2020 was a year that many of us will use as a benchmark to our business. Whilst there were sectors that thrived and businesses who did exceptionally well, there were a lot who didn’t. Business plans, marketing plans and targets soon went out the window as the pandemic took hold and the economy entered a recession. For many businesses, the goal of 2020 was to make it to the end of the year and to survive. 

With the continuing level of uncertainty around business, there will be many business owners who feel apprehensive about planning for 2021 and setting new goals and targets. After all, for some it is hard to plan for the following week, let alone the following month or quarter. But should this deter you from making new plans for business growth? 

Absolutely not. 

There is an opportunity to be found, you may just need to think a little differently than before, approach certain projects with more caution and lead more strategically. The challenge is to look at what growth is and can be for you and your business. It isn’t always relating to turnover and profit. Growth can be about your systems and processes, staff and training and even your personal development. Anything that is an improvement on what it was before, that saves you Time, Energy and/or Money can be classed as growth.

Here are some areas of business growth to consider:

Who not how

If you are spending time trying to do something which is not in your skillset – you are wasting time, energy and money. As the leader of a business, you need to be doing just that because your time is the most valuable. Why spend 3 hours playing with some graphic design software, trying to make something look good when you have someone do it for you. Whilst you may see it as a cost – how does their hour cost for an expert compare to your three hour attempt?   

Look at what can be outsourced so that you have time to focus on what you need to and that is planning, business opportunities, sales and leadership. If you were to outsource your bookkeeping / accounts reconciliation, PA/ admin, design and even social media – whilst they are suppliers/freelancers they become your team and that’s growth. 

Systemise your processes

The first place to start with this is whether you have your processes documented in the first place. If not – document it! This could be in the form or a script, a ‘how to’ or even a video. The idea is that you document it once and use it ever after as a training and information resource. Make sure your documentation for processes can be found – just a few hours filing and organising folders for your team can save time in the long run. 

System can stand for: Save YourSelf Time Energy Money, so what can you put in place today to create a system for tomorrow and every day after? What can be automated? Explore software solutions to help you automate your business such as email marketing, social media management and invoicing. 

Once you have an organised system and can see all your processes, you’ll realise this is another area of growth. 

Staff Training

Your team is your greatest asset and their development is crucial to the growth of your business. You don’t have to invest in expensive training programmes or qualifications to help your staff to develop. There’s plenty of free training available – it is how you utilise it that makes the difference. For example, don’t just send a link to free training and expect your team to do it. Encourage them to see how it fits with their skill set, growth and how they will be contributing to the wiser growth. Ask them to report back either by presenting to the rest of the team or writing a project report – involve them as much as possible. 

Development doesn’t just have to be in relation to their job description; can you help them to feel more confident, manage their time more effectively and even feel more valued. 

A team firing on all cylinders will help you go places so how can you support their growth which will be your growth?

So if you are a little apprehensive about writing some big growth plans down, why not start with the small changes you can make which will help to support your growth.

Read more about how to Systemise a business or get in touch if you would like to know more about how ActionCoach Liverpool can assist you as your business growth consultant.