If you have a full head of creative business ideas don’t let the fear of not being able to handle all of these things stop you. On paper it may seem that there are so many things that need to be taken care of, while the moment you start doing it and go with the flow everything becomes manageable as you get used to being an entrepreneur.
What if I don’t succeed? What if there will be no clients? What if supplies don’t arrive at time? How to set up this store? – There are just so many doubts and questions that can stop you from even trying. Practise makes perfect and sometimes you just need a little push to start doing something. You don’t have to be the best on day one. And making mistakes along the way is completely a natural process.
At first glance it may feel terrifying or simply overwhelming to suddenly step into the fierce business world and compete against all of these multinational big brands. But don’t forget that they also had to make this first step one day. You’ve most likely heard all of these success entrepreneur stories about a few creative people in an old garage, who didn’t have to be money-rich to become successful. Instead, they were rich in ideas. Look at all of the startups or successful businesses run by just one person even without any office. We are living in the digital age, with internet connection becoming widely available. Your laptop or smartphone can become a powerful tool if you use it the right way. And setting up an online business isn’t that hard!
Initial Costs Are Not That Scary!
So you need to pay for so many things at the beginning; register a company, get a website, register a domain, get a logo, hire employees, start a production, buy resources, package costs, worldwide shipping…
Don’t panic.
Write a list of everything you need just in order to set off. See how much money you could devote from your current job or other savings as that will be your initial budget (which actually you don’t even need). In many cases, the sole ‘starting doing something’ is completely free of charge, really.
Then, there are also different ways you can lower the initial fees and costs of running business.
Don’t Forget That You Are Talented
First of all, you are already gifted with your own skills.
Are you good with graphics? Design your logo.
If you are skilled with computers, you can probably set up a professional website yourself. There are also free website hostings and creators or templates, which can be helpful.
Are you a good writer? Create your own content, write yourself some advertising materials, prepare posts for promoting on social media, etc.
There are many ways you can benefit from your talents. Moreover, you don’t have to rely only on yourself during this entrepreneurship journey…
Friends, Family and Online Talents
During our lives, we unconsciously build one of the largest networks of connections. Don’t forget that your friends have sets of their own skills. Maybe you know someone who can join your business and help you with part of the work that you don’t feel confident in? Your friends also have their own friends, who have their own friends and so on… You don’t imagine how many times a simple Facebook post like “Does anybody know anyone who can…” was more effective than a proper job offer.
There are also various online communities, platforms for freelancers where you can find people who are willing to cooperate with you for free or at relatively low costs. For example, on a platform such as Fiverr, you can find someone who can write, design, translate, set up, teach you something for literally $5.
You are also not limited to who you work with also. Your best-qualified employee can be thousands of kilometers away from you in his own flat, yet it doesn’t stop both of you to cooperate. And if your coworkers can be from overseas, the clients can be too…
Go Big: Go International!
Remember that thanks to the Internet you are not limited to any place. Your brand new platform can be accessed anywhere in the world.
Don’t be afraid of accepting international clients. If you are setting up an e-commerce platform and sell some universal goods and services you can reach more clients if you won’t limit yourself only to your country. In fact, all you need to run an international online business nowadays is a platform in English language and probably some convenient way to receive international money transfers.
But, dealing with international orders and payments can actually affect your budget quite significantly. It’s all because of the high fees for moving money between borders. Moreover, you need to add exchange rates and currency conversions to the calculations.
Mainstream banks seem to have lost the battle for competitive rates when it comes to international wires, as they can charge as much as $30 for a single transfer. Moreover, some banks charge you even for just receiving a transfer from another country. Therefore, the most sensible way is to research the offer from online money transfer platforms.
What are some of the popular online platforms? Obviously the PayPal for merchants is one of the more popular ways to handle transactions, there are also more cost-efficient alternatives such as TransferWise, Revolut or Skrill. It’s good to research some reviews and opinions before singing up to choose the company best-fitted for your needs, as each of the sites offer different features both when it comes to the payments, but also other benefits for online businesses.
Don’t Give Up
Hopefully, with these few tips in mind, you will feel more confident to get out there, as the world is waiting to see you and your ideas in action. Benefit from the fact that today’s startups don’t require getting a loan, renting a whole building, setting up a professional office, hiring staff and doing lots of paperwork. You, your laptop and your talent can be just enough to create amazing things and become financially independent thanks to it.