Business Owners: Are You Taking On Too Much?

/in /by

It’s fair to say that starting a business is not for the feint of heart. And in those early days, you, as the business owner, are likely to be doing everything, from basic accounts through to cold calling prospects. And it’s a way of life that will start to feel normal over time.

However, as your business grows it will be impossible to do everything you need to with maximum efficiency, and there’s every chance your levels of service will start to slip a little. Stress will become the norm, and your business will feel like it is beginning to creak.

The reason is simple – you are taking on too much. And at some point in time, you will need to start thinking about handing over the reins to others, relinquishing a little bit of control of your business, and start being more efficient. Let’s take a look at some of the key areas of your business for which you should seek out help.

StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Article
Photo courtesy of Pexels

The Basics

First of all, have a think about the tasks that you spend a lot of time on that don’t make you any money. Let’s say that when you are out selling your product to prospects, you generate $1,000 a day for your business. But you only have time to do this for four days a week, as one whole day is taken up doing paperwork. Effectively, you are paying $1,000 for someone to do basic admin tasks that you could pass on to an assistant for anything between a fifth and a tenth of the price. Not only that, but the extra day selling it frees up will earn another $1,000 for your business, so you win in more ways than one.

The Systems

Your IT network is likely to be vital to your business, as it is for many companies these days. However, if you are running it all yourself, it can be incredibly draining on your time and resources. Handing over the reins to managed IT services can be a huge help and take away a lot of your stresses and strains. The company you hire will be responsible for keeping your system running, maintenance, and updates, leaving you free to focus on the money-making activities in your business.

The Marketing

You understand the inner workings of your business more than anyone else. But it’s not necessarily a good thing. It’s all too easy to get wrapped up in your business and not be able to see it how your target audience sees what you do. Hiring an external marketing team to come in and take over your marketing efforts can pay off, as they will approach your business with a fresh pair of eyes. They will see it as your customers see it, and bring in new marketing tactics into the mix.

The People

Finally, you can employ people to do all the tasks listed above, of course. But one thing you have to bear in mind that managing people is a full-time job in itself, and it will change the way you work almost entirely. So, if you do plan to take on full-time employees, consider hiring a human resources professional first. They will be critical in ensuring you are complying with employment law and establishing a safe and vibrant company culture.

Steady Growth Builds Business Success

/in /by

Many new business owners make the mistake of trying to build their companies too quickly. They spend money before their firm is secure, and that leads to cash flow issues. In some instances, things get bad, and they have to abandon their ambitions and start all over again. To stop that from happening, it’s essential that you create a growth plan when you’re first starting out. It shouldn’t take a long time, and there are plenty of business advisors willing to assist. The tips on this page will help you to get things right, and they could push your operation to the next level. It’s all about taking things steadily.

Don’t employ permanent staff until you have reliable income

There are lots of alternatives to hiring permanent staff that you should consider. For example, you could contact local recruitment agencies to get the assistance you require. You could also ask friends and family members if they’re willing to help out. You could ask your lawyer to develop temporary contracts that only last for three months. That would mean you aren’t obliged to cover an entire annual salary if something goes wrong. You never know what’s going to happen when you’re just starting out. So, it’s best to play it safe and limit your outgoings as much as possible.

Don’t rent premises until you can afford the annual fees

The second biggest mistake people make relates to renting facilities. At some point, you will need a dedicated office or warehouse for your operation. However, you don’t want to rush into anything until you have lots of cash in the bank. Work out the annual fees and then compare them to your monthly income. The guys from Guardian Business Center say that is the best way to protect your venture. At the end of the day, you would struggle to meet your financial responsibilities if you experience a slump in sales. The debt you amount could end up crippling your company and leaving you will no choice other than to close it down.

