How to protect your early-stage company

Trying to get your small business off the ground can be as exciting as it can be nerve-racking. Here are some key actions to take while you are still in the earliest stages in order to protect your long-term growth and help your new business start out right:

Plan for the Unexpected

Take the time to create an in-depth business proposal that outlines a plan for your potential growth, accounting for turns that the industry might take. Many startups are so busy “treading water” that they don’t plan on having lasting, core strategies in place for major industry changes that could have been predicted. Companies that are quick to adapt will stand the test of time, and even well-established companies can lose out to smaller companies that learn to adapt quickly. Develop a balance of strong core services or products for your business, but also leave some flexibility in those plans.

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Scope Out the Competition

Learning as much as you can about your competition is very smart in business. This can help you avoid pitfalls and also help you to find ways to polish your product or service offerings. By taking advantage of search engine ranking and keyword tools, business owners can check out what the competition is doing online. Their actions could inform your own strategies and help you explore new marketing tactics or even service and product offerings. There are several tools that can help:

We developed a tool called SEOzio that provides an instant look at how a website performs from a search engine’s perspective for free. SEOzio compiles data from Google, various SEO analysis tools, and the website itself, making a comprehensive report. This tool can help you see if your recent SEO tactics are improving the site’s rankings at all. It’s especially useful to look at your site versus a competitor’s site to see if or in what areas they are ahead of you.