Every business owner knows that you should never stop growing your business and be satisfied with what you already have. Even if everything is running perfectly and you are seeing great profits, you should still strive to be better. Why stagnate and let your competitors get near your success or even let them surpass you when you can make sure that your business is the best in the industry?
If you feel like these last couple of months have become a bit stale or if you feel like your coworkers are not at their hundred percent then there are some things you should definitely do to improve your company. You might think that you are stuck and there is nothing you could do to get out of such a situation, but there are some improvements you could do.
Here are some of them.
Turn to automation
Sure, your workers helped you get to the place you are now and everything has been running smoothly since then, but why stop there? In this modern age, you are supposed to use technology to your benefit. Use it to quicken tasks, to reduce costs and to replace expensive labor. If you want to stay relevant and competitive in your industry, automation is a must, it is not just a luxury.
Automation does not always mean that you have to replace people with robots. It can also mean that all of your workers keep their work positions while giving them the ability to work on more productive stuff instead of focusing on things that can easily be automated. Robots may be faster, but they do not possess the skill of critical thinking like us humans.
Keep in mind, starting this change to automation may be very expensive and it might seem like it is not worth the investment. This is completely normal, as everyone is scared of the idea at first, but once you do the calculation and find out how much automation can save you money, you will realize how it can improve your business.
Invest in marketing
In the past, a lot of people believed that marketing is too expensive for small businesses. While this might have been true in the past, it is completely different these days. There are several ways you can invest in marketing without ruining your year’s budget while bringing in new leads. Consider checking out email marketing, social media, social media influences, conversational forms, etc. According to www.mightyforms.com, conversational forms on your landing page can make a serious impact on your lead generation.
Talk to your employees
While we do recommend automation in most aspects of a business, there are some things you have to keep personal. Gathering all your employees in one online group on social media or chat platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp or others seems like an effective way to inform people about certain tasks, problems or whatever it is.
The truth is, it is actually a lot less effective than speaking with your workers face-to-face. Sure, if you need to inform them about something not as important, you can just send them a quick message.
But, if you want to have a serious issue solved, speaking with them physically will speed up the process. People feel a lot more comfortable and confident when they speak with their superior in-person when compared to using online chat platforms.
To put it simply, you cannot show your emotions through a message. And no, emojis do not count as emotions. By sending a message, your employees may misunderstand your tone which is not something that you want. So, make sure that you encourage them to speak to each other in person as much as possible and that your door is always open for them.
A business that has workers who can respect their superiors both as a friend and a boss will surely be more successful.
Constant interaction
You might think that it is a big waste of time to constantly arrange meetings with your employees and a lot of work will be left unfinished, you are right. Most people make the mistake of calling in meetings that lost for a few hours and sometimes even more. Not only is this tiring for everyone, but the productivity of your company drops considerably.
Studies have shown that calling in much shorter meetings that get to the point can be a lot more effective than what you are used to. You can make the meeting as short as possible, but the optimal time is 15 or 20 minutes. You want to give your workers a bit of time to rest but warmed up too so they can easily get back to their jobs.
However, don’t just call them to a meeting where you have no idea what to talk about. We recommend that you first devise some kind of plan or schedule that you will follow throughout the meeting. Dedicate the first two or three minutes for the issues you want to focus on, then give your workers a few minutes so they can express their ideas and then use the last couple of minutes to finish up the meeting.
After a successful meeting, both you and your employees will feel refreshed and ready to work.
Avoid forcing projects
What do we mean by this? Well, you surely have had more than a dozen situations where you are close to a project’s deadline, but your project is not done yet. This type of situation can cause some serious panic around the company, especially if you order your employees to start cutting corners and to work overtime just so the work can be finished.
While this might seem like the best idea at such times, it is something that tires your employees and reduces the quality of your product or services. The true way to handle such problems is to take it slow. Yes, time is running out, but spending a couple of hours to plan how your days should pan out is a much better option than rushing things.
The German Entrepreneur and Business Owner Matthias Mende who operates out of Dubai recommends: “Motivate your employees with an increased payment rate when working overtime for the project. Even, offer them share options based on KPI’s and results. If you feel that you can’t deliver on time, then consult with your customers whether you can move the deadline or if you could give them a discount because you did not deliver your product on time. There are several other ways you could find the middle ground with both your employees and your customers which will help you keep your business stable and running. Mende adds that a good respectable reputation is everything”