Don’t expand into new territories until you’ve dominated your home market

Trading overseas is an excellent strategy for increasing sales. The guys at PCA Predict highlighted that fact recently. Even so, it’s not something you should do before the time is right. You have a home market in which you should aim to dominate. If you haven’t exhausted potential customers in your country, it doesn’t make sense to look elsewhere. You should only do that when your sales stagnate regardless of how much you spend on marketing. That is a good indication that you have saturated the market, and you need to move on to a new territory.

StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Article
Photo courtesy of tec estromberg via flickr

Just remember guys; slow and steady wins the race. If act too fast, you might end up harming your chances of success. So, you need to take your time and perform careful assessments of any ideas you might have. Only act when you believe it is in the best interests of your company. If there are any uncertainties, you should wait until you’ve found a way of clearing them up.

The Digital Entrepreneur’s New Business Checklist

/in /by

In today’s fierce business climate, new entrepreneurs are far more likely to target online audiences instead of offline ones. Running a company in the digital arena can reduce overheads while the potential for profit is far greater also.

Those possibilities should not fool you into thinking that the journey will be easy. Competition in the online arena is stronger than ever. If you aren’t prepared for the battles ahead, your business will inevitably follow the same path as the vast majority of failures.

StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Article
Photo courtesy of Max Pixel

Perfect your strategy with these factors, and you should be just fine.

  • Invest in the quality of your team. From successful recruitment drives to promoting improved motivation, those steps to a productive staff are key. After all, you are essentially putting the fate of your entire operation in their hands. If they perform well, the business will too. Combine the perfect internal team with the help of remote-based freelancers, and you should be set to thrive. As they say, teamwork makes the dream work. Do not forget it.
  • Appreciate the importance of your website. As an online business, your domain is the most important asset of all. It shouldn’t simply promote products. It should additionally generate trust from the consumer. Hiring an ecommerce agency to get your platform in perfect health is advised. Unfortunately, if the selling systems are lacking, transactions won’t be completed. Without sales, the entire company is destined to crash and burn.
  • Be prepared for the worst at all times. All business operations will encounter low points. But prevention is the best form of protection and can reduce the damage greatly. This could range from keeping the working environments safe to factoring in potential returns. Gaining this sense of control won’t only limit the risks involved in business. It’ll also help you make education decisions when growing the company.
  • Understand the needs of your customers. First and foremost, finding your place in the market will allow you to target your primary audience with far greater effect. Consumers don’t only deserve smooth transactions, though. Many online businesses fail to focus on customer care, but yours mustn’t fall into this trap. Even if it means using a virtual assistant service, attending to the ongoing issues of the clients is critical. Otherwise, one bad episode could see them take their custom elsewhere. Conversely, positive experiences should bring long-term loyalty.
  • Keep an eye on spending. Spending money is a necessary part of running a business, but excessive overheads will pile on the pressure. Finding the best deals on operational costs like energy rates will inevitably increase your profits. As well as maximizing short-term profits, this can also buy more time for the venture. The vast majority of failures occur because they run out of money before reaching sustained profitability. So this could be a killer component.

Following the right blueprint won’t guarantee success. After all, you still need to produce great products while marketing your goods in a suitable fashion. Nonetheless, those strong foundations will increase your chances.

If nothing else, adopting great habits now will serve you well in the future too.

 

 

Competition: What Competition?

/in /by

StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Article
Photo courtesy of the U.S. Navy via Wikimedia and flickr

A business has to deal with a lot, but the competition is the main opponent. With one stroke, your competitors can make or break your success, which is scary. To end up the victor, you have to ensure that the firm is always one step ahead of the game. That way, they will chase you and not the other way around. Honestly, the last thing you need is to be left in the dust as they speed away. To help, this post is going to detail how to stay ahead of the game so that the competition isn’t as scary.

Any business that wants to become the market leader has to keep an eye on its competitors. Your first job is to do the same as you need to understand their processes. If they are using new technology, you need to consider incorporating it too. The reason is that one small change can affect expenses and productivity. A business that cuts costs and becomes more efficient is always going to be a hard opponent to beat. Plus, your company could also do to benefit from these advantages.

