Having a business is not easy, and even successful business owners know this. But what is the secret to running a successful business and multiplying your results? You must focus on these 3 areas:
Operations: Operations is a very broad category, but it can be viewed as any activity that supports or creates and delivers the services or products that you are selling from start to finish. Many small business owners are very good with providing their service or selling their product. However, there are usually great improvements that can be made with efficiencies, employees, and using time and resources wisely.
Marketing & Sales: Surprisingly, some small business owners perform almost no marketing activities, but are actually marketing their business by their reputation, the way they deliver their services, the characteristics of their products, and the overall customer experience. Virtually all must sell to some degree as many interactions are sales opportunities. Think of restaurants that try to “upsell” a larger size or additional items, such as much needed desserts! Smart marketing and effective sales can help you to multiply your revenues, and it does not have to be expensive.
Financial: This is all of the boring stuff, such as accounting systems, cash flow, internal controls (to ensure more reliable financials and to reduce fraud), and managing receivables and payables. I have yet to see a business that does not either have cash flow issues or tax issues if they ignore this part of their business. Finances are a crucial part of every business and are mistakenly ignored or paid very little attention to. With proper attention to finances, a business can easily become more profitable, have greater cash flow, pay less taxes and interest, reduce stress levels, and have a greater sense of control.
An interesting observation is that all three areas are very interdependent upon each other. An improvement in one are will help the others, but on the flip side, if one are is lacking, then the others will suffer as well. If you need help with any of these, then please let me know.