Tips For Running Your Small Business


Running a small business is tough, but you’re never really on your own. Tons of people are doing the same and meeting similar challenges every day. Here are some ideas that may help you from others who have been there too.

Hiring

Why we don’t usually look for experience when we hire. This employer usually hires employees with experience in the fields of science, finance, and law. However, in other positions the company prefers to hire people just out of college or with only a year or two of experience. Find out why. You’re The Boss

Some advice on hiring that first employee. Let’s face it, it can be tough. What exactly are you looking in your new hire. And how do you know whether you’ve got the right person or whether you’ve got some who just won’t work out at all. Here are some tips to consider. The Frugal Entrepreneur

Operations

Biz Bits: 5 tips for growing a small business. “They didn’t teach me that inbusiness school.” There is much to be learned from the school of experience, especially if you’re running a small business. Check out the 5 tips that are presented. Norwich Bulletin.com

Make health cheaper for small employers. Rising health insurance costs are hurting small businesses more than their larger counterparts. Costs are about 18% greater. Factors that affect this include higher risks due to a few employees with health problems being a larger percentage of the employees, and, because of their size, they can not afford to self-insure. Additional costs are incurred by small businesses in switching insurers constantly to try to find a better rate. Bloomberg BusinessWeek

Growth

When it’s time for a small business to grow up. Growing up in most cases infers, among other things, enlarging the size of your workspace. This can be a scary time for small business owners, but it also has its good points. It gives your customers a good feeling in that they know you will be there for them for a long time. When considering such a change, the owner should make a list of pros and cons and do a thorough analysis. Forbes

Tips for updating your Website. Business expansion isn’t confined to just the fiscal space your company inhabits. Increasingly, today there is your business’s digital presence to consider as well. Your company’s Web presence must be considered a work in progress. Tweaks are always needed to take things to the next level. Small Business Marketing Tools

Marketing

How to nurture prospects. Here’s a tongue and cheek look at the sometimes over competitive view of marketing and a better approach centered around growing your business and nurturing a relationship with your customers. Isn’t this a better way to look at marketing? Copyblogger

The first rule of marketing? Don’t be boring. If you are, says blogger Jackie Purnell, you have no one but yourself to blame. How do you know if your content clicks? Are you providing diversity? Are your followers never quite sure what you’ll do next? Ask yourself what you expect in the content that you follow. Respectfully Disobedient

Leadership

Being your own superhero. When you run your own business, you have the last word…and the responsibility to fix all of the problems that arise. While it might at first feel empowering not to have anyone else’s permission, it’s also a huge burden. Fortunately, your tights and cape are waiting. Chris Brogan

5 Styles of leadership. Which one will you choose? As a small business owner, you lead your organization, even if, in the beginning, it is an organization of one. What is your leadership style and how do you prefer to lead your company. Your style should be governed by your personality and by what style works best for you. Small Business University Blog

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  1. For a small business, hiring the right team members is crucial to success. Many small business owners have never hired and/or managed people before and it’s sometimes these mistakes that start them on the wrong path. It makes matters worse when you (like most of us) have a strong dislike for confrontation and avoid firing people we never should have hired.

  2. Thanks for including my article on Tips for Updating Your Website as a Growth strategy for small businesses. There are so many web tools available today to keep a website fresh & evolving… small businesses should always stay focused on how they can make website updates or improvements to stay competitive.

  3. Great tips, and very helpful when it comes to keeping the big picture in mind. Too often small businesses and entrepreneurs get caught up in certain specific aspects and neglect other crucial components.

  4. Thanks for including me in this great roundup of information, and introducing me to other great content providers.

  5. Great post it was really useful.. The tips that was mentioned in this article was awesome one.. Yeah it was really useful..thanks for sharing it…

    Sowrabh Sharma “sab”