Another reason why watching the competitor’s moves is important is that it uncovers their weaknesses. Every business on the planet has strengths and weaknesses, and the weak spots are what you’re looking to exploit. Even if they have a better product, this tactic can still help you compete. In fact, it will help you to succeed and prosper. Once you understand their weaknesses, the trick is to balance them against your strengths. For example, a rival might only offer a short extended guarantee whereas you have a longer one. Use this to your advantage by showing customers with the help of your marketing strategy.

Bosses like to think that they have to do everything alone. There isn’t a methodology that is as false in business. As the boss, you have to consider a lot to ensure the company expands. To bear the brunt of the responsibility is a mistake. Instead, you need to look to business advisory experts that can help. Experts are the key to winning the war because they cover your blind spots. There is bound to be areas where you lack the knowledge and experience to thrive. Advisors can step in and create processes which will make sure the company hits its goals. Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness – it’s one of strength.

A business that doesn’t track the numbers is one that is going to fail. Hopefully, this statement won’t come as a shock. But, if it does, there are particular areas where you need to monitor the numbers as the info is essential. Things such as ROI or ACV and CPA are the sections which need monitoring. When you understand how much return you make on your investment, you know why the business is winning or losing. The same goes for average customer value and cost per acquisition.

Google Analytics is a program every firm needs to utilise to track their numbers.

How Your Business Benefits From Proactive Thinking

/in /by

A quality that every business needs to be successful is proactive thinking. Proactive companies put a heavy emphasis on planning ahead. They’re forward-thinking businesses that always plan for disaster, always have a roadmap to follow, and they never lose sight of their dreams. The major advantage of having a proactive work culture is so that when a problem does occur, your business isn’t hindered by that fact and, as a result, you can get back on your feet as soon as possible.

For instance, imagine if your company suffers from a catastrophic loss of data due to a hard drive failing. Customer data, order history and other crucial information could be lost to hard drive corruption, and without a continuity plan, your business will most likely collapse because of this blunder. Proactive thinking would have several different countermeasures in place. For starters, having a cloud storage solution or an off-site backup could mitigate losses, and an IT professional that performs regular maintenance could have prevented this from happening.

StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Article
Photo courtesy of Pexels

Making Future Plans

A successful business owner should have a great sense of foresight. For instance, they should be able to capitalise on new trends, they should have the ability to guess when copycats will attempt to steal their product, and they’ll have all of the necessary service and employees ready to fight in their corner. The most effective way to combat threats as they come is to simply make future plans at the correct time.

For instance, by hiring an IT consultant such as Dyrand, you’ll be able to secure the future of all your IT equipment and technology. Of course, you don’t need to hire a consultant straight away especially if you are already somewhat tech-savvy, but you won’t always be able to take care of IT maintenance if you are the business owner and eventually you’ll need to employ technology that could be outside of your area of expertise.

To be a proactive company you need to always plan ahead. You have to put a heavy emphasis on preparing for future growth and problems as they come up. It’s never a good idea to plan too far ahead in the future and you don’t want to leave things to the last minute either. Recognise problem areas before they become a problem, and you’ll be surprised at how smooth your business will operate.

StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Article
Photo courtesy of Pexels

Taking Chances

A positive benefit of becoming a proactive company is your ability to take advantage of trends as they appear. For instance, maybe there’s a specific product you specialise in that has become a highly sought after product. Perhaps the market itself develops in a way that allows you to capitalise on it, or maybe you see a hole in the market that hasn’t been filled yet.

Becoming a successful business involves taking risks. After all, if you spend too long in your comfort zone you won’t be able to capitalise on the opportunities presented to you. Technology is always improving and, as a result, constantly provides us with a steady stream of new opportunities to take advantage of. If your company infrastructure doesn’t allow for a swift reaction to market trends, then you’re going to fall behind your competitors and you will never be a well-known industry leader.