Posts

Can You Start A Baking Business At Home?

/in /by

StrategyDriven Starting Your Business Article | start a home business

Many of us may think of baking as a relaxing and somewhat challenging past time to enjoy at the weekends. But many people have managed to turn this hobby into a real career, and they will work every day creating sweet treats and fun desserts for people all over the local area.

But how can you start a baking business from your own home? The biggest question you might have is how will you be successful without restaurant quality ovens and fridges – but you don’t need these things to start creating and selling your treats.

Today we are going to take a look at some of the ways you can create a baking business from your home and truly enjoy your career in 2021.

Learn the right skills

The first step to building a bakery business is to ensure you learn the right baking skills as well as decorating and styling. You can find many amazing tutorials online on YouTube or take a small course on SkillShare which will equip you for a successful baking venture. Once you have the right skills and experience you can set off and achieve your baking dreams.

Get creative

Creativity is the key to a successful baking business and now is the time to experiment with colours and flavours to make your creations unique from anything else out there. Add hazelnuts to your cookies, make biscoff cupcakes, and create unique cheesecakes with popular chocolate bar themes. Use your creativity to make fun pies and pastries and this will gain you a bake in your local area, and will also make people want to come to you for parties and events.

Sell at local markets

A simple way for you to sell your baking goods in your local area is to join a market and go there every week or once a month to showcase your creations. If you also have a Facebook page and a website you can advertise this with business cards and banners on your stall and once people start to taste your sweet treats and enjoy them, they will be more likely to come to you again when they have a craving.

Sell online

Selling online with My Business Venture can be a great way to build on your baking business and start to venture out into the world. You can hire delivery drivers or join a network like UberEats and have your treats delivered straight to your customers. You will get a lot more sales from this and you may even be able to fund a transition to a small store in your local town!

Offer bespoke creations

One way to gain more money from baking is to offer commissions for things such as weddings, birthdays, or other events. People can come to you and ask for coloured cupcakes or cakes and you can create something unique for them at a healthy price. This will be a great way to gain popularity in the baking field and become successful this year.

Questions to Answer Before Investing in a Start-Up

/in /by

StrategyDriven Starting Your Business Article | Questions to Answer Before Investing in a Start-Up

Investing in start-ups can be a fascinating endeavor. The idea of being an early investor in a new company and watching it grow into something extraordinary is inspiring.

However, before making any investment decision, it is essential to ask yourself some tough questions to make sure you are ready for the commitment. In this article, you will learn about questions that every potential start-up investor should answer before investing. Read on!

How Does This Affect Your Diversification Strategy?

Diversification is the process of spreading out assets among different investments, such that one lousy investment does not ruin your entire portfolio. Diversification also seeks to balance a portfolio by including other asset classes like stocks and bonds.

It is also a great strategy for continuous improvement in your firm. You can also learn other ways to continually improve your company by signing up in a lean learning center. Investing in a start-up company, for instance, is generally considered to be an illiquid asset because it takes time to realize any return on investment.

As a result, there may not be anything tangible to sell if you need or want out of your position (unless you have been given some venture capital with a liquidation clause).

What Level of Involvement is Required? 

Investing in start-ups can be a difficult decision. One of the primary considerations is what level of involvement you will need to have with the company? For example, are you expected to help decide how to allocate funds or provide feedback on new ideas for products and services?

If your goal is to invest and not be involved in the day-to-day decisions of the company, then you should consider a small investment. A more significant investment may require more involvement from your end and, if not careful, could lead to burnout or lack of interest over time.

What is the Time Frame?

Consider the length of time you plan on staying invested in an investment. Long-term investors may want to invest more heavily and pay less attention to risk, while short-term investors might be looking for quick gains but are unwilling to take as much risk.

Individual situations vary greatly, so carefully consider how long you are planning on investing before making a decision.

What Rate of Return is Expected? 

It is essential to understand your investment expectations. For example, do you want a guaranteed return, or do you need one that entails more risk?

