By Elijah Dawson
Starting a business within your community has several benefits, both for you and for your neighbors. Whether you want to focus on products or services that specifically help others or use your platform to raise awareness about certain issues, it’s important to start off on the right foot. Creating a structured business plan, coming up with a realistic budget, finding funding, and writing out a mission statement are just a few of the tasks you’ll need to take care of. You can also take a look at what other organizations are doing in your city. Pivedite.org is a wonderful place to look for inspiration and support. Here are some ideas on how you can build a business that takes community to heart:
Create a business guide
Your business plan is more than just a set of ideas; it’s a way for you to plan out the first year of your venture and beyond. Once you have an idea of the type of company you want to create, start a business guide that details what you’ll be selling, where you’ll be selling it, how much money you need, and how much you expect to make in the first year. This will both help you get your ideas organized and allow lenders and investors to see why they should get involved.
Find a way to help
Once you have a solid business plan written up, you can start thinking about how you want to help encourage and support positive change. Small business owners can have quite a bit of influence in their communities, whether it’s through donations, sponsorships, fundraisers, or direct action such as organizing a community garden or cleanup initiative. In whatever way that you want to help others, write it into your mission statement and think about some goals. You might start by talking to other local business owners to get their input and support, or getting out into the community itself to talk to residents and see what their needs are.
Simplify your finances
No matter how you choose to run your business within the community, it’s important to take steps to simplify the financial aspect by using certain tools. Not only will the right accounting software and automated services help you stay on top of cash flow and keep you compliant with the IRS, it will also allow you to keep up with tax deductions and ensure that you’re able to keep focusing on making positive change within your neighborhood. Look for free and low-cost tools that will help you stay organized, and make sure you have the right permits and licenses to continue serving your community.
Hire a team
Hiring the right team is just as essential as organizing your finances since these are the people who will be helping you turn your business into a success. The key is to make your mission statement part of the interview process so they understand what they’re taking on. Talk to them about your goals and find out what their ideas are when it comes to solving social issues in the community. When writing out the job description, make it clear what your expectations are and what their duties will be. You can utilize social platforms to post jobs and look for qualified candidates; this is a great way to get to know potential employees and read about their experience and goals.
Starting a business that highlights social change can be an extremely exciting process, but it’s important to have the right tools to make it happen. Get organized from the beginning and make it a point to get out into your community to learn more about the issues that require attention.
Want to get in touch with Pivedite.org? Reach out today via the contact form.
