Find Information On Running A Business
There are two major reasons why people start businesses- to impact the society positively through solving existing problems or market gaps and to earn an income while at it. However, most business people underestimate what it takes to run a successful business. This is compounded if you do not have the proper mindset and networks to help you adapt your approach to suit the prevailing circumstances. Whether it is a seemingly simple business or one that solves a more complex problem, there are basics that every entrepreneur must fulfil to run the business successfully. These cut across industries, size of business, stage of growth and other metrics.
The business finances
A business person needs to understand or at least have a basic understanding of the core financial figures. Why? If you do not understand how much money your business is making, how much money you are using in different business processes and production, then you will not have a holistic vision of where the business is and where it is headed. For example, for a photocopier hire business, you must understand the revenues per photocopier, the cost of running a photocopier, the profit mark up and margin, the breakeven numbers and so on.
Business success is mostly measured through its financial figures. Besides, this having financial skills ensures that you can supervise your finance team with ease, help them come up with accurate key performance indicators and appraise them appropriately when time comes. A lot of businesses have failed due to the owner's ignorance with respect to business finances.
The team
One of the best skills to develop as an entrepreneur is talent identification, matching and management. You understand your business, the vision and mission as well as the skills that will help you achieve this vision. You are therefore best suited to identify talent, hire it and ensure that this talent is put into good use in the organisation- ensuring the right people are in the right seats. This is especially vital with the initial team. With time and as the business expands, you can train the human resource personnel on how to do this successfully so that you can focus on the management aspect of the business. Always keep in mind that the team can make or break your organisation.
Marketing and sales
This is the unit responsible for attracting, converting and retaining clientele. Developing and calibrating your sales and marketing processes to suit your business is essential. Here, there are different questions that you must answer. What is the client conversion process? What is the value proposition of the company? What mental space does your business want to occupy in the mind of the target clientele? What does it take to achieve this? What tools will be required to facilitate efficiency and accuracy in the process? Without clarity on this, you cannot provide clarity to your team and your business will suffer.
In addition, all company employees, irrespective of their title and role must understand the sales and marketing processes and follow them when need arises. When a potential client walks into or contacts your business, they have no idea as to the hierarchy and capacity of each employee. And in some cases, they may request information and guidance on company products from the first person they talk to or meet. As such, when everyone knows how to handle potential and existing clients, it is an added advantage for the company.
There is so much more that goes into running a business and as a business owner or entrepreneur, you must be prepared to deal with it all. Even if you have the team to run different departments or units, it is your responsibility to ensure that everything is done well and is geared towards the attainment of the big picture. To do all this, you must constantly improve your mindset and your skills over time. This can be done through extensive reading and research as well as surrounding yourself with the right people.