When you are a small business owner you have to remain constantly vigilant about keeping your expenses down in order to maximize your profits. However, sometimes it is necessary to spend a little in order to gain a lot.
Before you decide what purchases are worth it (and which are not) to invest in for your small business, you have to weigh many different factors. Of course, finances are the first thing that comes to mind. Will the expense be worth the expenditure in the long run? Will you be able to earn more money in your business because of the investment you make? You also need to consider other things too, like the time involved and how long it might take for an investment to pay off, as well as the future of your business and industry.
To help you decide what investments might be a good idea for your small business, here are some suggestions to consider:
A mentor or coach.
Having a business coach or mentor is essential when you are a young small business owner, but even if you already have a business established, you might still benefit from hiring a mentor or coach.
Business coaches can be hired, or you could choose someone you admire or trust who has been successful in your community. But don’t stop meeting with your coach or mentor once you have opened your business. Instead, continue to meet with them for at least the first few months after you start your business. They may still have some useful tips for refining your business. The time and money investment of doing so will likely be worth it as you might be able to avoid some of the mistakes the mentor or coach made with their business in the past.
Hire good help.
Hiring the right employees or contractors to help you grow your business is essential. Once you hire and train an individual and they leave, it can cost your business thousands to hire a replacement and get them up to speed.
Long story short, don’t just hire any warm body to fill a chair. Look for quality employees or contractors who are motivated and willing to work with you to ensure you both succeed in attaining your goals. The extra time you put in to do so could ensure the success of your business.
Tax and bookkeeping help.
Ensuring you have someone knowledgeable to keep track of expenditures, profits, payroll, taxes, and all of the other aspects of keeping the books is essential to the success of your business, whether that person is you or someone else you hire. However, if you hate accounting and often put off that portion of your business, hire it out to someone who is good at it and likes doing it. Spending the extra money may be well worth it. It could even save you from making some costly mistakes on your business taxes.
Advertising.
In order for you to be successful as a small business owner, people have to know about it. Therefore, advertising your business is available to provide something in goods or services, for the needs of others is very important.
In these modern times, of course, there are a number of ways to go about advertising. The different forms of advertising you choose will depend on whether your business is selling goods or services, so think about what type of business you are providing as well as the customers you intend to serve.
In addition, don’t overlook advertising on traditional methods, such as park benches, subways, and highway signs in addition to business cards, newspapers, and magazines. In addition, you will want to make sure you have a website and that the website is optimized for mobile. Also, consider a Facebook page to increase your visibility, and potentially, your profits.
A computer system.
This almost sounds like a no-brainer, but having the correct computer system for your business is essential whether you are selling a product or a service. You will need to think about how you will be using your computer and how certain employees will want to use their computer before you decide what the best set up is for your business needs. If you have a designer — this employee will already know what computer and what system they need. How will this information fit in with what you have decided on for a computer system?
How will your computer system work with the security team or IT? Will your system need a special rating, say like a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol? This will need a whole other consideration in the computer system you will be using.
Will you be taking work home from time to time or working primarily from home? If so, a laptop might be a better choice than a desktop system. This is especially true today with the better life balance movement.
To save yourself both time and money, think about potential growth when it comes to how large of a hard drive you need for what you do. The extra cost for a larger hard drive may not be worth it now, but having the ability to add to what you have could save you money later on.
Time.
Market Research, networking, and talking to customers about what they want and how you can improve to better serve them all take time. Staying organized will help you save some time, but overall, time is an investment you must also make if you are going to be successful in what you do.
Being a small business owner can cause you to question how to make the best decisions to be successful in what you do. Luckily, these six investments for setting up your business can help you make those decisions wisely and ensure the future success of your business.
