Business is all about marginal gains. Nowhere is this truer than in a startup. Startup business can often struggle to survive for many reasons. A lack of funding, leadership, and ambition can all stop a fledgling business in its tracks. Another reason for failure is not paying attention to the finer details. Marginal gains are all about the tiny changes you can make to improve your business. Small as they are, add them up and over time they’ll give you and your business the edge. Here are some small changes you should make that could yield big results…
Taking Care Of Your Staff
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Your staff will be the driving force of the business. They’ll be the ones making connections, securing customers or clients, and acting as your ambassador in everything they do. A workforce which feels undervalued and unappreciated is not going to work as well as one that does. Members of the team who feel like their opinion matters will work harder and be more passionate about what they do. Making them much better equipped to spread the word about your business and deal with customer inquiries. So how exactly can you take better care of your staff?
The Personal Touch
Don’t be out of touch with the people who work for you. Set up regular meetings with your staff to assess the ongoing situation. See first hand what their strengths and weaknesses are, listen to their feedback, and respect what they have to say. Taking care of your staff in this way will boost morale.
Health And Safety
It may sound obvious, but you’d be surprised at the number of startups that overlook the smaller essential details. Health and safety are of paramount importance. Whilst your staff are on the premises they are your responsibility and you need to ensure they are safe. Taking better care of your staff means having a thorough and effective health and safety training program. All new starters will have to go through this training. Regular refresher sessions should also be scheduled.
Working Environment
Making sure that your staff has a good environment to work in is a great way of taking care of them. You may be trying to save money but you will need to get comfortable computer chairs, good desktops or laptops, and a well-maintained bathroom. If you have members of staff who are on their computers all day you’ll need to make sure their screens are at eye level. This will avoid them having to crane their neck and getting injured. Similarly look into Commercial Window Tint Film by SolarTex, Inc. The film they provide is energy efficient, so it will keep costs down. But it also gets rid of the harsh glare that can sometimes interrupt and office. It also reduces the amount of UV damage for those in the office too.
Back To Brand Basics
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Branding is important for any business but especially a startup. Nobody has heard of you yet so strong branding will get your name out there and get you noticed. Which, in turn, generates sales. The problem is, most startups ignore the absolute basics of branding. They rush this step and think that it’s not as important as the bigger picture. They would be so wrong. Spend some more time on branding basics right at the genesis of your startup. It’ll pay dividends later on.
The Idea
First and foremost you need an idea. This may seem obvious but you’d be surprised at the amount of startups which have a generic and poorly thought out idea. Your idea should be something you’ve thought about for years. It should be something you’re passionate about, but that can also be monetized. You also can’t have a copycat idea. It could be similar to other companies but you have to offer something different. Something that sets you apart from your competitors. You’ll then need to come up with a business plan that fits your idea. Be an expert on both the idea and the business plan. Startups can fail when the boss doesn’t have enough expertise in the subject area.
Marketing Maestro
Marketing is not something to be overlooked either. Marketing is no longer as simple as sending out a tweet and some Instagram posts. There are people who are highly trained in marketing and understand the intricacies. You’ll need these people onboard. They can come up with a sophisticated strategy that encompasses your website and social media. You need somebody who can analyze trends and know what to post and when. It can’t just be you shooting off the odd tweet every now and again.
To launch a successful startup you need to take into account the smaller details. Of course, the big things matter. Financing your startup and finding premises are equally important. But it’s the marginal gains that will set you apart from your competitors. Are they treating their staff the way you are? Have they put as much thought into their branding? These smaller details will give you that extra boost that you need to stay afloat in a heavily saturated market. So make the small changes, and make a difference.