Getting a new business off the ground is no easy task, especially when you're trying to do it on a budget. One of the biggest issues is trying to get people to take your business seriously when it's obvious that it hasn't been established for very long. The best thing you can do to help your business is to make it look presentable and professional from the very beginning. Even if you might be unsure about where your business is heading or if it is going to work out, you need to treat it seriously if you want others to do the same. Use this guide to make sure your business is professional right from your very first day.
Get A Dedicated Domain, Address & Phone Number
Start forming your professional identity right away if you want to appear professional. It can be tricky to work out what name you want to use when you're just getting started, but it's worth giving it some thought. Then you'll be able to get a dedicated domain for your brand name (or just your name) and an email address to go with it. If you're offering a service-based business, consider whether you are going to use your name or come up with another name. This might be based on whether you want to expand in the future. You can also get an official business address and phone number. Virtual services are useful for this, allowing you to have professional contact details more easily.
Consider Whether To Be A Person Or A Company
It's not just your name that you need to think about if you're offering services. If you choose to use your own name for your business, it will define your business as an individual, rather than a larger company. There's nothing wrong with this, and it also won't prevent you from growing a team of professionals. However, the other option is to present yourself as more of a company, which could have one of a hundred employees. Even if it is just you at the helm, you can still avoid using the first person on your website and other materials. Talk about the company, using "we" and "us", instead of "I' and "me.
Find Affordable Business Cards
To some, business cards might seem a bit old-fashioned. So much communication takes place online now, and it is easy to tell someone to look you up on LinkedIn or Facebook. But if you are networking properly, you should meet people face to face. While you can just suggest they find you on social media, a physical reminder that they should get in touch with you is better.
Plus, you never know when you might stumble across someone who could be a valuable connection. So you can put your social media handles on your business cards but, whether you do or not, you should still get cards printed
Send Out Professional Documents
All of your communication needs to be professional, from short messages to long phone calls. That includes any documents or files you send over to people to take a look at, or forms you have them fill out. If you want to make sure you have professional documents ready to send out, creating templates is very useful. You can even download readymade templates, like the FreshBooks invoice templates. They give you lots of options that match your business type, whether you are a creative or a legal professional. You might want to put your own branding on your documents too. Including a logo or branded header is a good idea.
Start Building An Online Profile
Being online is essential for any business. As you're getting your business off the ground, you might be promoting it in person, but it is essential to have an online presence too. You need people to start finding you through their web searches. Start with a website, which every business needs to have. Many people will tell you that it's essential to pay a web designer to build your site for you. This is something you might want to look into later, but it could be a waste of money if you do it straight away.
Send Out Professional Documents
All of your communication needs to be professional, from short messages to long phone calls. That includes any documents or files you send over to people to take a look at, or forms you have them fill out. If you want to make sure you have professional documents ready to send out, creating templates is very useful. You can even download readymade templates, like the FreshBooks invoice templates. They give you lots of options that match your business type, whether you are a creative or a legal professional. You might want to put your own branding on your documents too. Including a logo or branded header is a good idea.
Start Building An Online Profile
Being online is essential for any business. As you're getting your business off the ground, you might be promoting it in person, but it is essential to have an online presence too. You need people to start finding you through their web searches. Start with a website, which every business needs to have. Many people will tell you that it's essential to pay a web designer to build your site for you. This is something you might want to look into later, but it could be a waste of money if you do it straight away.
If you feel confident enough, you can use a website builder to create your website. It makes it easy to do, and you can make your site look professional. You should also consider which social media networks to get set up on, and how best to use them. Managing social media for your business can be tough, so you might want to consider getting a professional service involved.
Write A Fleshed-Out About Page For Your Site
Once you have your website set up, you should make sure it's fleshed out with professional content. You can write this yourself, but you might prefer to hire an expert to do it. One of the most important pages to consider if you want your business to look professional right away is your "about" page. Whether it's about you as an individual or your company as a whole, you should craft a good story that will get people's attention. Use the text to make your business sound well-established and trustworthy, even if you point out that you're still growing.
