Starting a business is easy, but making it succeed isn’t. If you want your business to be everything you need it to be, then there are a few steps that you can take to try and make this happen.

Always Know Yourself

The first thing that you need to do is make sure that you know yourself on a motivational level. Think about it, do you procrastinate? Do you give up easily? By taking your own personal qualities into account, you can then begin to know how much money you can risk. Sure, you might want to make millions eventually, but you have to know what you are willing to give up to achieve this goal. You might need to work weekends, you might need to give up on those yearly family holidays and go beyond your comfort zone. By doing this, you can then begin to help yourself and you can also make sure that your family’s goals are in-line with your own. This step is crucial because it helps you to set the foundation for your business and it also gives you an understanding of the things that you might have to sacrifice.

Choosing the Right Business

With business, you need to find a need and then fill it. The key to success is to find a niche where you can produce enough income to fund your lifestyle. You also need to make sure that you find a business idea that you are actually interested in. So many people make the mistake of investing in something that they have no passion for just because they believe it will make them money. This is the last thing that you should be doing because eventually you will lose motivation and you may even find that you just can’t put in the hours. If you want to stop this then you first need to find a project that you are passionate about. You then need to work out if that project can fill a need in the market, before you work out the risk vs reward. By doing this, you can give yourself a higher chance of success and you can also greatly increase your chances of having everything go smoothly.

Plan for Success

If you are not actively seeking out investment or if you are not planning on having a huge sum of money to start your company then you probably won’t need to have an elaborate business plan. The plan will change as you progress and as you begin to learn more about your competition, but it helps to have a starting point. You can find business plan templates online and they are all super easy to use. When you download them, all you have to do is fill them out and use them as your model. It’s super easy but it can help to provide you with some piece of mind when it comes to your business operation and the decisions you have to make.

Organise your Money

Are you financially stable? Even if your business idea is relatively small, you should know that it will require some level of investment. You have to make sure that you are ready for this, and that you can actually afford it. It also helps to try and set some money to one side in case any business disasters come up. If you are unable to do this for any reason at all then you can easily look into Snappy Payday Loans.

Don’t Procrastinate

So many people advise that businesses should not move ahead with their idea until they have finalised every single last detail. This should never be the case because you may end up procrastinating and you may even end up losing out on a ton of opportunities as a result. This is the last thing that you need when you are already working so hard to give yourself a high chance of success. At the end of the day, as long as you have the foundation set for your company and you have your business plan, there is no reason for you not to start and the sooner you accept this, the better you will be.

Of course, there are so many ways that you can prepare yourself for starting a business and when you are able to understand the foundation, you can then begin to expand and enhance your idea so that it appeals to not only your customers but also other business owners and even investors as well.

Auckland is in the middle of a renaissance where its business economy is concerned. Industry is finding the city, much less the country, a very attractive place to do business. Because of this uptick in the various types of businesses, the commercial real estate market has been challenged with supporting a growing business culture.

One of the offshoots of this burgeoning industry is the appearance of the coworking space. Coworking in Auckland has been around for a while, but in the last couple of years, the spaces available have evolved to cater to wider populations and have tapped into markets that have not yet been developed. If looking for a coworking space in Auckland, professionals will find that the city surprisingly has a lot to offer prospective coworking businesses.

Let’s take a closer look at Auckland’s coworking scene so you can be prepared before you start your Kiwi coworking ventures.

Atmosphere

One of the great qualities about the Kiwi work attitude is its foundation is in respect. With respect at the core of a lot of business relationships, in the coworking space, it makes for easily building relationships and making connections. The environment is pretty relaxed, so meeting people should not be a problem for friendly professionals. Ultimately, while the entire country is known for its industry, there is a great laid-back energy that can make work fun, if not interesting.

Types Of Coworking Houses

The Auckland coworking scene is maturing, and among the many communities, you still will find the general communities mixed in with industry-specific and niche communities. Another feature you might see on the coworking scene in this city is the appearance of international coworking communities that offer more amenities in more locations. Then, there are the non-profits that are looking at this workspace style as a cost-effective way to support their missions.

