Making Your New Business a Success

Julie Starr • January 18, 2022



Over the past couple of years, more and more startups have started popping up. This is completely understandable. Increasing numbers of people are looking to take the reins on their careers and start their own business as a direct result of the coronavirus and Covid-19 pandemic. As the virus has spread around the world over the past two years, many have lost jobs through company collapse, redundancy and incompatible working situations. Many have decided that they want to run their own business, where they can sell what they want, work with who they want and be aware of what’s going on at all times. Of course, running a business is easier said than done and you’re going to have to put a lot of work in to keep your company afloat and generate profits – if you’re going down this path. Here are a few suggestions that should help you along the way!

Know What You’re Selling

The first step of creating a successful business is to create an appealing product or service that has selling potential. It may sound simple and obvious, but you need to know what you’re selling to bring it to life and to market it well. All too many businesses jump the gun and head into the marketplace with a vague idea that they haven’t thought or checked over thoroughly enough. Start by considering your product. Then carry out market research. This will give you an idea of who is interested in your product or service, what they think of it, what they think can be improved and how they want it to be sold to them. This is also a good time to test out ideas regarding pricing, ensuring that what you’re offering is realistic, affordable and – most importantly – profitable .

Know What You Need to Achieve Your Goals

You also need to know what you need to achieve your goals. Different businesses have different needs and will need to invest in different areas. If you’re selling services, you’re going to need staff on board to provide these services on a large scale. If you’re selling products, you need to know what raw materials you’ll need, what manufacturing processes you’ll need to engage in or outsource, and more. If you’re heading into the farming industry, you might need heavy vehicles and machinery. If you’re heading into the healthcare sector, you might need a dynatron 25 series . If you’re selling homemade cakes, you may need a professional mixer to make life easier for yourself. Whatever you need, make sure you note everything down. Remember to include business sustainability in your planning. This will allow you to figure out initial purchase costs, running costs, staffing costs, as well as, supporting the environment through sound business practices.

Constantly Innovate

Many businesses experience success as they first start out, but notice that sales taper off as time goes by. This is often because they have grown stagnant. They’re offering the same products that their target demographic has already purchased and haven’t brought anything new to the table since. It’s important that you’re constantly innovating and working to provide your customers with new products or services that meet their needs as time goes on. Market research and experience can help with this.

Hire Staff

At the start of a business’ journey, the owner tends to take the bulk of the work on their own two shoulders, occasionally outsourcing tasks that they cannot complete themselves. However, as time goes on, as your products begin to sell and as workload increases, you are going to have to hire staff to keep business operations ticking over. This will ensure that all work is being completed, customers are being answered, orders are being shipped and received and everyone is kept happy. Of course, hiring a team can be daunting at first, but they will prove to be the backbone of your business once they’re settled in and used to their roles. Many small businesses find that using a recruitment agency makes this entire process easier and more straightforward. This way, you simply have a consultation, explain what kind of candidates you’re looking for and the recruitment company will find them for you. Then, it’s just up to you to conduct interviews and make a decision regarding the best fit for the role!

These are just a few suggestions that should help you to settle on an area of focus for your business’ improvement. Different ones will work for different businesses, but hopefully, at least one will tick your boxes and get your journey started out in the right direction!

