Developing A Winning Strategy For Real Estate Entrepreneurs

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StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Article | Developing A Winning Strategy For Real Estate Entrepreneurs

For the ambitious entrepreneur looking for a great idea, have you ever considered real estate? 

From rental properties to flipping homes, there are many options you can explore in the real estate industry. In addition, real estate offers a hedge against inflation as the value of properties has historically outperformed inflation rates. 

Become Knowledgeable About The Market

Understanding the opportunities and risks of an investment opportunity and whether there is an entrepreneurial opportunity for you requires studying the market. 

One way to get as broad an understanding as possible is to take some courses on the subject. When diving into an investment or startup, you need to be both knowledgeable and wise.

Knowledge would be increased by studying and taking some educational courses like a wholesale real estate course that would teach you about the ins and outs of the wholesaling industry.

Gaining wisdom takes time and experience, so partnering with a professional that has been working in the market for some time will help you leapfrog the fact that you don’t have years of experience and gain those insights that only time provides. 

Develop a Business Plan

Before you take the plunge into real estate business ownership, it is vital to have a well-defined business plan.

To start up successfully, your business plan should include factors like financial goals, operational strategy, and incorporating 3D rendering company services to visualize and present real estate projects, which can help attract potential investors or buyers.

In addition, potential investors may require some aspects of your plan – such as cash flow statements – for evaluation purposes.

Secure Funding

Most businesses require some initial investment or loan to get off the ground. 

Startups in real estate will likely require more capital than other businesses due to their high overhead costs, including purchasing property, hiring staff, and maintenance expenses. 

Seek startup funds from traditional lending sources or private foundations that offer grant funding for new businesses in the field.

Find Property Suppliers

In order to get started with rental operating or flipping houses, it is essential that you find reliable suppliers who can provide you with quality properties at reasonable prices. 

Make sure that your suppliers have strong track records and excellent customer service so that they are easy to work with when something goes wrong with a transaction or property purchase down the road.

Procurement & Licensing

To stay compliant with all applicable laws and regulations, ensure your business is correctly licensed by obtaining any necessary permits or registrations required under local law. 

You should also develop clear strategies for purchasing properties efficiently, so that price haggling becomes manageable during busy days at the office where time is limited for negotiating contracts and reforming deals at close range.

Rental Operations/Property Management Services

If you plan to rent out properties, it is vital to have a well-defined system for managing tenants and collecting rent. 

This includes setting up a payment system, developing policies for late payments, and ensuring that all necessary repairs are completed promptly. 

Consider hiring a property management company to handle the day-to-day operations of your rental business.

Wholesaling 

A unique way to make decent profits without the risk or capital needed in traditional real estate is a newer strategy known as wholesaling. When you wholesale real estate, you agree to a purchasing agreement with a motivated seller. 

They agree to allow you to resell the contract to a secondary buyer at a markup. 

By brokering the deal between a buyer and seller, you make a profit based on the original selling price and the price at which the transaction was executed without ever taking physical custody of the property. 

This contract-flipping strategy lowers your financial risk and can be a way to make a quick profit. 

Flipping Houses

Flipping houses is a great way to make money in real estate. 

To be successful, you will need to have a keen eye for spotting potential deals and the ability to assess the value of a property quickly. 

You should also develop relationships with contractors who can help you with renovations and repairs to get properties ready for sale as quickly as possible.

No matter which type of real estate business you decide to pursue, it is essential to have a well-defined plan and the necessary resources to make your venture successful so that you can turn your real estate dreams into reality.

3 Essential Steps for Success for New Restaurant Owners

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StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Article | 3 Essential Steps for Success for New Restaurant Owners

The first year is the most critical one for any new restaurant, and if you make mistakes during that time, there is a strong chance that you will put your business in a financial hole that it can never get out of. This is why you need to take your time before you start one and know as much as you can about the restaurant landscape in your area. You may also have to dispel some ideas you have about the restaurant business so you can avoid mistakes. Here are some of the essential steps for new entrepreneurs in the restaurant business.

Increase Foot Traffic with Efficient Signage

Big restaurant chains take a lot of time choosing their colour scheme and signage, and there’s a good chance that restaurants like McDonald’s would not be as successful as they are today without theirs. This is why you need to learn what makes good shop signage and make sure that yours is as eye-catching as possible.

This is not something that should be glossed over as an unimportant detail. Just spending a little bit more time and money on signage could make a world of difference in your foot traffic and it could even affect the way the quality of your food is assessed, so take your time and pick signage that will attract the attention of passers-by and help you establish a brand.

