YEY!! You've finally decided to launch your business! Great... now what? Starting a business is much more than deciding to become an entrepreneur and making it known. But let's take a closer look at the legal, sales, production, and administrative aspects.
The legal form
You can choose to register the first year with the business registrarThe Quebec government has a section on this topic. They even offer free training to show you how to manage your government affairs. Registering can be easily done online and will take about 15 to 30 minutes.
Otherwise, there is other forms of creating a legal businessYou need to read up on the topic and decide what best meets your needs and desires.
Accounting software
First of all, I want to clarify that I am a businesswoman myself, but I am not an accountant, notary, or lawyer. So I strongly suggest that you meet an accountant to make sure you understand how to manage the business from an accounting perspective.
But the accountant will not be there to give you a complete course on the subject, you must do your homework and go for training to do basic accounting. Many CEGEPS, in continuing education, already provide this training for a few dozen dollars. For my part, I took the evening course, it was the course on accounting using the software Sage 50. But you can also find with the software Acoumba or even Quickbook. The latter is particularly appreciated by those who are less skilled with numbers. There is a range of accounting systems, for all tastes, it's up to you to choose the one that will satisfy you.
Two lean first years!
Any business person will tell you: being in business isn't easy, and it's not for everyone. For the first two years, you should expect not to make a living from your business. Because if If you make money, you will most likely have to reinvest it in your business to buy equipment, accessories, or any other needs.
So, what will you live on for these two years? Do you have some money set aside that will help you survive while your business takes off? It's really important to think about it and plan ahead. And on the bank side, it will be very difficult to get a loan since your business has not generated any collateral or credibility, having no customers or financial statements to prove it. From there, my next topic
Do you have a good business plan?
Developing a good business plan is essential. It's like laying the foundations for your business.
- There BDC offers a business plan template for entrepreneurs that you can use easily.
- Here are some another one I love GOOD
- To the library, you will also find a range of books on the subject.
Do you know the field of housekeeping?
The minimum requirement for starting a business is knowing what you're getting into. A minimum of experience isn't required, but let's just say it will help you avoid a lot of problems. Furthermore, I suggest you go "get your fix" to be professional and have the right working methods from day one of your business.
What starting training do I suggest?
- 1-day sanitation housekeeping:
- Infection prevention,
- Basic techniques, use of microfiber cloths, color code,
- Soft chemistry, biotechnology, pH scale,
- Use of accessory products, basic household maintenance equipment,
- Organization of work in space.
- Time to practice working methods
- Spring cleaning techniques:
- Washing walls using efficient and fast flat washing equipment.
- Washing of textiles (carpets, rugs and fabric furnishings)
- The technique of washing interior windows (3 techniques)
- As well as washing with pure water at a height, with both feet on the ground!
- Time and submission calculations
- How to calculate labor time and cost to bill to the client
- Calculate per square meter, per hour or per package?
- Some notions of reading architectural plans
- Calculate equipment and maintenance products
- What are fringe benefits and how to calculate them?
- Know your general costs
- The Marketing Workshop
- The sales process from both sides of the coin
- Know who we want Really to address.
- Know our ambassadors and know how to take advantage of them
- Develop a consistent process of direct and indirect prospecting. And develop concrete, long-term tools to achieve this goal.
- Position yourself as an expert in your field while being unique.
- Structure your prospecting effectively
- The process of negotiation and objection management.
- Stand out, prepare effectively for negotiation
- Know your file thoroughly and prepare our concessions
- The long-term purchasing process involves developing active listening skills
Are you well equipped with good household cleaning products, accessories and equipment?
Instead of going to general stores to find your household cleaning products, accessories and equipment, choose instead to go to a distributor specializing in household cleaning. There is of course CF Health, you will find our online store here or you can make an appointment with us and we will be happy to guide you through your first purchases. Moreover, in all our training courses, we provide you with quality references on the best available. Otherwise, here are other well-known distributors:
- Pro Expert Distribution
- Jacques Cartier Distribution
- Kersia
- Lalema
- Onys
- Lépine sanitary products
- Ralik
- Sanexel
- Sani depot (in several regions)
- Sani Montreal
- Sherby Solutions
- V-To
- Wood Wyant – Sani Marc
- And many more!
Make yourself known
Social media, is it really necessary?
You can sign up for social media pages that specialize in this field. As with everything else, information on social media is often biased. Take the time to research reliable sites; I've shared several with you above.
- Housekeeping for everyone
- Housekeeping professionals
- And others
You could also open a page on the most popular social media.
It remains only to administer a page Facebook Or Instagram Or LinkedIn, it costs NOTHING, just your time! If you click on the recommended links, you will find a tutorial to help you create your page for free.
Is it necessary to create a website and if so, how?
Having a website today is like having a foot on the street, it's like being in the phone book in the past. Customers will generally go to your website to check what your business looks like! So all the more reason to make sure your website is really well done. Ergonomic, user-friendly, without technical errors, etc. For this, I strongly suggest you hire a firm specialized in the field. Currently, you could have a website starting from $1,500.00. But check the comments on the agency, do your usual checks before awarding the contract. I strongly recommend that you build your website on a template WordPress, it is the most used website development tool in the world! There are also several training courses on CEGEP in continuing education which is given on the subject.
Business card, pamphlet, documentation
At the very least, I think a business card is the minimum you need to convey your contact information. There are a wide range of documents you can send: company profile, advertising brochure, door hanger, etc. Vistaprint can help you create easily. For the company profile, I create some sometimes for businesses when time permits. But before taking these steps, make your business plan, this will help you when the time comes to write the texts for these different advertisements.
So, as you can see, starting your own business requires a lot of research and legwork. If you check out social media, you might get the right answers, or you might not. You've found enough links above to find the information you're missing.
Knowing how to be an entrepreneur
- Being an entrepreneur means knowing how to "get out of your comfort zone." It means being able to reinvent yourself, to find your way, to seize opportunities.
- It's about being able to reinvent yourself, trying to offer something better than competing companies. It's about standing out in a positive way.
- As an entrepreneur, it's best not to count your hours! In the first few years, you'll put in a lot of effort without seeing the desired return at the end of the day.
- The first 5 years will be the most difficult both financially and in terms of effort.
- Everything will have to be built, but that's what's exciting, if you have the entrepreneurial spirit!
- Being self-employed means giving your body and soul to offering the best for your employees and your customers.
- It also means respecting your partners and suppliers and building a relationship of trust and collaboration.
