A responsible business owner should always be on the lookout for ways in which they can set their business up for success. After all, this means that you can continue to work as an entrepreneur for years to come, as opposed to having to return to the traditional 9-5 grind under somebody else’s leadership. In short, it helps keep the dream alive.
![](https://www.mommypeach.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/unnamed.jpg)
With that in mind, here are simple yet effective ways in which you can set your business up for success.
Improve upon your hiring practices. A large percentage of your success can be traced back to your team, particularly those in customer-facing roles. As a result, it’s important that you’re able to build a strong team, whether you’re hiring 5 employees or 500.
Fortunately, there are many different ways in which you can refine your hiring practices. For example, you should make sure that you are casting your net far and wide when it comes to the talent pool and that your hiring process is as accessible as possible. After all, while talent is everywhere, opportunity isn’t – and by giving a wider range of individuals an opportunity, you can tap into a world of talent.
You can also work to encourage applicants from top candidates by ensuring that you are running the kind of business that employees want to work for. This means that you should strive to offer a competitive salary (based on location and industry standards) and additional benefits, too. For example, this could include yearly or performance-based bonuses or employee wellness schemes.
However, it’s important to remember that the hard work isn’t over once your new employee has signed their contract. You also have to encourage them to stick around, especially when you take into account the fact that “turnover can cost employers 33 per cent of an employee’s annual salary.”
There are many different ways in which you can promote loyalty within your team. In addition to the practices outlined above, you should provide your team with numerous opportunities to grow and develop under your leadership. For example, you may want to subsidise the cost of additional training courses, which help them to sharpen their skills. This works to the benefit of your company, too, as they are better prepared for whatever challenges may come their way and are likely to be much more productive as a result of this.
Strengthen your defences against cybersecurity attacks. Studies suggest that small businesses are often the prime target of cybercriminals, with 46% of all cyber breaches impacting businesses with fewer than 1,000 employees. This can likely be attributed to the fact that hackers believe that smaller businesses will have less efficient cybersecurity processes in place, which, unfortunately, is often the case. Luckily, there are many different ways in which you can strengthen your defences against cyber security attacks, such as by:
- Providing your team with extensive cybersecurity training when they join your team and refreshing this knowledge annually.
- Setting strong passwords for all business accounts while also being sure to avoid using duplicate passwords that could leave you more vulnerable to an attack.
- Changing your passwords every three months, and encouraging employees to do the same.
- Ensuring your team know how to delete Google search history, which could otherwise mean that your data is left exposed to hackers. This can also help you to avoid harmful targeted ads.
Be proactive in your response to criticism. While you will start your business with the best intentions in mind, it’s important to remember that you cannot please everybody. This means that from time to time, you should expect to receive some criticism. However, you should also be sure that you are proactive in your approach to criticism. After all, if this negative feedback is on the back of a mistake you’ve made, then you need to be willing to hold yourself accountable. Not only will this help you repair your relationship with the dissatisfied customer, but it also means that you’re able to make changes moving forward to ensure that the same mistakes will not be repeated again in the future.
As such, while you may be tempted to hit that delete button whenever a negative review appears on your stage, try to view it as an opportunity to make things right instead. Always respond to reviews (negative and positive), as this is often considered to be a reflection of the level of respect you have for your customers. This can also help attract new customers, as studies have found that “57% of consumers are unlikely to use a business that doesn’t respond to reviews.”
Leave a Reply