Every entrepreneur wants to scale and scale very fast but how to go about achieving that is often a major challenge. More terrifying than the idea of starting very small is the thought of remaining small.
As a business owner, you want to see customers trooping in through the doors of your office– in large numbers. And of course, that’s not impossible to achieve, all you need do is put in substantial efforts.
Here are 10 tips that have been tested and proven to work. These strategies will help ensure that your business not only grows but grows very fast!
- Don’t keep quiet
As a business owner, one disservice you will do to yourself is to not talk about your product. Be proud and enthusiastic about what you do. If it is a service you render or a product you sell, be ready to talk about it at any given opportunity.
As you introduce yourself, use it as an opportunity to publicize yourself. Don’t hesitate to tell people about what you do. It should be known by your family, friends and acquaintances. People love it when you are first confident about what you do. So
exude confidence and be proud of you, your product and your services.
- Know your customers
One great way to ensure that your business grows is to keep a record of your customers. Keep a tab on them. You can go as far as knowing their birthdays, hobbies and some personal details about them. Find out what will satisfy them, and work towards it. Keep in touch always and keep them in the know of latest innovations in your business. Make them feel like a part of the business, and show sincere interest in making their lives better with the product or services that you render.
- Attend networking events
To thrive in business, you need to have a network of sound business people and like minds. A good network keeps you motivated and inspires you to keep going. A good network will also help in promoting your business, thereby expanding your reach.
- Host events
As much as it’s good to attend events, it also pays to host one. Hosting events gives you a right to brag in your own field. It also boosts the confidence that your peers and customers will have in your product or services. Events give you a platform to educate people and give reasons why they should patronize you. And all these will happen in your turf and on your terms. It helps customers see you in a different light, to know that you are serious about your business and this will make them take you serious too.
- Research your competition
In business, there are definitely people who are into the same kind of business that you are in, whether rendering the same services or producing the same product as yours. So to stand out, research your competition, find out what it is that they do, and look for a way to stay ahead of them.
- Use social media
The world is evolving and so are the people in it. The invention of technology has shrunk the world into a smaller space where everyone can be reached at almost the same time. Most people now spend most of their time on social media, and this is the best time to leverage on that. So have a lot of social media presence for your business, and do a lot of advertisement. Your presence off line should be as much as it is online.
- Hire the right people
Staffing is a big deal when it comes to business. The kind of people you hire becomes a representative of what your business stands for. If you hire the wrong set of people, it tells a lot about how your business will be perceived by customers. So take your time and do a thorough job with hiring the people who would work with you.
- Be adaptable
One of the mistakes that small businesses make is to attach too much emotional sentiment to their business. Your business is yours. However, it is best to separate it from your personal life, so that it can have a life of its own. That way, it will be easier to make decisions that affect the business without feeling like the decisions are made for you.
Things change and methods change too. So if you have tried a particular method, and it isn’t working, be ready to try out another method. The ability to adapt helps you to find out better ways to run your business.
- Be more than a thought ahead
When running a business, the mind of the business owner has to be one that stays sharp and active all the time. Your competitors are thinking, so should you. You have to be ahead of the game, thinking ahead, and making the best of your ideas. Think of new and better ways to create content and better ways to improve your product and serve your customers better.
- Choose a social responsibility
This might sound like a big thing, as you are a small business. Oftentimes, small businesses think that corporate social responsibility is something that only big businesses do. But that is not true.
One way you can grow your business and make a name for yourself is to find a need in your community and solve. Whether it’s sports, helping the elderly, or supporting an orphanage; finding a social responsibility will do well for your business. Working for your community is a good way to put yourself in the heart of your community.
As you take steps to speed up the growth of your business, it is extremely crucial that you get an adequate insurance cover that will protect your business against unexpected occurrences. You don’t want all your strategies and hardwork to go for nothing.