Tips for Your Business in 2016

business-expansionI know it is only October but it’s never too early to start preparing for the next steps in your business. 2016 is right around the corner and it’s important to keep your eye on the prize when it comes to setting your business, your employees, and yourself up for success. Time to get everyone excited for wrapping up the year strong and starting the next one even strong. In this article you’ll find a few tips that i’ve found quite helpful and very important.

Give Employees a Say:

Allowing employees in your organization a chance to voice their opinions, questions, concerns, and more is vital to the success of your business and having a great 2016 year. Pending on how big your company is it could be a great idea to gather your teams together in one area to have a session of brainstorming and active planning. If you have a bigger company and its not manageable to have everyone collaborating together in the same space, employee a representative to lead these meeting in each division or unit of your business.

It’s important to ask the employees challenging questions. Questions about you and your business. Ask them about opportunities they see, current costs and how they can be lowered, how sales can grow, and how the company can better service customers. This invitation for employees to openly speak about the path of the company will open up new ideas and possibilities that may open countless doors to new business opportunities.

Allow Customers a Voice:

Just like you allowed your employees a voice, you must allow your customers. Your customers are the ones buying your goods or services and are the reason for your success. It is extremely important to show them that you care about them, what they think, and what they say. A company that ignores its customers is surely doomed to fail and missing a huge opportunity to better provide for customers around the world. Your goal should be to ask the penetrating questions that lead to operational input and truly see what they value so you can develop a plan.

Ask the customers questions like: What else would you like to see offered? Who are the chief competitors of your brand? Where can you extend certain lines of products or services?

Focus:

Focus on what your company does and never lose sight of it. Knowing your company’s core competencies will keep you on the right track and not derail at a critical juncture. Any opportunities that come your way must go through a strict process where they are carefully considered and weighed with facts and as much certainty as possible. Don’t get caught up in juggling too many projects at one time, remember how much you can handle. It’s ok to stretch yourself a little bit but always know your boundaries and limits.

Thank you for reading!

Irv Holmes