Have you ever dreamed of opening your own business? Perhaps you started and felt overwhelmed! We understand that there are several challenges for entrepreneurs to navigate when starting a business. So, in the hope of helping, let’s talk about the 5 most common challenges and how to overcome them.
Simply Knowing Where To Start
So, you have an idea…you’ve got loads of exciting thoughts…but what now? It’s all well and good having a great business idea but what’s an idea without a plan for execution? Don’t worry, we can feel the stress from here!
Sometimes, all we need is a tried and tested, proven roadmap of the way forward from people who have successfully been there and done that.
Knowing How And What To Prioritise
Perhaps you already have a good idea of where to start, you can see it all in your head but now you’re stuck on the part of WHAT COMES FIRST?! Where do you start when there’s so much to do? So much that could be done? It’s particularly tricky when you’re unsure of the starting line and the landmarks along the way.
First things first, mastering HOW to prioritise – differentiating the urgent tasks from the not-so-urgent tasks, and when each part needs to come into play. Then, it’s about WHAT to prioritise – what’s going to bring in profit, and what’s not? Building a business is a step-by-step process and time management is absolutely essential.
Positioning Yourself Well In The Kitchen
Okay, we’ve got our priorities straight and our tasks mapped out. Now it’s time to carve out our place in the market… Who is the target audience, where are they, how do you reach them? What methods will we use? Social media, email marketing, advertising?
Whew! Lots to think about… what we need here is a foolproof business plan and strategy to make sure we can’t go wrong.
Uhhh oh…sales
Entering the market needn’t be a terrifying activity, and while most entrepreneurs tend to feel the same way about sales as they do about Marmite (you either love it or you hate it), great selling is absolutely essential if you want your business to be successful.
The most important part of sales? Making sure you’re showing your product/service to someone who needs the item/solution you’re providing. And as with so many things in life, it’s about location, location, location.
No matter how hard you try, your audience won’t just come to you, you have to go where they are. Perhaps they’re a younger demographic in which case your IG, and maybe TikTok, game needs to be strong. Maybe they’re more old school and value a good website for social proof. Lots to consider! And this is just the tip of the iceberg, once you’ve located your audience, then your pitch needs to be on point.
Sneaky Self-doubt
Arguably, one of the most difficult challenges for entrepreneurs when starting a business is overcoming their own self-limiting beliefs and doubts. As in everyday life, it’s easy enough for us to believe the little voice in our heads that can be a negative Nancy saying “you can’t do this”, “you’re going to fail”, “there are so many competitors out there, what makes you feel like you can do this?”
Part of being successful is overcoming that doubt, even temporarily, enough to take action and make that first step… then that second step… then the third…
The doubt does not go away easily – we all feel it! Sometimes, we have to just say “enough, be quiet, I’m busy!”. Out loud is always a win.
Have you felt these challenges before? Are you struggling with one, two or maybe all of them right now? Well, we have fantastic news for you…we are running a FREE masterclass with Future Females co-founder and CEO, Lauren Dallas. She will be covering how to overcome these challenges, as well as the 5 common paths to 6-figure revenue for your business, and how to decide which one is right for you, the secret to gaining attention for your products and services on social media (and how to convert that attention into SALES), the simple growth strategy we implemented that DOUBLED our sales (and didn’t require us to spend a cent!)