Did you know that small businesses are the backbone of Oz, with 97.3 per cent (or around 2.5 million) of businesses being SMEs?
This means you can find many like-minded biz owners who are all too familiar with wearing many hats and juggling multiple tasks.
If you need more support in running a small business, you’ve come to the right place. Below, you’ll find pro tips for managing your business!
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1. SMARTen up your goal setting
Goals drive you and your team to stay focused and, as Hossam Afifi shares, “keep you on track and motivated.”
SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. By setting SMART goals, you’re more likely to achieve them because you clearly understand what you want to do, how you’ll measure your progress, and when you want to achieve it.
In the age of social media, success can be measured in several ways—sales, clicks, engagements, impressions, and more. Company goals should be based on your competitors’ moves, the market’s needs, and trends.
2. Keep a calendar to stay organised
Keeping a digital calendar shared with your teammates is a practice that will always do you right. Everyone can see the progress of current and upcoming projects, events, and other details to stay on top of deadlines.
When the calendar gets cluttered, or you suddenly need help organising and scheduling meetings, hire a personal assistant! These keen-eyed Taskers are excellent at creating solutions to maximise your business’ day-to-day happenings.
3. Perfect your social media strategy
Social media changed the game for how people discover new information. So, use it to bring more eyes to your business!
If you haven’t already, identify your target market and the platforms they’re regularly on. Second, develop a monthly strategy to drive visits and clicks to your website, page, or store.
That’s not all there is to it. Your business’ brand identity should speak well to your intended audience so they’ll be encouraged to explore, engage, and buy when they’re on your page.
This sounds like a whole world of tasks, but a social media marketing strategist can help. They can create monthly campaigns to help you achieve all your digital marketing goals.
4. Outsource what you can
Building a team doesn’t mean internally hiring a person for every department. Delegating tasks to a separate company or individual can help you save and allow you to focus on raising awareness about your business.
Instead, you can hire independent contractors! Plenty of freelancers provide accounting, tech support, and HR services to fill in any gaps in your company.
5. Always keep an eye on competition (and trends)
This will help you find your competitive edge over them—and some weaknesses. And that’s okay because life coach Kathryn Hocking says you can turn that into inspiration.
Knowing what they’re doing, creating, and launching lets you see their shortcomings and what you can do better. Plus, you can turn these same competitors “into a mentor, partner, or friend” who’ll “inspire you to greater success.”
6. Take care of your team
Already have a team you trust? Don’t forget to reward them and keep them updated on business wins and accomplishments. It will motivate them to continue working hard and giving you their best!
If you’re having problems with their work, avoid the urge to blame them. Instead, use the “sandwich method.” It wraps negative feedback in between praise and helps soften the criticism. Always end the discussion with your appreciation for your team—they truly are the heart of your business.
7. Be open to learning
As a small business owner, mistakes and hiccups are bound to happen. But that’s just all they are. You’ll continue to grow and strengthen your business if you see the lesson in each moment—and not count them as failures.
You can also regularly upskill to gain more knowledge. For instance, you could take another business management course or classes in marketing. Udemy, Coursera and more have loads of online courses you can take advantage of!
8. Join networking groups
A business mentor or an entrepreneurial support group can benefit you no matter which stage you are on your entrepreneurial journey. You can inspire each other, give advice, and get introduced to important contacts in the future.
Where can you find these people? Face-to-face networking events for businesses are the places to be. LinkedIn and online groups are also key.
9. Create an emergency fund
There will always be ups and downs when running a business. Put money away for a rainy day to protect yourself, your company, and your employees from those down days. This fund will keep your business afloat during the off-season and ensure it’s open by the next peak.
10. Be open to work for “free”
Vanessa Emilio of Legal123 says working for free is “worth it.” In this context, free work is giving out free consultations or a complimentary muffin for every item ordered!
Giving free work to the right people—possible clients, major content creators, editors, and the like—can lead to free marketing for your business via word-of-mouth. If they’re happy with your product or service, there’s no doubt they’ll rave about it to other people!
Need help running your small business? There’s a Tasker for that!
Following these small business hacks can increase your chances of success, but creating a team you trust is one of the best tips to propel your business forward.
Explore finding your most trusted consultants, freelancers, and part-time members on Airtasker. Many highly rated Taskers can add value to your team. They’re skilled in HR tasks, accounting, SEO, graphic design, IT and admin support, and even office cleaning.
Hop onto the platform to get more time on your hands—you’ll be so glad you did!
