Whether you want to start selling computer parts online or fixing mobile phones in your hometown, becoming an entrepreneur is exciting. There’s so much to do – especially if it’s your first business! In this article we’ll give you some tips on how to start your own business in the tech/IT world and do it well.
Before you start a TECH company
Before you tell everyone about your business, make sure you register as a business and get your paperwork in order. Search for a suitable name and acquire the name of your company as an URL. Make sure you have a good hosting package that allows you to build a good website, so your online presence also looks good.
Once that’s done, we recommend you to print out tons of business cards that link to your phone number and website. It’s very old school, but it works! Whenever you talk to people in your network about your business, you can hand them a business card so they’ll remember you.
When you’ve made some money in the TECH industry
It’s very possible that in the beginning you do everything yourself ánd take care of all your paperwork by hand. Once you’ve made some money, you can invest in your business by buying licenses to super handy programs that will make your day-to-day work easier. For instance: a program that lets you send invoices in the drop of a hat is a bit of an investment, but one you’ll be happy to make if you spend 5 minutes on an invoice instead of 30. There are tons of handy programs that can help you with AI and other smart tools. Think of accounting software, invoicing software or other software that makes your life easier.
When you want to grow your business in a TECH niche
If you want to grow your existing business, it’s good to realise that you can’t do everything on your own. And while the above mentioned programs might help you out a lot, they can’t do everything. That’s why it’s a good idea to hire skilled professionals to take on some of your daily/weekly/monthly tasks.
For instance: it’s always good to work with an experienced accountant, who can make sure your taxes are in order. It’s also a good idea to hire a marketing specialist when you want to grow your business online. While Google and Facebook make it really easy for everyone to put Ads online, you might not reach your preferred target audience or have a bad return on investment. Your marketing specialist can help you out!
Another specialist you’d better have on speed dial is your contact at a debt collection agency (Dutch: incassobureau). You never know if one of your debtors stops answering the phone! The collection agency (Dutch: incassobureau) will contact them repeatedly or figure out who’s behind a business that they can send a bailiff to. Because you don’t want to work with a sketchy collection agency, we recommend you to know one that you can trust before you need their services. Maybe ask around to fellow entrepreneurs in your area which agency they trust.
Good luck with your company!