It is no secret that online businesses are one of the few things that have grown and prospered in the last couple of years. If at the start of 2020 you were working from your spare room, by 2022 you are no doubt wondering just how far you can take this – but you might not have the first idea of how to go about it.
If you wish to expand your business, you’ll need to look for help to make it happen. This is needed to improve any structure you currently have in place and augment that with some new tools that can increase your efficiency and productivity and ultimately your bottom line. If this all sounds like a bit much to take in one go, here’s how you might go about it:
#1 Invest in attracting talent
It might be just your business right now, but if you want to expand you’re going to need talented people on your side to take things to the next level. This doesn’t involve hiring who is cheapest, but it does involve locating the right person with the right skills to fill the gaps in your own knowledge base.
Luckily, these people do not have to be on your doorstep and you can hire freelancers from all over the world to take some of the strain for you. This might be in areas where your own skills might be subpar like web design or marketing which is key to getting more customers in the door,
#2 Work with your supply chain
If you sell products online, then it makes logical sense that to make your business bigger, you’re going to need to sell more of them. To do this, you need to look at your relationship with your current supply chain and find ways to upgrade it or find a new partner that can accommodate your need for larger freight shipments.
This might seem far from easy, but using somewhere like Shiply to help you locate a business that specializes in truck freight shipping will be worth the effort. As they know exactly what they’re doing, it takes the weight off your shoulders organizing the large number of shipments that your expanded business will require.
#3 Tie these all together with new technology
With so much more going on in your business, and outsourced services working for you (possibly on the other side of the world) you’re going to need to upgrade the technology that you use. This might involve installing a few extra apps on your phone or something much larger and expensive. Regardless of the improvements, you need to make sure they will make everything run smoother which will be a key element in keeping up with your business as it grows.
You might well find some of this new technology will come at a price, and the change will be gradual rather than overnight. However, any investment you make in this area, as long as it is properly researched and implemented correctly, will be worthwhile both in the short and longer term.
A few final thoughts
Improving your business is a huge financial and mental burden, so nobody would blame you for keeping things just as they are. However, by getting the right people involved, looking at your supply chain, and investing in new tech, you’ll be a long way down the right path.