Be Professional In Person
You might do a lot of your networking online, but you should still make sure you present yourself professionally when you meet people. Of course, it's also important to come across professionally via phone or email. When you do meet people in person, for a meeting or an event, you need to think about the context of where you're going and what for. You don't always need to be dressed formally, but you still need to be smart. Make sure your hair is neat and that you're at least dressed in smart-casual clothes so you can present yourself as the professional you are.
Get Out Of Your Home
Many businesses start off in someone's home office, basement or garage. It saves you money, and it makes sense when it's just you. A lot of businesses are becoming more digital and using remote workers anyway. However, there are times when you might need to meet clients, or you might want to start bringing a team together. As soon as you can afford to, moving out of your home and into a professional space will help your business. It doesn't have to be a fully-fledged office. Many new businesses use coworking spaces, which have meeting rooms and spaces available if you need them.
Use Virtual Workers
It's generally tough for new businesses to take on employees right away. But your business can end up seeming less professional if it's just you or even a couple of you running everything. Virtual employees could be your answer and can take care of everything from your admin to the services you offer your clients. They help you to grow your business, even when you're on a budget. However, you might not want to let people know that your virtual workers don't officially work for you. So you could make everything look more professional by setting them up with a company email address and perhaps a phone number too. This will make it look like they're a permanent employee, making your business seem more legitimate.
Conclusion
Write A Fleshed-Out About Page For Your Site
Once you have your website set up, you should make sure it's fleshed out with professional content. You can write this yourself, but you might prefer to hire an expert to do it. One of the most important pages to consider if you want your business to look professional right away is your "about" page. Whether it's about you as an individual or your company as a whole, you should craft a good story that will get people's attention. Use the text to make your business sound well-established and trustworthy, even if you point out that you're still growing.
Be Professional In Person
You might do a lot of your networking online, but you should still make sure you present yourself professionally when you meet people. Of course, it's also important to come across professionally via phone or email. When you do meet people in person, for a meeting or an event, you need to think about the context of where you're going and what for. You don't always need to be dressed formally, but you still need to be smart. Make sure your hair is neat and that you're at least dressed in smart-casual clothes so you can present yourself as the professional you are.
Get Out Of Your Home
Many businesses start off in someone's home office, basement or garage. It saves you money, and it makes sense when it's just you. A lot of businesses are becoming more digital and using remote workers anyway. However, there are times when you might need to meet clients, or you might want to start bringing a team together. As soon as you can afford to, moving out of your home and into a professional space will help your business. It doesn't have to be a fully-fledged office. Many new businesses use coworking spaces, which have meeting rooms and spaces available if you need them.
Use Virtual Workers
It's generally tough for new businesses to take on employees right away. But your business can end up seeming less professional if it's just you or even a couple of you running everything. Virtual employees could be your answer and can take care of everything from your admin to the services you offer your clients. They help you to grow your business, even when you're on a budget. However, you might not want to let people know that your virtual workers don't officially work for you. So you could make everything look more professional by setting them up with a company email address and perhaps a phone number too. This will make it look like they're a permanent employee, making your business seem more legitimate.
Conclusion
Just because your business is barely a business, it doesn't mean you can't make it look professional. From day one, you can make the right moves to ensure it looks like an established business that people can trust. And that will allow you to grow it and really turn it into what it looks like.
I hope you enjoyed this article about how to professionally present your business from the start and keep a positive image.
Interested in more articles about business reputation?
Read My Blog Posts:
- How To Build A Dependable Reputation With Clients
- Tips To Turn Around A Bad Business Rep
More Bootstrap Business Blog Below
I hope you enjoyed this article about how to professionally present your business from the start and keep a positive image.
Interested in more articles about business reputation?
Read My Blog Posts:
- How To Build A Dependable Reputation With Clients
- Tips To Turn Around A Bad Business Rep
More Bootstrap Business Blog Below
