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Launching a Startup on a Budget

5 Frugal Hacks for SMB-Owners

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Launching a Startup on a Budget

When you're planning to launch a startup, there are many bases that you need to cover to make it work.

Logically, ensuring financial stability is one of the key tasks for every new entrepreneur.

If you're thinking about starting a new business or you're already doing it, you've probably learned some facts that will help you at the beginning.

However, there are some things that a new business owner might not remember or doesn't even know they exist.

So, we've put together this post in order to inform new startup owners on some frugal hacks that will help them finance their ventures from day one.



  • Learning more about business types

The type of business you choose will affect your liability as a business owner, as well as the taxes you need to pay, and your retirement plans.

For new business owners, there are three common types of businesses: sole proprietorships, partnerships, and limited liability companies (LLCs).

  • Sole proprietorships. If a business owner is both the employer and the only employee of the business in question, it's a sole proprietorship. In this case, business assets and the owner's personal assets are not separated. In other words, if your business makes losses, your personal property can be taken away from you to cover debts.
  • Business partnerships. A type of business that has two or more partners with certain ownership shares in the company is called a business partnership. These partners may or may not be the employees of the company. Each of the partners is equally liable for losses and profits made by the business. Similar to sole proprietorships, partners guarantee for business assets with their personal assets.
  • Limited Liability Company. In an LLC, the owner, i.e. owners and the business they run are two different entities. In that light, you don't guarantee for the business revenues and debtswith your personal assets. However, taxes are usually higher for LLCs than for sole proprietorships or partnerships. Also, the legal aspect of such corporations is more complicated, which is why new SMBs don't opt for this business type so often.
  • Getting familiar with deductions

Every business has the right to certain deductions. Depending on the field of work and the state/country you work in, these features can range from small ones to substantial amounts that will mean a lot to new business owners.

For instance, the computer equipment you've bought for business, the meals you've had with your business partners and clients, as well as travel expenses incurred by business meetings may all be taken into account as deductions. And this is only the beginning.

If you want to claim these deductions, it's necessary to attach the bills for each of these services to your tax return.

Before you make these claims, it's important to read the rules regarding business deductions and talk to an accountant, as well. That way, you'll know for sure what you're eligible for and how to claim those deductions.

  • Combining different employment types

If you want to reduce expenditure as you're launching your own business, you should combine different types of employment.

Logically, if you're a sole proprietor, you'll probably be a one-man band. But even solopreneurs can hire workers and sign an employment contract.

If you run a business as a partner or an owner of an LLC, you'll probably want to hire more employees.

For starters, you should opt for part-time and freelance contracts. These two employment types give you more freedom and less commitment towards workers. When you still can't assess what course your business will take, that's the best option for all interested parties.

In the case your venture starts to grow and blossom, you can offer some of these people long-term or permanent contracts. Still, always be careful with such business deals because they will cost you more, in terms of salaries, taxes, and retirement plans.

  • Utilizing digital marketing freebies

New SMB-owners are lucky because they're launching a startup in one of the most exciting technological ages in history. The development of social networks and various online tools means the world to new entrepreneurs. They use them for free and spread the word about their enterprises to millions of people worldwide.

First and foremost, rookie entrepreneurs should rely on Facebook and Instagram. Launching business pages, creating advertising campaigns or even selling products directly via these networks are all practical and frugal business options.

Moreover, SMB-owners need to launch trustworthy and resourceful websites and blogs. Web design Houston specialists explain that entrepreneurs can choose from a variety of layouts and features to get a simple but practical business website. Together with relevant and interesting content, these elements of online marketing will help every business thrive and prosper.

Finally, various forums and professional business websites can help SMB-owners connect with their colleagues on a global scale. Starting from LinkedIn and Facebook business groups to niche-restricted forums, it's possible to find out a lot about every industry on the Web and apply this information to everyday SMB-management.

  • Making overhead savings

If it's not essential for your business operations, you shouldn't rent office space at the beginning of your entrepreneurship. Instead of that, you can put aside the amount of money you would pay for the rent and the overhead expenses. You can invest this money in better equipment or save it for further business growth.

Instead of that, you can go to a coworking space. It might sound strange that a business owner works from such a place, but remember that you're still a freshman in the world of business.

As your business keeps developing, you'll have enough assets to open your own business space. But this will happen only if you're careful with money from day one.

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While launching a business is never completely free, we've shown you some useful tips that can help you apply rational asset management from the very beginning.

From the deductions you're entitled to and the business type you choose to the benefits of digital marketing and savings you make along the way, it's possible to nurture a business on a budget.

Once you're certain that you have enough clients and that your revenues are high enough, you can move to stage two and make more significant investments in your business.

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