I thought I would throw down a ‘5 things’ relative to starting your first business. I speak from personal experience so they will vary - comments appreciated as ever

1. It will be difficult, stressful and lonely in 99% of cases (at least for the first bit) - be ready for a bit of a slog. If you are really lucky your business will fly quickly and this won’t last too long. But be prepared to give up to 6 months of hard work before giving up on an idea or seeing it really soar.
2. You’ll may become addicted - When you first start a business it can be addictive to work - you can spend all day in the office/shop/boardroom then come home and chat about work then go to bed and lay there thinking about work. This is ok but bare in mind this is not sustainable forever so plan your exit!
3. You should always have an exit strategy - Having a clear plan about how you will leave the business with profit will give you a good target to aim for and stop you wasting your life chasing dreams.
4. Its All in the Planning - As well as an exit strategy, mission statements, month, quarter, year and 2 year plans are also worth doing - whether you manage to achieve or surpass them they will act as a framework freeing you up for day to day business decisions.
5. Manage less, Lead More - In an ideal situation you will be able to start a company and employ a manager - but this is not likely when you start out. This means you will have to act as both the director/leader of your business and the general manager. This can be a messy conflicting pair of roles and confuse you and make you act as neither of the two. Define a clear plan as to how you will deal with the managerial roles and allot a time for leadership.

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Like these 5? Why not check out some more of my start up business posts:

• Business Mission Statements - A requirement or a waste of time - depends on your market - perhaps?
• Early Starts Late Nights - A look on how we spend our time working on our business’s.
• Hyper Local - A great new way to target people by street - or over the top?
• Organise your online reading - how I get my sites in order - read only what is worth reading!