{"id":1945,"date":"2023-04-06T13:39:32","date_gmt":"2023-04-06T13:39:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/?p=1945"},"modified":"2023-04-05T13:40:28","modified_gmt":"2023-04-05T13:40:28","slug":"4-tips-for-a-successful-first-year-in-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/blog\/4-tips-for-a-successful-first-year-in-business\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Tips for a Successful First Year in Business"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p >With the Bureau of Labor Statistics quoting 20% of new businesses fail within the first two years, the start of your business is a pivotal time. Many new businesses are abandoned by their founders over the first 10 years. How can you defy the odds?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p >Even with a solid business plan and an essential product, things can go wrong. What makes the difference is how you and your team handle the missteps. Making mistakes is inevitable, but finding ways to lessen the impact and keep customers happy will set you apart and ensure success for years to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"tip-1-do-your-research\"><a href=\"#tip-1-do-your-research\" class=\"heading-link\" id=\"quick-tip-1-do-your-research\"><\/a><a><\/a>Tip #1: Do Your Research<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p >Before registering your business or purchasing your first inventory, you should be doing your research. Follow brands you respect on social media and chat with your friend who started a business. Reach out to entrepreneurs on LinkedIn and read blogs and books on the topics of running a business. There is much to learn from the successes of others. But don\u2019t discount the failures. While a business may have failed, there are many lessons to be learned through their stories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p >A mistake some people make during the research phase is silohing themselves to only researching businesses in their own category. True innovation comes from blending ideas and models and making it your own. Just because your market category doesn\u2019t typically have an ecommerce site or doesn\u2019t utilize a certain buying method doesn\u2019t mean it won\u2019t be beneficial for you and the customer base you create.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"tip-2-invest-in-marketing-from-the-beginning\"><a href=\"#tip-2-invest-in-marketing-from-the-beginning\" class=\"heading-link\" id=\"quick-tip-2-invest-in-marketing-from-the-beginning\"><\/a><a><\/a>Tip #2: Invest in Marketing from the Beginning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p >Your store is live. Your inventory is stocked. Your staff is trained. But no sales. No customers. A common mistake new business owners make is not investing in marketing early on. They think that product, services, or customer relationships will speak for themselves. While this can be true, you more than likely will need a few first buyers to begin the process. While a \u2018miracle product\u2019 going viral or being booked out before opening is possible, it\u2019s unlikely these days without a major following in place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p >Luckily, there are many opportunities these days for finding a form of marketing that works for your business. Between social media, ecommerce stores, influencer marketing, events, and eblasts &#8211; as a new business you can determine which media works for you and easily pivot if necessary. If you\u2019d like to learn more about which type of marketing could be right for you, let\u2019s chat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"tip-3-communicate-with-customers-when-something-goes-wrong\"><a href=\"#tip-3-communicate-with-customers-when-something-goes-wrong\" class=\"heading-link\" id=\"quick-tip-3-communicate-with-customers-when-something-goes-wrong\"><\/a><a><\/a>Tip #3: Communicate with Customers When Something Goes Wrong<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p >Even the most well-planned businesses run into issues. With so many moving parts, many of the elements that keep your business up and moving are out of your control. Maybe your operating system went down or a shipment was lost on its way to a customer. What happens when the power is out and you can\u2019t host guests for the day? These things happen, so communication is key.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p >When issues arise the worst thing you can do is go dark. If clients feel like they can\u2019t reach you, they lose trust and are unlikely to be returning customers. This is especially relevant during your first year in business as you are establishing your reputation in the market. When a problem arises, be as prompt as possible and offer actionable solutions. Let the client know you are aware and on top of the issue and they\u2019ll feel like they are in good hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"tip-4-uplift-the-happy-customers\"><a href=\"#tip-4-uplift-the-happy-customers\" class=\"heading-link\" id=\"quick-tip-4-uplift-the-happy-customers\"><\/a><a><\/a>Tip #4: Uplift the Happy Customers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p >When your online reviews and word-of-mouth recommendations speak for themselves, this grows organic leads. But as a new business, it will take some time to gain a good reputation. Although, there are things you can do to encourage the good reviews. Create a feedback form and encourage happy customers to share their stories. Feature returning customers on social media if they are comfortable. Offer discounts for them to try a new product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p >Maintaining a pulse on your customer base and what makes them happy will foster positive conversation around your brand. Good reviews will follow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"maintaining-a-successful-small-business\"><a href=\"#maintaining-a-successful-small-business\" class=\"heading-link\" id=\"quick-maintaining-a-successful-small-business\"><\/a><a><\/a>Maintaining a Successful Small Business<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p >There is no doubt your first year in business will be riddled with lessons learned and areas to improve. But turning these road bumps into opportunities lies in finding what you can learn from them. Take time to review, make a game plan, and move forward. No small business is perfect, but the ones that stay in business analyze, optimize, and bounce back. Does your small business need help? Let\u2019s chat.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With the Bureau of Labor Statistics quoting 20% of new businesses fail within the first two years, the start of your business is a&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1946,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[70],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1945","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-front-desk","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>4 Tips for a Successful First Year in Business - Digital Limelight Media<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"With the Bureau of Labor Statistics quoting 20% of new businesses fail within the first two years, the start of your business is a pivotal time. Many new\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/blog\/4-tips-for-a-successful-first-year-in-business\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"4 Tips for a Successful First Year in Business - Digital Limelight Media\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"With the Bureau of Labor Statistics quoting 20% of new businesses fail within the first two years, the start of your business is a pivotal time. Many new\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/blog\/4-tips-for-a-successful-first-year-in-business\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Digital Limelight Media\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-04-06T13:39:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/shutterstock_1062076403-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"DLM Admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"DLM Admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/blog\/4-tips-for-a-successful-first-year-in-business\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/blog\/4-tips-for-a-successful-first-year-in-business\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"DLM Admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/#\/schema\/person\/77f3ab2f1626763633321b5edb7637d0\"},\"headline\":\"4 Tips for a Successful First Year in Business\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-04-06T13:39:32+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/blog\/4-tips-for-a-successful-first-year-in-business\/\"},\"wordCount\":759,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/blog\/4-tips-for-a-successful-first-year-in-business\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/shutterstock_1062076403-scaled.