Starting a Business
7 Tips to Boost Your Business
Starting a business and not sure where to start?! Here are 7 tips and tricks to give your business a boost.
Over the past several years my husband and I have owned several businesses of all different types. I am here to share with you what we have learned in 7 quick and easy tips so you can rock your business.
Know your Why:
- I will start with the most important tip for you first. In my opinion, this will be the game changer for all business owners. Are you ready?
THE most important tip I have for you is to know your why!
The reason why you started your business, the reason why you get up early and work late, the reason why your business drives you. You will need to remember your ‘why’ when business gets hard and you need to find the motivation to keep going. Your ‘why’ will be what inspires your customers to purchase your product or service. Your ‘why’ will be so powerful that it will be the key to your business’s success. I invite you to remember this quote by Michael Hyatt:
“When you know your why, you know your way.”
Leverage your Time:
2. The next tip I have for you is to leverage your time. Leverage your time by hiring help, whether that help is a babysitter, cleaning service, assistant, whatever you need that will allow you the extra time to work on the parts of your business that you really love! Don’t wait until you are already overwhelmed and overworked, do it now! Think of it as investing in your business by leveraging your time, your time is your most valuable commodity!
There may be some people who don’t have the resources to hire help, there is always some way you can make it happen, whether that is hiring a co-op student, asking family for help, or revisiting your budget. Trust me, leveraging your time will ultimately make you happier, less stressed, and give your business the ability to grow. You can do it.
Know your Costs:
3. I have seen so many people start businesses without having a clear budget or even knowing what their start-up and yearly costs will be. We must know our costs. Your business’s survival beyond its first few years depends on this. If I were to ask you what your cost per item or per head is, you should be able to tell me. Having a well thought-out financial plan will help you to navigate a quickly changing economy and market. I often hear that business owners don’t have enough time to do this. My answer to that is you risk the success of the business when you don’t know your costs. All successful business owners have a very clear idea of the costs associated with running their specific business, and you can too. Invest in knowing your costs, your business will thank you.
Stop worrying so much — period:
4. I have witnessed firsthand so many business owners who worry themselves out of their business. They sweat the small things, and worry about this or that. Here’s the thing, stop worrying and start doing, go with the flow and trust it will all turn out. Sure, there will be times when your business will get stressful, although I can assure you, you can always find a way to adjust or correct a difficult situation.
You must trust yourself, the process, and most importantly, your service or product.
It’s okay if they don’t buy your product:
5. The next tip I have for you I have seen work wonders with customers. Assure your customers that it’s okay if they feel your product or service is not for them. I know it sounds like counter-productive advice although if the product or service is the right fit for them they will buy it and if not, that’s okay too. Seriously, we wouldn’t be good business owners if we took people’s hard earned money when we knew the product would not work for them or they didn’t actually want the product or service. To offer the best customer service is to help your customers find what they are looking for and make honest recommendations, or refer them out, which leads us to our next tip.
Recommendation selling
6. I have learned from experience over many years how to softly guide a potential customer to a specific product or service and it goes something like this:
“I recommend you try this product.”
It really is that simple, recommendation selling. I will never forget the 4-hour presentation I listened to all about this simple technique, and it works like magic. It’s not over-selling, being pushy or pressuring your customer. It’s nice to hear as a customer, and it shows you as a business owner cares about your customers. Try it and see.
Marketing and Co-Marketing:
7. Of course I had to write about marketing which is one of my favourite parts of running my own business! What I have learned over the years about marketing is to market as much as you can. When you first start out you’ll likely market with a smaller budget and that’s okay! I recommend you start with the smaller scale marketing techniques such as: sponsoring a local hockey or soccer team, submitting a small ad in the local paper, or teaming up with another business to set-up a referral program. The options are limitless when you search hard enough! Trust me when I say once you start small with your marketing it will grow.
Once you start getting your own marketing foundation, start to explore co-marketing. Co-marketing is a great way to begin working closely with other business owners in your area as it gives you access to a larger data base.
Co-marketing reaches more people with less effort and it helps both businesses involved.
I have witnessed business owners be weary of this technique and choose not to participate in co-marketing. If you are one of these business owners, ask yourself these questions: why am I unsure?, am I ready to try something new?, what do I have to lose?, if I continue to do nothing will my business grow?, and most importantly, what can I learn from this experience?
You will come to realize quickly who you can work with and who you cannot. If it doesn’t work out, well you will have learned a valuable lesson. Learning through trial and error is sometimes the best way to learn in business! Going through these experiences is when we will learn what works and what does not, as well as we will start to become an expert in our field.
You will find there is a lot of learning at the start, so go and explore, be curious and take some risks!
Of course, there are many more tips I can share with you, although I invite you to take your time figuring out what works for your particular business and start with these. Watch your business start to take off and have fun with it! Your passion for your business will sell your services or products and it will define your business’s purpose, it’s the essence of your business!
Find that confidence inside yourself and own it!
Jessica Hastings -Lesperance, the foundress of Cedar Wellness Studio, is an inspiring business owner, certified yoga and fitness instructor, and a busy mom of three. Jess is a risk-taker whose greatest power is creating reality from passion and empowering others to be extraordinary. Sign up for free tips for managing stress, meditation activities and VIP perks at cedarwellnessstudio.ca
