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Starting a business is difficult, but it doesn’t stop there. Once you are up and running, you should be working towards the growth of your business. If you don’t, then you risk your business going into bankruptcy quite quickly. Unfortunately, many business owners will only consider what they need to do to get started and neglect the important activities that will not only keep their business running but also achieve year-on-year growth. Actively working towards growing your business is vital for its long-term survival. When your business grows, so do your profits. When your profits grow, have more money that you can invest back into your business. Your business needs a constant flow of investment so that systems can be up-to-date and improved, customers are satisfied, your staff are paid fairly and are upskilled, and much more. 

Every business will have different needs. Whether you have just started a business, or you have been on the market for a long term, every business could use a good review and plan. Take some time to consider any progress you have made, your strengths, weaknesses, your competition, your industry, and more. This will give you a good starting point to see what you need and the direction you need to be heading. With this information, you can begin to formulate a plan that is relevant to your business. 

To help you on your journey to growing your business, here are some top tips to help you get thinking about the right next steps for your business. 

Acquire more funding 

Money makes the world go round. Unfortunately, you are going to need more money to pump into your business if you want fast growth. It isn’t the only way forward – but it is a good place to start. Funding isn’t only necessary when business is failing. Obtaining funding is also something successful business owners do when business is going well, and it is time to expand. The only thing that will differ is how you prepare and apply for it. There are many ways that you can access funding for your business. Depending on where you are located and your business operates, you may be able to apply for a Government scheme for businesses. You can also obtain funding through angel investors, venture capital, bank loans, and crowdfunding sites. There are options such as using your personal funds, obtaining loans from friends or family, or using a credit card, too. 

Improve customer service

Much of the success and growth of your business will not only come from the money you invest into it but how well it functions and performs. The way that you treat your customers and the support they have access to can significantly change the success of your business, so you want to make sure that is for the better. Improving your customer service is a great way to increase word-of-mouth referrals, as well as retain more customers. It is cheaper to have repeat customers than it is to keep sourcing new ones. You should be constantly assessing your customer service, asking for feedback, and looking for improvements, especially as consumer behaviors regularly change. You can start by ensuring that your staff are trained regularly to be able to provide the best support, along with kindness and compassion. You will also need to ensure that you have the best and most efficient systems in place, to support your staff in their customer service, as well as your customers. This might include an accessible website and online shop, hosted payments for ISVs, and more. 

Hire and outsource skills 

For a business to grow, you need to have the right skills in-house. Many business owners will make the mistake of trying to do everything themselves or giving their staff too many hats to wear. Not only does this create unmotivated, unhappy, and burnt out staff members, but it also means that there is a limit to the skills that are utilized within your business. Instead, you should hire staff and train them to have a specific skill or job, so that they can do it well. If you don’t need these skills on a full-time basis, then you may consider hiring part-time staff, or outsourcing some work to contractors so that you can access specialist skills. Investing money in training staff, hiring the right staff, or outsourcing work to someone with specialist skills, is a great and effective way to grow your business. 

You should be thinking about how to grow your business right from the start. Follow these top tips to help you get started.