Contributed by our partner and FlintConf 2022 Sponsor, Aspiro Agency
An appetite for learning and an understanding that the business world is always evolving is essential for success as an entrepreneur. With the way the last few years have gone, it’s more important than ever to seek out opportunities for growth and stay up to date with the latest small business news. Here are five reasons you should continue learning as a small business owner.
Industries are Always Changing
If there is one thing in life you can count on, it is change. Nothing stays the same, and that definitely applies to small businesses. Look no further than how the pandemic affected small businesses. Restaurants in Denton (and beyond!) had to quickly shift their entire business around to cater to takeout traffic, which in turn changed how they managed their staff and processes. One positive consequence was customers were able to get alcohol to go and that change has been made permanent by Texas laws.
Supply chain issues were also at the core of the pandemic and that has forced small businesses to completely reevaluate what products and services they offer. Those supply chains are almost guaranteed to continue to be volatile, so staying on top of trends in the business community is vital if small businesses are going to survive. With inflation affecting several facets of those supply chains, developing efficient strategies and processes to avoid falling victim to lower profits — or even worse — bankruptcy and foreclosure.
Discover New Business Opportunities
New options for how to run your business are constantly being developed. From how to manage your website, to building a social media footprint, fresh tools are always at your fingertips. While it’s always important to focus on your bread and butter, small businesses can always expand and it doesn’t have to be all at once. Small steps to increase revenue or your customer base aren’t as difficult as they might seem.
Partnering with surrounding businesses is a slam dunk opportunity when looking to increase the awareness of your business. Finding those connections can be as simple as stepping outside. Pay attention to the budding businesses in your area and take note of what they’re doing. There are opportunities around every corner and it’s never too late to try something new. If it doesn’t work, scrap it and get back to doing what you do best. But taking calculated chances could be the difference between your small business taking off or fading into the abyss.
Meet New People
When hiring staff, especially for a small business, it’s crucial to add people to the team that each have their own complementary strengths. Meeting new people in the business community is no different. Everyone has their perspective on how a business should be run and keeping an open mind and attentive ear could be an easy way for you to improve your business. Connections are cornerstones of success and you can never have enough connections as a small business.
Aside from how meeting new people can help your business, just having someone to talk to about your struggles or your accomplishments can be invaluable. Bouncing ideas off them or having someone with a unique outlook on your business can only help. Moreover, you can feel better knowing someone else with business experience is on your side. Much like life, the more trustworthy people you have on your side, the better off you’ll be.
FlintConf 2019 attendees during a break
Level Up Your Customer Service
If you own a small business, most likely your staff is relatively small and many of your processes are streamlined. That means that the few people you employ constantly act as the face of your business. That’s why top-notch customer service should be a top priority, and is something that can always be improved on by learning about what others are doing. Most of the time, people return to businesses based on customer service alone.
There are a bevy of avenues to take when beefing up your customer service. Creating an ever-evolving, yet streamlined process for how to improve customer service is extremely important if you want to grow your business. Customers’ values and perspectives on how businesses operate are always changing and your business needs to change with them. There is no endgame for good customer service. It can always be improved and there will always be challenges to overcome.
Seeking out and discovering new methods to improve your customer service like attending a conference can pay off big time and finding ways to avoid those negative reviews can be invaluable to your business’ success.
There’s Always Room For Improvement
Whether it’s listening to your customers’ needs or improving your workplace environment, the arrow should always be pointing up for your small business. The second you think you’ve made it, that’s when the pitfalls come. Amazon started by selling books. Look at it now. Starbucks began with one store in 1971 and expanded to Europe and China by 1999. Now you can’t walk down the street without seeing a store.
Success obviously doesn’t happen overnight, but having a passion to progress should be at the heart of your business. Constantly reevaluating every pillar of your business is always needed and there’s always another avenue you can take to grow and perfect.
Ready to seek out an opportunity to learn from others and take your business to the next level? ? FlintConf has your back. Join us for a day of stellar speakers, the latest news and trends for entrepreneurs and small business owners, and actionable steps you can take to start or grow your business. Head here to learn more and snag your tickets!
