Small business tools for business growth
Whatever you want to achieve in your business, you will need business tools to get there. Every business owner needs to have access to a selection of tools – it just isn’t possible to build a business alone without additional products, skills or services.
Whether you buy software or apps, learn additional skills yourself, buy in outsourced help, employ staff or use another method to acquire these business tools, it’s wise to get the help you need sooner rather than later.
Software and Apps
When you’re putting in place systems and processes in your business, software and applications can make your business life a lot easier. Using an accounts package that automatically syncs with your bank account will save you and your staff a lot of time and allow you to produce automatic reports as often as you need.
Other useful apps to think about are those that help with payroll, customer databases or CRMs, email marketing services and for remote staff and teams, time tracking or project management and communications apps can be beneficial.
Employing staff
Employing your first member of staff can feel like a big leap, as can growing your team, but the upfront expense is usually far outweighed by the benefits of employing a valuable member of staff who can take some of the more menial tasks off your hands. Or it may be that they’re able to take on things that you just don’t want to do, or that don’t suit your personality or skills.
Outsourcing
Most business owners will pay an accountant rather than attempt to deal with the business’s tax affairs themselves, but there are other things it makes sense to outsource too. Using an HR consultant will ensure you are following the correct procedures with your employees, and working with a business coach or advisor, will often pay for itself, as you’re able to pursue business growth in a more strategic and systematic way, leading to greater business success.
Building a sustainable business
A business coach will help you with business strategy, so that you build a sustainable business. For example, it would be no good to just work on your sales and marketing, and bring in more leads, if you didn’t have the systems and processes in place to handle the extra workload. It’s important to have a well-structured business plan, to avoid the challenges that can occur if you work on things in the wrong order.
What BizSmart clients say:
“BizSmart is tailored completely to my business needs and shows me how I can grow as a business. I can already see a plan forming for the future.”
Alex Sharp, Alex Sharp Photography
“BizSmart has given us independent eyes that are able to see the business from the outside. There’s a clear and methodical approach and it’s well structured.”
RachidTaibi, The Upright One
Effective business planning will help to ensure you grow your business in the right way for long-term growth and value rather than short-term profit.
To see how your business measures up right now you can use one of our business tools to get your Value Builder Score. Simply answer a few questions here. It only takes around 13 minutes to complete and gives you a chance to find out where your business is in terms of value.