In a time when small businesses are struggling just to survive and worried that they will have to close the doors to their stores any day, many shop owners thoughts are turning to how to grow their business once the pandemic is behind them and the lockdowns are lifted.
There are many people out there who are billionaires with an interest in philanthropy, so it’s still possible for you to grow your store to levels that you’d never imagined. For example, John Arnold and the John Arnold Foundation do a lot to help struggling businesses. In this article, you’ll find a few ways to grow your business after the COVID-19 pandemic is behind the world and you’re able to move on.
1. Start your own sports team.
Many small businesses start sports teams, and yours doesn’t have to be any different, once the COVID-19 pandemic has passed. Starting your own sports team not only puts some fun back in your life, but it’s also a great way to advertise your business at games as well. If you don’t want to start your own sports team, then think about sponsoring someone else’s. Sponsors have their business information on the uniforms they supply, which means your business will be advertised everywhere the team goes. That can do a ton for the growth of your business. Make sure that you have custom uniforms made for the team by a reputable store such as Allen’s sports uniform store.
2. Add to your inventory.
It’s always a good idea to add to your inventory. If your state allows, try adding an automatic vape cartridge filling machine to your inventory, as well as the products to go with it. Carry the capsules, cartridges, cartridge trays, and the pods for people to purchase. You can also carry vape pens, the jars, and any filler that goes into the machine. This would be a great way to grow your business since vaping and marijuana are legal in some states. Just take the time to find out the laws where you are before you make this decision, just to be on the safe side.
3. Change up your marketing strategy.
While you may be doing everything you can to market your business, sometimes everything from your social media profiles to your SEO can be getting stagnant and falling by the wayside. Change up your marketing strategy, by switching from Twitter to Facebook for a while. Or think about giving your website a design overhaul, and always making sure that you have fresh up-to-date content on your website so that potential customers that click on links to come to look at your products and services are impressed and hang around.
Make sure that you keep on top of your customer service as well. Customers who have to wait hours to get through to a person they need to talk to or can’t get anyone at all to answer their questions or complaints tend to leave bad reviews and do their shopping elsewhere.
4. Understand your customers.
If you don’t understand your customers, how can you hope to attract them to the products and services you sell? Send out surveys, host contests, and ask for feedback from your current customers. Once you know what they like and what you need to change, then you’ll keep them happy and gain new customers as well.
Bonus Tips
Attend a few networking events.
While you might be awfully busy with your business, you need to take the time to attend networking events in your area when you can. This is the perfect opportunity to grow your network and mingle with others who are trying to do the same. You have to build relationships with other people if you want your own business to succeed, that’s just how it is in the business world.
Apply for loans if you have too.
While it may be scary to go into debt in order to grow your business, sometimes it’s what’s required to take your business to the next level. The best way to apply for a loan is to do careful research into the lenders in your area, then discuss the amount of money you need with a lender. Once you know what the interest rate and monthly payments are going to be, you’ll feel much better.
Remember, different lenders have different terms, monthly payments, and interest rates, so make sure to do your research before signing on the dotted line. You have to have loans in order to grow your business, but you can also make sure to not hop into something you can’t afford by doing your research first.
Make sure to follow all COVID-19 guidelines.
While this might not be on the list for growing your business, you need to make sure that you follow COVID-19 guidelines for reopening your business, or keeping it open, when the time comes. From social distancing to making sure that your employees and yourself wear your masks, and encouraging your customers to do so as well, it’s important to follow the guidelines and the laws to a tee, if you expect to be able to grow your business when this is all over and done with.
Growing your business can be rough in today’s trying times. From COVID-19 to shutdowns to sickness and worry, it may seem like normal will never happen again, but you need to have faith that it will. You need to keep your chin up, put your head down, work to get you and your employees through this crisis, then implement the tips above to make sure that you can grow your business once the lockdowns are lifted and normal life is allowed to return.
These are just a few ways that you can grow your small business into something you can be proud of. Remember, a small business isn’t just a way to make a living, it’s a family legacy. A family legacy that you can pass down to your children with pride.