If you could start your business again, what would you do differently?

[Millie Slater]

I’d probably make sure I had a better understanding of clients and their demographics.

[James]

Just about everything!

All lessons learned have been hard and costly. But i have to say without those mistakes the lessons i learned wouldn’t have turned into the knowledge i now own.

I am kinda glad for some of those mistakes because it lead me to other areas i wouldn’t have considered otherwise, that i think i really needed to do. Like going from a one subject specialized bookseller to a broader range of subjects (and still expanding).

[SuzsSpace]

James!

Are you trying to feed my addiction??

Why did I not know of you before today?

[illena]

If I have to start my business again, then the first and the foremost thing which I will do is the market survey to know the basics of that business. After that I’ll sit with sit with the person who is already in this line since long. After gaining enough confidence, I will search for the shop in that locality, where such shop is the only one and will start my work.

[VikasRana]

My very first try was to launch a news website was Mediatimes.com.au with latest news, blogs in pretty much everything such as lifestyle, tech, business, marketing, travel etc.
If I have to change it, I would rather make it a niche site then generic. Niche sites get more following.

[herveybaywebdesign]

Charge what my time is worth rather then just getting the client.
have a agreement written out for clients so I am not working on the same website weeks later after many revisions..

[letsgetdowntobusiness]

I think studying the competition more thoroughly would have been better. I had a rough idea of what others were doing, but I think I was a bit too headstrong and thought I could do it all better. Take the time to study a bit longer what you’re up against!

[Burgo]

Wow Ive just been looking through this thread and what interesting reading is makes.
I think if I started my business over again I probably would remain a soloist.
I expanded my business to the point of working 24/7 even though I had 10 very good people working their butts off.
I let my passion get the better of me and in looking back I spent more time working than getting the right balance.
Now that Ive been retired for almost 10 years I miss working, and until 18 months ago I did work part time.
The one thing I didn’t do was put money aside for super.
Yes I know when your working your not thinking about retirement because its a long way off.
Time flys when your having fun and before you know it your fastly approaching that retirement sign.
Yes considering every thing that happened the last 30 years of my working life I think remaining a Soloist would have been the way to go.
Satisfaction is the key to a happy life.

[Peter – FS Administrator]

Hey Burgo,

Good to hear from you and great to get your thoughts on this topic – approaching 2,000 post and 500 likes (not to mention a good few decades of business experience!) – you’ve certainly got some insights to share.

It’s so interesting to hear your comments in hindsight about growth too. While we hear a lot about the growth trajectory of businesses, our most recent survey shows that when asked about growth plans 47% of our audience want to stay ‘small but profitable’ with a much smaller proportion (24%) having plans to grow a much larger operation.

When you look at the whole package of lifestyle, profitability, stress, money, fulfilment, balance and enjoyment, there is a lot to be said for keeping thing small and sweet But, it’s all about consciously choosing what you truly want, rather than following, or being led, down a path without thinking.

Thanks again for your contributions, Peter

[samfounda]

Steve_Minshall, post: 176823, member: 4676 wrote:

Invest in measurable advertising and more…

Only invest in advertising who’s results can be measured quickly and tested on a small scale.

Invest more capital up front to accelerate the start up phase (easier to say with the security of hind sight).

Get my Initial Website and AdWords campaigns built in tandem and ready to go before opening.

Create my Website with both an SEO and an AdWords landing page plan.

Find out which trade body I can join that gives me merchant facilities savings as a member with greater savings than the cost of their membership.

That is true investing in measurable ROI is important, instead of wasting time on traditional outdated methods.

[Michaeltherapy]

Peter – FS Administrator, post: 176802, member: 1 wrote:

Hi all,

In late 2013 we ran Productivity Month on Flying Solo where we asked the community to answer the question:

“If you could start your business again, what would you do differently?”

While the challenge is over, feel free to add your tips or read through the thread.

As many members have said, there’s been a stack of valuable contributions. To help make it easier to share and read, we’ve compiled this eBook collating all the tips and ideas we received.

Thanks for getting involved!

Peter (and the FS crew)
I would check in with my heart to feel into whether the idea resonates with who i am, what my passions are and whether they are in alignment with
my north star..Is it something I would do if it wasnt called a business…I would desire to be as authentic as possible with myself “Is this me” does it fill my sails

[Michaeltherapy]

JenG, post: 176805, member: 11432 wrote:

A little less niche

As an online retailer, I think I would have chosen a less “niche” product! As much as I love my business, I think I could have made it easier on myself. There’s “niche” and there’s “a little too niche!”

Apart from that, I’d probably do things pretty much the same because it’s working.
Are we tapping into a niche area that truly resonates with us and is in total alignment with who we really are and being guided by our heart and our authentic self! I myself try to be aware daily what my heart is guiding me towards….It’s work in progress and not always that easy

[Author]

Posts