10 hard earned tips for running your own business

for
Running your own
Tasos Veliadis - socialab
Partner/Business Unit Director

I often talk with people who have some
good ideas and want to set up their own
companies. Having a considerable amount
of experience myself in that sector, the
sector of enterpreneuship, I wanted to
write about certain things that I would
have done differently and some others I
got right the first time round when I
started.
Oftentimes I wonder what would happen if
i could turn back time and give myself
certain tips, in order to avoid difficulties
and mistakes that I have faced all these
years. Here are some of the tips I learnt
through experience so far.

The biggest hardship I've faced stems
from the mindset represented by the
saying "if you want something done right,
you got to do it yourself". But the thing is
that there's no other choice. You have to
forget about it.
I worked really hard in order to build a
team that I can trust and make sure that
each of its members will carry out their
tasks without me interfering too much. It's
vital that you let members of your team
feel that they could take it a step further
and take full responsibility. This gives them
a sense of determination, something that
won't ever happen if you take up
responsibility for critical tasks all the time.

The people working with you represent
your choices, your company's culture and
even yourself. Do not forget, the smaller
the company, the bigger the impact each
employee has on its image.
It might be tempting to solemny judge from
someone's skills, but from my experience I
tend to believe that it's all about the
person itself. You can definitely train
someone with fewer skills and help them
reach their full potential, but you can't
change character traits that easy.

All employees have to be safe in their
workplace and you as their employer have
the legal responsibility to do your best in
keeping them so.
Bear in mind that this is one of the things
that remain undebatable and if overlooked
it might be detrimental to your business or
even place you on the wrong side of the
law. Think about an unfortunate scenario
where one of your employees has an
accident while in the office. Serious or not,
this is something you definitely wouldn't
want to happen, right?

All teams need attention and care and this is
even more true about the team we direct. As
such, we have always strived to find ways in
order to keep our team healthy and happy
because let's face it. We ourselves are a part
of it.
This can happen in a multitude of ways such
as offering benefits and workdays outside of
the office, or even a free meal every first of
the month. Every little thing plays a role in
keeping the whole of our company happy.
We want everyone in our team to feel
important. Without them, there is no company.

A good CRM system is worth both its literal
and digital wight in gold. It helps members
of the team get on the same page and
also enables us to be in the know and see
the bigger picture of each account's
status.
Without it, you'll never have a completely
clear and objective picture of what's
happening between your company and
your clients.

Don't expect that your phone will ring by
itself or that the clients will run to your
door simply because you have a great
idea. It's essential that you go out and
speak, find the clients/partners that you
aim at and call them first. Not to catch up
on the latest gossip of course but to
present them your work, your ideas, your
team. That's the only way the people you
want to approach will get to know you,
giving you a chance to start the
cooperation you've been after from the
beginning.

Are the maps of good business. They
don't have to be as detailed as they ought
to be in, say, a construction company, but
they have to exist in order to guide the
employees adequately. Each employee has
to know exactly what is expected of
him/her and which steps they have to
follow, depending on their place in the
company.
Otherwise, how can you ensure completion
and maintanance of procedures in a
systematic manner? Miscommunication
due to bad organization usually results in
costing you more time, effort and money.

Work is fun! Many times you might be
amongst the first to enter the office and
amongst the last to leave. So the point
since we have decided to spend that much
time in the office, is to play more and have
as much fun as we can during our workday
and breaks. Building relationships with
your coworkers and the people you have
around you in the office, is the best thing
you can do in order to make everyone
have fun. Including yourself.

You might be up to the neck with tasks you
have to carry out before you leave the
office. The main thing though is to carry
each task out correctly and avoid getting
stressed. When you occupy a creative
position it is vital that you leave the office
and give your mind a break every once so
often. Meet new people, discover new
places, leave your desk for 10 minutes at
least and go around the building. The
change of scenery will help inspire you
and make you work more efficiently.

Having the proper contracts is important
to all businesses. In the beginning all
relationships may start with the best
intentions and close to perfect
circumstances. However, all companies
have been through crises in certain
occasions and with certain clients. This
mostly happens when the contracts aren't
correctly designed and especially when
they fail to be beneficial to all parties. The
best way to avoid going through a crisis
such as the aforementioned, is to think
foward and employ contracts designed to
cover all bases and work as a safety net in
case they have to do so.

FOR
YOUR BUSINESS
Tasos Veliadis
Contact me
Mail: veliadis@socialab.gr
Linkedin: TASOS VELIADIS

You!
Tasos Veliadis - socialab

10 hard earned tips for running your own business

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