Creative Ways to Save Money While Starting a Small Business
Guest Post - Written by Zachery Wells
Starting a new business can certainly cost you a pretty penny, and unfortunately, not every person with great big dreams has a great big wallet to match.
This is why the entrepreneurs on a shoe-string budget have to be smart.
By taking on more roles and cutting back on outsourcing, there’s a lot of money to be saved. Keeping a lookout for deals and not splurging on the most expensive supplies can also cut costs dramatically. The key is to prioritize early investments and leave room to get creative.
5 Money-Saving Tips For Small Business Owners
Use a Website Builder
As a small business owner trying to establish a professional web presence, your first instinct might be to hire a website developer.
Don’t do it.
You might think it sounds completely overwhelming to build your own website. Coding? How on earth does that work? But before you pay loads of money to hire someone for this, take a look at website building software.
It’s becoming easier to build a sophisticated website on your own with no previous experience.
For those who are absolutely new to website building, I like to recommend Wix. This software is free to use, only costing you if you’d like to create your own domain.
The design features are straight-forward and simple to learn. Although, if you ever have any questions there are tutorials found through their website as well as Youtube. Undoubtedly a major money and time saver!
Design Your Own Graphics
Graphic design is critical in several aspects of your business. Your website, advertising, content creation, and more. Every representation of your business should be stylized to look professional and branded.
As with building your site, hiring someone for a graphic design role can be extremely costly.
When you’re on a budget, this is an easy area to cut costs. With so many free and easy to use design tools available, it’s almost a no-brainer.
Here’s a quick list of free tools to check out:
LogoCreator - Just as the name suggests, a tool for designing your business logo.
Photo Pos Pro - Photo editing software.
Canva - Advanced graphic design web application featuring a wealth of tools.
Vecteezy - Free Vector art for use and editing.
Trade Services
Do you know someone skilled in SEO? Are you a skilled copywriter? Find someone with a complimentary skill to trade services with. Most people either know someone or know someone who knows someone.
If you are looking for people to trade services with, it’s easy to use platforms like Facebook or Craigslist to propose a trade in services. Another great source is called IRTA (International Reciprocal Trade Association). This program actually checks member backgrounds and has a system set in place to ensure secure trade transactions.
Use Open Source Software
Every new business will need to make investments in new software to some extent, but the prices on some software can make a budgeting entrepreneur cringe.
Consider using an open-source operating system, like Linux, to save cash.
Linux can be compared to Windows, except it’s completely free to use and offers much more flexibility in how you use it.
Go Paperless
Printing costs money.
Ink, paper, a hi-tech printer - it’s self-explanatory why going paperless will cut down costs. But it’s something every business owner might need to remind themselves of once in a while.
Not only does going completely digital save money, but it’s also an effective way to reach a larger audience. Plus, it’s environmentally friendly.
Really, a win-win-win situation.
One of the most popular digital marketing strategies is to focus on building up an email list. You can also build your audience on social media platforms and generate leads by publishing content related to your product.
You may also want to include an SEO focused blog on your website to bring in additional search traffic. SEO is a great strategy for both local businesses and eCommerce businesses.
There’s plenty of ways to reach people that don’t require printed materials. Get creative and find the ways that work best for your business.