Are you planning on opening a new business soon? If you are – congratulations! This is an incredibly exciting yet scary time, especially if you are brand new to the business. You want your opening day or week to go off without a hitch and be as perfect as possible, but what do you need to do to achieve that? Here are
To help you out, here are a few things you can’t forget during the opening process.
Make sure you have all the equipment and stock that you need
Every store needs equipment and stock, so get your orders in as soon as you know your opening date. As with anything, there is always the chance of hitting some problems when it comes to your stockists or manufacturers, and the last thing you want is for that to affect your opening. Ordering well in advance gives you a little leeway to sort out any problems.
Hire Full Staff
Your opening day or week is likely to be very busy, so make sure that you have a full and trained staff in place ready for the opening. It is always better to overhire and have some staff on call to come in rather than have too few staff and things be manic and rushed.
Make sure your tech works.
No one wants to walk in on their opening day to find they don’t know how to use the computers or worst still, they don’t work. Spend some time beforehand getting to know the technology and how to troubleshoot any issues. This includes your computers and printers, your point of sale card reader, and even things like your central heating or air conditioning system.
Think about your product placement
It is really important to think about your store layout and where you will put your products. It not only needs to look good and be accessible to your customers, but you also want to reduce shrinkage and reduce the risk of theft. High-value items need to be in an area which is clearly visible, and the most profitable items need to be placed in areas with the highest foot traffic for maximum visibility.
Advertise
Your store might be the best one in the area, but if no one knows about it, it won’t mean a thing. Without clever advertising, you will not drum up enough interest, and your launch day may be a complete flop. Advertising doesn’t have to be expensive – some carefully targeted ads on social media and some flyers handed out in the street can often be enough to bring people in!
By using the tips we have shared above, you can make sure your store’s opening process will go as smoothly as possible. However, it is crucial to remember that even the best laid plans sometimes go awry and hit hiccups, and how you deal with these problems is the best sign of how you will manage as a new business owner so don’t panic too much and do what you can to smooth them out as quickly and as efficiently as possible. Good luck!
