If you grow your small business the right way, you will need to work hard. There is no easy way around this!
But if we love what we do and are committed to it daily, success will follow us. Believe me when I say it’s worth every ounce of effort spent on growing yourself as an entrepreneur because there aren’t many things more satisfying than watching growth firsthand.
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Getting Started – Growing Your Small Biz
The first few weeks were the hardest. I had several accounts I was working part-time with my business so I went back to them by request to do more work and quickly grew the business within a month.
From there I gradually went back and saw some businesses I had worked well with in the past. Before I knew it I had all the business I could handle. But of course, one wants to make more money, right?
The business began to happen fast within 3 months. People started to call me for my services. It was word of mouth and my online presence.
Hence, I started delegating a few projects to freelancers. It all happened by accident at first. One conversation led to another and before I knew it, I had 3 freelancers to delegate work to.
Of course, I had to start another blog and this one was born.
Here are the 11 tips for you to grow your small business:
1. It Takes Hard Work To Grow Your Small Business
I’m sure all these words sound pretty scary considering how much time commitment they require; however, don’t let them discourage YOU from taking control over YOUR life by becoming self-employed (or hiring someone else)! The benefits far outweigh any of the drawbacks.
According to Forbes, nearly one-third (29%) work more than 50 hours per week, while 86% work weekends.
Most business owners work hard and long hours but love the freedom to work mostly when they want and take time off when they want.
2. Getting Over Fears to Own and Grow Your Small Business
To grow your small business, you need to be willing and able to work hard fearlessly. Running a successful company takes time; there’s no way around it!
But if we love what we do then our goals can become reality with daily effort on behalf of ourselves like those who depend upon us for their success too.
My greatest fear of leaving my 9-5 job and running my business full time was having health benefits. It cost me years from going full-time into business full-time.
Until I started to get estimates on the costs of healthcare. Never assume in business!
If you are going to start a business you must be fearless. You can’t worry about this and that. Once I overcame the fear by doing and investigating, I was on my way to growing a business.
The fear of paying for healthcare was relieved once I knew it only cost a fraction more to pay on my own versus through a company I had worked for.
That allowed me to move on and focus on the business itself. What was I going to do to generate enough money to sustain my way of living?
3. Delegate To Grow Your Small Business
Learning to delegate didn’t come easily for me but I caught on quickly. I knew I had so many tasks to accomplish. I was keeping track of money coming in and money going out – investing in myself and in the business.
The more work I took on the more tools I needed and the more I needed to learn. Learning takes time.
Delegating is probably one of the biggest investments you can make for yourself and your business. If you try to juggle it all, you’re going to fail, and everything will start crashing down on you pretty hard.
For example, why try doing digital marketing and SEO in your business? You have to specialize in what you do best! If you’re not an SEO pro, leave that for an SEO agency to work on! It’s the same for everything else, like bookkeeping, social media, customer service, etc. But you can’t expect to grow if you’re stuck doing everything!
So I had to delegate to grow. Remember this one! “Delegate to Grow Your Business!”
4. Outsource Certain Tasks And Departments
Outsourcing certain departments in a small business can be an effective way to save money and increase efficiency. By utilizing the specialized knowledge of outside companies, business owners can focus on their core skills and objectives without sacrificing quality or service.
This outsourcing strategy allows them to benefit from increased profits and potentially faster turnaround times for their customers.
Additionally, outsourcing to professionals like Dorothy Wete gives businesses access to extra resources that may have been previously inaccessible, such as cutting-edge software and technology, expert advice, or the ability to take on larger projects.
In the end, this approach culminates in a positive impact on the bottom line of any small business.
5. Price Your Products or Services Right
Don’t price yourself too low when you start to grow your small business. Oftentimes an owner might want to generate business fast and price themselves too low.
Really think about your time and how much time things take time to do.
Every aspect of what you do to make a product or provide a service. How much time will be needed? What if you need to do a re-do? Are the products or processes expensive?
Think ahead of the curve when it comes to your pricing strategy. Don’t forget taxes, you know the taxman or lady always comes around!
6. Learn to Say No!
Learning to say NO when growing your small business is another must. You will not be able to attend every networking event that comes along. Time is precious!
