7 simple strategies to do better business
Better business strategies are about your products or services. Not about how much you like them, but whether it meets your customer’s needs and whether your customers want to pay you for it. If that also yields more than you incur in costs, then you are well on your way. But there is always room for improvement.
Entrepreneurship is great fun, but it also has enough bumps, obstacles, and setbacks. Read the seven simple better business strategies to get ahead of your future.
The 7 better business strategies:
- Get up an hour earlier or work an hour longer
- Focus on the most critical work and free yourself from the “busy” work
- Ask for help and delegate tasks
- Don’t be afraid to fail, that only increases the chance of failure
- Use other people’s property
- Surprise your (potential) customers
- Take an extra day off
#1 Get up an hour earlier or work an hour longer
We have become so used to the ‘9 to 5’ rhythm (depending on where you live, of course) that you quickly adapt to that flow. While you have typical morning people who are productive at the time and people who only experience their peak in the evening and make up for their whole day in one go. If you are a morning person, get up an hour earlier to work. If you are more productive in the evening, work an hour longer. But use that time wisely. So, work on high-priority matters or that require thinking.
#2 Focus on the most critical work and free yourself from the “busy” work
Being accessible anywhere and anytime has a disadvantage. You can lose yourself in all the hassle of phone calls, emails, and social media. You can be busy all day without accomplishing anything. Research shows that you are better able to devise a schedule in the morning (even if you are an evening person). Therefore, the tip is very simple. Start your first hour in the morning, thinking about what you want to achieve that day. Do not check your mail or social media until you have your today’s plan ready.
#3 Ask for help and delegate tasks
For many entrepreneurs, delegating is a tricky task. Sure, you are used to picking up and carrying out many things yourself. That also makes you enterprising. No matter how difficult, make sure others take over or perform your tasks for you. Which means you can focus on what you are good at. So, ask for help or organize your work smarter. Dare to let go of tasks, because it also has to do with confidence. It makes it difficult for many entrepreneurs to delegate tasks.
Tip: start with small, precise tasks that you outsource. As your confidence grows, so does the amount of work you can transfer.
#4 Don’t be afraid to fail, that only increases the chance of failure
You have to make mistakes. Not to torment yourself, but to learn from it. Entrepreneurship is a great adventure. Many things are new and challenging to estimate in advance. So, take the first step and don’t be afraid of a misstep. Just do it and gradually discover what you can do better. You learn so much more from doing than wanting to get everything under control before taking the first step too carefully. Also, get to know yourself and dare to recognize weaknesses.
#5 Use other people’s property
Small business owners can make smart use of the strengths and qualities of others. Work with companies or organizations that have something you don’t have. Customers or mailing lists that you may use. For example, a joint promotion or a collective sale. Feel free to be creative in that. Go to a strange industry. If there is a win-win, the deal is quickly sealed.
Tip: look at how supermarkets or the catering industry do this, which regularly come up with creative promotions.
#6 Surprise your (potential) customers
Whatever the product or service you sell, doing better business strategies is about adding value to your customers. These are, of course, primarily your existing customers, but also your potential clients. Surprise them with something unexpected. Of course, you can also collaborate with others. It helps them and you. See strategy no. 5. Use the extra hour that you got from tip no. 1 to work out some excellent plans.
#7 Take an extra day off
Also a difficult one for many owner-managers: taking a day off. And I mean really taking time off, so no mail or social media at all. I think that is one of the most challenging things to do. But as much fun as your job is, and you might not even see it as work, sometimes take a full distance from it. It may sound a bit strange, but it can spark the fiery passion you already experience when you turn the “button” back on.
With entrepreneurial greetings,
Martijn
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