Whether you’ve just started on your small business journey, or you’ve been in the game for years, it’s easy to quickly feel overwhelmed. Every small business owner has a lot on their plate, and keeping up with it all can be difficult at times. Unfortunately, there is no step-by-step guide to follow when starting your small business, but we’re here to look at a few must-haves that might just get your small business ahead of the rest.
If you’re running a small business you’re probably doing something that you love, or something that you’re good at. Maybe you’re a skilled florist, an exciting events planner, or a niche builder and home designer. Whatever your speciality is, it’s impossible to understand the business behind the brand. Not everyone is an accounting and budgeting whizz, or marketing professional. Luckily, you can always hire a small business accountant like SureBooks to give you the freedom you need to run your business the best way possible.
It is important to get organised when running a small business, and that might mean outsourcing work and tasks you can’t do yourself. Using an accountant for small businesses is just one example of outsourcing that can help your business grow quickly and efficiently, by giving you the time you need to focus on your strengths. Following these 8 small business must-haves will increase your performance and productivity, and therefore help you get your profits rising!
Verify Your Online Listings
Every small business should have an online listing with their website on the internet. These are the pages that display your small business information on search engines and sites that review businesses. A few popular examples include:
- Tripadvisor
- Hellopeter
- Yelp
It is important to take some time to verify your listings so that customers can be certain your business is valid. It gives customers a sense of reassurance when they are researching your business, especially for new customers that haven’t used your services before. Your online listing is often the first thing customers see when they search for your business, therefore it needs to be as accurate and up to date as possible.
Verifying your listing means you are ensuring that all your contact details and addresses are up to date, and makes your online presence look professional. It also allows customers to leave a review. If you are running a good business with good reviews, new customers will know your services are trustworthy. You are also able to reply to reviews, keeping the communication active between you and your customers.
Use a Small Business Accountant
The goal of any small business is to make a profit, and everyone wants to grow their business and profits to reach their full potential. Using a professional accountant can benefit your business drastically, making this goal a reality by ensuring your finances are kept on track. A business accountant can manage your finances and everyday expenses, and keep record of all your budgeting and financial needs.
Using the right, professional small business accountant such as SureBooks also means you can rely on them to get your business through frustrating tax times and audits. You may even save on taxes in the long run if they are completed properly by one of our professionals. Using SureBooks as your small business accountant means you will always have experienced, working professionals to advise you on your tax needs and decisions.
Using SureBooks as your small business accountant can also alleviate risks in your business as we are there to put all our focus on your accounting needs, and can prevent your business from going into a financial crisis. When you use a qualified small business accountant you are able to focus on growing your business, without being troubled by your accounting issues
Have a Professionally Designed Website.
Creating a professional and eye-catching website is one of the best ways to get noticed by your customers and clients. We’ve all heard the age-old saying, “don’t judge a book by its cover,” but the same concept unfortunately doesn’t apply to your website. Your website is a representation of your small business’s capabilities, and having a professional, well-designed website is a great way to show your customers that you can provide them with quality service or products.
A well-designed website can go a long way, and it is a resource of information for your clients. It gives your small business a voice and lets customers know your story, along with other important information about your business. Potential customers can read up about your business or services, and it may entice them to support your business.
Having an online website also gives you the opportunity to create and develop a mailing list. This is a great way to increase your online presence, and grow your marketing strategy. Creating an extensive mailing list can also allow you to sell products or services to a wider market, and you can reach customers that you perhaps couldn’t get to before. It will also allow you to send updates on specials or sale options.
It is important to use an experienced website designer or trusted company to design your website. Using professionals to design your website, and a quality small business accountant for your financial needs can open the doors to meeting other professionals. Speaking to someone who is an expert in their field could advise on other areas of your business that have been overlooked by you. Perhaps they can introduce you to other professionals or services in their industry that your business is lacking.
Prioritise your legal information
Prioritising your legal information will ensure your business runs as smoothly as possible. It is a good idea to ensure that your business complies with the legal requirements right from the start to avoid any future issues which may arise. Keeping up to date with the compliance guidelines for your business can save you time and money on lawyer fees in the future.
Ensure that you check the health and safety rules and regulations for your business, making sure your staff are aware of these too. Keeping staff well informed will make sure everyone stays on track and sticks to the rules. Your staff will also appreciate feeling looked after if their safety is a top priority.
Make sure you register for tax and follow your business tax requirements. This is made easier by using SureBooks as your small business accountant to assist with your tax and financial needs. Making sure your business is registered as a company may also help you save on taxes. Continue to get the best professional advice from using a small business accountant.
Consider getting a business phone
Running a small business means it takes up tons of your time, and it is sometimes difficult to separate work life and personal life. One way to keep your business running as its own functional entity is to get a business phone with its own number, this means calls are streamlined and it is easier to get to all of the important ones. You will also have to deal with less spam coming through on your personal phone.
Having a business phone means great customer service. Communication is a key aspect of keeping your clients and customers happy. Having a business phone means you can keep workflow consistent by ensuring there is always a friendly staff member available to answer the business phone when you are not able to.
Use good software for your billing and invoicing
No matter how small your business is when you start out, you will most likely still have moments where you need to deal with multiple customers and clients at the same time. If you don’t have efficient invoicing software you can easily oversee important outstanding payments. This can quickly make your business lose money and become a disastrous issue.
You should use software that is quick and easy to generate invoices. This will make sure your customers’ waiting period is as short as possible, and give you time to be present where you are needed elsewhere. Using good software can alleviate human error and ensure payments and billing is as accurate as possible. Your data is kept safe, and cannot be tampered with without permission.
Invoicing software is an important aspect of organisation in your business. It keeps all your information in one place and saves an enormous amount of time when you need to search for a specific invoice to query. It also allows your business to look professional and shows your customers that you are capable of giving them the service they are looking for.
Find the best financial tools for your business.
Managing a Business well means finding the best tools available to suit the individual needs of your small business. It’s important that you continuously research which tools are available to aid your business, especially when you are trying to keep up with growth. Your business may suddenly seem much busier than before, or the needs of your business could change quite quickly. Being able to adapt the way your business is run, and the tools you use to support your business is a great skill to have for any small business owner.
For example, creating a business account and owning a business credit card can be a good tool for certain businesses. It can improve the credit score of your business and allow you to receive special discounts or rewards relevant to your business. Streamlining your expenses by using a business credit card is also an effective way to keep track of your expenses and make budgeting easier. Consult your small business accountant for more information regarding the benefits of a business credit card for your business.
Other Popular Financial Business Tools:
- Budgeting tools and software
- Software to manage stock count and inventory
- E-commerce
- Expense tracking tools
Put yourself on the map with a location tag.
Location tags are a great way to increase your visibility on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. If you have clients visiting your store or small business it’s a great idea to create a location tag. Clients can tag you on their social media if they upload an image or share comments on these platforms whilst they are visiting your small business.
If you use social media as a form of marketing, it is proven that posts with a location tag get more engagement than posts without. If clients or customers are sharing your location on their social media, you are automatically reaching a wider audience. Count it as free advertising not to be missed!
Ensure you are taking all the right steps to develop your small business by outsourcing correctly. Using SureBooks as your trusted small business accountant will guarantee your finances are being managed accurately, giving you time and energy to work on some of the business must-haves listed above.
