What Can You Do Right Now to Foster Your Small Business’s Success?

This article was guest written by Gloria Martinez of womenled.org

Successful small businesses have several things in common. Let’s take a look at a few ways organizations can make sure they are doing everything right to foster success:

1. Research the proper business structure.

Before you get too far into the weeds with what your business does and how it will operate, you need to research the right structure for your company. This may include writing up a business plan and determining where you are going to find funding. There are several structures: sole proprietorships, partnerships, and corporations are a few.

Forming a limited liability company (LLC) could be the right choice for your business. LLCs come with several key benefits, including tax advantages and increased flexibility. If you still need to register with the state, you can avoid hefty lawyer fees and get it done quickly by engaging a professional formation service to do it for you.

2. Get active in the community.

As a local small business, making sure you are active in your community is one way to ensure that people know about you and the products and services you offer. Get your name out there! Joining the local chamber of commerce is one way to get active in your local community. You can improve your standing by participating in government activities, not to mention it gives your business credibility and allows potential customers to get to know you. You will be listed in the chamber newsletter, which may lead to further opportunities.

3. Put your employees first.

When it comes to managing people, there are always variables. No matter how small your business is or how few employees you have, you need to have a clear management style that makes sense for your employees. Putting their needs in front of your own is one way to improve your relationships with them and make sure the wheels keep turning — after all, your employees are one of the reasons your business continues to be successful, so you want to make sure you are managing them effectively and listening to their concerns.

4. Consider your environment.

Especially in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, people have become more aware of the physical state of a business. If your office is cluttered or dirty, customers may feel uncomfortable being in your location. If that’s the case, you’ve already lost them. Research indicates that men take about 13 seconds to determine whether they want to enter a business, while women only give it nine. So, having an inviting, clean space is critical for making — and maintaining! — customer relationships.

5. Invest in quality marketing.

Small businesses rise and fall on the quality of the marketing tactics used to promote their services. In today’s world, online marketing is king. There are several things you need to do now to improve your online presence:

• Get a website. Publishing informative content can help Google recognize you as an authority and index your site more favorably — in other words, your business will show up closer to the top of the Google search results.
• Get involved on social media. This is a great way to interact personally with people and show your devotion to good customer service.
• Maintain an email newsletter. You can highlight new products, give updates, and include information about your website — the key is to encourage customers to click through to your site itself.

Bring it all together

Being active in the community, forming an LLC, and making sure your store is clean are only a few of the ways small businesses can achieve success. Start small but start now!