12 Steps to A Successful Small Business
A free SCORE Small Business Workshop co-sponsored by The Stratford Library
Entrepreneurs and self-employed people are the heroes of this century. But starting and running your business isn’t easy with many obstacles on your path to success. Your odds of building a successful small business can improve by having a solid business plan and being aware of changes in your business’ economic, social and legal environment.
- understanding your customers and what they really want (not what they say they want)
- sizing up the competition and developing sound strategies for crushing them
- being realistic about your strengths and weaknesses and building a management team that can get the job done
- balancing your company’s “social mission” with the need to make money and finding the money you need to build the business
- understanding the risks involved in your business and planning for them in advance
- coping with laws, taxes and government regulations that affect your business