Five simple tips that will grow your business…
At Linked Finance we’re all passionate about business growth. We love to see entrepreneurs with a real drive and ambition for what they do grow their businesses, and in many cases we’re able to provide the platform to enable this.
We interact with business owners on a daily basis and there is one thing they all have in common, they’re all fanatical about what they do.
Raising finance is one option entrepreneurs have when wanting to grow their business, but there are other ways.
Below is a list of tips that will not only make a business more sustainable, but should aid in any plans for growth it may have.
1. Get Organised – Being organised is the basis to any form of sustainability and growth. When this is so, the preparation to any tasks or ventures can be undertaken with a lot more ease than otherwise. Analysing internal strengths and weaknesses are done quicker and more accurately, leading to better decision making. Keep detailed records of all previous transactions. Proper organisation will lead to smoother operations.
2. Hire The Right Staff – A business isn’t necessarily made up by what it does, but more importantly who does what. The right people need to be able to carry out the job to a high level but also be able to get on well with other employees, this is very important. Analyse your staff and see what is missing, whether it be a good communicator, a leader, or someone good for morale, your team needs someone who can fit the bill.
Knowing the present culture of your business is essential if your to hire the right person. A happy workforce is a healthy one. Employees who are happy in their jobs work harder, stay loyal, and will see the business through the dark times as well as the good. These people will make or break your business.
3. Plan Effectively – To meet your business goals effective planning is essential. Every business has ambitions, but the ability to meet these is something entirely different. Well how can we meet them? Well, the first step is to put a plan together. This could take years to come to fruition so be patient. It’s a building process with each plan having several stages attached to each one.
The first two steps of this blog will increase your chances of turning your plans into reality. Through being organised you know your strengths and weaknesses, where you fit into the market, and what will be needed to effectively put your plans into action.
Your plans will be administered by your employees. Your staff may be doing a good job now but they aren’t at the level needed to take the business to that next stage. Train them, if you feel they lack the skills needed to advance. Plans evolve around organising and the people needed to carry them out.
4. Provide Great Service – When doing what your business is suppose to do, make sure it is done to a high standard. Like your staff, a happy customer is a loyal customer, and what better way to keep your customers happy than to provide them with a great service.
This can take many forms. From people to the product. Provide the right product, to the right people, by the right people. If your business doesn’t provide what is expected from it, very soon there will be no business.
If the business provides more than what is expected from it, it will soon be very popular. The best form of advertising is word-of-mouth. If word spreads about a great service, pretty soon everyone is talking about that business and in a very positive way. On the other hand, bad reviews can work the same way and can cripple any business.
5. Be Consistent – Success is based on consistency. Providing a great service just once or twice to customers won’t grow your business, they will leave and take their custom to a rival if standards start to drop.
High levels of consistency is tough to achieve, but will take your business to new heights. Create an organisational culture that will achieve this. Hire the right people that suit your business and can add to it.
In short, get yourself organised, analyse your business and the market you are in, know where you stand as an organisation and where you want to go. Hire the right people that will get you to the right places. Make sure the product/ service you offer is providing value to customers, if it’s not they will soon realise and take their money elsewhere.