Amenities

One of the major things that’s happening in Auckland’s coworking scene is that communities are beginning to branch out and offer professionals more amenities. Standard coworking communities offer professionals typical amenities seen in the modern office, and while comfort has also been a part of the coworking space, communities are trying to include more features related to the work/life balance.

In addition to the ping-pong tables and the usual diversions you might see in the coworking space, some fit-outs include gym access, yoga, changing rooms, daycare, and a number of other amenities to attract professionals. The only caveat is the more amenities offered by the space the higher the monthly rate, but even with higher prices, coworking in the city is much less expensive than leasing conventional office space.   

Who You Might Bump Into

Just as the coworking scene has grown to include a whole bunch of different offerings, the space has become very diverse. The city is already comprised of a multicultural mix of people from around the Asia-Pacific market, but the types of professionals have evolved. In the beginning, the coworking space in Auckland and in other parts of the world for that matter started out as a haven for the start-up.

Today’s coworking in Auckland, alternatively, has evolved to include SMEs and even corporations that find the activity-based model attractive for productivity. Then, there are digital nomads who are finding the coworking model in the city can support their highly transient professional lifestyle. Prospective coworking professionals pretty much can expect to work with all types of professionals.

In The Know In Auckland

Working in Auckland, regardless of the space, presents itself with many opportunities. However, coworking can place your business in the middle of a marketplace of resources and ideas depending on the space. With community at the core of bringing professionals together, coworking can be a platform for business growth.

When a small business begins to employ people, or someone becomes a business or department manager, one of the things they can be unsure about is how to get the best from the people under them. Part of the role of manager or business owner is to make sure that the employees are all content in their work. Happy employees produce better work at a faster pace, and for any business to succeed that is crucial.

Some people new to this seem to think they can just sit back and give orders, but that does not work. Employees will not respond well to a boss that acts in this way and it will have the opposite effect to what the person in charge is after.

Hire Great People

When you are hiring people don’t look for perfect, as that does not exist. Find the best person for the job and if they have more qualifications or knowledge than you that can be good. You can learn from them, and that can be an added bonus.

You should make sure that you tell any prospective employees the good and the bad things about the tasks they will be expected to undertake. You should never let them think that the role is all plain sailing, as the disappointment when that turns out to be wrong can be soul destroying for them. Let them know there are challenges to face and that sometimes they may be expected to help with a job that is not their own. They need to be aware that if someone is of ill, for example, it is all hands to the deck to make sure the work gets done, and that it includes you helping out too.

Proper Training

Even workers that know a job need to be trained in the way your business works. Training can be all-important, as otherwise mistakes will be made. Sometimes, this can be given back seat until the manager has more time, but this should not be the case as in the long run, untrained staff could cause more problems than enough.

Although the right Software development methodologies can make all of your jobs easier, they could also mean that you have prototype software that needs special training, as this will not have been seen in any previous position they held.

Set Achievable Goals

Your team as a whole should be set goals that are achievable, as that will make them feel better when they see they are doing what you have asked of them. Goals that are impossible to reach will just cause your employees to become demoralized, and they will start to resent the fact that you expect so much from them.

Letting them know that you want all emails replied to within an hour is just one example. They may do their best to do this but it can depend on what other pressures they have. Make it an aim of the company by all means, but do not make it something that is set in stone.

Let them know what your production and financial aims are, and every time they are reviewed involve them in the decisions. Being involved in things such as this will make it more personal for them, and they are more likely to work harder to achieve it.

Be Fair With Your Feedback

You should always give your employees feedback on their work, and be fair about it. If something has gone really well and that is down to several employees, tell them all and not just the one that led the project. If there is an error, let that be known too but remember to take into consideration any unusual circumstances that may have led to it, and how it can be avoided in the future.

There may be members of your staff that you prefer to others, but you should never let this show when you are giving feedback, or at any other time.

Show Appreciation

A simple ‘thank you’ is often all that is needed for your employees to appreciate their efforts, but you could be a little more generous than that. Buying the team a cake for their afternoon coffee, for instance, will be a show of appreciation that they will all welcome. If it is something special they have achieved, perhaps arrange an office party to celebrate a job well done.

