Everything You Need To Run Your Small Business

Running a small business means that you are likely to have tried your hand at every element of the business process, which may be fine up to a certain level of growth, but then you may need to start seeking some professional help. If your business is beginning and you only have a handful of staff members, understanding what may be required in the future will help you grow to scale without the risk of damaging the reputation and customer base you have built. The more knowledge you have about running a business, you will be more likely to understand when it is crucial to implement the following steps and invest further into your company.

Small businesses are great for offering personalised service to their customers, and many people seek out small or independent companies for that exact reason. In a world where everything has a quick turnaround and is disposable, shopping with smaller brands can be a way to counteract these potentially harmful elements of modern society and make a more human connection. Whether your small business specialises in home-baked goods, art, or jewellery or provides a service such as home improvements/maintenance, you will need to make sure the basics are covered.

Financial advice and an accountant

If you started your business on your own, you might not have needed much financial advice up until a certain threshold of revenue. Once you start employing staff, you will either need financial advice, an accountant or be willing to invest in payroll and accounting solutions. If you don’t have a history of working with the financial side of a business, you must learn the fundamental steps to be sure you are hiring the right people who will take the correct course of action for your business. If you feel confident that you can manage the accounting and payroll by using specific software, make sure you also have the time to learn how to use this correctly and input the required data.

Website/online management

Creating a website can be low cost if you are starting out, but make sure you have long-term plans for making the most of your online presence. Check how visible your competitors are online and note what they do well and how they engage with their customer base. Competitor analysis will give you an idea of what features and functionality your website needs and help you decide whether you want to sell your products online or be able to book appointments to discuss services. Having an excellent online set-up can reduce the amount of customer service time required, and most people are happy to be able to quickly find answers to their questions without having to make a phone call or send an email.

Staff management

Task planning, rotas, annual leave and sick days are all things you will need to consider when hiring staff. You may have team members that have different working hours to fit various business needs, and it’s essential to make sure that everyone has a clear understanding of what’s expected of them. If you have staff working remotely, it’s vital to have specific tools implemented, such as a small business phone system that can be routed through to their mobile phones if necessary, chat systems, and any other means that create clear communication channels.

Marketing plan

A marketing plan is necessary to think about how you are presenting yourself to your existing customers and how you will appeal to new customer groups. A great way to create a marketing plan is by creating a multipronged approach. Start by analysing the data you already have about your customers and how they engage with you and your products and services - this will hopefully show you what you are getting right, especially if you have several returning customers. It will also highlight any groups of customers your product or service should appeal to, but you aren’t getting engagement from, so you can start to get creative about ways to reach them. It’s a good idea to set quarterly budgets for marketing and do a mix of online and traditional marketing approaches. Online marketing can reach people all over the world so if the product or service you offer can be provided worldwide you have unlimited potential.

Resources:

Business Telephone Systems - Glitch

Hosted Small Business Phone System - Mataroa

Cloud Based Phone System - Tribe

Best Cloud Phone System - University of South Florida

Cloud Phone System - Wefunder