Business 101: It Doesn’t Need To Be You Versus The World

March 6, 2017

Ahh, starting a new business venture. Whether it’s your first company or your 21st, the excitement of following those entrepreneurial dreams cannot be beaten. But you cannot overlook the harsh reality that the failed businesses easily outweigh the successful ones. If yours is going to be different, you must start to appreciate that you aren’t against the world.
Quite frankly, the list of potential mistakes in business is nearly endless. Nonetheless, ignoring the importance of other people is easily the biggest. Conversely, though, embracing outsiders can be the key to reaching those business goals in a fast and effective manner.
Here’s how you can make the most of those opportunities.
Build A Great Team Atmosphere
Utilising resources is the key to success in any business field, and there’s no greater asset than your employees. Therefore, it’s imperative that you hire the right candidates for the company, and learn how to embrace a better staff culture. Whether it’s offering staff perks or creating a better general atmosphere doesn’t matter. A team that works together succeeds together.
Building a great team isn’t all about the internal staff, though. Some aspects of business require an experienced and professional touch. For example, choosing the best web design agency for your online needs will build stronger foundations for the whole company. Moreover, outsourcing jobs like this removes the pressure to find additional equipment and space for work.
Likewise, remote freelancers can often provide a cost-effective way to complete one-off jobs. Above all else, though, it allows you to focus on the internal team. By giving them more attention, you’ll be able to look after them with far greater success. In turn, that will result in a better service for the customer too.
Put The Customer First
Like the above point suggests, treating the staff well first will ensure that they take care of the consumer. Nevertheless, the customer should still be the focus of your attentions, even if you are using your employees to gain leverage in this aspect.
There are many ways to impress a customer, from special promotions to increased customer care. First and foremost, though, you need to find your place in the market. After all, very few startups are blessed with appealing to everyone. Gain a better connection with your core demographic, and you’ll have a far better chance of gaining the loyalty needed for sustained success.
Remember that your customers can become your greatest marketing tool too. Their recommendations to friends and family is a very powerful thing indeed.
Don’t Ignore Other Businesses
The modern business arena is a fierce playground. Still, you don’t have to consider every other company as a direct rival. Firstly, you can use other brands in your industry as a barometer of what works and what doesn’t. Quite frankly, this advanced market research could save you a lot of hassle in the long run.
Meanwhile, you can often team up with other local businesses from non-competing fields. Whether it’s running a joint promotion, placing bulk orders on key items, or sharing an office space doesn’t matter. By working together to increase the efficiency, both parties can gain an edge over their respective competitors.
If nothing else, it can free up time and money to focus on other aspects of the operation. If that doesn’t give you an increased chance of reaching those goals, what will?

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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