Mighty oaks from little acorns grow. It’s a popular saying (and a fact of nature), but it can become true for your business. Many businesses begin small, but the potential is always there for something bigger.
Take Apple as an example. Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak started the company using garage space in 1976, beginning the prototype for their first machine, and building computers for local stores and hobbyists. They eventually went on to revolutionize the computing industry, going up against the mighty Microsoft.
Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, likewise started a business in his garage in 1994, with an online bookstore that eventually became the basis for a marketplace that sells….well… nearly everything!
And Ben and Jerry began their careers by taking a $5 course on how to make ice cream, and then opened up their own business using an abandoned gas station as their business premises in 1978. Beginning as a localized company, they are now known all over the world, and chances are, you have something bearing their name in your freezer compartment at home right now.
Mighty oaks from little acorns grow, and so it is with your business. You could be the next Steve Jobs. You might have the power to take on Jeff Bezos. Ben and Jerry could become Tom and Jerry when compared to you. Only you have the power to drive your business forward, and if you want to see it grow, then you have to take the necessary steps to get there. With willpower, patience, and a little (or a lot) of marketing savvy, your little business could become the next big something. Or, at the very least, a bigger operation than what it might be at the moment.
So, here’s what you need to do.
Take note of the entrepreneurs who came before you
Put in your research, reading articles and consider how they got from A to B. How did they market themselves? How did they find their niche? What did they do better than others? Like you, they started small, but they didn’t stay small. There were no miracles in play;they worked hard, created excellent products and services, and despite the obstacles in their way, they persevered, with love and passion for what they were doing.
Ensure you get your business noticed
If people don’t know your business exists, then you aren’t going to grow at all. Wherever you are in the world, and no matter how small you are, you need to raise your arms in the air and shout “I’m here!”. Okay, so you don’t need to do that literally (although you could), but you do need to focus on creating a recognizable brand, and on strategizing your marketing. We have some advice here that may be useful to you, but continue your research online after reading, looking at the many ways you can market your business to send word out to many.
Build trust with your customers
Your customers are your greatest asset. Serve them well, and they will serve you well, not only with their continued custom but also through the positive word-of-mouth that will spread as they talk about you on and offline. If you can build trust with them – having a dependable product, delivering excellent customer service – your business will start to grow.
Think outside of your locale
Especially when operating an online business, you don’t have to stick with your locale when selling your product. You can ship your product country-wide, using one of the many courier companies that are available to you. And you don’t have to stick with your own country, either. Think big, and start shipping your products internationally, and let the world see what you have to offer. You will need to research such things as tax laws and currency rates when shipping abroad, of course. And you should consider the services of translation companies such as http://www.ilstranslations.com, especially when drawing up contracts and other documents. But despite the extra effort you have to put in, the rewards will be worth it, as word of your business will spread exponentially.
Continue thinking big
When profits start coming in, you need to continue thinking big. You might want to up your marketing, with larger campaigns to get word of your business out there. You might want to expand your premises or open up a second or third place of business. You might even consider partnering with another company and merging with them to become a greater force to be reckoned with. Growth takes time – oak trees don’t grow overnight – but with positive thinking and hard work on your part, your business doesn’t have to stay small forever.