Listen To Them

Always be prepared to listen to what any of your employees have to say. They could have a problem within the workplace or it could be an idea that would speed up the job. You will never know if you are not prepared to listen to them, and you should always at least consider what they have said.

If you need time to think about their conversation, tell them that and that you will get back to them soon. Make sure you do when you have had time to think it over, or they will think you are just full of empty promises.

Encourage Teamwork

Research has shown many times over that teamwork is better for productivity. Encourage your employees to work as a team, as then if one of them is encountering a problem, the others will help them out. Often, in this situation, one of the team members will emerge as a leader. This is good for the team and you should recognize this too and perhaps give them a pay rise to manage the team for you.

Some businesses consider teamwork to be really important and arrange team activities to show the employees how they work better together. This could be a couple of hours of solving puzzles one workday afternoon, or maybe an out of work event such as an escape room experience. There are many choices of things to do that will encourage teamwork, and lots of online resources to help you find them.

No one ever said that managing a team of employees was an easy task unless they just took no notice of how their staff was reacting and working. If you want to be a good people manager, don’t let yourself fall into this category.

Many small businesses start out as solo enterprises. Even more so now that so many of us are shunning traditional employment to work for ourselves from home. In the early days, this is fine. Business is slow, and while we’re busy, we can tackle most tasks ourselves. We certainly can’t afford to employ a team and manage by outsourcing tasks that we don’t have the time or the skills to take on ourselves.

But, at some point, hopefully, your business will grow. Suddenly, you don’t have the time to take on all of the work yourself. You need people with the right skills to take on specific jobs. You need the kind of consistency that outsourcing will never bring, and hopefully, you can afford to start paying wages.

If you’ve never hired staff before, it can be tough. It’s tempting to hire people that you already know. It’s easy, it’s often cheaper than recruiting and paying professionals, and you know them already. But, it’s usually not the right way to go. Just because you have a personal relationship, doesn’t mean that they will be the right fit for your business or even that you will work well together. Most of the time, it’s better to go out into the big bad world of recruitment. Here are some tips to help you when it comes to hiring staff for the first time.

Take Your Time

Finding great candidates is crucial. Don’t rush out and hire the first person that applies. Take your time to advertise the position online and in your local area. Interview as many people as you need to until you are confident that you’ve found the right team. Take your time, you’ve managed without them up until now, and there’s no need to rush. Taking time now could mean that you retain staff, and save a lot of time on future recruitment and training.

Get the Legalities Right

It’s not as simple as going out and hiring staff, even if they are the right ones and you have taken your time. You need to make sure you stay within the law. This means updating your insurance policies, to cover your team. You also need to make sure you are paying them at least minimum wage, which is a little more complicated if you don’t choose to pay them by the hour. To be able to pay them, you’ll also need to register as an employer.

As an employer, it’s your responsibility to ensure that anyone that you employ has the legal right to work. Which might mean checking passports, and if they have one, checking their visas for any working restrictions. Once you know that your staff can work, and you are registered to pay them, get them to sign a contract of employment.

Hold Professional Interviews

If you’re not used to interviewing potential candidates, you might find that you fall into the trap of just chatting. You’ll come out of the interview without any more knowledge than you’d have got from their CV, no idea if they are right for the job or if they can do the hours that you need. But, you’ll have had a nice chat. It’s a waste of time.

Go into interviews with a list of questions to ask and things to find out. It’s also important that you spend some time in the interview telling the candidate more about your company and the role that they would be filling. Failing to do this can mean that they take the job without really knowing what they are getting in to. They might not stick around when they find out.

Carry Out Risk Assessments

Even if your staff work sat behind a desk, or in your home office, you need to carry out a risk assessment, to protect their health and safety and yourself legally. Look for any risks in the office or workplace, this can include sitting looking at a computer for a long time, or carrying heavy deliveries. Take the time to assess these risks and find ways to reduce them. Perform these risk assessments with any new members of staff, and prepare separate assessments for pregnant employees or those with any other additional needs.

Learn More About Pay

Paying your staff week to week is easy enough, as long as you are paying them fairly and on time. But, as an employer, it’s worth learning more about things like sick pay, pension contributions, holiday pay and maternity/paternity pay. Even if you don’t need them yet, it’s good to be prepared.