Seek advice from institutional partners
In France, the 169 chambers of commerce and industry (see also our page: CCI) have branches specializing in business creation. Do not hesitate to contact them and take part in round tables organized regularly on subjects that concern you.
The State offers a website specializing in business creation which informs you of the various news: events, fairs and forums.
The site that accompanies you in your steps can also be a source of good plans (products, services and advertisements for self-entrepreneurs). This is for example the case of the auto-entrepreneurs portal.
There is also a national union of auto-entrepreneurs and a federation of auto-entrepreneurs.
Communicate
The Internet is an excellent communication tool. Multiply the registrations on the different sites, and be present on the directories.
Word of mouth works wonders: activate your friendly and family networks.
Plan a communication campaign at a lower cost (flyers, posters, home meetings for information and promotions, etc.).
Plan ahead
Planning your evolution is important so as not to be overwhelmed afterwards. To do this, consider:
- plan a cash flow plan for the year. Each month, you must monitor your cash inflows (sales) and your expenses (purchases of goods or raw materials, social and tax deductions, communication costs, membership fees for certain networks, etc.);
- control fixed costs. Buying a photocopier on credit may not necessarily be essential at first;
- adjust your commercial policy according to your production capacity. No point in over-communicating if you can’t deliver afterwards;
- manage your time. The hours devoted to promotion or training (forums, breakfasts, etc.) are important but should leave you time to work on your products or services.