There are different strategies for investing, and understanding the level of risk will help make an informed decision about what type of fund might be appropriate. Investment in start-ups can provide good returns, but it is crucial to understand the level of risk involved.

Investing in start-ups is a risky venture. You need to ask the right questions before investing in any company, and what better way than starting with the above examples. Make sure you don’t get caught off guard if something goes wrong because you might end up with nothing at all. Start-up companies do not always make it, and you have to know when to get out of a sinking ship.

Ready To Launch Your Startup? Here’s How To Acquire Enough Capital

/in /by

StrategyDriven Starting Your Business Article | Ready To Launch Your Startup? Here's How To Acquire Enough CapitalEntrepreneurs have a dream. The path to success is more than a standout idea. It’s also centered around finding the right encouragement to make it happen. With a team of financial backers (and a great deal of hard work), a business has the potential to produce, promote and profit. Before hitting stores with an idea or expanding a venture, ensure that the bank account is flush enough to make promises happen. To garner funds to get your company off the ground, be prepared to put in a lot of effort. The following are four key points to obtaining enough financial support.

Rely on Expert Advice

Before speaking with possible investors, discuss ideas with a professional. Financial experts such as Charles McKenna Rial are aware of best practices and available lenders. Sit down, and ask about how you should proceed. Prepare a list of questions, discuss multiple options and rehearse your pitches. Also, rely on guidance for which avenues are more lucrative for you. These specialists could put you on a solid path to gaining fiscal strength.

During the meeting, listen to your advisor. Be clear about how much funding you currently have. If your product is already in a small market, ask about how to seek additional patronage. It’s important to understand the risks associated with the possible choices. For instance, owners may choose to take out a credit card to cover costs; this decision, however, impacts credit scores. Failure to pay bills on time could lower that number. Other options might avoid harming personal credit history. Be clear about what risks you are willing to take.

Prepare a Researched Prospectus

Capitalists don’t just throw money at companies. These experts require information to validate an investment. Spend time writing a business plan. Then, share this document with interested parties. This isn’t a time for less is more. Use this opportunity to showcase your knowledge and potential.

With the advisor’s assistance, tailor your proposal to suit the format and demands of investors. Begin with your company motto and describe how you created the idea and put it into practice. Note who is in charge, who has made the decisions and why these key ideas were adopted. Follow this up with detailed numbers and research about your merchandise and the marketplace. The following are essential to validate your request:

  • How much profit have you already earned?
  • How much does it cost to produce the item or items?
  • How do you know there is a market (or expandable market) for this concept?
  • Who is your competition?
  • Who is likely to purchase the product?
  • Why is your product different and better?

For each of these points, be as specific as possible. Provide data. Visual graphs and accounting figures are also a must. Send out copies of the report before the meeting occurs.

Remain Confident and Practical

The write-up is the first step. That paper opens the door. Your presentation sells the idea. Investors desire entrepreneurs to prove that they have the guts, common sense and dedication to follow through with the plan. Be prepared to pitch the concept and interact with capitalists, demonstrating confidence, honesty and knowledge. Practice your delivery, avoiding hesitations and showing energy. Anticipate concerns and questions, and be ready to respond with answers.

During a meeting, don’t hesitate. Nervousness could come across as weaknesses. It’s important to remain calm, professional and humble. How does this happen? Have faith that the product is going to make it, but be open to considering opinions and potential small changes. Also, focus on taking reasonable steps. Shooting too high too quickly isn’t levelheaded.

Consider Multiple Financial Avenues

Remember that there is more than one path to finding funds. Your advisor is likely to introduce several possibilities. You may combine several of them to find enough money. Crowdsourcing, for example, has become popular. Post a request for donations on an online site. People from all over the world have the ability to give what they can. In addition, grants and contests are avenues that don’t require payments. Search for various programs for which your may qualify.

For larger amounts, you may require aid that demands payback. Angel investors are people who have available capital and are accredited. They look for prospective operations that could make them funds. These business leaders supply backing for a hold or equity in the company. Venture capitalists are another possibility. Unlike angels, this donation comes from a person or firm that uses funding from corporations or pensions.

