TIPS FOR SMALL ENTERPRISES TO MAKE THEIR MARK
If you are a person who has is thinking of, or just launched, a start-up, you may be looking all over for inspiration about how to get your business working and move ahead in the game. Here are a few tips for small enterprises that should get you going:
- Networking: At this stage of starting-up, you might have limited finances and clients, which is faced by almost all budding companies. What you can take advantage of, however, is the popular phase of social networking sites. There is a food truck that does the rounds in New York and the only mode of advertising is through micro-blogging site, Twitter. They let their customers know what’s on the menu, have live tweets about their current location and entice people with their mouth-watering delicacies to keep them on the edge. All major social media sites are free and accessed by millions of users, so take advantage and market your brand as much as you can through this avenue.
- Keep Positive: Rome was not built in a day, but through it all stayed put and till today stands strong. Have a little hope. You might be excited about your venture and expect that others would feel the same, but true success doesn’t necessarily happen over a week, so don’t feel dejected if the world isn’t yet buzzing about your enterprise. Keep the faith and work hard, grabbing at valid opportunities whenever they arise. With a good attitude and a positive mindset, you and your company will soon start going places!
- Build Loyal Customers: As a start-up, you won’t have a line of customers outside your location in the beginning. But as soon as you get patrons, do not let go of them. They are your walking advertisers, and if treated well they will return to your business and bring other potential customers along with them. You can come up with offers like providing a free service, discount coupons, referral offers, etc. Anyone loves a bargain and if you show that you are generous, people will automatically be attracted to you.
- Find Opportunities: As a start-up or small enterprise, your resources would be limited. Even the big guns in the game sometimes find it a problem to get what they want and have to search real hard for it. This is the time that you take any opportunity that will benefit your company. Even if you are given the opportunity to work for free, if that means that your enterprise is going to get promoted, then take a grab at it!
If you want any more tips and resources about your start-up, you can visit smallbiztrends.com for more information.
Liked this article? Have any other tips for small businesses to make their mark? Maybe you want to share your personal success story. Comment below!
HOW TO CREATE A KICKASS WORK CULTURE
One of the main assets that your company could have are your employees. Without them, how would you manage to run it? You could argue that you started up as a one-man show. However, if you are planning to expand in any way, you need people to help you out. Whether you have just one person or rows of human workforce doing stuff, this article is for you.
Employees are not paid slaves. You have put in a lot of your personal resources to train them and make them valuable for your company. When they came in, they were like molten clay that you have molded to perfection. Intricate details of your start-up were shared with them so that they can get going on helping you prosper in leaps and bounds. Also, you might be spending hours with them on a daily basis, so they are like family. Letting or seeing them go will not only cause a certain amount of personal heartache, but professionally, you will have to start from scratch teaching the new recruit the ropes of the business.
One of the best tried and tested methods of retaining employees in your firm is to create a work environment that they will enjoy being at and will find hard to leave. Better yet, they might even refer another professional who could add human resource value to your enterprise. And wouldn’t you one day be so thrilled to hear that your company is in the coveted list of Forbes’ “The Best Places To Work” list? Here are a few ways that you can create a kickass work culture for your employees:
- Build A Great Management Team: For any company, the core management team is the most important to eventually trickle down information to the rest of the work clan. They are also the executives that would be the closest employees who interact (hopefully) on a daily basis. They lead their respective teams and departments on your behalf. You need to therefore, surround yourself with people of like-minded nature as you. They will be your hands that extend to their subordinates.
- Be A Role Model: Right from childhood we have always had that role model that we wanted to emulate. For your company, you can be that mentor that your employees look to for inspiration. Whether you are the relaxed kind or even if you are the serious, professional type, what your workers absorb from your behavior will ultimately reflect on them as well. Be the best person you can be, and rest assured, they will be their best selves as well.
- Take Time Off: Weekday working can get monotonous for employees who start getting used to the daily grind. To get their minds off it, hold an out-of-site conference or chill session for them to unwind. This could be a great opportunity for you to personally interact and get to know those who you know by face in the workplace. Also, if there are any concerns that they have been scared to share with you during office hours, they will be able to do so now.
- Communicate: Not everyone is great with telepathy. If you have something on your mind, speak it out. When employees see that you are easy to approach and open to understanding them, they will be more laid-back in general and work will go on smoothly. You do not want a dictator type of environment, so why give out the vibe that it is one?
Liked this article? Any other tips that you want to share about creating a better work environment? Maybe you have your own success story you want to share? Comment below!