Anyone who works for themselves knows setting up business is an expensive enterprise. Once all the administration is taken care of there is the branding, marketing, advertising and a million other expenses to take care of before you even earn a dollar. Considering the expense and adversities the average business faces, it is amazing that any new ones start at all. The overwhelming desire to express ourselves in business and make our own decisions drive us onwards and through these adversities.
There are many ways a new business can save money when starting out. Taking care of all your own administration, working out of the cellar until you can afford an office, not employing anyone to help you, selling the car and working completely online, the list goes on. One place not to scrimp is with the ‘face’ of the company.
From the outside, your company must look and feel quality, professional and authentic. It doesn’t matter what goes on behind closed doors, or how much scrabbling around or hunger goes into making it all work.
One of the most important aspects of any business is its identity. The overall impression that the brand and any visual cues give about you and your company. It is easy to regard these things as extravagant or an unnecessary expense, but that would be a mistake.
Nobody is saying you need to spend thousands of dollars getting creative people in to make a brand or pay someone to create a cool logo or anything like that. The advice is to be careful and clever about how you spend your money. Create or assist in creating a vibrant and energetic brand for your business. Unless you are in the funeral business you need to inspire and energize people into doing business with you. A coherent and professional looking brand will help you do this.
Stepping closer for a moment, what impression do you imagine a cheap business card will give a prospective client? Will it convey the feeling of quality or originality? Chances are it will present the impression of a business run on a shoestring, or someone who cuts corners or who doesn’t care enough to manage first impressions. That isn’t a good way to meet people.
You don’t have to spend a fortune on branding, personal or commercial, but you should spend something on it. Even if it’s time and effort creating your own. There is no excuse for a cheap business card or any other piece of corporate branding. Designers and design services are accessible enough by now that you can get something made for you that doesn’t cost a fortune and that will present the right impression to new people.
It may seem like an expense when you are starting out and have plenty of other seemingly more important expenses to worry about. Trust me though, there aren’t many more important things in business than creating a good first impression.
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