What sets a lot of successful small businesses apart from large businesses? The solopreneur behind it all, in addition to its number of employees, according to the federal government. Since you’re running the show by yourself, the business depends on your good judgment and decision-making to see it through to success. That being said, everyone needs a little help now and then, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Whether you’re just starting out or are a seasoned solopreneur, here are some ways you can improve your business at any stage.
Go Big with the Basics
In order for your business to succeed, you have to be prepared for it. Even if you’re working from the garage of your home, make sure you have all the necessary office equipment to get things going and running smoothly. If your product and customer service are topnotch, a good home office can take your business a long way.
To start, run a speed test while connected to your home internet. Depending on the results and what your business is, determine whether you need to upgrade your internet service. Spare no costs if slow speeds will interfere with your business. A good internet connection is almost as important as your smartphone. Your smartphone could be a means of contact between you and your customers and clients. Even if you prefer doing business via email, some customers prefer speaking directly to you. So, invest in a good, reliable smartphone.
Currently, Apple’s iPhone XS Max is a solid option since it boasts a longer battery life and a dual-camera system to capture gorgeous pictures. There’s also the Samsung Galaxy S10 models available to Android users, which feature super-fast Wi-Fi, cinematic display, and quick charging. Both phones offer you the ability to send messages to clients, take product photos, post to your website or social accounts and email all while on the go.
Aside from these important things, a sturdy business laptop and external hard drive are great for grinding out other tasks that go beyond mobile phones. Besides, you’ll need to see how your business’ website looks on a browser as well.
Get a Website
Regardless of whether your business is new or not, you must have a website. You should spare no costs when it comes to building and designing a functional website, too, especially if your business is online-based. You can always buy a site from Squarespace or WordPress and customize it to meet your needs in a pinch, but you need to invest real time and money into a professionally designed site in order to see a good ROI. Maybe at some point, you took an HTML course, know the basics, and feel comfortable building it yourself. Don’t do that.
HTML is used to build every website, and an HTML developer should know all about the latest HTML tips and tricks, far outweighing your outdated and limited knowledge. An HTML developer will need far less time to incorporate features such as contact forms, tables of data, and links to social media. Hiring a freelance professional HTML developer will save your bottom line, as well as your time. Plus, you can rest assured that no clients are left with any unpleasant thoughts after visiting your business site.
Consider hiring a freelance marketing expert to launch your website and get as many eyes on it as possible, right out of the gate. With a professional website and the technology needed to make things happen, the only thing left to do is to improve and grow.
Grow the Business
Increase your sales, create a social media campaign, hire employees — all of these are examples of growing your business. Whatever your definition is, there are a number of free and paid-for tools available online to continue the growth you worked so hard to achieve.
Eventually, you’ll grow so much that you’ll need to hire additional hands to keep up. Freelancers are great short-term options, but hiring an employee comes with the added benefit of consistent availability. However, there are some hoops to jump through when hiring anyone.
If you decide to use a background check to narrow down candidates, follow all the current laws and regulations. Let candidates know if you plan on running a background check and that the relevant results will be taken into consideration. Depending on where you live, you might not be able to use all the information you gather. Plus, it might not be okay for you to do a background check on a candidate without some sort of offer in place.
Building a successful business is much harder to navigate than the complexities of hiring someone. Once you get to this point, pat yourself on the back and keep up the hard work, investing in the tools and people you need.
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