How to Kickstart a Profitable Business with Little Capital
So you have a business idea. You have done your research - including conversations with industry experts - and even have a 30-page detailed plan to prove it. Yet, the big Goliath that stares you down is your seemingly little capital sum. Don’t fret! With the right tips, you can pull through and achieve steady growth. Read on to begin the process.
- Don’t quit that 9 to 5 just yet: You may not like this piece of advice, especially if escaping the rat race is why you’re pursuing a full-time business in the first place. However, as Kay Miranda of Chron rightly explains, holding on to it in the meantime saves you from depending on a personal salary from your limited business capital.
- Be honest with yourself: Do you really need an office space in Victoria Island, or 3D business cards printed with the latest technology? The latter is clearly an exaggeration, but it’s a sample of the kind of questions you should answer that will save costs without affecting the quality of your offering. The owners of Nike, for example, started selling shoes from the trunk of their car, and Google guys, their car garage. Both cases prove that office rent costs can be slashed with employed creativity.
- Swap services: This is a creative way to save labour costs and grow your professional network at the same time. It’s as simple as seeking opportunities to exchange technical support with other equally ambitious professionals who have skills you lack. A good example is an IT professional who offers laptop repairs in exchange for a month’s worth of social media marketing. Quite a match, don’t you think?
- Begin with a service: Experts recommend that startups kickoff with an associated service before supplying a product. Want to create fabric? Start off with fabric design. With profits incurred, you can transition into fabric production in no time, with a substantial network of customers already present.
- Seek knowledge: You’re clearly on the right track if you’re reading this. Take this as encouragement to not relent and continuously seek information on cost saving tips and deals for your business. Knowledge is power and the more you get, the more likely you are to reach your goal of success. Invest in your mind with the right literature; the results will payoff for you in ways you might never have imagined.
- Get a loan: After months or years of a steady cash flow, getting a loan might be the next step worth pursuing. Access Bank offers a wide range of business loan solutions which require the submission of an application package to ensure qualification. It’s also advised that you confirm your company has a good credit score and guaranteed means of repayment before applying.
Which of the aforementioned tips resonated the most with you and why? Let us know in the comments section.