Introduction
Starting a successful small business is an exciting way to do what you love and make some money doing it!
In today’s social media-focused world, it is important to create and establish a strong online presence and create engaging content that people will want to check out again and again!
In this post, we will explore 5 essential steps to launch your small business and get that money rolling in!
Important note: Starting a successful small business is not something that will just happen over night. It may take a lot of time, dedication, and effort to create something you are proud of!
I know for me, when I first started my small business, I wanted to make sure I put the work in at the beginning to create a strong foundation. If you want to learn more about me, make sure to check out my About Page!
Now, after about 3-4 months of work, I have brought in over $4,500 in sales!!!
It may not be a lot for some (and it is certainly not something I can live off of at the moment), but there is still a lot of room for growth and expansion!
Now, let’s get into my top ways to start your own small business!
Building up your Social Medias
Social media is the #1 way to start a successful small business and generate sales. Whether that is Instagram (my favorite, see my nail page here! ), TikTok, Facebook, Twitter, or any other social medias, this is going to be how you engage and market yourself and your products!
It is crucial that you create a specific Instagram account for your brand, and not just add it to your personal account (or others).
You will also want to create a “Creator” or “Business” account to get access to features you can’t get with a personal account.
I am still learning, (and I definitely don’t have hundreds of thousands of followrs), but I have developed my own style of posting/have done a lot of research about this!
Starting your Small Business Small
It can be easy to get caught up in everything at first; starting a successful small business is super overwhelming!
I suggest starting as small as possible: only buying the materials that you NEED to create your product (don’t cash out on all the fun and shiny things just yet!!!), selling your items directly on Instagram or a platform such as Depop or Etsy, and create an understanding of how long it takes you to make one item/make 1 post of content.
This will not only save you money (and time), but it will also save you from investing in stuff you don’t actually need.
Starting off small and growing as your audience grows also allows room for you to change up stuff, like your aesthetic, the way you communicate with your audience, and even the things you choose to spend time on.
Engage with your Audience
Being engaging is one of the best ways to create a clientele base, while also learning what your audience likes vs. dislikes.
(I can be bad at this at times), but when you first start out, try to like and reply to all of the comments you receive!
Interaction
When you interact with the people who follow you in a nice and informative way, it will make them want to support you even more!
I have found that there are a few people who have bought from me over and over, and I get a lot of DMs from people saying, “I am so glad I found you! You are definitely now my go-to nail person!” and things of that nature.
Comments like this are truly what motivates me to keep doing what I’m doing. Like I said earlier, I am not here to cater to the masses, I am here to create my own little community of people who genuinely like and support what I am doing!
If you want your business to last, I truly believe this is the best way to do it!
One-hit-wonders are one-hit-wonders for a reason; people tend to forget about them or move after a certain amount of time…
Make Friends!
Another thing I have done through my social media that has truly helped me is ENGAGING WITH OTHERS IN THE COMMUNITY WHO DO SIMILAR THINGS TO ME!
Oh my goodness. The amount of people who feel like they are “competing” with others who do similar things is MIND BOGGLING to me!!! Supporting other press-on nail artists has done so much more good for me than hating on them has!
It can be hard at times, but NEVER compare yourself to others!! If you truly want to do well in your field, you have to realize there are probably thousands of others doing the same thing.
Instead of working against them, you have to be willing to work WITH them!!
I promise promise promise you this will help your business become a SUCCESSFUL small business and grow even more than you could ever know.
Consistency is Key for a Successful Small Business!
I think the most important thing I have done to build my small business so far is post consistently! I post on my Instagram (almost) 5-6 times a week.
Consistency is key when it comes to building an online presence.
Whether you’re posting on social media, writing blog articles, or sending out newsletters, maintaining a regular posting schedule helps keep your audience engaged and ensures that your brand stays top-of-mind.
Keep Creating!
Not only consistency in posting, but also consistency in your product creation. If you hand make a product (like me) such as: jewlery, charms, crochet, etc., it is important that you create at least 3-4 times a week!
The key to consistent posting/creating is honestly just doing whatever feels good in your body. Don’t worry too much about whether things will sell or if it’s good enough, instead worry about creating things that you genuinely like!
My philosophy is this: the right people will like my products and I am catering to them, not anyone else.
You have to realize that your product may not be for everyone and that’s okay! I would rather have loyal customers than go viral and have a lot of people only buy from me once.
Have Fun!
If you truly want your business to succeed, I genuinely think you have to do something you enjoy and whole-heartedly belive you can do for the rest of your life.
If not, you may hit a point where it just isn’t fulfilling to your soul anymore, and your business will plateau. In Psychology, this is known as the idea of “Flow state.”
If you can find something that you love doing so much that you’re able to zone in on it for hours without even realizing how much time has passed, you will be in Flow state, and may have great success in it!
Find your Passion
Of course, there are a lot of people out there who just chase the money and only care about the numbers, and that’s great for them. However, I believe starting a business should come from a place of genuine passion and love for what you’re doing.
If you don’t think you could do this for free, you’re eventually gonna resent doing it for money.
How to Deal With Burnout?
There may be times where you get burnt out from what you’re doing, and you may want to burn everything down, but I think this can be good at times!
Burn out is a terrible thing to go through (especially as a creative), but that doesn’t mean you’re done creating forever! I
think of burn out as a sign from your body that there are better things coming, and you just need to take a break now in order to get there!
Especially at the beginning, it is SUPER important to genuinely have fun with what you’re doing!
By having fun, you’re about to figure out the things that work, don’t work, and generate an audience that actually likes your products for it’s authenticity, instead of liking it for what may sell.
Conclusion
Starting a successful small business is an amazing adventure filled with ups, downs, and lots of learning along the way! Remember, building a successful business takes time and effort, so be patient with yourself and stay committed to your goals.
With the following 5 steps, you are on your way to creating a small business with love, longevity, and fun!
- Building up your Social Medias: Use platforms like Instagram to showcase your products and create engaging content of your products!
- Start Small: Begin with the basics needed for your specific business and grow gradually as your audience and skill levels expand.
- Engage with Your Audience: Interact with your followers, respond to comments, and support others in your community!!!
- Consistency is Key: Maintain a regular posting schedule (at least 3-4 times a week!) and create products consistently to keep your audience engaged.
- Have Fun: Find joy in what you do and stay true to your passion, even if it may be hard at times!
By following these steps, you are well on your way to creating the small business of your dreams!
Of course, nothing good comes without hard work, but it is super rewarding in the end!
So, what are you waiting for? Start your business journey today, and see what happens!
