Have you done your research?
I didn’t really know what I was doing when I started my business journey, I just knew what my reason for starting was and what my end goal was.
I did however do a lot of research which has definitely helped me to carve out my business and make things clearer in my mind.
If you’re just starting out I would highly recommend you do the following, or if you’ve already started these points are good to go back over:
1. Look at other similar businesses in your local area, what are they offering, what do they charge, if you’re a dog walker/pet sitter which areas do they cover? This will enable you to come up with your pricing structure so that you’re not charging too much or too little.
2. Is there a gap in the market, something missing from all these other businesses that you could offer? You don’t want to just copy or go with what everyone else is doing because you’ll just blend in which is the one thing you do not want to do. Having a unique product or service is going to make you really appealing to customers!
3. Who is your ideal customer? Where would they be so that you can catch their attention, where would they go to look for your product or service? Knowing this is SO essential, if you don’t know who you are advertising to how can you know where or how to advertise?
4. How are the logistics of your business going to work? For example If a potential customer asks you a question about how your service works can you answer straight away? Have a think about how you will transport people’s pets, will you collect them or will the customer bring them to you, will they be expected to drop keys to you or will you pick them up each time, what will you do if someone cancels…
Its really important to be clear on these points so that you’re not just completely winging it and hoping for the best, and it will really help you to get some of the essentials clear in your mind.
