Opening a brand new Business can be emotional, stressful, and yet, extraordinarily triumphant. This is something you’ve long dreamed of, this is the moment that your goals and ideas come together. When you open a Storefront, there are so many things to know and get settled—and for many of these to-dos, they’ll be figured out along the way.

As storefront owners ourselves, we at ABC Lock & Key know that this can be an insane and exciting time (if you haven’t tried moving and keeping track of thousands of keys, we don’t recommend it). We are more than happy to offer some guidance while you make this transition of starting a storefront (and ultimately, make your dreams into something tangible). Check out some of the important things to remember when opening your storefront, and contact ABC Lock & Key for emergency locksmiths, re-keying, and other locksmith services! Or come down by our storefront—we’d love to see you.

Settle on a look.

This is one of the most fun (albeit, challenging) parts of opening your storefront. You need to design your store to convey both an organized and aesthetically pleasing space—and this is true regardless of the type of business. It’s sometimes advised to pick a theme that matches your overall business, but this doesn’t have to be exact. For example, owning a plant store doesn’t mean your store’s interior needs to resemble a plant or only have green walls —though if you want to, go for it!

Matching themes can be a bit more subtle while still making a powerful statement. Selling boutique clothing? Opt for a modern look. Yoga supplier? Go for a warm, calm, bohemian vibe. Specialty meat counter? Stay rustic with exposed brick, or bring in other red hues to provide balance. When the look of your establishment jives with your product or service, this creates an ambiance that will draw people in.

Get the essentials.

It’s sometimes nice to think about what you want everything to look like first. After all, who can’t help but daydream and scheme about their future business? That being said, it’s equally important to consider the essentials. It’s just like how a car could look incredible, but if it’s unable to run, you’re not going to go anywhere (though we should add that if your car’s not running due to an automotive locksmith situation, we can fix that).

If you’re fairly experienced in your specialty, you likely already have a good idea of everything you’ll need. Yet it still might be a great idea to sit down with someone who’s a seasoned vet, and collaborate to create a list of all the necessities. Restaurants are notorious for having seemingly infinite supplies and cookware and equipment needed to function—and that’s even before the tables, chairs, and silverware are factored in.

When you’re listing out your essential items, divide your list into two categories: customer and worker. Think of everything your customer will need on the front end to enjoy their experience at your store, while also considering everything you and your workers will need behind the scenes. The essentials might be costly, but they can make a significant difference in your business as you get going. Buying that $500 sedan from before you were born might seem fine for an initial delivery vehicle, but it won’t when there’s a breakdown and you’re forced to sacrifice your revenue. Listing out and buying these things can be overwhelming and expensive, but now’s not the time to skimp. Get yourself set up for success with investing in the essentials (versus taking the cheap route), and you’ll see the difference.

Build a web presence.

Even if you’re not planning on shipping items to Toledo or Timbuktu, your storefront still needs to be represented online. In the 21st century, a web presence should honestly be considered in the aforementioned “essentials” category, because it’s absolutely necessary to having a successful business, let alone one that can function.

Building a web presence with a marketing team or strategist means more than simply having a website. It means ranking high on a Google search results page, having consistent social media posts and connections, as well as advertising that reaches an ideal audience. Unless your storefront is actually a marketing agency, it’s a solid idea to hire someone to take you on as a client. They can handle the web presence that could help enormously in generating leads, and you can keep focusing on all the other aspects of opening your storefront and business in general.

In a future blog, we’ll continue with some other tips and tricks for helping your storefront start off on the right foot. Looking for a sneak peek to our next post? Check out our commercial locksmith page to see a list of our services we can do to assist your business in becoming successful. Giving Nashville’s Top Rated Local® locksmiths a call is easy as ABC—contact us today for automotive locksmith services, emergency locksmith help, and everything in between!