Keep it Small

If you are thinking of opening a huge sit-down restaurant as a first venture, you should reconsider the idea. Big restaurants cost a lot more to manage, and you will need to make a lot more sales to stay afloat. Not only that, but bigger restaurants have a lower cap on the number of clients they can serve and will never be able to beat the volume of a smaller takeaway. So, take the glamour factor out and focus on sales and low overheads first.

Another thing you have to be careful with is to not go overboard with the menu. Restaurants like Five Guys only have a handful of choices, and it is one of the major reasons for their success. This allows them to streamline their inventory, buy what they need in bulk, and avoid waste. There are also very few advantages to having an unnecessarily long menu as most of your sales will come from a couple of items. This is why you need to concentrate on your specialities and only try adding a few menu items later if you feel like it needs more variety.

Hire Well

Staffing issues are one of the greatest struggles for restaurants, and if you can’t manage to find employees who will be loyal, efficient, and trustworthy, you will have trouble in this industry. If you are thinking of doing the hiring on your own, you should consider working with a third-party team instead. A good team will be able to help you find great talent fast, form them, and help with other things like payroll. All of this will simplify your operation, allow you to retain more of your employees, and help you focus on what matters.

All of these tips should increase your chances of making a profit in your first year as a restaurant owner. Take the time to look into them in detail and consider speaking with a consultant before you start so you can avoid pitfalls and build your business on a solid foundation.

Three Ways to Improve Your Personal Brand Skills as an Entrepreneur

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StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Article | Three Ways to Improve Your Personal Brand Skills as an Entrepreneur

There is no doubting the fact that personal branding has become huge over the past few years and is only set to grow in popularity over the next few months.

With social media becoming an acceptable (and arguably necessary) place for entrepreneurs to be seen, neglecting to build a personal brand is a rank disadvantage.

Why?

Because people buy from people. While having a strong business brand is crucial, the personal brand of the owner or CEO is equally as powerful. Just look at any mega-successful brand over the past few years.

Whether it is Elon Musk with Tesla, SpaceX, and now Twitter, Michael Saylor with MicroStrategy, Whitney Wolfe Herd with Bumble or Stephen Bartlett with Flight Story, strong brands have strong founders.

Therefore, you need to tell your story and cultivate a personal brand.

How?

Well, it is not the work of a moment and requires you to build a digital marketing skillset and the ability to write online (unless you want to hire a ghostwriter).

However, it is entirely possible and a task that is made easier the longer you stick at it.

To help, here are some actionable tips you can use to improve your personal branding skills as an entrepreneur:

Enroll in a digital marketing course

Before you start posting online or considering what you want to say, you should ensure your foundational marketing knowledge is in place.

Depending on what your existing knowledge base is, this may require you to either brush up on some specific social media skills or join a digital marketing online course at an online business school.

Doing this will put you in the best possible position to grow your personal brand.

After all, there is nothing worse than starting a social media account or appearing on podcasts and it doing your corporate brand damage rather than improving it. By sharpening your digital marketing skills, you will minimize the chances of a misstep.

Start posting on one social media platform

The best place to start building your personal brand is on social media. The reason for this is obvious – it is where people go to share their personal stories, connect with others and cultivate a network.

However, with a plethora of platforms to choose from, it can be tempting to start multiple accounts and post on loads of different social media platforms. Although logic would suggest this increases your chances of gaining followers, the opposite is true.

You need to start building your following on one single platform, because it will mean your content is tailored towards it and you can develop a concentrated community.

For entrepreneurs, Twitter or Linkedin are usually seen as your strongest choices.

Share personal stories and valuable tips

Finally, you need to open up.

It can seem counterintuitive to share personal (or even embarrassing) information in public online as an entrepreneur, but it will attract people to you and make you seem more relatable.

By sharing these stories, your brand will become more human and spark an emotional connection in your audience. You could share your challenges when building a business, private stories that relate to your business, or share tips for other entrepreneurs.

Is Buying a Franchise a Good Idea for Entrepreneurs?

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StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Article | Is Buying a Franchise a Good Idea for Entrepreneurs?You’re an entrepreneur. You always have been, and you always will be. But you are also interested in starting a business with some built-in brand recognition and stability, and you could benefit from the advice of someone who has been there before. So, should you consider a franchise?

Franchise ownership is unique in that it affords the opportunity to own your own business while benefiting from the franchisor’s history, structure and support. You are on your own – an entrepreneur in every sense of the word – but you also have a solid foundation upon which to build. However, while buying a franchise can afford several benefits, it entails unique risks as well, and if your franchise is unsuccessful, you could lose far more than if you had started a business on your own.

