If you’re looking to grow your small business and take it to the next level, congratulations. It takes courage and hard work to break out of your comfort zone and reach for the future. Today’s tips from Jeannie Bell Consulting can help you make decisions now that will lay a straighter path toward growth.
Decide which positions you should open
The roles you must fill before you expand will vary depending on your specific business. For the most part, you’ll need a manager, workers, and someone to handle administrative tasks. Regardless of which roles you choose to open, McKinsey recommends ensuring that you help your employees find purpose, which will instill a sense of loyalty in your business.
Create a digital marketing plan
The importance of digital marketing for your business lies in its ability to reach a wider audience, capture their attention, and convert them into customers. By leveraging digital channels and marketing tactics, you can cost-effectively reach and engage your target audience, build brand awareness, increase website traffic, and ultimately, drive revenue growth. When you’re ready to create a digital marketing strategy, Jeannie Bell Consulting can help!
File an LLC
An LLC is a highly flexible business structure that allows you to operate as either a sole proprietor or a multi-owner company. It’s also a very well-respected formal entity that comes with some tax perks. As an LLC, which may be formed differently depending on where you are, Bench notes that you can pay yourself an owner’s draw. Further, you can use your LLC to pay her employees and vendors.
Get the data
Another way to help your business thrive is by conducting surveys to find out what your customers want. Be as specific as possible. To generate more responses and interest, you can offer incentives in the form of gift cards. Simply utilize a platform to automate delivery of prepaid incentives, then start collecting and analyzing those responses!
Utilize a project management platform
A project management platform can bring significant benefits to businesses such as streamlining team collaboration, centralizing project-related communication and documentation, simplifying task management, tracking progress and deadlines, increasing visibility and accountability, and reducing errors and miscommunication. Ultimately, with a project management tool, you can improve project outcomes, increase productivity, and boost customer satisfaction.
Lay a legal groundwork
You may be fine without written guidelines and rules when you have just one or two employees, but as you expand, you need a more formal way to keep things running smoothly. You can avoid legal issues and employee problems by simply having an up-to-date employee handbook.
Evaluate your vendors
As a business owner, you do business with others. These are often your vendors, which are the ones who supply everything from your cleaning supplies to your uniforms and raw materials. In a recent podcast, small business owner Gene Marks of the Marks Group explained that one of the main things to look for when evaluating your suppliers is responsiveness. Communication is crucial, even if your vendors are not the least expensive of your options. If money is a concern, remember that you may pay a bit more now, or you can pay a lot more later in lost revenue if you don’t have the supplies you need to operate efficiently.
Consider buying into another business
Expansion is not that different from starting a fresh new business. In this vein of thought, consider investing in an existing company that complements your current services. Fora Financial explains that this may even be easier to secure financing, and you’ll have a market-tested product/service. On the downside, it can take work to make the business your own, and you may be dealing with a bad reputation.
If you already have a vision for the future, you have more business than you can handle, or you notice that you’re more complacent than challenged, it’s time to expand. Today’s tips, which include having your business structure in place, knowing how to market, investing in a project management platform, and laying your legal groundwork, can help you lay a solid foundation for growth today so that you can have a prosperous tomorrow.
Jeannie Bell Consulting is here to help you stand out from the competition. Call 770-826-7263.
