The COVID-19 pandemic has made the past few years difficult for everyone, but entrepreneurs and business owners have been hit particularly hard. The crisis has had a significant impact on labor markets, economies, and enterprises, resulting in significant disruptions to global supply chains. Innovators who are usually at the forefront of trends have faced an unprecedented set of challenges. Although two years have passed, countermeasures are in place, and safety protocols are being observed, we are still far from fully recovering from the onslaught of COVID-19.
As we kick off 2023, entrepreneurs are bouncing back and trying new ways to succeed in their industries. Drawing on his years of experience, including during the Great Recession, acclaimed business leader Pascal Bachmann CEO and owner of Strategy Achievers, has outlined five ways for entrepreneurs to take their businesses to the next level this year.
- Know What You Want.
Firstly, Pascal encourages entrepreneurs to know precisely what they want.
“You need a plan. It can be a business plan, a business map, or a clear long- and short-term goal map with milestones,” Pascal outlines.
Knowing where you are currently as a business and entrepreneur, whether it be professionally, financially, or in terms of the market space, is as equally important as knowing where you want to go. This map will help make the path clearer to reach new levels of success.
“If you want to grow and take your business to the next level, I highly recommend taking this step seriously. Invest enough time to bring the clarity that is in your head on paper, so it’s clear and solidified for you and your team,” Pascal says.
- Digitize Your Business.
As if the pandemic didn’t already make it clear, businesses need to have an online presence to survive in today’s market.
“Almost every company nowadays has large parts that can, or even have to, be digitized,” Pascal explains.
Currently, businesses, regardless of the industry they’re in, need a website to do everything, from generating leads and funneling sales to establishing and maintaining a social media presence. All of the above and more are essential to stay competitive in the market, reach customers in more than one way, and build trust with their contact information.
“Optimize your online processes and collect customer data. After all, the true value of a business is the people that trust you and your product or service,” Pascal says.
- Build a Team.
It might be a no-brainer, but if you want your business to grow, you need support. The key, as Pascal points out, is making sure that you let the right people into your inner circle.
“It is easier today than ever to hire employees or freelancers. More important than having access to skill and labor is that you select the right people to be on your team,” Pascal explains.
Having the right team allows you to increase the activity hours of your company, making you more productive and bringing in more customers and profits. Another significant benefit of having a supportive team is that it allows you to delegate. This makes it possible for you to identify the tasks you don’t need to do yourself and assign the work to someone who can do it better and faster, freeing up your time for things that require most of your attention.
“Many business owners divide their focus and do too many things at once. It’s one of the reasons their businesses don’t grow,” Pascal shares.
- Maintain customer relationships.
In the end, it’s always about the customer or client. As the saying goes, “they’re always right.” By binding enthusiastic customers to you and your business, you are able to increase your customer base through further recommendations they will make on your behalf.
“Never forget that regular customers not only mean regular income but satisfied customers can be used as a powerful word-of-mouth marketing tool,” Pascal outlines.
In addition to providing top-notch customer service, caring for your customers also means collecting and responding to feedback, resolving problems quickly and thoroughly, and always being approachable and accountable.
“In other words, have world-class customer service,” Pascal says.
- Know your numbers.
All included, Pascal outlines that you need to know everything about your numbers: investments, costs, margin, net profit, credit scores, and cash, among others. This allows you to fully understand where your money is and where your business is financially at all times.
“Knowing the numbers will help you in your need to know and understand your customers. Who are they? Where are they? What do they want? How can you attract and retain them?” Pascal elaborates.
If you measure, you have a clear overview, and you can make decisions based on facts, not on emotions and guesswork.
“Measure, analyze, scale, and take your business to the next level,” Pascal concludes.
In conclusion, these five steps can help entrepreneurs bring their businesses to the next level in 2023. While the pandemic has caused unprecedented disruptions, entrepreneurs can use this as an opportunity to adapt, innovate and grow their businesses. By knowing what they want, digitizing their businesses, building the right team, maintaining customer relationships, and knowing their numbers, entrepreneurs can achieve success in their respective industries.
To reach out to Pascal for more information about how he can jump-start your business, check out his website to contact him.