customer experience

5 Tips in Succeeding in Your Own Business

5 Tips in Succeeding in Your Own Business

Reading Time: 4 minutes

As the world economy slows down because of the pandemic, many business had closed. This forced millions of people to unemployment and underemployment. As a result, hundreds of thousands of small businesses emerged. But starting a business is hard. Making your business a success is even harder. If you think that a brilliant idea coupled with a sound business plan is enough, think again. There will always be moments of uncertainties. Different challenges will arise on a daily basis like hiring the right people, branding, market positioning, customer care, money management and even personal fatigue. That is why it is important to have a mentor or learn from those who already succeeded. Getting a few tips in succeeding in your own business can really help new business owners.

I know of many people who tried to put up businesses and failed. They tried multiple times but still to no avail. There are a few who persisted until they have succeeded. I’ve asked one of them for tips on how to succeed in doing business, and this is what he had to say:

1. Establish a Good Name

A good name is more than just a good business name. It is establishing a good brand. A brand pertains to the company’s reputation. It is the sum total of how others see and perceive your business. Dealing with your customers and suppliers take a very important role. It is also about

building credibility as far as payables and credit are concern. It is how you handle your after sales service. The relationship with customers does not end right after the sales. It goes beyond that. Most importantly, it is about the quality of your product or service. The key here is trust. People should trust your brand. That trust in turn will convert to not just loyal customers but to new customers as well.

2. Customer is Not Always Right

The customer is always right. Occasionally however, you will encounter customers who have their own emotional biases on certain things. If you sense a problem, a complaint or a disagreement, it is your duty as a business owner to guide your customers. Explain your thoughts in an amicable way. Give proper explanation on your products or service details. Do a demonstration if necessary.

Remember that everyone has their own forte. You are the expert in your craft. Help the customer understand the pros and cons of the situation. Explain clearly why you think a specific product or service is the one that best suits their preferences. Make them understand the logic behind it.

3. Do Something that you Love Doing

Running a business is always a challenge. There will be good days but there will also be bad days, more so during early stages. It is hard. You never know what to expect. There will be blood, sweat and tears. You will need to work until the wee hours. There will be little compensation. You might even find yourself in financial woes. Your family and friends might begin to question you. And worst, you might even end up doubting yourself.

The only thing that will keep you going is if you love what you are doing. If you enjoy what you are doing, then you will be exceptionally passionate about it. You will never get tired and will not give up on things easily. Your passion will become your key to success.

4. Learn from your Mistakes.

Mistakes are inevitable. So, don’t be scared to fail.  Failure is part of success. What is important is that you keep trying. Learn from your mistakes. Analyze what went wrong and then focus on what you can do to make it right. Adopt measures on how to prevent that same mistake from happening again. It is a waste of time and energy to play the blame game. Just acknowledge that it is all a part of the learning process. Apply the lessons for the improvement of your business.

5. Work With Your People and Not Against Them

Difficult people do exist in any organization. They don’t do their work as agreed upon. They will insist on their own views or way of doing things. Some people won’t even show up when you expect them to. Dealing with these people drastically each time will not address the problem. You will only see yourself in the exact same situation but with a different person.

The best thing to do is to equip yourself with certain skills that will help you deal with these kind of individuals.  First and foremost, you need to learn to control your temper. Understand where the person is coming from. Get their perspective on things. Accept the fact that you don’t know everything. Listen to their suggestions even if you are the boss. Be always open to change. Who knows, they might have a better idea on the task at  hand. If it doesn’t work, explain your side of things. Let the person understand your expectations and views on the matter. Focus on the things that you both can do going forward. What is important is that there should be mutual respect.


Credits and special thanks to Mickey Pascual for the business advice. Mickey Pascual is the owner/CEO of Mickey’s Autosound, holder of the King of Sound title in the Philippines for 3 consecutive years now. He started the business more than 20 years ago while he was still in college because of his love for car audio. Mickey continuously gives his best to improve his craft and goes to Germany every other year for the European Mobile Media Assocation (EMMA) Judges Training. He has been invited numerous times to judge EMMA competitions worldwide.

Updated version. First published in Pinoy Smart Living on 05.10.2019.

Photo by Christina Morillo from Pexels

Posted by A.L. Jonas in Occupational, 0 comments
Digitize Your Business

Digitize Your Business

Reading Time: 3 minutes

There are 4.57 billion active internet users in the world as of July 2020. This figure is based on a published report by Statista, a German online statistics portal company. This means that roughly about 59% of the total world population are now online. Thus, there is no denying that the world is moving towards a digital future. And if there is one consequence that this pandemic brought us, it accelerated our journey towards digitalization. That is to say, the new normal has forced individuals and businesses to digital transformation. So, if you want to stay afloat, you need to start to digitize your business or work.

What is Digital Transformation?

Digital transformation is the use of digital technology such as computers, the internet, social media, applications, systems and devices as leverage to meet the changing business environment. The pandemic compelled everyone to work from home. Despite the gradual lifting of the lockdown, many people opted to stay at home because of fear of the virus. It is very difficult for services to thrive in this kind of environment. Thus, digital transformation is a must in order to survive in this economic crisis.

How to Digitize Your Business?

There are many ways to digitize your business depending on your industry. You don’t need to actually start from the scratch or invent an application to cater to the specific needs of your business. There are already tons of business-ready applications and softwares available out there for you to use. Some are even offered for free. All you need to do is to look around you. It will help to take a look at what your competitors or those businesses who are selling the same products/services that you offer are doing in as far as digital transformation is concern.

If you are a big company, it helps to hire professionals to do it for you. If you are self-employed or owns a small company, there are still ways to do it without hurting your budget.

Things to Consider in Digitizing Your Business

Here are some things that you should consider in digitizing your business.

Visibility

The first thing to do is to create an online presence for your business. There are several webpage hosting and e-commerce platforms available out there that you can use for free. You only need to pay a minimal amount if you decide to upgrade your plan or if you want to have your own URL address. The URL is your official address in the world wide web.

If creating your own website is too complicated for you, you can still opt to just use social media sites. If you already have a personal account on any of the social medias out there, creating a business account is just as simple. But before you open an account in all the social media platforms available out there, make sure that you have already identified your niche. There is no point opening an account in a platform where most users are teenagers if your target market is for seniors. Having more accounts does not necessarily mean good. Sometimes it is better to maintain just 2 or 3 as long as it caters to your target market.

Frequency

Digitizing your business does not end with the creation of an online page. Your next goal should be how to increase your visibility. The more people who will see your page, the higher your chance of making a sale. Didn’t you notice how many times a commercial is being played while you are watching your favorite TV show? The same thing is true with online marketing. Frequency does matter.

Unless you are familiar with using basic on-page search engine optimization techniques (SEO basics), your best bet is to post valuable content frequently. But be careful, there is a thin line with being seen always and being annoying. You need to learn to strike a balance between the two so as not to annoy your audience.

Usability

Usability is very important in designing your page or shop. The customer experience plays a big role in your conversion rate of turning visitors to buyers. Thus, your page must be simple, easy to navigate and pleasing to the eye. Fonts should be readable. Use colors that not only grab the visitor’s attention but also evoke emotions. Most importantly, buying your goods and services should be secure and easy in just one click away. Make the whole experience pleasing to the customer so that they will come back for more. And lastly, make sure also that your page is mobile friendly. A great number of internet users use mobile phones in searching the web.

Launch Challenge

  1. Identify your niche or target market.
  2. Choose the proper social media account for your target market.
  3. Open an account.
  4. Plan your post for the week or month.
  5. Start posting.

Good luck!

Posted by A.L. Jonas in Occupational, 0 comments