So, you’ve made it! You’ve got your own business, and it’s been up and running for 6 months - well done to you, as it’s no easy feat. However, no entrepreneur worth their salt will sit on their laurels, so you’re likely taking business courses to develop your expertise. You want your knowledge to develop, as well as your business, which is why the prospect of growth naturally arises.
As online business courses will teach you, there’s most definitely a right and a wrong way to go about growing your business. Get it wrong, and it could easily threaten its existence. With this in mind, we look at 5 things to focus on to ensure that your expansion goes smoothly and without too many hitches. So, if you’re ready, let’s begin!
Tip #1 - Employ Good People
Getting the right people to work with you is crucial if you want to successfully grow your business, so it’s important to take your time and choose carefully. When considering potential candidates, ensure they have the right technical and interpersonal skills, in addition to how well they would fit into your vision of your future business.
Tip #2 - Innovate Where It’s Applicable
Small business owners often spend large amounts of money on enhancing services and products when they’re expanding, but what if they’re fine as they are? Why not innovate with regards to how you speak to your customers, perhaps by adding live chat to your website? Or what about making your onboarding process smoother? All these peripheral elements can have a big impact on the customer experience.
Tip #3 - Work On Your Brand Identity
Another important factor that online business courses cover is branding, as it’s key to establishing an emotional link between you and your customers. If you’re able to create a logo and branding that’s consistent across every customer touchpoint, it won’t be long until everyone starts to associate your logo and brand colours with the excellent services you offer.
Tip #4 - Don’t Neglect Your Current Customers
What often gets forgotten amongst the excitement that comes with business growth is the service being provided to the customers who got you to where you are today i.e. the ones you already have. Customer retention is every bit as important as attracting new clients - even more so when you consider that they cost around ⅕th of what it takes to obtain new ones.
Tip #5 - Learn to Delegate to Your Teams
Something that business courses can’t help you with is your ability to let go and delegate. While it might be ok to do everything yourself at the outset, it’s only going to get more complex as you expand. You’ve got to trust those people you hired at some point, and you’ll only get the full value from their talents if you trust in their abilities. So delegate!
Supercharge Your Entrepreneurial Skills With OCA!
The truth is that being a successful business owner isn’t easy - or everyone would be doing it! Thankfully because of flexible, video-based online business courses from OCA, you can get the knowledge you need on your terms. Able to be arranged around your personal and business responsibilities, it’s training that comes with one on one tutor support and even counts towards CPD points!
To find out more about these or any of our short courses created in collaboration with top industry experts, visit us today at www.onlinecoursesaustralia.edu.au. There you can also find details of our flexible payment plans that make this mentally stimulating and highly engaging training even more affordable for everyone.
If, however, you’d prefer to speak to a natural person, our team is on standby to give you the assistance you need. Just call 1300 611 404 today and let them guide you with their considerable expertise and experience in professional training.
