Before your small business becomes a household name, you will need to secure it – both physically and digitally. This will include finding a good location and installing security and doing the same virtually: find a domain and set up security to prevent cybercrime.
The foundation that you build will make all the difference. In the UK 526,426 new businesses were launched in 2013, but not all made it into 2014. By cornering the market with your own business strategy and adhering to the four pillars of location and security you can turn your startup into a business empire.
The following will explain, with the help of experts, what you need to bear in mind and how to implement this four pillars strategy.
Physical location: Do you need foot traffic or a professional address?
Where you business is located is important to your clients. Above all else, you should be:
- Accessible: Easy to get to by transport or by foot, such as on a main business street or an area they might already need to be in.
- In a professional space: A well decorated office makes you look like a legitimate business. An upmarket address will add credibility.
Commercial and residential property experts, iProperties, advise that “prime locations, such as Hammersmith and Shepherds Bush are highly sought after year on year… and the price tag gives owners and renters access to the best markets.”
Choosing where to be based will reflect how you interact with your clients. For product based businesses, such as jewellers and artists, a reliance on foot traffic will necessitate choosing a location near other sales based businesses. Securing a high street or other high foot traffic location will also allow you to make the most of holiday and sale seasons.
Equally, for more private professions like specialist lawyers, having a more remote but professional and well maintained space, in a upmarket area will give clients the security of privacy. It is unlikely that lawyers will receive much business from walk-in clients if their office is sandwiched between a homeware store and the local supermarket.
Online location: Are you searchable and is your site useful?
In the digital age, having an accessible and well presented online presence is as important as your physical location. Prospective customers might spot your store or business in passing, and return to your website.
Frequently, users will also start their shopping online – using the internet to seek out a service or type of business and reading reviews to get more insight. This is all great if you can actually be found online.
This makes ranking well for your focus areas key. If you rely heavily on your website, it pays to get on top of your SEO. You may be able to do a great deal of the optimising yourself or you can get a professional in.
For a start, to avoid users immediately leaving your site, it has to be well presented, easy to navigate and with plenty of information that is actually useful. Don’t add content just for the sake of it. Ensure you have clear calls to action and visible contact information – email, telephone and address should be readily available on the first click. No-one wants to have to wade through complicated navigation bars and waterfalls of drop down menus.
Security systems: Install CCTV and controlled entry systems
Don’t underestimate the need for a decent security system in commercial properties. Many rented commercial building spaces will have their own built-in security systems. These will likely have fob or card entry devices as well as conventional key entry doors.
If you’re leasing or buying a new property that requires a new system, your options including cameras, keypad entries and cards will have to be customised for your business needs. If you do your homework, it won’t have to break the bank.
“It’s possible to be cost effective and still have CCTV and access control systems you can rely on” explains Terry Roffey from Brook Security, a domestic and commercial security systems provider in the South East of England and London.
It is usually advisable to include CCTV which will give you valuable additional visual data in the case of theft or forced entry.
Cyber defence: Protect your data with reliable servers and antivirus
In an age where lock pickers have become codebreakers, your cyber defence is as important as your physical security.
Sadly, anything important enough to be protected by passwords inevitably leads to someone deciding it’s worth stealing. The minimum in cyber defences is setting up antivirus software, malware and a reliable backup system.
When you’re looking for hosting, scout the market and look for the most reliable companies that are available the same hours that you need to access your system. If you’re open on weekends but they aren’t, you’ll be out of lucky when your system crashes first thing Saturday on a Bank Holiday weekend.
Cover photo credit: Charbel Akhras / Flickr
