Tips for Starting a Business

Every business owner will tell you that a thousand things demand your attention every day. So prioritising your workload, understanding what is important and what can wait, quickly becomes a skill you must master.

When you are just starting out, the demands on your time can be even greater and despite there being many books with tips for starting a business, the learning curve is just as steep.

There are equally many things to consider:

What kind of business to choose, how to define its legal status and how to finance it.

Will you build your business while still in full-time employment, or should you quit your job and try to go it alone? Can you afford to do that?

Then, there are the practical considerations: do you need to rent an office, or can you find space to work from home? Do you need to hire staff, or can you run the business yourself?

How will you promote your new business? Yellow Pages or a website? Should you join a business club or will online promotions do?

And - if you do work from home - how will you handle being alone all day with no one to talk to? How will you keep your focus and motivation if there's no boss looking over your shoulder?

This section of the site is specifically for those just starting out. This collection of tips for starting a business is for the times when you feel in need of a little help and advice.

• Do You Have a Head for Business?

  Running your own online business is not a bed of roses. You need to be determined, hard-working and able to bounce back quickly. Do you have the temperament to be successful in business?

• Business Planning

  Many businesses, especially online ones, are started on a whim. But just a little planning before you start can help your business be successful that much sooner. So isn't it worth it?

• Creating a Home Office

  There's no need to hire an expensive plush office when you start your own business. Very often, a home office is enough to get you started. But is it right for you?

• How to Dress for Business

  If you start an online business, you may relish the freedom of not having to dress up to go to work. But don't take your comfort too far. There may be pitfalls ahead.

• Dealing with Loneliness

  It's said that it is lonely at the top. It can also be lonely working from home. Fortunately, you can turn that to your advantage with a little planning...

• Keeping Your Focus

  How do you keep your focus and motivation when running your own business? Do what your boss does: set goals and offer incentives - for yourself.

• How to Find the Right Online Business for you

  Many people dream of having their own online business, but find it difficult to decide what to sell. Here's the good news: nothing! There are many different ways of making money online that do not involve selling and may suit your temperament much better.

Starting a business is fun, though at times a little scarier and definitely a lot more hectic than you'd think. I'm going through this process at the moment and even though I'd read lots of tips for starting a business, and planned, and talked to people who'd been there - it's still rather frantic! But being my own boss is great, so I'll be happy to share anything I learn. I'll be adding tips for starting a business as I go along, so please bookmark this page so you can keep up with anything new.