The Flexibility of Your Early Business Structure

Last Updated: 

March 23, 2024

When you’re starting out in business, it’s understandable that you’ll be looking for some sort of guidance as to what the ‘right direction’ to take is. You don’t want to make some avoidable early mistake that costs you the rest of your career, but it can feel like this a very real risk due to the number of outgoings you have at this stage against what’s coming in.

Still, there’s an inherent flexibility during this time in your business. There’s room for experimentation. Embracing this can mean that you’re actively discovering what works best for you and your brand, and it can lead you to a format that works well for you in the future.

Key Takeaways on Flexible Business Structures:

  1. Embrace Flexibility: In the early stages of your business, embrace the flexibility to experiment and discover what works best for your brand. This period allows for exploration and adaptation to find a format that suits your vision.
  2. Consider Remote Work: Remote work can be beneficial for many startups as it helps avoid costs associated with physical workspaces. Utilise available technologies like video meeting tools and intranet platforms to support remote collaboration effectively.
  3. Timing for Hiring: Knowing when to hire employees is crucial. As your business grows, tasks may become overwhelming, making it necessary to delegate responsibilities. Recognise the point where hiring becomes essential for sustaining growth.
  4. Learning to Delegate: Overcoming the reluctance to delegate tasks is essential for business growth. Trusting others with responsibilities allows you to focus on strategic aspects of your business and fosters growth.
  5. Adaptability is Key: The niche your business fills initially may evolve over time as your vision and goals change. Stay adaptable and anticipate shifts in the market or unexpected developments to align your business effectively.
  6. Have a Vision, Be Open to Change: While it's important to have a clear vision when starting a business, remain open to adjustments and unforeseen opportunities. Flexibility in adapting to changes can lead to new growth avenues.
  7. Anticipate Challenges: Be prepared for challenges and setbacks along the way. Developing resilience and problem-solving skills will help navigate uncertainties and keep your business on track towards success.
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The Question of the Office

It’s difficult to define a starting point that will be universal for everyone starting out in business because of how naturally varied the field is. Depending on what your business provides, or what you’re aiming to do, your needs are going to be entirely different. 

While it won’t be right for absolutely every company out there, for example, many will find it beneficial to work remotely to begin with due to how they can avoid costs associated with a physical workspace like an office.

Is this something that you can take into the future? Current business technology certainly supports it, through video meeting tools, intranet platforms like those at claromentis.com that can provide an inclusive platform for your brand, and cloud technology. These all support this approach if you feel it would work best.

When Do You Hire?

Similarly, you’re likely going to ask yourself when the right time to hire employees is. Unlike an office, which might ultimately be a choice that very much depends on your business, you might find that once your business reaches a certain size or scale, hiring others becomes unavoidable. For a while, it might be possible for you to take on a wide variety of tasks yourself, but if you’re getting to the point where this just becomes unrealistic, hiring staff can help to lighten the burden and allow your business to keep up with this kind of demand.

The difficulty comes with releasing trust, which might not come naturally to you if you’ve been managing your business completely independently up until now, but learning to do so could be for the benefit of your business.

Filling Your Niche

The identity that your business starts out with doesn’t have to be what it sticks to throughout its entire duration. The niche that you look to fill at the beginning of your business might be something that shifts once your vision for your business changes. 

It’s important to have an idea of what you want to do when you begin – where you want to be and how you’re going to get there. However, it’s also important to be adaptable, and anticipate unexpected developments that might alter this. It’s natural to be averse to this kind of change when it feels like it goes against what your business is, but sometimes, it’s for the best.

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