Running a small business is no easy feat! You face new obstacles daily and are forced to learn new skills that may be outside of your comfort zone. Throughout the years, you must continuously refine and adapt as you face new complications. There are endless challenges that come with running your own small business, and we are familiar with many of them! Although we may not be experts quite yet, here are three tips for business growth that we’ve picked up along the way.
Get Rave Reviews
Everyone wants five-star Google reviews, but actually getting them can be tough. The best thing you can do for your clients is to listen to them. You can produce stellar work, but if you didn’t take the time to learn what your client’s actual pain points are, did you really help them? The more you listen to your clients, the more you can learn how to solve their problems. Once you know the business and what they do, then you can truly help them fix their pain points and grow their business. Listening and understanding your client’s input can alleviate any uneasy feelings of being left out of the process. If your clients are happy with your work, those five-star reviews will write themselves and your SEO will begin to soar.
Retaining Rockstars
Attracting the right people can be tricky. All the more reason to hang on to the good ones when you do find them. But how do you keep your staff happy? At Michigan Creative, we maintain open communication between our team. It helps tremendously in keeping staff on task and becoming aware of any problems that might be going on internally. We make sure we stay connected, even working from home with weekly meetings and check-ins. We also hold individual meetings with each team member and our leadership team to establish SMART goals and meet expectations. Listening to your staff is just as important as listening to clients’ needs. A well-supported team has less anxiety about feeling overworked or undervalued. Overall, a happy, supported team is more productive and eager to take on new challenges.
Scaling
Continuing to scale your business is a constant battle. For small businesses, growth can happen suddenly. Even if expecting a new influx of work, managing the new workload and onboarding a new hire can be overwhelming. Make sure to include key staff members in interviews. Having a second opinion can be crucial and allows your team leaders to be more involved in the hiring process. Keep in mind one sit down interview is not a tell-all about a person. So in the end, go with your gut. Your gut instinct is often the best indicator of whether or not an interviewee will be a good fit. If you aren’t sure, proceed with caution and hire on a trial basis. Finding the right person for the right seat can take time. Be patient.
Even as a business owner, it is ok to ask for help! Reach out to your fellow business owners for tips and do not be afraid to share your struggles. At Michigan Creative, we prefer to employ EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) to help coach us through growth opportunities, reach new goals, and approach tough conversations. The guidance given has helped us push past tough obstacles and allowed us to continue to reach new heights. We are grateful for the organizations and people that have helped build Michigan Creative to where it is today. If you are feeling stuck, reach out! We are here to listen.