Keep your business growing

Having a successful business means ensuring that it continues to grow. Without growth, your business will eventually run dry and stagnant. But with the added responsibility of maintaining your business and keeping things running smoothly, it can be difficult to know where to look for business growth.

1. Look for cost savings

This point is especially true when your business is trying to survive a struggling economy. Making cost saving choices can become more or less difficult depending on how you manage your incomings and outgoings.

Try find cost savings wherever you can. What subscriptions are you still paying for that you no longer need? Which supplier relationships need to be terminated? Are you spending too much on stationery? Aim to eliminate all unnecessary costs, even if they’re small.

2. Automate everything

When you waste time, you waste money. When it comes to things like report preparation, data entry, and accounts payable and receivable, it’s worth investigating your automation options. Things like pursuing invoices can now be done with a click of a button and a few strokes of the keyboard. What’s more, they can be handled safely, legally, and efficiently.

Once you’ve automated portions of your business, you can focus exclusively on growing the business rather than just maintaining it. This is critical, because growing a business takes extreme dedication and commitment.

3. Target other markets

If your current market is serving you well, then ask yourself if there are others. Sometime, those other markets are what make money. If your consumer market ranges from young professionals to young families, think about where these people spend most of their time. Could you introduce your business to schools, restaurants or community events? You could also offer discounts to special-interest clubs or donate part of your profits to schools and associations.

This article is a general information sheet and should not be used or relied on as legal or other professional advice. No liability can be accepted for any errors or omissions nor for any loss or damage arising from reliance upon any information herein. Always contact your legal adviser for specific and detailed advice. (E&OE)