Apply for bank business loans. Interest applies, so expect to be able to make not only what you owe but a bit more.

Economic success begins with a concept fostered with financial support. Your startup deserves a fighting chance. Lay a solid foundation by working with specialists to craft a thorough prospectus and convince lenders you are a risk worth taking.

How To Start Your Own Company

/in /by

StrategyDriven Starting Your Business Article |Start your own company|How To Start Your Own CompanyAre you an employee? If not, no worries. I am just going to put an example that will immensely help you understand the significance and uncertainty of starting a new company. Consider an employee who is well-recognized(of course due to his performance), highly-benefited, and well-settled with an XYZ company, but due to certain issues, he has to find another company. He will only be hoping if the new company has the same atmosphere and working culture.

Isn’t the above scenario related to a businessman/businesswoman finding a stage to put their business into the market? If not for the idea, the entrepreneur would be more worried about getting a predictive reach, perfect location for sufficing the demands, and the list is endless. But perfect planning never goes vacant. So let’s begin the checklist of how to start a company.

Steps To A Perfect Start Of Your Company

Out of every ongoing managerial, industrial or automatic process in the surrounding, hardly some would be working without any planned layout. Similarly, before starting a company, here are a few steps which can help you earn good fame in society.

1. Analyze the market demands for your product

Until you have an idea that assists the society or a section of the society, you cannot say or analyze its demand, a good location, probable customers to attract, how to innovate it, and reduce the price compared to the competitors.

Start with business ideas eradicating the common problems with advanced technologies that also serve as the future need of the common people globally, if possible. You can also work on already implemented solutions but can be designed better and economically. You might have seen some artsy people jumping into some related business, which is wonderful if you have some hobby.

According to Forbes, the definition of a successful startup goes like this: their product meets the needs of the society, their growth-rate is faster, they ignore nothing, and they recover from every hard-fall. (source)

2. Invest in your business

Even without required funding, appropriate investment, and all hard work, the business cannot reach the heights you desired. Even if you have a small investment to make, go for it. You can explore other options like a partnership, business grants, third-party investors, crowdfunding, loans, etc.

People say money can buy you anything, but that’s not 100% true for business as it requires an equal amount of dedication and hard work all the time.

3. Search the perfect location

The location also has quite an impact on the business. The location you choose is based on the target customers, company funding, partners, and other required preferences. Additionally, an owner should also consider the cost and restrictions to the business.

The location also becomes a preference if the business generally comprises selling offline as in retail stores.

4. Design your business structure

Now that you have picked up your idea and location, the next important consideration is to define how your business would function, the workflow of all the processes, product release and update process, marketing and sales, product financing, employee payroll, and HRMS process.

The business structure should aim at the organizational goals, vision, and mission that your organization needs. This also helps you in setting employee goals and OKR to measure performance.

Think about how to serve your customers and have a supportive query resolution workflow because customers are the main strength of your business to keep it on the right track. Analyze the market demands of the product to stay ahead in the competitive world by delivering the perfect required solution or service.

5. A name that reflects

Business/product name is the main aspect to be finalized as it is the first entity of your organization that will be highlighted in the market.

The name you choose should reflect what you want to deliver, should be simple and catchy for the customers to remember, and should be unique in the history of the trademark. You can refer some names to your co-founders, investors, and prospective customers. This also shows the culture and social front of your organization.

Now that you’ve come up with the name, register it legally according to your business type.

6. Work on financial setup and accounting

Whatever business type you set, whether e-commerce, mobile application, online retailers, etc., it is essential to deal with finances and accounting. Finances include payroll to the employees, deals with the customers, and partnerships for which bookkeeping is the primary for further accounting purposes.

Start from choosing a bank account, a promising one probably. You can also create employees’ bank accounts in the same bank for ease of process in salary transfer.

And yes, don’t forget to verify the statutory compliances at all stages to avoid the evasion of penalties and risks. Better consult a professional advisor for all your liabilities stated under the government rules.

