The first step in starting a new business, or major project within your business is quickly and efficiently evaluating what the chances of success are. Having an outside advisor with broad experience, who can see things from a different perspective, and draw on a range of data sources, third party inputs, and experience can make the all difference. Having confidence in your chances of success is priceless.
All businesses have systems, even if they don't develop them intentionally. "Throw receipts in a shoebox" is a system. "Put out fires as they happen" is a system. They're just bad systems. Having good systems, and procedures ensures you can spend a lot less time dealing with things that don't generate revenue. We can help you design or select efficient systems that will make your life much easier, freeing up more time for building your business, and doing things you enjoy.
If you keep doing what you're doing now, even if it works, eventually you'll probably run into trouble. This why you see so many businesses that have been around for years with "going out of business" signs. The market, technology, and buyer demands are always changing. Having an outside set of eyes regularly check up on what you're doing and helping you improve can be one of the most profitable things you do.
Deliberate, well executed, and consistent marketing in the single biggest thing which successful companies do, that struggling ones do not. This, coupled with poor business development is the root of why America's 500 largest companies make over 10× as much per-employee as the average small businesses.
Simply spending money every month because someone from the phonebook company calls and tells you it's a good idea is not a great way to decide how you spend your marketing dollars. Yet that's the single largest source of marketing expenditure we see in small businesses. Before you spend any money on marketing you need a comprehensive overall marketing strategy. You can then deliberately decide how much to spend, when to spend it, and where. It also gives you an immediate answer on where to allocate new revenues to ensure steady growth into the business you want.
It goes without saying that every dollar you spend on marketing should bring more than a dollar back. However much of the money small businesses spend on marketing is wasted. Poor execution is a big part of this. We believe strongly in a metrics-driven approach to marketing. That means tracking what's working and what isn't. It's not enough for your stuff to look good, and be in front of a lot of people. It has to generate revenue, or it's a waste. Small businesses can't afford to blow money on marketing that might work.
Successful, companies know that it's more cost effective to market constantly, than in fits and spurts. Unless you have a highly cyclical business it's almost certain you need to be marketing in an ongoing way. Doing a big push in one month, and nothing the next is a common mistake. We'll help you manage your marketing for the greatest return on investment.