All Big Businesses Were Small at the Beginning

Grow your small business into a large one by understanding these important tips.

Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Google, Airbnb, Facebook.

Surely you have heard of them, right? They all started small, many of them in a garage, and massively expanded over the years. So, what does it take for your small business to join their ranks and establish a big market presence?

Here are some important tips you may want to consider in order to help your small business grow and acquire a solid customer base.

The Process of Starting a Small Business

Starting something from scratch is not an easy thing to do, no matter what we are talking about. Now, imagine having a great idea that you want to turn into a small business. We can think about anything: corner shops, libraries, catering services, online tutoring, cleaning services, and so on.

When starting your small business, any business idea is a good idea.

Believe it or not, but mom-and-pop stores, for example, bring a huge contribution to the economy because there are plenty of them on the market. They might compete against big stores, but their contribution to the community is essential.

If you are an owner of a small business, you might be wondering: What do I do next? How do I grow?

The Road to Success for Small Businesses

We’ve already established that each business starts from an idea. But how do you turn that idea into reality and establish the foundation that allows your small business to grow?

Here are some steps that you can take into consideration:

• Trustworthy partners
• Well-planned strategies
• Slow hiring
• Saying no
• The values driving your business
• Great customer service

Not everyone can afford to start a business with large capital and that’s completely understandable. You can start by operating from home, and you can be your only employee during the first months. After you develop your small business, you can search for a partner or investor.

Before bringing any investor or partner into your business, you should take into account your business needs. Ask yourself:

• Do I really need extra money?
• Can I handle all the tasks by myself?

Identify where your business stands and decide whether you should divert yourself from the initial plan based on how things progress.

Now it is time to develop the idea you had for so long. Establish your strategy, your objectives, and the products and/or services you want to offer. Build your brand, create great content, deliver the message clearly, design an easy-to-follow, personalized website and bring innovations.

When the time comes to expand your business, and it will come for sure, think about a slow hiring process. Get to know the people you are likely to work with in the future, because one day, they might need to help you take crucial decisions which your company would depend on.

If you want to have the big, successful business you had in mind at the beginning, you must learn how to say no. Say no to yourself, and to others. What does this mean? First of all, you cannot do everything, so if you feel overwhelmed, it might be a sign that you need additional help, and you should start hiring. Not doing so soon enough can have a significant impact on your business. Secondly, say no to unstructured plans, to distractions that have no connection to your business.

If you really want to grow your small business, you will need to learn not to accept everything. Be objective, be a strong leader!

Furthermore, you and your employees will spend a big amount of time at the workplace, so make it great and qualitative. Establish the business’s policies and values, be transparent, reliable, and have integrity.

Last but not least, it is essential to identify correctly the target audience and to create a bond with them. Customer Service must be done accordingly and the shopping experience has to be unforgettable for the client.

Create Availability for More Customers

Something important to keep in mind when owning a business is the fact that you should establish an online presence. And once you did that, it’s time to target the right audience. Therefore, expanding your business doesn’t necessarily mean physically, the new location might be virtual as well.

So, if you are not in the online environment, it is a MUST and you should start as soon as you have finished reading this article.

What do you actually need to know when moving your offline business online?

Setting up your business website is a demanding task indeed, and it implies the following:

• Buy an online domain
• Create the website
• Customize payment and shipping options
• Work on website personalization
• Get the licenses you need
• Add unique and quality content
• Become visible on social media

Remember that your small business website is the mirror of your business, products, and/or services. Keep in mind to design it in such a way that it will work efficiently on mobile, desktop, and tablet. The way you set up the website helps you create a bond with your customers, so do not hesitate to ask for professional help.

A well-done business website shows professionalism, transparency, helps customers in their purchase decisions and gives your business a lasting value.

Last but not least, why pay attention to your target audience? Because you don’t want to spend your time and resources in vain. You want to target people that are interested in your niche because they actually need your products or services.

Also when you create your content, add topics that represent an interest for your potential customers. For example, you own an art gallery, and you sell pieces of art. Don’t limit yourself to obvious topic-related articles such as The importance of art in one’s life or How a piece of art becomes a masterpiece. Of course, these are important and mandatory, but not enough. Tell them how they could integrate these beautiful pieces of art in their houses or offices, tell them why to buy some for their friends and how to understand aesthetics. Expand their knowledge, ask rhetorical questions, provoke them, and create that trustworthy bond they need.

Expand Your Business by All Means

You must always study your audience in order to understand your customers’ needs and behavior. Let’s say you started by selling pieces of furniture, and after 2 years you are successful. Don’t stop there only because your income grows. Think further: how can your business add value to your customers? Hire a designer that can help your customers choose what they really need because you would be surprised how many times people are undecided and need support before making a purchase decision.

Your business blossoms, but you can’t stop here. In time, develop applications and tools that rely on artificial intelligence. For instance, a customer wants to buy a bed but is not sure if it would suit their room in terms of size and design. Offer them the possibility to see the placement of the bed they will buy in a 3D format by uploading a picture of the bedroom, with the size and the colors it has. This will help them make a decision and create a memorable shopping experience.

Remember that Amazon started by selling books in a garage. After a few years, they decided to sell music and DVDs as well, and now you can buy a wide range of products from their website. In 2018, it became the biggest online platform worldwide, but they didn’t stop there: Amazon-Go and Amazon 4-Star appeared. So, after a humble beginning, the company managed to develop itself beyond boundaries, and this is what you must do as well.

Adapt Your Business to Unexpected Situations

Unexpected situations happen all the time regardless of how prepared you are. It might be something insignificant that can be easily fixed, but it can also be something huge, that escalates fast and seems unprecedented.

Let’s take 2020 because it represents a great example of a changing situation. We have lived and experienced something totally different in 2020, because of Covid-19, the lockdown, the restrictions, the ways businesses were affected, and the list can continue.

Which kind of small businesses survived as a result of the pandemic? The ones that knew how to adapt themselves. They were not scared of the unknown, but rather embraced it. Let’s think about how many restaurants were closed because of Covid-19. Some of them had to consider reorganizing activities at a business level. Some turned into catering services, coming up with personalized menus and making contracts with other companies, whose employees were essential during the pandemic, and had no time to prepare a proper meal.

There were and still are plenty of businesses out there that are struggling because of the restrictions. But they are overcoming the obstacles with patience and good strategies.

Be Patient. Your Business Will Grow.

All entrepreneurs have to start from somewhere, and most of them are doing it by owning a small business. The entire process might be a bit complicated, but in order to grow into a big company, you need to take care of:

• Setting up your business objectives and strategies
• Understanding your business’s needs
• Moving online
• Fostering values within the business
• Developing your brand, by creating website personalization and great content
• Becoming active on social media
• Creating connections when necessary
• Adapting to any new situation.

Small businesses can become big too! When you need help, don’t be afraid to ask for it.

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Written by Andreea,
Part of the content team at Red Robin Creative.