07 Oct 2021 Top 10 Tips for New Business Start Ups
Starting a new business is an exciting process. Amidst all the stress and worry there’s nothing better than getting your idea off the ground and watching it flourish. At One Connectivity we’ve worked with small enterprises across the country, so we’ve seen just how great this feeling can be.
Getting started can be difficult though, you might have some great ideas and some great people around you, but nobody is an expert in everything. Once again we’ve seen this ourselves, and so we’ve seen some truly ingenious ways of handling the challenges that the business world throws our way. That’s why we’ve put together our list of the top 10 tips that we think can make a real difference for new businesses.
From helping you to save money in both the short and long term, to taking advantage of some services you might not have thought about, to ways to keep you and your staff safe and morale high.
1. Put the customer first
This one comes from our Managing Director here at One Connectivity, Paul Stevenson. When it came to getting One Connectivity on the map, he had one simple strategy, putting the customer first.
“The No. 1 piece of guidance I’d give to any new business owner or start-up would be to prioritise the customer experience. From the start of their journey to finish, if you make the effort to get to know your customers, they’ll keep coming back time and time again.”
We love this quote and think it’s a great platform to build a successful business from. When you consider investing in new tools for your business or add a new product or service to your portfolio, it pays to always think, how will this improve the customer experience?
2. Think about space
A huge step for any new business is moving into their first dedicated space. Whether this is an office, retail space or warehouse, it must fit you. It’s important to consider both the needs of your staff both now and moving forward. With regards to your communication needs, we’d recommend cloud services, these save on space in terms of equipment and manpower, and they also easily allow you to work from home.
3. Consider connectivity
As well as other utilities, maintaining a business internet connection that suits you is crucial to any new start-up. When choosing a connectivity supplier, it’s important to consider what and who this service will have to cater for. Marketing teams need a service that prioritises high download speeds for creating video content, whereas retail and hospitality businesses need a connection that can keep both staff and customers happy.
4. Make sure your work is accessible anywhere
For new businesses especially it pays to be flexible. While you might be in love with your shiny new premises, but your customers will really appreciate your availability wherever you are working from. Using services like Office365 means that your work can be picked up from any location. Using a communication service compatible with mobiles means that you can always reach your customers in a professional way.
5. Always present professionalism
Maintaining a professional image is a great way for start-ups to compete with their larger competitors. There are plenty of services available to you that can help make your small team of four feel like forty. Our call analytics platform makes sure that you never miss a call and helps you to return those that fall through the cracks.
6. Stay safe
When starting a new business, security often isn’t one of the things that you think about. Did you know 65,000 attempts are made at hacking small UK businesses every day? There are some fantastic and cost-effective firewalls and other cyber-security services out there. Setting out a clear policy here is also critical, make sure staff are working with secure passwords, and make sure they know how to spot dangerous phishing emails.
7. Create a continuity plan
The past 18 months has shown that we need to be ready for anything. How long can your small business survive if it can’t operate, a week? A month? Creating a business continuity plan alleviates these worries. This involves making sure that you can access your essential files and communication software from any location. This allows you to avoid downtime and assist your customers even in difficult times.
8. Collaborate better
During the earliest stages of a business, it’s vital to get collaboration right. Whether your team are in the office or working from home, you need to have an effective way of making sure that everyone stays in the loop. We recommend taking advantage of video conferences sooner rather than later. We know how busy you are right now, but taking time to update your team is massively beneficial and can support you moving forwards.
9. Find the right partners
As we said before, you can’t be an expert in everything. Developing a relationship with reliable business partners and service providers can give you access to the vital services your businesses need to grow, at a price that suits you. At One Connectivity we aim to be an example of one such partner, we provide communications, connectivity, and mobile services, all through your dedicated One Connectivity account manager.
10. Prepare for the future
We know that now you’re starting out it’s difficult to predict what your business will look like in five years. But it’s worth investing in services now that can support you into the future. Whether it’s technology that allows you to add new staff at a moment’s notice, or that provides useful remote working solutions. We always need to stay adaptable; being able to update the services that support your business at any time can be a real lifesaver.
For information about the services mentioned here, get in touch with our helpful and friendly One Connectivity team at 0115 896 88 60.