7. Build your product website

In the modern world, websites, social media, and applications are mostly in use for searching and analyzing as per the needs. Listing your contact details and other forms can help customers reach you quickly. Providing an interactive website and social networking page can help customers get the product or service knowledge from it.

Purchase a personalized domain, theme, plug-ins, WordPress and set up your website using simple but attractive designs and content. And don’t forget to apply digital marketing techniques to gain online reach and google reviews.

For instance, founded in 2008, Zomato has become one of the largest food aggregators fulfilling their mission of “better food for more people” till date. An interactive website, social media pages, Instagram trends are somethings that people admire.

Above mentioned bullets may not be the only steps to start a company, but these are the main ones that you should look after.

In a nutshell

Starting a new business can be overwhelming and tricky until and unless you have proper planning at hand. Even if you are building the organization single-handedly, going the correct path and following the rules can help you cross the hardest difficulties easily. And don’t take forever to finalize your decisions, think and consult for better and start working towards the goal.

About the Author

StrategyDriven Expert Contributor | Shubham JoshiShubham Joshi is an experienced content marketer at FactoHR. Passionate about training and development programs, he is always ready to help colleagues and customers by representing concrete ideas and methodology. Beyond work, he is well-equipped with problem-solving abilities.

5 Reasons Your Startup Should Be in Healthcare

/in /by

StrategyDriven Starting Your Business Article | 5 Reasons Your Startup Should Be in HealthcareWhen you think of startup companies, you may think of some obvious ones that are now household names. There are social media platforms, mobile video games, banking apps, ride-sharing services and home rental marketplaces. You know them well.

An arena that isn’t as often spoken about in the same breath as these other game-changing companies is the healthcare industry. The Patrick James Trico Group is well aware that startups in the area of medical innovation and data processing are where the biggest and most beneficial progress will be.

1. A Better Patient Experience

With technological advancements, a patient’s healthcare experience should begin long before a visit to the doctor’s office. Artificial Intelligence and wearable tech could collect analytical information for the doctor to evaluate before you even make an appointment.

The appointment itself could be scheduled by an AI-driven system in much the same way that pharmacies use software to send automated calls and texts when a patient needs a refill. There is a wide range of possibilities for improvements in all aspects of a patient’s experience.

2. Automated Data Collection

Robotic automation of data collection is an area in which many hospitals and healthcare facilities could benefit. Human administrative errors are a common occurrence, accounting for countless mistakes, which could cause someone to pay a higher price or, at worst, have the wrong procedure performed.

With data collection performed by robotic automation, many of these errors could be prevented. Other industries already use similar automated data collection and machine learning to streamline their business, creating straightforward, painless engagement and happy customers.

3. Improved Information Storage

Your healthcare information is fragmented across all the different clinics, hospitals, doctor’s offices, and any other health facility you’ve ever been to. Rarely do these entities communicate well and share that information without some complicated process of requesting that such information be sent from point A to point B.

A central ecosystem that houses data easily and safely would allow medical staff to retrieve patient records instantly, avoiding potentially harmful mistakes and allowing for accurate and timely care. An AI-driven functionality could also find and address any anomalies in patient records.

4. Creative Innovation

Medical researchers do a lot to progress healthcare and provide much-needed information by way of well-researched and thorough study. But often the solutions offered by those immersed in the healthcare field are from a calculated, linear and dogmatic approach.

Entrepreneurs are creative innovators willing to think outside the box and attack a problem from a completely new point of view. Their solutions may require some reframing of the way a facility currently does business, and therefore might never occur to a dyed-in-the-wool healthcare professional.

5. Everyone Benefits

Efficiency and progress in the healthcare space will benefit everyone involved: the healthcare providers, the patients and, of course, the startup company that provides the innovation.

Institutions with leadership that understands the need for the most effective quality care will be smart to embrace the technological advancements that startups may provide. The patient will reap the benefits of efficient and smart healthcare and the startup will reap the rewards of the market.