<p style="text-align: justify;">There&#8217;s a lot of romanticism around starting a business, but the truth is that its hard work. It doesn&#8217;t have to be impossible, especially if you&#8217;re smart and prepared for what lies ahead, but very few people have success stories like Mark Zuckerberg. If you&#8217;re ready to really dig deep and figure out if you have <a href="https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/279465">what it takes to run your own company</a>, here are just eight tips.</p>
<h4 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>1. Don&#8217;t Rush Into Anything</strong></h4>
<p style="text-align: justify;">A lot of businesses fail because their founders come up with an idea and immediately quit their jobs and cash out their savings to bring it to life. Don&#8217;t make this mistake! If nothing else, you should spend at least six months building up your capital before officially going into business.</p>
<h4 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>2. Save Every Penny</strong></h4>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Speaking of capital, it&#8217;s always a good idea to have more than you think you need. Most businesses don&#8217;t turn a profit in their first year or two, so you&#8217;ll need to be able to manufacture your products, ship your packages, operate your building and pay your employees with your savings alone.</p>
<h4 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>3. Advertise Excessively</strong></h4>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Put dozens of ads on social media. Hang up flyers in the local community center. Take out a page in the newspaper. There&#8217;s no such thing as oversaturating the market, especially when you&#8217;re a brand-new company looking to establish yourself. If customers can remember your brand enough to get annoyed by its ads, you&#8217;re doing a good job.</p>
<h4 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>4. Go Back to School</strong></h4>
<p style="text-align: justify;">There&#8217;s no excuse not to have a business degree in this day and age. Schools like the <a href="https://businessdegrees.uab.edu/business-administration-degree-masters/">University of Alabama Birmingham</a> offer them completely online, so there&#8217;s no need to even change out of your pajamas to attend class. Check out their website to learn more about how they can prepare you for the business world.</p>
<h4 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>5. Trust Your Instincts</strong></h4>
<p style="text-align: justify;">If you feel like an investor isn&#8217;t being straight with you, don&#8217;t take their cash. If you know in your heart that hiring your buddy is a bad idea, don&#8217;t let him play on your friendship to get a job. You should always trust your gut when it comes to business decisions. You don&#8217;t want to fail and kick yourself afterward.</p>
<h4 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>6. Don&#8217;t Worry About Aesthetics</strong></h4>
<p style="text-align: justify;">There&#8217;s no point in blowing all of your money on glamorous, open-air offices that you can&#8217;t even afford to staff. Don&#8217;t be afraid to work out of a back room with no windows and limited light. Your products are much more important than your aesthetic.</p>
<h4 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>7. Watch Your Competitors</strong></h4>
<p style="text-align: justify;">You always want to know what your competitors are doing. If they&#8217;re dropping prices or creating loyalty programs, that&#8217;s something that could affect your own business. Make a habit of checking on your rivals every week or so.</p>
<h4 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>8. <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/shephyken/2017/04/29/six-ways-listening-improves-the-customer-experience/#4dfe115472da">Listen to Your Customers</a></strong></h4>
<p style="text-align: justify;">When customers complain about something, the proper response isn&#8217;t to get defensive and claim that they have no idea what they&#8217;re talking about. Whether they&#8217;re criticizing your website or your storefront, their feedback should be treated like the valuable commodity that it is. After all, they&#8217;re the ones who will ultimately decide if your business is successful.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Every entrepreneur has to start somewhere. If you&#8217;re ready to take your ideas and turn them into business plans, use these eight tips for a greater chance of success.</p>

8 Handy Business Tips For Entrepreneurs
