Entrepreneurs and business executives typically have one goal in the back of their minds at all times; growing the company. There are many strategies for propelling a business forward, including increased sales, hiring employees, outsourcing logistical tasks, offering new products, and investing in personal development.
Getting your company to maximize its effectiveness is one of the primary responsibilities of c-suite executives. Leadership can cast a vision for the path forward, but it will be up to the rest of the team to implement those steps and improve the company’s position.
If you are a decision-maker within your company, either as the owner of the business or a manager of some level, then you have to find ways to promote growth. Here are a few tips that can push your business toward improvement.
Hire the Right People
If you started your own business, you were likely the first and only employee. To keep up with your dreams of growing, you will eventually need to add new team members to increase the productive capabilities of the brand. But hiring new employees is not enough if they are not the right people for your company.
Whether you need to hire executives who will be key decision-makers for the business or employees who can run the day-to-day, having a team with complementary skills is the key to success. You need people who can fill in the knowledge and skill gaps that you have. Before you start hiring new people, make sure that you have comprehensive job descriptions, criteria for your candidates, and lead generation systems to help you recruit.
Outsourcing can be a strategic approach to handle tasks that fall outside your core competencies, allowing you and your team to focus on your business’s primary goals and expansion. For instance, live call answering for commercial glass companies is a valuable resource for small glass companies that can’t afford a full-time receptionist. This type of outsourcing provides your customers with 24/7 customer service and saves you the costs associated with hiring a full-time employee. By delegating such specialized tasks to experts, you not only improve efficiency but also elevate the quality of service delivered to your clients, laying a stronger foundation for growth.
Invest in Your Leadership
Nobody is born with all the knowledge needed to run an effective business. Even those who have been executives for decades do not know the right way to do everything. When you recognize that your leadership abilities likely have some gaps, you will have a mindset that is open to learning how to improve.
Investing in your leadership skills could mean working with a business coach or a firm that specializes in operational planning. It is also wise to hire outside parties that can assist with large transitions, such as a succession plan or expansion. When the buck stops with you, investing in yourself and learning how to improve your leadership can be the catalyst for business growth.
Elevate Your Marketing Standards
A lot of companies make the mistake of throwing money at their marketing departments and hoping for results. While marketing may not be your specialty, how you lead this crucial aspect of the business can determine the level of success that the marketing branch will experience.
Task your marketing team with catering their message to the target audience. Make sure that messaging is consistent and follows the same tone through various marketing channels. Invest in presentation skills training or workshops for creative teams to increase their skills and knowledge. Encourage experimentation within the marketing campaign.
Some of the most effective brand awareness initiatives came from crazy ideas and innovation. If you promote the free flow of ideas within the marketing department and recognize the successes, then your employees will be inspired to work harder and provide additional value for the business, which will drive better sales.
Eliminate Wasteful Resource Allocation
Wasteful use of resources is one of the main obstacles that can hold a company back from serious growth. The biggest culprit is often busy work. When your employees are weighed down by logistical tasks that have to be done but use up huge chunks of time, they are spending less time on more important tasks.
Fortunately, there are tons of resources for automating processes and outsourcing these tasks to applications or software programs. Investing in these business innovations can free up time for your team members to focus on initiatives that can grow the company while technology handles the logistics.
Initial customer service interactions, accounting, data tracking, employee onboarding, and customer relationship management are just some of the tasks that can be automated, removing the burden from the shoulders of your people.
There are Many Paths to Growth
When you have lofty goals for your company, you need to grasp anything that can help you achieve those aspirations. Hiring the right people, investing in your leadership skills, elevating marketing standards, and automating tasks to free up time for your employees can all help you achieve growth, but other strategies could work as well.
Encourage personal and professional development for your teams. Encourage innovation and ideas from everyone. Build a positive work culture that improves employee retention so you can avoid lost time and resources when onboarding new workers. Attend conferences or trade shows within your industry to build your network and find new ways to provide quality products/services to your customers. If the goal is growth, then work with your team to find the strategies that will fit your business model.
