7 Things Any Small Business Owner Needs To Know


Managing a business entails many responsibilities, each of which needs to be taken care of diligently in order for your business to survive and thrive. While this can be daunting to first time business owners, there are ample methods of overcoming these obstacles and creating a sturdy foundation on which to build your company. Here’s what you need to know in order to manage your business effectively.

1. Finances

A business’s goal is inherently tied to finances, as any company wants to make as much money as possible. However, making money is only one piece of a larger puzzle. In order to make a profit, your expenses need to be subtracted from your gross income. Now, what does gross income mean?Opens in a new tab. Your gross income is all of your company’s revenue before any alterations are made. For example, gross income doesn’t include your expenses, and it doesn’t take into account the taxes you’ll owe on that income. Your profit is what remains after your gross income has your overhead costs subtracted from it.

2. Financial Experts

Keeping accurate records of your earnings and spending is crucial, as it allows you to tailor your approach to have the desired change on those numbers and to observe them changing in real teams. Accuracy is also important when it comes to reporting your earnings and filing taxes. For these reasons, hiring an accountant is essential, and a financial advisor can help turn those figures into actionable advice. While a shrewd business owner may be inclined to handle the finances him or herself and a small business owner may not have the budget, letting qualified professionals handle the numbers is an essential way to give this matter the attention it deserves without devoting too much of your time to doing an ultimately worse job. There are many situations like this in which hiring an expert in a given field is a no brainer, because they can simplify complex fields in order to produce better results. Despite the wariness some may feel about paying for prowess, these are investments that tend to pay for themselves rather quickly. Another example of this is in marketing.

3. Marketing

Marketing is one of the most essential parts of a business’s growth, as it allows a business to spread awareness of itself to the masses. Perhaps more importantly, marketing also engenders brand loyalty, and that means an audience of repeat customers. This is the single most important part of a business’s long term success, which means that nailing your marketing strategies is critical. Hiring a marketing firm is advised, because a given marketing campaign is multifaceted in nature, and it all ties into a brand that is also a form of marketing. Branding is the most essential part of marketing, as it gives the company a personality or a face of sorts that influences the content and tone of your other marketing strategies. For example, think of how company mascots appear in many ads and promotional materials; a mascot is one of many forms of branding. Branding typically entails aesthetic qualities that construct a narrative about your business, so it’s important that your brand speaks to your audience. Finding your audience is a matter of market research, as the best way to get to know your target demographics is data.

4. Data

Data is an immensely powerful tool, provided that the collection, organization, and analysis of said data follows protocol to an immaculate degree. Data collection comes in many forms, market research like surveys being one of the more common methods. Browsing data is also becoming a potent method of data collection in the digital age, and it’s the driving force of targeted advertisingOpens in a new tab. online. The organization of data is crucial to expediting the process of data analysis, because disorganized data points are harder to work with. Using organizational tools like Excel is recommended, and the IoT design philosophy enhances organization tremendously. Data analysis is another aspect of a given company that’s best left to trained professionals. It can be infinitely complex to a layperson, and even the experts are leaning heavily on emerging technological advancements to turn raw data into something more meaningful and actionable.

5. Social Media

Having an “online presenceOpens in a new tab.” is a crucial part of conducting business in the digital age, such that it has even enabled the proliferation of freelance creators. Social media is perhaps the most significant tool in the modern marketing arsenal, as social media has an audience that accounts for approximately half of the global population. Social media also offers certain mechanical advantages when it comes to marketing as well. For example, social media platforms offer paid ad space much like any traditional marketing platform, but those same ads can be posted to your account for your followers to see in perpetuity at no additional cost. Social media also offers instantaneous feedback from users, which expedites the process of market research immensely. Furthermore, the casual atmosphere of social media enables the building of a rapport with your followers that further cements the personality of your brand.

6. Supply Chain

The foundation of any business is the supply chain that allows retailers to maintain inventory. Likewise, non-retail businesses depend on supply chains to maintain their stocks of vital supplies such as paper, ink, and toner. The supply chain is a necessity, but that isn’t to say that you’re without choice in the matter. A business can save a lot of money by engineering the perfect supply chain, but it’s a matter of weighing quality against cost. For example, you can forgo distributors and wholesalers by buying directly from manufacturers, but this sacrifices the added value of the later stages of a supply chain. Alternatively, you can simply shop around for the lowest price you can get from distributors without sacrificing too much in the way of quality. Above all else, a distributor needs to be reliable in order for your company to remain in full operation. Therefore, you need to prioritize that reliability even when trying to find ways to cut costs.

7. Technology

Business and technology have always been, well, business partners. As technology emerges, businesses implement it into their operations, and this generates more research and development money for the manufacturers and developers who can further iterate and innovate in order to create the next big advancement. The technologies currently revamping the way businesses operate are cloud technology and IoT technology. Cloud computing is an incredibly powerful step forward in terms of computing power, as it allows multiple computers to connect and share resources in order to complete complex operations much more quickly and easily. Internet of Things (IoT) tech allows devices to be controlled and monitored remotely by interconnecting them to a central hub. Both of these emergent technologies have made the world much more connected and, therefore, much more productive.

Owning and operating a business is no easy feat. There are countless elements that need to be orchestrated immaculately. For a small business in particular, a single mistake can cause major ramifications. However, there are countless methods of countering every obstacle out there, as long as you know what you’re looking for. Using these tips, you’re prepared to set yourself up for success by using every tool in your arsenal.

Steve Todd

Steve Todd, founder of Open Sourced Workplace and is a recognized thought leader in workplace strategy and the future of work. With a passion for work from anywhere, Steve has successfully implemented transformative strategies that enhance productivity and employee satisfaction. Through Open Sourced Workplace, he fosters collaboration among HR, facilities management, technology, and real estate professionals, providing valuable insights and resources. As a speaker and contributor to various publications, Steve remains dedicated to staying at the forefront of workplace innovation, helping organizations thrive in today's dynamic work environment.

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