It takes a lot of dedication, courage, and hard work to jump into the world of entrepreneurship. Now, throw a business partner—who also happens to be your significant other—into the mix and things can get really interesting. While starting a business with your boyfriend may strain your relationship, it could just as easily strengthen your bond if your interests and goals are aligned.
The onset of any new business will have challenges, testing even the healthiest of relationships, so have the basics lined up. Here’s a list of things you’ll need to ensure a smooth start:
In many instances, you need a vehicle to accomplish business actions and transactions. A bigger SUV or pick-up is necessary if you’re running a service-based start-up, like a delivery or a home-cleaning service where you would need to transport a lot of things or bulky equipment. But a smaller car—a sedan or a sports car, for example—is good enough to assure easy mobility when meeting clients or suppliers, or attending events.
Having a mobile phone is essential when starting a business. Having an intuitive smartphone that can help you track your schedule and daily tasks is even better. But what really helps push your start-up forward is a smartphone with a high-definition camera. Phones with superior cameras can give you good photos for your website, your social media accounts, and your marketing materials. They’ll also do the part of giving your clients a good peek into your services or products if you can send them photos in real time.
Giving your business its own phone and phone number makes your company look more professional—it’s also healthy for your sanity. All calls and queries from clients and suppliers will go through one line only, streamlining contacts you and your partner got separately. As you’ll likely be on the phone a lot for your business, a company phone and number helps you track the communication expenses better.
You need a structured form of accounting or bookkeeping to track your purchases and, if you have employees, the payroll. While you and your partner should be aware of the money that comes and goes, assign just one person to oversee this task. This lets the other person focus on the other parts of the business and helps build more trust between you and your SO.
Once you’ve set your launch date, it’s time to build a following. Social media is the quickest way to do that. Make the most of Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter by showing your potential customers what to expect. A social media presence keeps your followers up-to-date, while a relevant and interesting feed keeps your fans engaged. It also leads clients to your website. Just remember to have enough data on your phone to keep the posts coming.
In relation to having a good social media presence, the right PR can help you build your user base. Good PR involves highlighting your unique selling point and crafting the right statements for your target audience. Your personal image is a huge part of PR too. For example, having a nice car or outfit will say something about you to your clients or the people you work with—not to mention boost your confidence.
Planning a budget and getting the funds to put all these things together can be a nightmare. To help you out, try joining Pepsi and Mountain Dew’s Doble Hataw promo, where you can win a sports car or a pick-up truck, and also millions of pesos worth of prizes including smartphones, free mobile data from all networks, and drink vouchers.
All you need to do is buy Pepsi or Mountain Dew bottles with yellow crowns or caps, or specially marked labels; find the unique code under the cover; and then text it to Pepsi.
You need to register once, but you can join as many times as you want to get more chances to win. For more information, visit Mountain Dew’s Facebook post.
The Doble Hataw promo also marks the first collaboration of actors Daniel Padilla and James Reid, made possible only by Pepsi and Mountain Dew.