a list of essential tips and resources for starting a small business — helping solopreneurs, COVID-preneurs, and freelancers to put their business plans into action.
Launching Your Small Business
Once you’ve chosen a business idea to pursue, these resources will help you to conduct market research, write your business plan, and secure the funding you need to get things moving.
- Start by conducting market research to ensure your business idea is worth pursuing.
- Use free online templates to write your business plan.
- As a COVID-preneur or freelancer, you can form an LLC to reap tax advantages, personal liability protection, and enhanced credibility. Read Zenbusiness reviews to learn how a formation service can help.
- Look for financing and fundraising, Crowdfunding, business loans, grants, and angel investors are just a few financing options to consider.
- Assess your needs and choose the right location for your new business.
Marketing and Advertising
Once you’ve launched your small business, these resources will help you to reach your target audience in no time at all.
- Tomato Fish Marketing can create a marketing roadmap to reach your business goals.
- Create an impressive-looking website. You can either do it yourself or hire a freelance website developer to build it for you.
- Build your audience by launching a referral program, attending trade shows, hosting contests, and implementing other marketing strategies.
- Join your local chamber of commerce for free marketing for your small business.
Business Resources for Veterans
If you’ve served in the military, additional programs and services will be available to you as you prepare to launch your veteran-owned business.
- The Chamber of Commerce offers a complete guide to starting a business as a veteran. You can find training programs, grants and loans, and answers to frequently asked questions.
- Market your business on social media and list your veteran-owned business on online directories such as Google My Business, Yelp, and Bing.
- Determine your eligibility for registering as a Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB).
Starting a successful small business takes lots of planning and brainstorming, but you don’t need to be an expert to get things up and running. With these resources to guide you, you’ll have all the information you need to launch your business and land your first paying customers.
Kelli Brewer is part of DeployCare, which offers support to service members and their families. She shares resources and solutions for issues commonly faced by military families before, during and after deployment.
