Top Tips: Growing Your Business During The Busier Times
As a small business owner, there is no doubt that long term growth is one of your essential goals but how, as a committed owner of a small enterprise that is reliant on your day to day efforts; can you also find the time to grow your business?
At Calculated Accountants we have seen it all too often, small business owners consumed by daily administration, dealing with vital tasks and ensuring that busy periods are managed successfully. This is only natural but as the owner have you ever asked yourself what happens while you are lost in managing this phase of your business? Whether you are under resourced, managing change or dealing with a busy time- as a business owner it is all too easy to neglect the bigger picture.
From marketing, to networking to sales and staff development; all are vital areas to focus on in order to ensure long term growth. However, for the small business owner these areas are easily neglected.
In order to ensure your business can triumph, it is important to take the bigger picture into account. Our experience in dealing with small businesses of all kinds has made us the go to advisors for long term growth. Helping businesses triumph in a recovering economy is our main aim which is why we have noted some of the top tips that can help you step away from the daily tasks and focus more on the long term...
- Delegate- This is often easier said than done as you will no doubt want to ensure that, whether your business is just starting up or you are reaching a busy period, that everything runs smoothly. The pressure is understandable particularly in a competitive economy however consuming yourself with daily tasks isn't always the right thing to do. Look at delegating everyday duties, pass tasks on to experienced staff members and implement a system that can ensure an efficient operation without your watchful gaze. The more you delegate, the more time you will have to focus on what matters.
- Outsource- Tying in with the above point, don’t try and do everything yourself. It may seem like a financially wise move to take everything in-house but by outsourcing many areas you can free up your time. Outsourcing accounting services is one of the most popular solutions, at Calculated Accountants we have helped many business owners free up their time by offering bookkeeping, tax, vat and many other financial services.
- Marketing- You don’t have to dip your finger into every pie in order to get efficient marketing results. Focus your marketing efforts into one arena that is guaranteed to work for your business- with one clear focus; you have a better chance of using your time wisely and getting more quantifiable results. Speak to a marketing specialist to avoid wasting hours on end trying ‘a bit of everything’.
- Sales- During a busy time sales can easily be neglected however in order to establish a flow and continue your long term growth, having a solid strategy in place is essential. Too many business owners neglect sales and then find themselves in a hurry to make ends meet. Ask yourself what you want to achieve and where you want your business to be and use that to establish a process that can help you reach that goal.
- KPI’s- One of the most time consuming tasks for any business owner is the daily management of staff. Ensuring employees are working proactively is not easy and can cost you dearly. Your staff should be like a well oiled machine, working with one common goal; the growth of the business but one uncooperative staff member can set this back greatly. Ensure that you have a solid system in place to ensure efficient work is being conducted, ensure that all staff members are aware of Key Performance Indicators and ensure that regular appraisals take place. This may seem long winded and you may just hope that your staff is able to ‘get on with it’ however such benchmarks for efficiency can greatly free up your time.
We understand how difficult it can be to manage a business which is why our team are always on hand to help you along the way. With the New Year around the corner; our top tips will hopefully provide you with the right tools to plan for growth.
Want to make 2014 count? Let Calculated Accountants show you how!
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