Little Things Your Small Business Needs to Run Smoothly
When starting a business, there’s so much to remember that it can be easy to overlook some small, but very important factors. Most are so concerned with things like registering the business, creating a business plan, raising capital, and getting new customers, that they forget about the little things that essentially make completing these tasks a lot easier. Rather than learn the hard way and risk slowing productivity, here are a few little things you’ll want to invest in for your startup.Business Phone System
A company without a contact number is viewed as untrustworthy in the eyes of the average consumer. Business communications are essential to staying connected and successfully operating a company. Unless you plan on handing out your personal cell phone and home number, you’ll need a company phone system in which customers and vendors can reach you. Fortunately, there are a lot of commercial phone systems you can invest in that cost very little. Some of the most commonly used are virtual phone systems, VoIP, self-hosted VoIP, and cloud-based VoIP systems.
PO Box
Whether you work from home or have a brick and mortar location, having a designated address for all corporate correspondence is especially important. Since you don’t want to give out personal information, getting a PO box is recommended. Many entrepreneurs have learned how to get a PO box online as a viable solution. Digital PO boxes allow you to see mail the moment it gets delivered saving you from making unnecessary trips to the post office which only slow down your momentum.
Marketing Tools
You won’t last very long in business if you’re not effectively marketing to your target audience. As the makeup of marketing has changed drastically over the past few years, it involves utilizing several different platforms on a continual basis. From traditional marketing channels like mailings, business cards, and flyers to digital marketing channels like social media, company websites, and blogs, you need to leverage tools to help you execute and manage it all. Positive news about the business published in print or online can also be considered an effective marketing tool.
Company Emails
An image is everything when it comes to managing a business, and your email says a lot about your brand. If you’re using your personal email account or free email accounts offered by major search engines, it doesn’t send a professional message to your recipients. You’ll want to invest in an email account that includes the company name. It gives the impression of professionalism and opens more doors for success.
Office Supplies
No matter what kind of business you run you’ll need core office supplies to do so effectively. This can include things like pens, pencils, paper, paper clips, toner, and more. Trying to keep track of your client files without file folders or making copies of contracts is often difficult to do when you don’t have those things on hand. Many new businesses set up company accounts with office supply retailers which allows them to order what they need in bulk so they save money and always have what they need on hand.
These little things may not seem like much, however, trying to operate professionally without them, could prove to be difficult. Not only does overlooking these key things make it harder to do things like making phone calls or file documents, they are also a driving force in your ability to build a professional image and reputation with your target audience. As you focus on the big things that matter when starting a business, be sure to include the little things, as they matter in a big way.