Many creative, hard-working entrepreneurs are forsaking the consumer retail marketplace and choosing to build careers within the fast-paced world of B2B (business-to-business) services. Some owners are more interested in selling products, but the idea behind the model is the same: creating a company that earns its profits directly from other businesses. Luckily, there are several effective strategies for assembling a successful B2B enterprise from scratch.
The initial phase of preparation is to do an honest skill assessment. If you currently possess the talent to train others in any commercial field, you’re off to a great start. For most others, step one is earning a college degree in a marketable field, like accounting, IT, or management. In addition to offering training services, many first-time B2B owners look to the most popular, in-demand areas for starting their own companies. In the 2020s, some of the most lucrative niches for providers include virtual assistant services, accounting, and tax-related functions, or the generalist field of acting as a B2B broker. The following suggestions can help build a strong brand for your startup and get a small business off the ground with a minimum amount of delay and hassle.
Earn a Four-Year Degree
A college degree is almost indispensable for owners of companies that provide commercial services. That’s because so many of the skills essential for success in the segment can be learned in a four-year course of study. Subjects like accounting, marketing, and management are just a few of the areas in which students build up their expertise as future entrepreneurs. Paying for a degree is a different matter.
Few candidates have enough money saved to cover the entire cost of college. A great first step is finding scholarships online. The most efficient way to explore the possibilities is to connect with a company like Going Merry college scholarships to maximize the chance of getting money for school. They can match applicants with multiple opportunities and help them apply quickly and easily for scholarship money. The beauty of financing school with scholarships is that, unlike loans, they don’t need to be paid back.
Offer Virtual Assistant Services
Currently, one of the most in-demand B2B niches is VA, or virtual assistant services. Nearly all VAs work from home, but some multi-employee firms offer at least a few in-person services on their menus. However, in today’s digital economy, more companies are hiring online VAs to take care of tasks like customer service calls, calendar organization, email correspondence, and more.
Offer Bookkeeping and Accounting Help
Accounting and tax-related firms have been around for more than a century. Today’s versions of the traditional offerings include work that is done primarily online. As an owner of a bookkeeping service, all your clients will be other business owners, many of whom operate startups or small firms. Often, these types of entrepreneurs have no accounting skills and outsource all their payroll, tax, and bookkeeping tasks.
Be an Outsource Broker
One of the newer business-to-business niches is brokering. An outsource broker works with entrepreneurs and owners by helping them find talented, reliable service providers for any number of chores. A broker might help a small company find legal counsel, accounting professionals, IT experts, and other providers.