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Front Desk\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/blog\/4-tips-for-a-successful-first-year-in-business\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/blog\/4-tips-for-a-successful-first-year-in-business\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/blog\/4-tips-for-a-successful-first-year-in-business\/\",\"name\":\"4 Tips for a Successful First Year in Business - Digital Limelight Media\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/blog\/4-tips-for-a-successful-first-year-in-business\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/blog\/4-tips-for-a-successful-first-year-in-business\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/shutterstock_1062076403-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-04-06T13:39:32+00:00\",\"description\":\"With the Bureau of Labor Statistics quoting 20% of new businesses fail within the first two years, the start of your business is a pivotal time. Many new\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/blog\/4-tips-for-a-successful-first-year-in-business\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/blog\/4-tips-for-a-successful-first-year-in-business\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/blog\/4-tips-for-a-successful-first-year-in-business\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/shutterstock_1062076403-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/shutterstock_1062076403-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1707},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/blog\/4-tips-for-a-successful-first-year-in-business\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"4 Tips for a Successful First Year in Business\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/\",\"name\":\"Digital Limelight Media\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/#organization\"},\"alternateName\":\"DLM\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Digital Limelight Media\",\"alternateName\":\"DLM\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/site-logo.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/site-logo.svg\",\"width\":114,\"height\":37,\"caption\":\"Digital Limelight Media\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/#\/schema\/person\/77f3ab2f1626763633321b5edb7637d0\",\"name\":\"DLM Admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9fc74a362117ff2de04236113c466804c45ffba8b25d1379db0bbc7fbbbf9fe1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9fc74a362117ff2de04236113c466804c45ffba8b25d1379db0bbc7fbbbf9fe1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"DLM Admin\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"4 Tips for a Successful First Year in Business - Digital Limelight Media","description":"With the Bureau of Labor Statistics quoting 20% of new businesses fail within the first two years, the start of your business is a pivotal time. Many new","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/blog\/4-tips-for-a-successful-first-year-in-business\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"4 Tips for a Successful First Year in Business - Digital Limelight Media","og_description":"With the Bureau of Labor Statistics quoting 20% of new businesses fail within the first two years, the start of your business is a pivotal time. Many new","og_url":"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/blog\/4-tips-for-a-successful-first-year-in-business\/","og_site_name":"Digital Limelight Media","article_published_time":"2023-04-06T13:39:32+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1707,"url":"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/shutterstock_1062076403-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"DLM Admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"DLM Admin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/blog\/4-tips-for-a-successful-first-year-in-business\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/blog\/4-tips-for-a-successful-first-year-in-business\/"},"author":{"name":"DLM Admin","@id":"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/#\/schema\/person\/77f3ab2f1626763633321b5edb7637d0"},"headline":"4 Tips for a Successful First Year in Business","datePublished":"2023-04-06T13:39:32+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/blog\/4-tips-for-a-successful-first-year-in-business\/"},"wordCount":759,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/blog\/4-tips-for-a-successful-first-year-in-business\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/shutterstock_1062076403-scaled.jpg","articleSection":["Front Desk"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/blog\/4-tips-for-a-successful-first-year-in-business\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/blog\/4-tips-for-a-successful-first-year-in-business\/","url":"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/blog\/4-tips-for-a-successful-first-year-in-business\/","name":"4 Tips for a Successful First Year in Business - Digital Limelight Media","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/blog\/4-tips-for-a-successful-first-year-in-business\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/blog\/4-tips-for-a-successful-first-year-in-business\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/shutterstock_1062076403-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2023-04-06T13:39:32+00:00","description":"With the Bureau of Labor Statistics quoting 20% of new businesses fail within the first two years, the start of your business is a pivotal time. Many new","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/blog\/4-tips-for-a-successful-first-year-in-business\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/blog\/4-tips-for-a-successful-first-year-in-business\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/blog\/4-tips-for-a-successful-first-year-in-business\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/shutterstock_1062076403-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/shutterstock_1062076403-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1707},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/blog\/4-tips-for-a-successful-first-year-in-business\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"4 Tips for a Successful First Year in Business"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/","name":"Digital Limelight Media","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/#organization"},"alternateName":"DLM","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/#organization","name":"Digital Limelight Media","alternateName":"DLM","url":"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/site-logo.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/site-logo.svg","width":114,"height":37,"caption":"Digital Limelight Media"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/#\/schema\/person\/77f3ab2f1626763633321b5edb7637d0","name":"DLM Admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9fc74a362117ff2de04236113c466804c45ffba8b25d1379db0bbc7fbbbf9fe1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9fc74a362117ff2de04236113c466804c45ffba8b25d1379db0bbc7fbbbf9fe1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"DLM Admin"}}]}},"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/shutterstock_1062076403-600x400.jpg","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/shutterstock_1062076403-600x600.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"DLM Admin","author_link":"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/blog\/author\/dlm_admin\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1945","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1945"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1945\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1946"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1945"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1945"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dlmconversion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1945"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}