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2. Know Your Business
Starting a business on a whim, without
a solid plan, is setting yourself up for disaster. Before you even
hang the OPEN sign, you need to know exactly what that business is.
You'll want
a detailed business plan that includes:
Business Mission,
Vision, and Policies
Your business
mission and
vision will
help investors, customers, and employees know what your company is
all about. It will also help you stay focused and create
strategies
to reach the goals set out in your vision.
Everyone in the company can stay
aligned with your business mission because it is clearly defined.
Any future business decisions are then
easier to make because you can hold them to the standard you already
set out in detail. Your vision may change as your business blossoms
and reaches new levels of success.
You'll want to have clear business
policies right from the start as well. This will help business
operations run more smoothly because everyone is on the same page
for what is expected and what the appropriate response should be in
any given situation. Employee, customer, or business
disputes are more easily resolved because policies are already in
place to deal with situations that arise.
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