Archie Hayes Small businesses have a hard job trying to take off these days. It’s much harder to start a business successfully now than it was in the past, and that’s what a lot of people don’t seem to understand. The market is much more crowded than it has ever been in the majority of industries, and businesses continue to keep cropping up anyway.
So, if you are someone who is trying to start a small business, you might be struggling and we do not blame you. Having said that, there are some things that you can do to try and help yourself take off a little easier, even if it means starting smaller than you may have liked. Are you ready?
Hire Some More Help
If you are trying to run this as a one person show, you’re probably not going to be able to. If you’re starting a super small business that you’re running on social media only then maybe you can, but generally a business requires more than one person as there is so much work to be done. So, if you’ve found yourself in this position, then you need to get started hiring some more help.
It might be the case that you’re worried about hiring someone you don’t know when you’re such a small company and trying to take off. We don’t blame you for this, and the best thing we can suggest here is to hire a family member or someone you already know and trust. If they’re not familiar with what you do, you can teach them. It’s better to work with someone you can put your faith in, especially in the beginning.
Invest In Equipment
Another thing that you are going to need to do is invest in the equipment that you need to make offering your products or service possible. It may well cost you a lot of money initially because things are definitely not cheap, but you’ve got to do it anyway. For example, you’re going to need to look into things like computers, pieces of software, big machinery pieces if you’re working in manufacturing, a sander and other outdoor tools if you’re going to be offering landscaping services for example and so much more.
The initial investment can feel like a nightmare, but these things will pay for themselves if you give them a chance to. You just have to wait, and you have to have faith, but if you do, you should see results soon.
Encourage People To Leave Reviews
Something else you need to do is encourage your customers and clients to leave reviews for your business. It doesn’t matter whether these are positive or negative, it is always best to have something written about your business. It is thought that around 80% of customers and clients will check reviews before they shop with a company. If you don’t have any reviews or you have been plagued by negative reviews then you could struggle to gain any new customers and orders.
When someone leaves you a review, make sure you are replying to these. It shows that you care not only about your business but also your customers and clients too. There are many review sites that you can use with your business, from Trustpilot to Feefo. Check which ones will work best for you and your business, remember, you can also gain reviews on social media pages as well.
Put Some More Effort In Yourself
As a business owner you will also need to put some effort into yourself. It isn’t just your business that you need to be aware of. How you come across and how you behave in front of customers and employees is important. If you act like you know it all then nobody will want to work with you. You will not only end up with a high employee churn rate but you could also end up with little to no customers using your company.
If you have never run a business before then it might be worthwhile looking into business and leadership courses. This will give you the knowledge you need to keep everything professional and working for you. Knowledge is power and you may be surprised what these courses can teach you.
We hope you found this helpful and it gave you some ideas and inspiration on how you can get your new business off the ground. Remember, you won’t be a new business forever and once word of mouth spreads about how awesome you are then profits will be flying. You can’t expect your business to take off overnight, a great business takes time to build.
