Whether you’ve operated a small business for years, or are starting for the first time, your end goal is to grow and prosper. In order to do so, you need to not only plan for the successes, but for the problems that can arise in the course of doing business.
Small Business Problems
If you own a small business, you face a number of challenges each day. Unlike large corporations, your budget is limited. You don’t have a large team of experts at your disposal. You also need to keep up with the latest innovations in technology and marketing. There’s a lot to keep track of. [bctt tweet=”Is your small business struggling? Here are 5 common problems and the solutions you might be missing!” username=”ensteptech”]
Here are 5 common issues small business owners face:
- Outdated IT
- No Scheduled Analytics Reviews
- Ineffective Marketing
- Messy Communications
- Lack of Continuity
1) Outdated IT
Many small businesses will try to tackle all or most of their IT themselves, by tasking employees with IT management. Unfortunately, if IT is not what your employees were hired to do, then a lack of time and resources can cause big headaches for overworked small businesses. It’s impossible to keep up with potential threats, changing tech and new updates while performing a separate full-time job. Update your outdated IT by outsourcing to an experienced managed IT provider.
2) No Scheduled Analytics Reviews
With analytics informing your business decision making, you can discover, predict, visualize, model and act with confidence. If you aren’t regularly reviewing analytics you’re missing out on great opportunities to identify growth opportunities, capitalize on strengths and automate where appropriate. This will allow you to compete with large corporations with the same speed and agility.
3) Ineffective Marketing
Is your marketing strategy the same now as it was 10 years ago when you started your business? If so, you need a complete overhaul. Many small businesses don’t understand digital marketing and therefore fail to invest in it. The result is a business with virtually no online presence or recognizable brand. An investment in modern marketing strategies, web design and branding are always sound investments.
4) Messy Communications
If you have on-site and remote employees and customers from far and wide, your communications strategy has to be smooth and well-integrated. If you’re struggling to conference a call on your smartphone while customers look on impatiently, your communications need a second look. This might be a combination of hybrid cloud services to facilitate collaboration and voice services to make teleconferencing a breeze.
5) Lack of Continuity
A lack of business continuity can also be thought of as a failure to streamline. If you’ve pieced together a marketing strategy, have several clerical employees managing your IT and use a myriad of services for every division of your business, there is no structure or continuity, and chances are your attempt to save money will result in actually spending more. It’s the nickel and diming of processes and it just doesn’t work. Invest in streamlined, interconnected processes that are simple to manage and let your employees focus on growing your business!
Pro Tip: If you only plan for success you will not be prepared to overcome common failures or setbacks that face small business owners.
Build a Firm Foundations
In every aspect of your small business, from marketing to IT infrastructure, the most important thing is a firm foundation. With that, you can try new things and see what works without it affecting the core of your business.
Contact Us to learn more about how our managed IT services in Houston can help build your business.
