These 5 Startup Responsibilities Are Fun. Here’s How To Make Them Impactful, Too

I’ve written about some not-so-glamorous startup responsibilities you need to do to launch your business. Now, I’m here to talk about those startup responsibilities that business owners look forward to the most. You know—the fun ones.  

I’m talking about tasks like choosing your business name and picking out an office space. But, be warned that doing these fun responsibilities isn’t a free-for-all. You need to ensure they’re efficient, profitable, and overall successful.

Fun Startup Responsibilities For Business Owners 

The fun startup responsibilities are often the ones that we form the biggest emotional attachment to. Why? Because, unlike the administrative tasks (e.g., registering your business), they give you a chance to get creative and put part of your soul into your business. 

“Fun” startup responsibilities may include:

1. Choosing a business name
2. Coming up with other brand details
3. Conducting market research
4. Writing your mission statement
5. Choosing an office space

It’s easy to lead with your heart and gut. But before you dive headfirst into these tasks, here’s a rundown of what you need to know and do to maximize efficiency. 

1. Choosing A Business Name

What’s in a name? Turns out, a lot—especially in business. 

Your business’s name is the first impression a potential customer has of your business. For better or worse, your company name is what customers associate with what you offer. 

Sure, your business can operate under its formal, legal business name (e.g., your personal name). But, many business owners opt to get a little creative and choose a more memorable name, known as a doing business as (DBA) or trade name. Your DBA is the name the public sees, whereas your business’s legal name is what you see and include on business paperwork. 

So before you get into the nitty-gritty aspects of choosing a DBA and registering it with your state, make it count. Here are some tips to help you choose a business name that helps drive business:

• Make sure it’s easy to pronounce and memorize
• Avoid lengthy or hard-to-spell words
• Don’t copy your competitors  
• Research that the name isn’t already taken 
• Gather feedback on potential business names 

At the end of the day, think of it like this: Your business’s name is plastered everywhere. It’s on your website, social media profiles, Google, storefront signage, email signature, etc. Why not make sure it’s a name to remember? 

2. Coming Up With Other Brand Details

Your business name is an integral part of your brand. But, it’s not the only thing you need to worry about for cohesion and consistency. 

Other brand must-haves include your:

• Logo
• Color scheme
• Designs
• Fonts
• Voice

Yes, crafting a brand is fun and exciting. But before you pick all your personal favorite colors and fonts, take a step back. Coming up with your brand is like putting together the building blocks of your business’s future. Without the right foundation, you could set your business up for failure. So before you do anything, do some research.

Look into what kind of personality you want your business to have to help you discover your brand voice. Are you formal or conversational? What three to five words best describe your brand (e.g., relatable, understanding, joyful, etc.)? 

Avoid choosing your business’s color scheme on a whim. If you haven’t heard of it, there’s a whole psychology of colors in business. Color psychology studies how colors impact behavior, like buyer decisions. That’s why the majority of businesses read up on color psychology before branding and marketing their company. 

What kind of look do you want your brand to have? This includes your font sizes and styles, visuals (e.g., illustrations), and overall design feel. Everything from your website to print marketing materials should embody your business’s brand with consistent designs.

Choose between a logo with graphics only, words only (like my company’s!), or a mix of both. What would resonate most with your audience and stand out in your industry? Consider hiring a graphic designer to help you create your brand logo. 

3. Conducting Market Research

Sometimes, research can be … fun (no? Just me?). Well, when it comes to finding out who your customers and competitors are, you’ll likely get to have a little bit of fun. Who doesn’t want an opportunity to master their market? 

Conducting market research is a chance to better understand your market and what makes your business stand apart from the competition. Also, you can learn your competitors’ strengths and weaknesses. 

Your market research also gets you intel on your target customers’ interests and demographics (e.g., age, gender, etc.). You need this kind of information to work out your marketing strategy. 

If you want to make this information impactful, write it all down. Put it together as part of your market analysis (which is a key part of writing your business plan!). Get as much additional data as you can from credible sources like the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Census Bureau, and your state and local commerce websites. And last but not least, take time to analyze your findings and use the information. 

4. Writing Your Mission Statement

What does your business stand for? What are your goals? If you want to share your business’s goals and values with the public in a few words, you’ll need a mission statement. And although this is a fun thing to put together, it can also make you want to pull your hair out. 

I’ve written, tweaked, and scrapped countless mission statement ideas. It can be tricky to shrink your lofty goals into a few words. For me, it was a whole lot of trial and error to get to my company’s (Patriot Software) mission statement:

“Our mission is to make accounting and payroll fast, simple, and affordable for millions of American businesses and their accountants.”

Simple, short, and sweet, which is how a mission statement should be. So before you start jotting down your business’s mission statement, make sure it’s impactful by keeping the following tips in mind:

1. Keep it simple
2. Make sure it’s original
3. Make it memorable
4. Don’t overload it with detail

5. Choosing An Office Space 

If you’re into decorating and all that jazz, you’ll probably find the task of choosing an office space (and decorating it) a pretty cool thing. And if you’re not, grab some friends or colleagues who are because choosing your office space is important. 

First, consider whether you want to start your business out of your home or if you need a physical office space. 

If you decide you need a brick-and-mortar, keep the following in mind before setting up shop:

• Location (what’s around?)
• Accessibility (can customers easily get in your doors?)
• Parking (how difficult is it for customers to drive here?)
• Cost (can I still make a profit after rent and utilities?)
• Permanence (how long will I be here for?)
• Brand (does this space capture my business’s brand?)

And before you spend a fortune designing the interior of your office space, remember your budget and your business’s bottom line. It’s easy to get carried away with making sure everything is just right, but some decisions that matter to your wallet won’t mean anything to your target customers. 

Fun Startup Responsibilities Still Need Your Due Diligence 

Starting a business is filled with administrative tasks that can be, well, boring. So when you get to these fun responsibilities, it’s easy to get caught up in them and fail to do your due diligence. 

You may need to shelve your personal preferences and think about what’s best for your business. That’s when you need to follow the data and research instead of going with your gut. 

After all, you want to know what your target audience likes, not what you have a hunch they’ll like.