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As a business owner, opening your first location can be an exciting (and scary) process. But, this is a milestone that all business owners hope to achieve.
When you start a business and open your first location, you’re basically in control of fitting all the moving parts of your business together. Sometimes this can be a hectic experience, and during the opening process, you might realize that you need extra equipment or even a larger budget for expenses.
In order to make the opening process easier on you (and your wallet,) there are several tactics you can employ to ease this transition. And you’ll also find that even if you don’t have all the tools you need right away, there are ways to get by without breaking the bank.
In this post, we’ll discuss a few opening tips to help you establish your first brick-and-mortar location.
Transportation Ideas
While it might be tempting to use your personal vehicle to make deliveries, pick up supplies, drive to job sites, or do any other business-related task, this isn’t the most professional way to manage your in-person business affairs.
Customers want to work with a professional in any industry. As such, you also need to have a professional appearance when dealing with the public.
If you’re just starting out and you need a work vehicle such as a truck to pick up materials and supplies, you can rent a commercial work truck and have a magnetic logo made to place on the sides of the truck. This not only gives you a professional appearance, but it’s also great for advertising and getting your name out into your local community.
Additionally, if you have employees who need transportation for work purposes, you can rent a fleet of trucks for this purpose as well, until you’re able to fund your own vehicles.
Communications
Whether you’re going to be a sole proprietorship or if you’re looking to build your business and hire employees, you’re going to need communications equipment.
Such equipment might include a company laptop, desktop, tablet, cellphone, landline, and the like. The nature of your business will dictate what type of equipment you’ll need, and how much equipment you’ll need. However, much of this equipment can be costly. In order to reduce costs, a few strategies can be followed.
First, you can rent communications equipment for a lower cost, but this equipment has to be returned undamaged. Or, you can opt to purchase refurbished communications equipment at a reduced cost. Just keep in mind that technology is always being upgraded, so refurbished equipment may not have a long working lifespan.
Promotions
Aside from the technology and equipment that you might need to get your business going, you’re also going to need new customers to keep you in business. And, the best way to do this upon opening is to run a promotion.
New businesses tend to naturally attract the attention of the local community. This is especially true in small towns where people take an interest in new businesses. In larger communities, however, this isn’t something to be relied upon.
A new business needs to capture the attention of the local community in order to gain momentum. By hosting a promotional opening event, sale, raffle, or anything that brings people in and offers them something in return, you’re not only advertising your services, but you’re also opening your doors to the community and making your customers feel special.
Promotional ideas can range from free gift certificates, prizes, merchandise, giveaways, and the like. But the idea is to offer an incentive for prospective customers to visit your location and get people talking about you and your business.
When it comes to opening a business, you have to get creative and position yourself for success. Every business decision you make prior to opening your location needs to be well-planned because you only get one chance to make a first impression. So, make sure it counts on opening day!