Therefore, you will not be able to answer every call and give away advice to everyone who asks you for it. You may not be able to talk long to folks who drain your time.
Your time becomes your biggest asset when growing your small business the right way.
Therefore, to meet your customer’s expectations you must set the expectation beforehand. That is how you keep customers for the long haul, by meeting the expectations that you have set up for them!
7. Focus On Your Tasks At Hand To Grow Your Small Business
Learn what you need to prioritize. You won’t be able to do everything at once. And if you think of ideas write them down immediately before you forget!
Being focused on what really needs to be done to generate business and then manage the business will be the key to your business’ success.
If you are scatterbrained and all over the place, you may find that nothing is getting done. You will not be able to meet the goals that you have set up for yourself with the business. Of course, having patience with yourself will be key!
Be sure to write down your daily tasks so you can focus on them. Be careful of emails, social media networks, and mobile devices. If possible shut them down for a period while you get things done!
You will be amazed at how much you can get done without these interruptions.
8. Learning More Each Day To Grow Your Small Business Right
As your business grows, so will you. You’ll learn a lot of things every day and that’s what makes it interesting.
Sometimes I have to set aside some time just for me. Learning new skills or strategies can really help my clients succeed which in turn helps them complete their goals faster than they might otherwise be able to. It also provides benefits back at work as well.
I learned this lesson the hard way when not having enough knowledge on certain topics prevented us from achieving success with our projects earlier in the business. However, now is different because instead of focusing all efforts on minor details like these–which are crucial nonetheless.
Another way you may learn about a business is to become an apprentice in a field you want to own a business.
That is how to grow your small business! By learning and doing over and over again.
9. Knowing When To Grow Your Small Business The Right Way
You may just know when it’s time to grow the business. Often, it happens on its own. As you get busier, more money is coming in. You may not be able to keep up!
Many businesses decide to grow too early and then fail. So be careful about that mistake when opening your new business.
20% of all new businesses fail in their first year and the number is higher in the first five.
The reason that many new businesses fail is because of financial problems. The best thing you can do is to make sure that you understand before you even start the business, how you manage and monitor finances. Try to find different ways you can pull in capital to your business, especially in the beginning when things may be slow.
It’s a good idea to explore financing from financial institutions to keep your business afloat in the early stages. Once you get this right it is highly unlikely that you will not fall prey to the negative statistics about new businesses.
10. Advertise To Grow Your Business Right
There are many benefits to advertising your small business. Advertising lets potential customers know that you exist and that you are open for business. It can also help build brand awareness and create a positive image for your company.
Advertising can be an effective way to attract new customers and grow your business. A well-designed advertising campaign can reach a large audience and generate interest in your products or services.
Creating physical touchpoints with strategically placed items, such as custom parchment paper, will further brand recognition as your customers eat their lunch and see your logo with every bite.
Freebies can easily turn into advertising items. For instance, you can create branded custom fridge magnets for businesses that rely on face-to-face interactions. Escape room businesses can give each team that successfully escapes under a specific time or that escapes without a clue a fridge magnet.
This will ensure customers feel excited about the company and share their experiences with others. This type of small item works best as a giveaway if you make it meaningful, as in giving it only to the customers who “succeed” or who “spend over x amount”, etc.
When done correctly, advertising can be a powerful tool to help your small business succeed. Don’t forget to submit your website to local business directories as well to grow your small business.
Investing in advertising is an important decision and should be done with care. However, the potential rewards of increased sales and brand recognition make it a worthwhile investment for many small businesses.
11. Work Together With Established And High-Rated Groups
If you want to grow and be taken more seriously as an entity, you must get out there and work with others. Sure, you could gather more attention for your work, but it helps network effectively.
Whether you’re doing a marketing campaign together or need help from a contractor, make sure you aren’t timid. Working together with brilliant professionals will elevate your standards and really put your name out there.
As a developer or a landscaping company, for instance, you might want to read more about the right land-clearing firms out there. You could start a brilliant partnership and turn your business into something grander after the project. Firmly establishing yourself within the spider web of businesses could help you to grow organically.
Finally, Your Turn On Growing Your Business The Right Way
I’d love to know what you would like to learn about starting or growing your own small business the right way. What keeps you from jumping in to grow your small business?