For new business owners, finding a suitable location to set up shop, hire a few employees and advertise on social media may seem like that’s all you need. While these aspects are important, it’s not as simple as that. Business can surprise you in many ways with some being things you wouldn’t have ever expected. Here are three factors in business you may not expect to experience.
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You’ll Need a License or a Permit
Some businesses, specifically smaller ones, might seem like they don’t need as much work as a conglomerate would. However, no matter what size your business is, you must adhere to certain guidelines and regulations. This includes having the appropriate permits and licensing. Before you can officially open your business, you’ll have to register your business through the state. Each state has its own guidelines and prerequisites for registrations, so be sure to review them ahead of time. Next, you must obtain the following licenses and permits:
- General business license
- Sales tax permit
- Zoning permit
- Federal identification number
- Health permits
The type of licensing you require does depend on what type of business you have. For example, if you plan on serving food to the public, you’re mandated to get a health permit.
You Need to Combine Social Media with SEO
Advertising has come a long way since the days of only print ads. It went from exclusively fine print to circulating all around the internet thanks to the multitude of social media platforms. Facebook, Instagram and the recent addition of TikTok has enabled many businesses to thrive. However, posting on social media alone isn’t what’s going to reel in your target audience.
You need to combine it with search engine optimization. Search engine optimization is a process where you use keywords and phrases that’s tied to whatever your niche is. This is how you hook the right type of people to your business. However, SEO is a lot more complex than you might think. So much so, that you’ll have to take the time to learn about the ins and outs of it. But since managing your business keeps your hands tied, you may not have the time to do so.
If you’re too busy to learn SEO yourself, that’s completely fine. There’s nothing wrong with hiring an SEO consultant to do the job for you. These professionals can give you high quality content marketing information by looking at statistics, what words are used and incorporating SEO into your social media posts. SEO consultants are capable of many things, so don’t hesitate to review a guide on what they can do for your business.
Expect to Part Ways with Employees
Despite the amount of work you’ve put into your business, the people you bring on as employees ultimately keep it from going under. However, employees can be pretty fickle at times. After all, they’re still people with lives outside of their work. Because of this, you should be well-prepared for when they decide to resign. Maybe something in their life has changed and they can no longer manage their schedule. Or perhaps they feel it’s time to move on and find a new job. In recent times many are choosing to take a job that allows them to be a digital nomad and travel. Either way, you need to be prepared for when they’re ready to part ways with you.