Key Aspects of the Franchise Relationship for Entrepreneurs

If you are an entrepreneur and you are considering a franchise as an alternative to starting a business from scratch, here are three key aspects of the franchise relationship to consider:

  • As a franchisee, you own your own business. You are responsible for hiring your own employees, and you are responsible for your own success.
  • While you own your own business, you must operate within the confines of the franchisor’s model. Although this promotes brand uniformity, it can also have undesirable consequences in some cases.
  • As a franchisee, you can rely on the franchisor’s support – to a point. Your franchisor will only provide so much guidance, and some are much better at supporting their franchisees than others.

5 Risks to Consider Before Buying a Franchise

Along with these key aspects of the franchise relationship, there are some important risks to consider as well. These risks include:

  1. Initial Investment: Since you will need to pay an initial franchise fee in addition to your other startup costs, the initial investment for a franchise can be much greater than that for an independent business.
  2. Royalty Fees: Your royalty fees (and advertising fund contributions) will take a chunk out of your monthly revenue, and if your franchise relationship ends prematurely, you could be on the hook for “lost future royalties.”
  3. Unanticipated Costs: Franchisors regularly make updates and modifications to their system standards. If your franchisor makes any updates or modifications, you will be required to comply at your expense—even if this means taking on more business debt.
  4. Termination: Your franchisor will have the contractual right to terminate your franchise for various reasons. If you lose your franchise, you will lose your investment, and you will likely be subject to a post-termination non-compete and other restrictive covenants.
  5. Non-Renewal: While your franchise agreement should include provisions for renewal, the franchisees’ right to renew is generally subject to the franchisor’s approval. As a result, there is no guarantee that you will be able to renew when your initial term expires.

Ultimately, whether it makes sense for you to pursue a franchise depends on your unique background, skills, risk tolerance and financing opportunities. If you are interested in a franchise, you should consult with an experienced professional who can help you make an informed decision.

About the Author

Jeffrey Goldstein is a franchise lawyer and the founder of Goldstein Law Firm. He has been exclusively representing franchisees and dealers for over 30 years. Mr. Goldstein represents prospective, active and terminated franchisees nationwide.

5 Lucrative Side Hustles You Can Start Today

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StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Article | 5 Lucrative Side Hustles You Can Start Today

Who couldn’t do with making a little bit of extra money? Times are tight for everyone right now, and it’s understandable you may be looking for a side hustle to fit around your full time career. There are countless people that have found highly lucrative ways to earn some passive income on the side, using their free time to start businesses, sell goods, or work second jobs.

Whatever your current situation may be, there are ways you can boost your bank balance and make the cost of living crisis a little bit easier for you and your family.

Here are five lucrative side hustles you can start right away.

Create products

If you have a creative eye, there is no reason you can’t put your skills to good use in making a bit of money. Plenty of people make significant earnings by creating products and selling them through online marketplaces like Etsy. If you know how to make jewelry or household ornaments, the markup on these items can be enormous. Alternatively, if your skills are more practical, such as carpentry, you could help homeowners by creating furniture or other essentials.

Become a delivery driver

Delivering takeout food is easy work, and the great thing is, anyone can do it. Some companies will provide a vehicle, while others may require you to have your own. But either way, it is easy enough to earn money from driving around in the evenings to hand people delicious pizzas and Chinese food. Not to mention the huge amount you can make in tips, especially around Christmas.


Register as a notary public

Becoming a notary public may not be something you’ve ever considered, but it can be an incredibly rewarding way to earn a passive income. A notary public serves as a witness to the signing of official documents and records. Your main responsibilities are to be present for the signatures and ensure each party knows exactly what they are signing. Notary publics are often called in for the signing of marriage records, birth certificates, death certificates, and real estate contracts. You can pick and choose your hours around your current schedule, and you’ll have a whole load of notary supplies with you to command respect and authority.

Sell a service

Do you have a particular skill you are good at? Maybe you’re handy with a set of tools, or you’re a keen gardener. Or perhaps you are knowledgeable about hairdressing or looking after animals. Whatever your particular talent, maybe you can find a way to sell your service to people within your community. Put up ads in public spaces and post on local Facebook groups to attract interest. Let people know the services you are offering as well as your rates and soon the requests will come flooding in.

Blogging

Making money through blogging is a bit of a long game, but it can really pay off if you’re a skilled writer. If there is a topic you are knowledgeable and passionate about, why not create a website and start blogging right away? Your blog could be on any topic of your choice, from travel to beauty to sports. Once you gain enough popularity, you can start earning money through advertising, sponsorship, and paid promotional opportunities.