You’re always going to feel like you’re on the back foot when you’re launching a new company. The market will have been challenging, to say the least over the last few years, regardless of what industry you’re working in. The soaring prices have not made things any easier, and you’ll be worrying about energy bills this winter and you know that your customers will be thinking twice before they spend any cash. You’ll have seen the news about supply chain disruptions and skills shortages, and the awful weather won’t have been helping matters!
But one of the most important things to remember is that there are plenty of tech solutions to make your life easier. Launching a successful enterprise today requires basic fluency in using digital tools and platforms for essential tasks from accounting to marketing. While hiring specialists has a place, founders lacking core tech competencies struggle to guide and manage technical strategy. Here are key areas new entrepreneurs must skill up on:
Basic Accounting Software Proficiency
Financial stability is always going to be one of the biggest concerns for any business. We talked about inflation earlier, and you need to be prepared for what’s going to happen if your company goes through a bit of a dry spell. While engaging an accountant is advisable, business owners should grasp accounting software fundamentals to generate financial reports, process transactions, manage invoices and run payroll. Understand bookkeeping data, sales taxes, and standard statements to make sound financial decisions. Popular tools like Xero and QuickBooks take commitment to master, so it’s well worth putting the effort in. Remember, if you have any questions or concerns, then it is always worth talking to an expert.
Document Editing And Management Skills
Success means polishing emails, presentations, PDFs, and other documents flawlessly every day. Beyond core Word or Google Docs skills, know efficiency shortcuts and formatting best practices to produce professional documents quickly without extensive back-and-forth revisions. Proofread rigorously – sloppy work undermines perceived credibility. If you’re not sure how to convert documents from PDF to Word, head to Smallpdf. Their converter is used by millions and works on Windows, Mac, and other platforms.
Email Management And CRM Savvy
Email remains a top communication and marketing channel for companies. From proper email etiquette to effective inbox maintenance, understand best practices to avoid missing key messages or embarrassing mix-ups. Customer service is absolutely crucial at a time when people are looking for reasons to shop for cheaper deals or, and this is a worry for new businesses, going with brands that they recognise and already trust. Good email management will help you to stay on top of things. Similarly, learn the basics of CRM tools like SalesForce, Zoho or HubSpot for tracking sales leads and communicating with customers. Don’t let administrative tools undermine productivity.
Website Development And Management
You’ll already know that you’re going to need an online presence for your new business. Having an excellent website loaded with fantastic content gives you a massive step up. While hiring web developers is ideal, know enough to spec and scope sites, provide constructive feedback on designs and content, and mediate technology considerations like hosting, security, and integrations. Learn WordPress or Squarespace basics to independently manage site content as needed.
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) Strategies
Following on from the point above, you need to make sure that your content will be doing a lot of the heavy lifting for you. Driving site traffic requires a grasp of SEO fundamentals like meta tags, link building, site speed, mobile optimisation, and keyword research. Understand how content and technical tweaks improve discoverability and search rankings to draw in ideal visitors. Continuous optimisation ultimately pays off in earned visibility and conversions. It’s also important to remember that Google rewards good content. It’s not enough to fill your blog posts with keywords and hope for the best. Showcase your expertise and you will see a boost in results.
Social Media And Digital Marketing Skills
Promoting brands and engaging customers relies heavily on social media. Understand each platform’s strengths and best practices. Master creating polished posts as both written and video content. Analyse key metrics and run cost-effective ads. Success requires dedicating time daily, not just delegating to junior staff fully. It’s also worth doing your research and finding out which social media channels your customers use most so you’re not wasting any time.
Data Analysis And Reporting
Business intelligence depends on extracting key data and communicating insights through reports, dashboards, and presentations. Founders who understand spreadsheets’ analytical power and tools like Tableau or Google Data Studio identify trends, issues and opportunities others overlook. Develop business data fluency to guide decisions.
Information Security And Privacy Knowledge
As cyber threats proliferate, founders must spearhead information security governance across internal systems and data. Grasp password management, multi-factor authentication, access controls, encryption, and anti-malware essentials. Prioritise protecting customer data vigilantly to earn trust. Wilfully negligent security jeopardises enterprises. Remember that customers and clients are trusting you with their data and their money. It’s up to you to take this issue seriously.
Digital Project Management Ability
Mastering platforms like Asana, Trello, or Jira to assign tasks, set milestones, and track progress keeps teams aligned and accountable. Understand how to scope projects, estimate timelines with contingencies, identify dependencies, and mitigate risks through agile tracking. Smooth project execution depends on astute management.
Basic Graphic Design And Video Editing Skills
Producing compelling visual content does not require hiring designers for everything if you develop basic proficiency using Canva, Adobe Express, or even Instagram creation tools. Know how to template graphics, size images, use fonts effectively and add the right filters and effects. Upgrade amateurish efforts undermining perceptions of legitimacy.
By dedicating time to developing a broad technology skill set, founders make strategic decisions from a position of knowledge, save costs doing basic tasks in-house, and avoid missteps through digitally driven ignorance. Make building tech acumen an urgent priority, not an afterthought. You’ll quickly see how much time you save and reap the rewards.
