6 Tips On How To Make It In The Big Bad World Of Business

June 5, 2018

The decision to start a business is daunting in itself. However, that’s nothing compared to actually trying to compete against already established businesses. Think about all of the big names in the same industry – can you compete against them? Of course you can! You just need the right knowledge to apply to your business so that you can build your way up to their level of success. Successful entrepreneurs are always clued up and have already planned their next steps within their business, and that’s what you should be doing too. Take a look at these tips on how to make it in the big bad world of business.

Outsourcing is your best friend

While you might plan on having a team behind you in everyday business, outsourcing can be extremely useful too. This is where you hire freelancers to help you with particular tasks within your business. This is often administrative and website based work, but you can hire freelancers that can design websites or even build you a house. So, if you’ve got some work that’s cropped up, but you can’t justify hiring someone full time, consider outsourcing someone to help you complete the tasks. Another bonus? Freelancing is often much cheaper than hiring someone to do the work, so you’ll be saving yourself some money too! Outsourcing companies are often looking to be paid as soon as possible, so your work will be completed in a timely manner too.

You need to spend money to make money

It’s extremely unlikely that you will be able to set up your business and become successful without investing a fair bit of money into it beforehand. So, if you’re thinking of going into business, make sure that you’ve got some money ready to inject into it. If you don’t have any money to put into your business, you could always go down the route of unsecured business loans so that you’re able to get your company off the ground and begin moulding it into a successful business. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that you can cut costs and still make it in the business world either. High quality means spending more, and nobody wants to invest in products or services that aren’t of the best quality. Spend money to make money.

The internet will either make you, or break you

Over the past decade or so, the internet has taken the world by storm. With it now possible to chat freely to someone thousands of miles away without a glitch, imagine what it can do for your business. In this day and age, a website is essential for any business that wants to make it in the big world. Even if your industry doesn’t have anything to do with being online, having an internet presence will allow international customers to get in touch with you and also check out what you can offer them.
Another really important thing to consider is making the most of social media sites. Most people use social media platforms to connect with their friends and families. Take advantage of being able to reach out to so many people in one place. Create profiles for your business and interact with people so that you can build up a fan base online. Take a look at these tips on how to utilise social media to help your business:

  • Create competitions that lead fans to your website. This will often lead to them taking a look around and possibly purchasing something from you. You will also gain more fans doing this because of the like, share and follow rule. Make sure that you’re following guidelines set by social media for running competitions. Fail to do so, and you could land yourself in some trouble.
  • Post regularly otherwise you will become lost in the abyss of posts on social media. Use a content management app like Crowdfire to publish useful and interesting content for your fans. This app will also help you grow your following.
  • Learn the algorithms of each social media platform. Each one is different and you will have to apply different techniques and efforts into each one.
  • Reply to any questions or comments that are left on your social media posts. There’s nothing worse than a company not replying.

One of the biggest things to remember when taking to the realms of the internet with your business is that you must always stay professional. You may experience trollers on your social media accounts or even on your website. Refrain from reacting back to it. Instead, simply reply professionally so that you can build up a good reputation for yourself. The internet can either make you or break you and both can be within a matter of hours.

Time management is essential

A massive mistake that entrepreneurs make in their first few years of business is not managing their time as well as they could. We touched on outsourcing earlier so that you can delegate smaller tasks while you concentrate on more important core tasks, but how do you manage your time while doing those? Spending too much time on a particular task or project could cause you to fall behind, affecting the way your business is running. Consider using a time management app that can help you delegate tasks and also remind you to take breaks every once in a while! It’s understandable that you want to complete your tasks as soon as possible, but doing it without any breaks can lead to mistakes. Again, affecting your business.

Don’t fall behind on knowledge within your industry

Making sure that you’re constantly up to date on new techniques and strategies within your industry is essential to ensuring that you’re always on top of your game. Make sure that you’re attending business seminars so that you can pick up the best tips and tricks to apply to your business. If there’s new and available training within your industry, be sure to attend so that you can improve the services and goods that you’re offering your customers.
If at all applicable, invest in higher qualifications within your industry. Even though you’ve got a business, it’s important and impressive to see a business owner that really knows what they are talking about. Invest into your knowledge so that your business can thrive further.

Having a strong team is key

Finally, aside from your customers, your business wouldn’t go anywhere without a strong team backing you up. Many bosses make the mistake of keeping business matters to themselves and shutting out help. Don’t be that kind of boss. Share with your team what’s going well, and even what isn’t going well. This will allow you to delegate and change roles as you see fit, and also help your staff members better understand how they can help the business. A close knit team always works better together, so build yourself a strong team to back you and your business up!
Take these 6 tips into consideration and where appropriate, apply them to your business so that you stand a chance of making it in the big bad world of business! Good luck with your enterprise!

Mark Asquith

That British podcast guy, Mark is co-founder of Captivate.fm, the world's only growth-oriented podcast host. A Harvard, TEDx, Podcast Movement and Podfest speaker (amongst many more!), he's a wildly approachable Brit and Star Wars/DC Comics geek.

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