Planning to start a business? Well, consider this. According to Forbes, one in every five businesses doesn’t make it past the first year—moreover, 30% fail in the second year, and 50% close shop by year five. That means that it’s essential that you have a plan in place. Passion is a great start, but it isn’t enough to guarantee your success. If you need helpful tips and tricks for your new endeavor, keep reading to create a detailed plan before facing the risk of failure and financial strain.

You are probably taken back a little. But it’s not all gloom and doom. So, how do you start a long-lasting trade business?

The ultimate goal for many people is to start their trade businesses and become their own boss. Picture this, no more working for bossy project managers or a grumpy supervisor. Starting your business will put you in charge of your destiny. You become the captain of your ship and steer it in your direction.

If you’re wondering how to start your own trade business, the good news is you can always start right the first time. Don’t know how? Keep reading to learn how to start your own trade business correctly. Let’s start!

1. Make Sure Your Space Is Waterproof

Waterproofing your space is the number one pro tip for starting your own trade business. You’ll need expert waterproofing contractor service to do this correctly. By doing so, you’ll be protecting your inventory from water damage. Typically, it is ideal if you mainly store your goods onsite. When your inventory gets wet, it may become unsalvageable, eventually leading to losses.

Did you know that waterproofing can help you reduce your energy bills? Typically, when water gets access to your structure, it lessens any insulation around your floors and walls, facilitating heat loss. For this reason, you’ll be forced to spend more on your heating and cooling, inflating your energy costs.

It’s not rocket science that water damages electrical systems. When your wiring system is exposed to moisture, it will likely corrode. Worse, it may short circuit, leading to expensive equipment repairs or replacement. To avoid this, you must waterproof your space to protect vulnerable components such as switch boxes, outlets, and switches from water damage.

Waterproofing your space means protecting your customers and employees. Seepage can lead to flooding and leaks, causing slips, trips, and falls. Such falls can lead to serious injuries, which may be very expensive. For this reason, you must waterproof your business as a safety measure.

2. Keep Mold Away

According to the National Library of Medicine, molds or dampness cause nearly 21% of asthma in the US. Without proper waterproofing, molds will creep into your premises, leading to health risks like asthma and other respiratory diseases. If your premises are already moldy, you must contact mold removal contractors to help you deal with the hazard.

Typically, water infiltration leads to dampness, the principal facilitator of mold growth. Waterproofing will eliminate any possible contact with vulnerable spaces such as floors, ceilings, and walls, preventing any room for dampness. However, when the molds are present, the only solution is to seek professional mold removal services.

It goes without a question. If you’re wondering how to start your own trade business correctly, ensure your environment is mold-free to protect your workers, customers, and yourself from contracting respiratory diseases. Protecting your business stakeholders keeps your bottom line healthy.

3. Have Your Foundation Inspected

If you plan to buy or build premises for your new business, you should involve foundation repair companies to keep your foundation in check. While there are plenty of good reasons, majorly foundation repairs protect your investment. Easy fixes that can be affordably repaired can turn expensive in the future. For this reason, you must invest in a foundation inspection before setting up your business.

The fundamental reason to conduct an intense foundation check is probably to ensure no failures or faults in the premises. Typically, any flaws in the initial construction period will have effects for months or years. Additionally, it’s possible to have flaws in entire batches of materials or individual pieces due to transport, storage, or production faults. For this reason, foundation inspection should be done early to identify any defects.

Another reason to inspect your foundation is to investigate water and moisture impact. Generally, water movement patterns and the soil’s capacity to hold water will impact the soil’s stability. That’s why a practical foundation inspection will include examining moisture encroachment and leaking from the surrounding soil. Work with professionals and get your foundation right to learn how to start your own trade business right the first time.

4. Repair Your Roof

To understand how to start your own trade business and keep the bottom line healthy, you’ll need to learn how business moguls run their businesses. The general takeaway point is to find strategies to minimize expenses at any cost, and repairing your roof before severe damage is a good example of handling the problem early.

Businesses are slowly becoming energy conservation and climate change champions. Solar panels are increasingly becoming more popular in the spirit of adopting environmentally sustainable ideas. What’s more, there’re several incentives you can take advantage of for solar installations. However, roofs get damaged during installations. When this happens, you must call your local roofers to help fix it and your goods from the elements.

To maximize profit, you must keep your employees and customers in a safe environment. A damaged roof is susceptible to leakage, leading to dampness and mold formation. Such a condition can easily lead to respiratory diseases, meaning your employees may not give their best, negatively affecting your bottom line. Also, your damaged roof can invite pests indoors, which is risky, as some of them may damage your stock, leading to losses.

