3 SMART BUSINESS INVESTMENTS YOU’RE PROBABLY NOT MAKING

I get it. You’re an entrepreneur. A micro-business. A start-up. You’re proud of the fact that you’ve bootstrapped your business from the ground up, tackling every task that comes your way. You built your first website, dove in and learned how to edit and upload videos to YouTube, figured out how to format your email newsletter, and even wrestled your shopping cart into submission. 

But that feeling of pride that comes from doing the work yourself comes with a price. Too many small business owners are working too many hours, suffering from burnout and frustration—not because they’re not good at what they do, but simply because they’re unwilling to truly invest in their business. 

They’re letting a scarcity mindset prevent them from taking the steps—and making the business investments—that will have a massive impact on their business. And maybe you are, too. 

Outsourcing

By far the biggest objection to outsourcing you’ll hear is “I can’t afford it.” Perhaps you’ve heard—or even said it. But the fact is, if you’re a serious business owner, you can’t afford not to outsource. 

The time you free up by not doing those mundane, everyday tasks is time you’ll spend more profitably, by: 

• Increasing your sales.
• Focusing on your business growth.
• Connecting with new prospects.
• Building a referral network.
• Working with clients.
• Or just enjoying your life!

Outsourcing should never be looked at as an expense. In fact, if you’re not getting a return on your outsourcing investment, take a hard look at what you’re outsourcing and to whom, because there is likely plenty of room for improvement. 

Automation

Most business owners start out using low-cost tools with limited features. For example, you might be using PayPal exclusively for product sales, and manually adding buyers to your mailing list each time you receive a payment. While that’s an acceptable solution when time is easier to come by than money, you’ll quickly outgrow it. The problem is, too many entrepreneurs fail to recognize the benefits of true automation. 

Not only is trying to “make do” with a pieced-together system costing you sales, but it costs actual dollars, too. You (or your VA) will spend extra time simply getting it all to work, rather than letting the tools do the heavy lifting. 

Imagine if your web forms automatically were entered into the right email list, with an automated email drip campaign that was sent to them to encourage a sale or to a book a call with you. That’s at least 3-5 steps you don’t have to physically do.

Recognize when it’s time to level up your marketing to include true funnel automation, 

and watch your income and opportunities increase dramatically!

Coach or Consultant

It is possible to build your business solely on your own. You can pay attention to what others are doing and reverse engineer their systems. You can read books and blogs and maybe invest in a few carefully chosen training programs. 

But there will come a time when your growth will flat line, and you’ll struggle to reach that next level. That’s when it’s time to invest in coaching or a quality consultant. And yes, even consultants have (and need) coaches. A marketing consultant can help you see past your own blind spots, work through the blocks that are holding you back, and build a business you love—on your own terms. 

Growth Strategy

Some businesses think if they just buy a lead list, they’ll grow their business. But if you’ve ever bought a lead list, you know how much work goes into vetting those contacts. Are they even real? Wait, they’re not even in the category I asked for? Why is this contact in North Dakota when I asked for Maryland.  

Then who’s going to vet the list, start cold calling, keeping track of progress and more. You could have a virtual assistant help with this. But that’s so much time wasted on a “what if.”

We recommend the following: 

Get a unique growth strategy and marketing plan for your business. Each industry has specific needs. Wise business investments means you are ready to take your business seriously and you'll reap what you sow. Farmers don't just throw seeds around some patch of ground and "hope it'll grow." They have a guide, a plan and the tasks needed to know they'll have a great harvest.

Every business, entrepreneur or solopreneur needs to have a unique growth strategy for their unique business needs.

Wise business investments such as a marketing consultant, automation, growth strategy and outsourcing will pay for themselves many times over. If you'd like to learn how and what - contact me today.