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When you are running a small business, there are going to be many hurdles to hop over. Whether it’s scheduling, inventory, customer relations, or staff relations, you are going to have a lot of balls up in the air, and you are going to have to find a way to juggle them all. There are some problems that have immediate solutions, and if you implement these solutions from the very beginning, you will be able to take a lot off of your plate. Here are seven business problems that you can easily solve.
What’s Your Brand?
Before you open your doors, what is your niche? What is it that you are bringing to the table that other people are not? When you find your brand, everything else falls into place. Your brand is your calling card and it lets the buying public know what you are all about and what your product is all about.
When you get your brand down, you can then launch an effective social media campaign, you will know where it is most effective to place ads, and you will know who your audience is, and you can continue to create content towards what they like. Get your identity down, and how you reach your people will be set firm.
How Is Your Scheduling?
When you run a small business, especially a restaurant, scheduling is very important. Your team is your sales people, and their presence is vital. When your team doesn’t show up on time or they don’t know when they need to be at work can cause a lot of headaches for you. Before the problem starts, implement an employee scheduling solution by using online apps and scheduling systems.
Schedules can easily be made through the app and everyone will get the same alert when the schedule is done, and everyone can look at the same document. There will never be a reason someone will not be able to see the schedule or know where they have to be. It is a great way to take one more thing off of your plate and a great way to solve a big problem.
Are Your Employees Satisfied?
Bigger corporations have a lot to offer their employees. There are raises and incentives and capital that is available for endless perks. When you are a small business owner, it is not so easy to offer your employees everything you wish you could, but you can make sure they are satisfied.
Doing small things like having employee incentives for a job well done is a great way to start like gift cards or an extra day off. Other incentives are flexible scheduling for people with children, or unlimited vacation time so people can take mental health breaks when they need to. When you treat your employees like human beings and see them for who they are and what they are going through, you will establish loyalty that’s strong and unbreakable.
How Is Your Time Management?
Your employees don’t want to be overworked. They want to do what they can in the time allotted to them. After all, everyone has a life to get to in their off hours. If you set up a system where everyone knows where they have to be and what they have to do, your team can prioritize their day and be more productive. The last thing a person wants is to feel rushed, overwhelmed, and overworked.
When you use software like Monday or Helpmonks, you can set up a system where all employees can see each other’s work, what everyone is working on, and what is required of everyone so there is never a breakdown in communication or what everyone needs to do for the team. Team members can be more efficient with their time and have a more pleasant work experience.
Who’s Handling Your Paperwork?
From the get go, if you can hire someone to take care of all of your administrative needs, do it. As a business owner, you are going to want to work with customers and clients, make sure your employees are okay, and continue to create that great product that everyone loves. Paperwork will be a thorn in your side that will never go away.
Hire an admin to take care of invoices, communications, and employee human resources needs. Outsourcing these jobs will save you so much time, and a person who is excellent at performing these tasks can take over and keep everything organized. Do this from the start, and you will never fall behind again.
Who’s Handling Your Finances?
Get an accountant. Plain and simple. Before you open your doors, open a business account, get a business accountant, and let that person guide you through the financial process. Numbers can be scary and they can take up a lot of your time, but if you hire someone to handle them for you, all you have to do is attend a meeting where everything can be explained to you.
When the numbers are explained, you will get a full picture of how your business is doing, what else can be done to make it grow, and forecasts can be brought to your attention where your business may be heading. There is no need for you to figure this out for yourself when capable professionals are on hand to do it flawlessly.
Offer Benefits
It can get pricey, but when you offer employees benefits, they will most likely stick around longer. Benefits are a hot commodity in today’s world, and they are essential. When you can offer your team good benefits at an affordable price along with all the other time management tools and recognition, they will feel as if they are more than just a team member, but rather a vital team member that is appreciated.
When you set things up from the start, your small business will then be fully concentrated on your product, and that is the reason why you went into business for yourself.
