It’s all about living in the moment – until you start a business, that is. Planning for the future when you own a small business can help you to better navigate the challenges still to come. Future-focused business planning will also help you to adequately prepare to embrace the opportunities that are likely to present themselves.
The question is, how can you adopt a more future-focused approach when launching your start-up? Here are a few tips.
Go digital from the start
COVID and South Africa’s subsequent lockdown has shone the spotlight on just how important it has become for businesses to incorporate digital into their offering. Just a few months ago, enterprises without a digital presence were forced to shut their doors indefinitely, while those with the ability to continue trading online and conducting deliveries were much better prepared to weather the storm.
Digital revolves around creating a website for your business, as well as building a following on social media. However, there are other cost-effective ways to get the online side of your enterprise up and running.
Consider looking into Telkom’s new Yep! application, which draws inspiration from the heritage of the Yellow Pages. Small business owners can register and open up a digital ‘shopfront’ within minutes and take advantage of a host of print, voice, and digital value-added marketing package offers.
Get inspired
You cannot succeed if you are not passionate about what you’re doing and the difference that you’re making.
Inspire yourself to give your very best each day! One way of going about this is to tune into podcasts geared towards empowering owners of SMEs. An excellent example is the Game of Grow podcast which is based on host, Muoyo Okome’s, experiences as a young black entrepreneur and his thoughts on what it takes to succeed.
Set goals
While every young entrepreneur’s primary objective is to create a successful, profitable business, your goals need to be a lot more specific than that. Goals act as a roadmap to guide you through the business journey. Look into what it means to set SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) goals and start from there.
Plan for the future but put the work in today. Don’t forget to partner with SA Teen Entrepreneur for all of the support that you need as you embark upon this exciting, rewarding endeavour. After all, we are about to go digital ourselves with our online learning platform TELMS – bringing you entrepreneurship right across Africa!
