If you have been thinking about starting your own business for a while now, now may be a good time to really go for it. As you do your research to identify your product viability, make sure that you are also making adequate efforts to be prepared once you actually launch your business. With the right preparation, you can go into this new chapter with much more confidence.

Your Goals

According to Bplans, setting clear goals for your company’s growth before you start your company will help you not only be more successful when you launch, but it will also help you know how to better gauge and measure your progress.

Being able to compare how you expect your company to perform with how it actually performs will help you identify any gaps in self-expectations, helping you to better predict performance in the future.

How to Fund Your Business

Any business that has high potential to succeed will need funding to get off the ground. Finding the right funding and finding enough funding can be challenging but doing the work to get those resources will definitely pay off.

According to Franchise Gator, not being able to get a loan is a common startup fear. But don’t let it stop you from going forward—remember to do your research to find other investment options as well. There are a variety of different companies who focus on investing in startups. You might be surprised by the various companies who are willing to provide some kind of funding for your business.

Your Target Audience

Figuring out your business goals and your funding plan is an important step when preparing to launch your business. But according to Oberlo, you should also make sure that you really understand your target audience in order to be sure that your product will actually be addressing customer needs.

As you prepare to launch your business, do your research on competitor products to understand what aspects of the product result in customer loyalty. Figure out how your product compares and if its edge is significant enough to hold up in the marketplace.

Starting a business, especially if this is your first one, can be incredibly daunting. This is especially true if starting your business involves you leaving, your current job. But don’t let your fears get in the way of you having this experience—knowing how to launch a company will serve you well in future endeavors.

Read this next: Office Perks That Employees Will Appreciate

There is a lot of important work involved in running your own business, but one of the most important things you can do is make sure your employees feel appreciated and taken care of. Having great office perks is one way to show your employees that they are valued and help them to feel more satisfied in their work. Here are a few of the best office perks you can offer to your employees so that they are excited to come to work every day.

A Stocked Fridge and Pantry

Hungry employees are not happy employees and will have a difficult time taking care of their regular tasks. Having a well-stocked fridge and pantry in your workplace makes it easier for your employees to stay fed and focus on getting their work done. When you are stocking your fridge and pantry make sure to consider any dietary restrictions your employees may have so that you can ensure that every employee has options they can actually eat. Having easy snacks available makes it possible for your employees to grab something quickly while they are on break and get back to work feeling refreshed and satisfied.  

A Fitness Center

As more and more research comes out about the dangers of working a desk job, having physical activity more readily available to your employees is an essential office perk. Having a fitness center on premises makes it easy for your employees to prioritize their health and stay active during the work week. Having exercise machines, yoga mats, and TVs is a good starting point for a fitness center. You can even host group classes for your employees to help them stay active while also building relationships within your company. Having a variety of physical recreation options available to your employees will be enticing and fun for your workplace.

Table Games

Breaks are important to the productivity of any business and having meaningful ways for your employees to decompress can help them to get the most out of those breaks. Table games like ping pong and air hockey are quick and fun and foster positive relationships between your employees. You can also set up tournaments using your table-top games to incentivize teamwork and give your employees a chance to decompress. Take a poll around the office to see which table game you should start with and build your collection as you begin to see the benefits of your improved break room.

A Lounge

Creating a lounge area for your employees gives them a space where they can relax and decompress on breaks and at the end of the day. To get the most out of your lounge space it is important to fill it with comfortable furniture that can stand up to repeated use. The kind of furniture that will work best depends on where your lounge is located and how your employees will use the space. For example, if the lounge is outside, you’ll want to avoid leaving wood furniture in the sun.

Weekly Catered Lunches

As a small business owner, it is important to foster relationships with other small businesses in your area. Hosting catered lunches for your employees each month is the perfect opportunity to build relationships with other businesses through catering contracts. That way you can feed your employees while also building relationships in the community. Your employees likely have good ideas for local restaurants, so be sure to request their opinions and switch up caterers frequently. Use this opportunity to really get to know other businesses in your area and even form partnerships.

Flexible Schedules

Helping to promote a good work-life balance for your employees is an important part of building your business’s success. One way to promote work-life balance is by offering flexible schedules and remote work. Some employers worry that offering these options will decrease productivity, but the opposite seems to be true. Giving your employees the flexibility to take care of their own needs helps them to return to work with the energy they need to be more productive. Employees often appreciate being able to work a hybrid schedule where they come into the office on certain days and work from home the rest of the week. Having regular meetings helps you to keep in touch with your employees and ensure they are satisfied with their schedule.

Parental Leave

While most businesses offer sick leave and paid time off, parental leave is becoming an essential part of any office benefits package. Having a child requires time and energy, and when parents are given the support they need early in their child’s life, they are better able to help their company succeed. A parental leave package provides that support for your employees and gives them the opportunity to bond with their child before returning full-time to the workforce. It can help to look at industry standards for parental leave, but make sure that you also take the needs of your employees into account.

On-Site Childcare

Sometimes parents can feel ignored and undervalued in the workplace, but parents make up an important part of the workforce. Offering on-site childcare, or a childcare allowance can help your employees who are parents to feel more valued and add a level of convenience to their daily life. Make sure that you hire qualified caregivers that have essential training and strong childcare skills. It is also important to talk to your employees about what they value in terms of childcare so you can make sure their needs are being met. Offering both everyday childcare and as-needed options can help you to ensure that all of your employees have the resources they need.

Providing perks to your employees is a great way to show them that they are valued and to improve the relationships you have with everyone who works for you. It’s always important that employees feel valued, and great office perks can help to make that happen. More than anything it’s essential to listen to your employees and change as necessary so they continue feeling satisfied with their work.

Read this next: Why Training Should Be a Top Priority for Your Business