Prioritize the most important tasks
Every day, make sure each team member is focusing on the task that will move the needle the most for your business. This task should be the first to be completed each working day. Keep removing the most important tasks. Small businesses do not have the resources available to get caught up in non-critical tasks.
Ask others how you can help
The first inclination of small business owners is to ask others to help their business succeed. Instead, ask others how you can help them. You’ll be amazed at how much you help your small business grow by asking others how you can help them first.
Take your personal touch seriously
Take your personal touch seriously. Giant corporations cannot deal with customers as individuals, but smaller companies can. In fact, this is why customers often choose smaller businesses in the first place. They want to feel that they care and that the company cares about who they are and what they want.
Hire humble, adaptable staff
Hire humble, adaptable staff who enjoy having one-time shifts with different random jobs coming out. Managers of large corporations will try to delegate, throwing the ball down the ladder when there is no one to catch it. If an employee has too much ego to roll up and fix the printer, your company will suffer.
Automate as many tasks as possible
Automating as many tasks as possible helps you to be more productive, even if you have a small staff. An especially effective practice is outsourcing, which is a way to get extra help without the costs or responsibilities of hiring employees. Outsourcing time-consuming jobs, be it web design, content creation, IT, SEO, or anything else, allows you to focus on your core business.
Prioritize customer service
Prioritizing customer service gives your business the opportunity to turn dissatisfied customers into loyal customers. If you can be there in a pinch, you can alleviate the problem and fulfill your brand promise.
Be professional
Everything about you and your way of doing business should let people know that you are a professional running a serious business. This means getting all the equipment, such as professional business cards, a business phone and a business email address, and treating people in a professional and courteous manner.
Write a business plan
The main reason to start a business plan first when you are thinking of starting a business is that it can help you avoid wasting your time and money starting an unsuccessful business.