

Becoming an entrepreneur feels as common now as going to college, with nearly 550,000 people starting businesses each month.
Keep the following in mind as you take your first few steps as a business owner, from tracking mileage to getting your pricing right.
Service-based businesses often operate within a specific region, making local SEO critical. In addition to ranking for long-tail keywords related to your business, you want to rank for those keywords attached to regional phrases and names.
For example, rather than simply ranking for, “mobile car cleaning” you may want to rank for “mobile car cleaning Charlotte, North Carolina.”
If you work with a back-end developer, send them this 2018 SEO Checklist for Webmasters to make sure your site is completely optimized, which will drive more traffic and business.
Pricing your service is challenging because you want to strike a balance between what your time is worth and what the service is worth while staying competitive and driving business. This is especially true for those who are new to their business:
“Most service entrepreneurs, especially freelancers, undervalue themselves at first and charge too little to win customers. This is particularly common among entrepreneurs with a time-based pricing model,” suggests Sammi Caramela, B2B staff writer for Business News Daily. For example, if you charge per hour, you may struggle to find the best pricing model.
A good method is to offer tiered service offerings, which will allow people to pay less for less or more for more. Don’t be afraid to change your pricing as you go either—it will take time to get it right, and eventually, you’ll want to raise your prices as you get more experience and clients.
Staying on top of taxes is critical for business owners, who can be fined significantly for incorrect information, late payments, and more. An important part of taxes for a service-based business will be the time you spent driving from one appointment to another.
If your service is most commonly needed during a specific season, it may be wise to launch as that season approaches. Not only does this allow you to make the most of your marketing and sales efforts because consumers are actively looking for your product at that time, but it provides you with greater flexibility as well:
“A seasonal venture will appeal to people who want the ability to earn enough money during part of the year in order to do as they please with the remainder of the year—travel, pursue education or work a job in another season,” suggests James Stephenson, Entrepreneur contributor.
This is also ideal for people who want to start their business but aren’t ready to quit their job. Selling seasonally allows you to start slow and determine if the business is viable to go with full-time or not.
Use these tips to make your first few steps toward business owner most successful. When you get your SEO right, take time on pricing, track your mileage, and more, you’ll be able to focus on the things you care most about: selling your service and making happy clients.
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