5 Everyday Items That Can Quietly Boost Your Brand

By Julie Starr • July 17, 2025
The best branding doesn’t always come from big campaigns or expensive graphics. Sometimes it’s the smaller stuff that leaves the biggest impression. Things people actually use, touch, or carry with them. That’s where your brand can quietly make its mark without needing to shout about it. If you’re only focusing on social media and business cards, you’re leaving a lot on the table. Here are five overlooked ways to get your name out there that feel natural, useful, and more personal. Thank-you slips If you’re already sending out orders, there’s no reason not to include a short thank-you slip. You can easily get these made through any decent online print shop , and they’re usually pretty cheap to run off in small batches. Just a simple note that says thanks, maybe with a reminder to follow you online or a cheeky discount code for next time. It’s quick, thoughtful, and makes the whole order feel more finished. Customers notice that kind of detail, especially when everything else they buy online comes with zero personality. You don’t need a complicated design either. Just something clean with your logo, a message that sounds like you, and maybe a social handle. The point is to give them a reason to come back or remember your name without it feeling forced. Branded zip pouches If you sell physical products, offer services, or run events, small zip pouches are surprisingly effective. Think of the kind you’d use for stationery, receipts, or travel bits. You can get your brand printed on the side and hand them out with purchases or include them in welcome packs. People keep them because they’re actually useful. They get tossed in handbags, school bags, or glove boxes and your logo just keeps turning up. Cleaning cloths for glasses or screens This one works brilliantly if you’re in tech, health, beauty, or anything involving screens or eyewear. A simple microfibre cloth with your branding on it can go a long way. Everyone needs one. Whether they use it for glasses, a phone screen, or their laptop, it’s something they hang onto. It’s not the kind of thing people throw away, and that means your name sticks around too. Receipt envelopes You might already use little envelopes to hand over receipts or business cards. Branding those envelopes is a small change that makes a big difference. Instead of someone getting a scruffy bit of paper in a plain sleeve, they’re handed something that feels a bit more finished. You can even add a message inside. Doesn’t need to be anything dramatic. A simple “thanks for visiting” or “see you next time” is enough to add a personal touch. Wet wipes or mini hand gels If your business is in hospitality, food, or anything hands-on, branded wet wipes or pocket-sized hand gels are surprisingly popular. People actually use them, especially at festivals, food stalls, pop-ups, or kids’ events. They end up in handbags or cars and stick around longer than you think. They don’t scream “marketing” either. They’re practical, and when done right, they make your business feel thoughtful. That’s what good branding does, it shows you’ve thought ahead.

How Student-Led ‘Energy Audits’ Are Cutting School Costs (and Lighting the Way Forward)

By Julie Starr • July 14, 2025
What happens when students stop waiting for adults to fix things and start conducting their own energy audits? Money gets saved. The lights get switched off. Data gets analyzed. And a quiet revolution in sustainability begins—inside schools that once overlooked their own inefficiencies. Across the globe, student-led energy audits are proving that change doesn't always need to come from a policy shift or a major capital budget. Sometimes, it begins with a clipboard, a spreadsheet, and a group of curious minds asking: Why are the hallway lights on at noon when sunlight floods the building? The Energy Detectives These audits aren’t science fair projects. They’re rigorous investigations, often done in collaboration with facilities staff, local environmental nonprofits, or even engineering mentors. Students go from classroom to classroom measuring electricity usage, checking for phantom loads , and identifying where heat is escaping in winter or air conditioning is leaking in summer. One high school in Ontario saved over $12,000 a year after its Grade 11 physics students ran an energy audit and suggested simple changes—LED upgrades, motion sensors in bathrooms, and smarter heating schedules. They didn’t just propose ideas. They pitched them with spreadsheets, thermal images, and payback timelines. It worked. Learning That Pays Off—Literally Unlike textbook learning, these audits blend real-world math, environmental science, economics, and persuasive communication. Students aren’t just learning about sustainability. They’re doing it. And the savings add up. From dimming overlit hallways to reprogramming HVAC systems that run all weekend for empty buildings, students are surfacing blind spots that administrators often overlook. In some districts, their findings are influencing energy policy. Elsewhere, the audits have inspired school boards to hire sustainability coordinators—often alumni of the student programs themselves. There’s something poetic about a school funding new books or laptops from money saved by students who found out the vending machines didn’t need to be plugged in 24/7. Why This Matters More Than Ever With education budgets tightening and utility costs rising, every dollar saved is a dollar that can go back into classrooms. And here’s where it gets interesting from a family finance perspective, too. If you’re a parent setting aside money for post-secondary savings, every bit of school efficiency helps. Fewer energy costs might mean more programming, better STEM facilities, or even bursaries. That raises a broader point: when families save for their children’s future, they often look into RESPs (Registered Education Savings Plans). And many wonder—is a RESP deduction available on my taxes? While contributions themselves aren’t deductible, the gains grow tax-free, and students often pay little to no tax when they withdraw the funds during school. A Movement Worth Replicating These audits aren’t just an exercise in environmentalism. They’re leadership labs. Students learn how to spot inefficiencies, speak up in board meetings, and make a business case for change. They don’t just flip switches—they shift mindsets. And they carry these habits into adulthood. The result? A generation growing up not only with climate anxiety, but also with tools to tackle it.