Almost every business is carried with the objective of making profits. In the initial years of business operation, a small company has to assume many risks. It is very important for a small business to earn adequate returns from its business operations in order to survive for a long period of time.
A small business has to face competition from established players in the market. Hence, it may not be possible for a small company to start earning profits from the very first day of its business. Proper planning and execution of plans in a systematic manner can help a small business to control its costs and expand its business activities.
Four Important Steps To Increase Profits Of A Small Business
Focus On Core Business
It is very important for a small business to focus on its core business activities. It is very important for the management (generally a director) of a small company to be actively involved in managing the operations of the company. Director should keep himself/herself informed on important things such as cost of raw material, number of sales orders in processing, activities undertaken by the marketing department and so on.
Focus On Customer Satisfaction
It is very important for a small business to offer high quality products and services to its existing customers at best possible prices. A small business should focus on building a good reputation (goodwill) in the market for its products or services. A small company should ensure that customers are provided with excellent after sales services and that customer issues are resolved in time. Further, a small business cannot grow without increasing its customer base.
A small business should make a constant effort to increase its market share. Hence, it becomes important for a small business to ensure maximum satisfaction of its existing customers in order to attract new customers through word of mouth publicity (recommendations) by existing customers. This also helps in reducing the advertising and other sales promotion costs for attracting new customers.
Control Costs
Many small businesses fail to keep a control over their costs. Any company can increase its profits by increasing sales and controlling costs. It is very important for a small business to monitor the costs associated with key business activities such as production, sales, marketing and so on. A small business should focus on identifying non value adding activities and duplication of employee efforts in performing day to day business activities.
Identify Business Opportunities
A small company should try to identify opportunities for business diversification. However, a decision on entering in a new business should be undertaken only after considering the costs and risks associated with such a critical business decision. A small business should indentify its strengths (such as cheap labor cost) and try to capitalize on its strengths while exploiting a new business opportunity. This can help a small business in increasing its profits without making large investments in a new business venture.
By making a constant effort to reduce unnecessary and wasteful expenditure and increasing customer loyalty, a small business can increase the amount of its profits while enjoying a good status in the market.