In today’s business climate, starting your own small business can be intimidating. Comparing the success of your business to others is difficult because the circumstances differ so greatly between demographic audiences, product necessity and field, and the access to any funding you may have. Regardless of these factors, here are a few indicators that you can rely on to know your small business is growing as it should.
You Are Learning Something New Every Day
As social trends change with increasing frequency due to social media and technology, expectations of consumer experience also shift. Therefore, business plans need to shift also. Changing is a good thing! It signals development, the tailoring of your company to the wants and needs of your consumers. You can feel confident that your business is growing when you feel like you are learning and adapting to those social trends in your marketing, sales strategies, supply chain processes, etc. If you are picking up tips and tricks from your failures, and making changes to correct or even take advantage of those past failures, your business is likewise learning and growing—benefitting from your management.
Your Customers Expect More From You
If your customers are requesting a more frequent presence or level of accessibility, that is a great sign that your popularity is growing! Customers will expect the omnichannel retail experience. They want the ability to jump from device to device and pick up where they left off—“omnichannel” refers to the uniformity of your company presentation across multiple technological or physical platforms. Once they develop comfort and familiarity, they’ll want that regardless of where they attempt to access your information. When your customers are expecting this availability of you, you know your business is doing well.
Your Employees Are Happy and Effective
Your employees are an effective gauge as to the success of your business in the areas you may not have frequent insight into. They are on the frontlines of your company face and provide a useful perspective on customer experience and response to your business strategies. Take advantage of the opportunity to glean information from your employees! Ask what is working, what is not working, what the customer response is to your processes, and utilize their feedback to make further changes to your business plans.
Work out the kinks, and create an environment where both your consumers and employees feel appreciated, listened to, and comfortable. Look for these indicators to show you the success and growth of your small business. You may be doing even better than you expect!