5. Get Rid of Pests

Rodents, cockroaches, flies, termites, and spiders are the hidden enemies of your business. These tiny creatures pose a severe threat to your business operations. In fact, according to the US Bureau of Labor and Statistics, between 2003 -2010, pests contributed to 83 fatal occupational injuries. Moreover, between 2008–2010, non-fatal work-related illnesses and injuries led to 4,930 to 6,870 days off. So, act fast if you see signs of pests on your business premises.

In most states, businesses must adhere to safety regulations for health control and fire reasons. Pest infestation threatens these standards. Also, exterminating service must conform to strict guidelines regulating safe methods to eliminate them without harming workers and clients.

Getting rid of pests should be on your ‘how to start your own trade business list’ list. Majorly because they can easily contaminate food or mess up the electrical wiring systems. Such a situation threatens safety regulations at the workplace.

Your customer’s trust is essential to generate good profit for your business. However, the presence of pests can entirely drive them away. Typically, pests are tiny but highly destructive, and handling them can be a disaster. So, always hire a professional for the job. Though a few have no significant damaging effects, some can force you out of business when not dealt with quickly.

6. Upgrade Your HVAC

AC installation is a worthy tip on how to start your own trade business and save big on energy usage. In fact, according to the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, you can save up to 30% of your energy bills annually with a functional system.

The major reason for having a commercial AC system is to keep your employees and customers in your premises comfortable. However, whenever you notice the slightest complaint about heating and cooling, it’s time to upgrade your HVAC system.

A faulty air conditioning system will negatively impact your customer care experience. For this reason, clients will tend to avoid your premises when temperatures are out-of-whack. When this happens, it may drastically reduce your profit margins, which is a huge disaster.

7. Maintain a Clean Space

Did you know your business appearance communicates to clients what business represents? You must maintain a good impression on your customers. How? By hiring commercial cleaning services to help you with your cleaning. Otherwise, you risk losing plenty of potential customers.

According to Business News Daily, a messy workstation can negatively impact a worker’s focus and ability to process information. It creates an atmosphere of confusion, leading to errors and unproductivity, which leads to losses. On the other hand, high cleanliness levels at your workstation will significantly reduce the chances of your employees falling sick.

Typically, disease-causing bacteria love dirty places, especially where people spend most of their time. For this reason, you should invest in a good cleaning strategy to fight germs and diseases. Doing so will keep your employees healthy and at peak performance.

8. Repair Your Parking Lot

Priority number one on how to start your own trade business is to protect your brand. Remember, how clients perceive your image determines their engagement with your business. Small details such as having your packing lot in good condition hit the right chord in building your reputation. Your clients will see your packing lot before proceeding to your shop. Well-done parking will encourage them not to drive away.

Supposing your parking lot isn’t in excellent shape. In this case, you must contact an asphalt paving contractor to help with the repairs. You don’t want a shoddy job, so you’ll need experts for quality delivery. Your business is at stake, and when you start on the right foot, it won’t be long to yield great returns.

According to USA Today, drivers spend 17 hours searching for parking annually. Such statistics indicate just how essential parking is for most people. Time is money, so how about saving your customers money by giving them access to well-maintained parking? By doing so, you won’t have them drifting away from your competitors with better parking services.

9. Get a New Floor

We can’t emphasize enough that your business entirely depends on your reputation. With that said, the small details, such as the status of your floor, can make a difference between closing down shop and swimming in profits. Your products might be great, but your commercial space reflects your business values. For this reason, if your floor is old and worn out, consider getting a new floor.

Did you know that constant floor care saves you money? For example, waterproof flooring will prevent harmful elements like water or moisture from penetrating your floor. In this case, your floor will be safe from damage, saving you from wasting money on unnecessary repairs.

A new floor will improve your business premise’s appearance. Eye-catching aesthetics and floors generally help to maintain your customer base. Nobody wants to shop in an unpleasing environment. Having a new clean floor makes all the difference.

10. Invest in the Tech You Need

When pondering how to start your own trade business, you must consider gaining a competitive advantage. This means you must evolve with the global business trends, necessitating investing in technology. However, it doesn’t mean you should invest heavily in any business technology. You should ensure that it’s beneficial to your line of business.

Typically, you should invest in technology to accelerate your operational productivity. Automating time-consuming and monotonous tasks is an excellent way to start. Doing so improves workflow productivity and leaves the human capital to put more time into decision-making and critical thinking. This strategy works regardless of your products. Whether you’re trying to improve systems or computer sales, technology will help make work easier.

If you’re pondering how to start your own trade business, do not fear making this huge step. However, to succeed in entrepreneurship, you have to plan right the first time. You must ensure your business premises are in great shape to do this. Also, you must have an HVAC system in good working condition for comfort, invest in the tech you need, and get rid of pests to protect your stock from contamination and keep your workers healthy. Go forth and succeed.