Running a business is by no means a simple feat. There are all sorts of steps you need to take no only to establish a company, but to make sure that it keeps up and running. Of course, you’re going to have to focus on things like product design, product testing, market research, advertising, marketing and more.
But there are some more niche areas that often get left behind that you will need to focus on to really get the most from your business. Here are just a few areas that you should really take into consideration!
Carry Out Team Building Activities
When you start running a business, you tend to take the bulk of the work on your shoulders. But as time goes by, you’ll quickly find that you need the help of a team of staff to keep your company up and running. There are all sorts of responsibilities you have to take on with this. You have to focus on health and safety to provide your workforce with a safe, healthy and comfortable work environment each and every working day. You have to pay staff on time. You have to deal with staff complaints. These are the bare minimum essentials of being an employer. But to generate as much profit as possible, you’re going to have to go above and beyond. This will improve staff satisfaction, improve upon staff retainment (minimising recruitment costs) and creating a more positive and productive working environment. In order to get the most you can from your team, you’re going to have to invest in team building activities. Many companies consider these a waste of time and money, but team building really will boost your operations and profits. Here’s a little more on the subject.
Why Consider Team Building?
While employees may initially be reluctant to get involved with team building activities, they will quickly get into them. Team building activities are specifically designed to break the ice between employees, opening up communication that can be used back in the office to resolve work based problems.
Team Building Ideas
Whether you want to dedicate a full day to team building, or just a few hours, there are countless ideas and options that you can try out. Here are just a couple to consider.
- Drawing Games – drawing games can really help to improve communication between your staff members. Start by splitting them into pairs – preferably with someone in the team who they do not usually work with or communicate with. Give one team member a piece of paper with the name of a common item on it and one person a piece of paper to draw the item on. The aim of the game? One person needs to verbally explain what it is the other needs to be drawing, or how to draw the object. This will improve this person’s communication skills. The other will have to draw the object, focusing on what the first has to say and implementing it their suggestions.
- Treasure Hunts – if you’re looking for a full day project, treasure hunts are a great idea. It’s likely you’ve carried out a treasure hunt during your childhood or with a child at some point or another. The premise remains the same in a team building treasure hunt. In order to complete a treasure hunt, your team will need to work together, implementing effective time management, collaboration and problem-solving. These are all skills that will be extremely useful back in the office environment. It’s a good way to get staff to form friendships and bonds too!
Invest in the Right Equipment and Software
Every business requires equipment and software to keep afloat. You really can’t get by without it. Here are a few investments that you really should consider making.
Practical Equipment
There are certain pieces of practical equipment that will take your business a long way. Something as simple as a WilsonPro cell phone signal booster can make all the difference to the way your business operates, ensuring that you can always take any calls that you need to and reducing client or customer disappointment if they don’t get an answer. Something like ergonomically designed furniture and tools can make sure that your staff avoid issues such as repetitive strain injury. The list really goes on here. If you notice an area of your business that is struggling or falling below par, chances are there’s some practical equipment out there that will help you better achieve your goals or care for your staff.
Custom Software
People tend to take whatever software is available to them when first running a business. We tend to go for the premade software that we’re familiar with and know how to use. This is fast, straightforward, saves time and can be relatively cheap with the subscription service offers that companies like Microsoft and Adobe offer. We create word documents to set briefs, invoice and send to employees, clients and partners. We edit our product photos on Adobe Photoshop. The list goes on. However, premade software is made to loosely tick many people’s boxes rather than to specifically tick your boxes. This can see you lose time and can limit the work you can do. This is where custom software can come into play. While generalised software is ready to download as and when you purchase and created with the mass market in mind, custom software is built on your terms to suit your needs. It will complete any functions that you want – even those that are extremely specific to your company and how it runs. It streamlines your process and makes day to day life easier for your staff. To have software developed, get in touch with custom software developers. It may require a little back and forth to get the final results you want and need, but the whole process is more than worth it!
Build a High Quality Website
Sure, most of us are aware that our businesses should have some sort of online presence nowadays. But so many of us underestimate the potential power of a website for our brand and for our sales. Think about it. Ecommerce is on the rise. Some of the world’s most successful businesses are entirely Ecommerce based. Just take Amazon as an example! People simply love to shop online. They can shop from the comfort of their own homes and have goods delivered to the comfort of their own home. It’s good for your business too! You can operate around the clock. You can make sales on an international basis with the simple addition of an international shipping option. You can use your site as a space to establish your brand. The list goes on. So, you really do need to focus on your website and webpage design. So, where do you start?
Secure a Domain
First and foremost, you need to secure a good domain name. This is essentially the address that people will type in to get to your website. Ideally, this should include your brand name in the site URL. This will come across as much more professional and will also help people to find your site with more ease. Some domain names can be costly, but this is an investment you need to make!
Collaborate With Web Designers, Developers and UX Designers
The next step you need to take is collaborating with a competent web designer and web developer. These professionals know the ins and outs of what works well and looks great on a website and what doesn’t. It’s absolutely essential that you focus on both aesthetics and functionality, as these are both essential for a great site. Sure, you can have a great looking site, but if people don’t know where to click to get to where they need to be, they’re quickly going to exit the tab and shop with someone else. There are various studies out there that have gone to show that people will generally decide within a matter of seconds whether they’re going to stay on a site or click the exit tab. You really do need people to stay to get them to make purchases! When consulting these designers, make sure to let them know your branded colours, your logo, your branded fonts and different pages you’ll want included on your site. This could include things like product pages, an about page for your brand, a contact page and additional features such as a mailing list sign up. A UX designer can also come in helpful, ensuring that your site works and is exactly what your customers and users will expect.
Sure, this may seem like a lot of information to take on. But it really is important that you bear all of these aspects of business operation in mind when running your small business. They really will help you to generate more profit, so are more than worth the focus, attention and investment!
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