With January approaching quickly, our thoughts often turn to making resolutions for the upcoming year. When you think of resolutions, you probably think of the common ones that you can apply to your personal life. But, as a franchise owner, there are ways you can set up resolutions to grow your business. The best part about the following resolutions is that they are not likely to be tossed aside by February. Putting them in place now will position you for success throughout the year.
1. Get involved in your community
Your community is where you draw your customer base from. And customers are likely to do business with other people they know, like, and respect. By becoming well-known and creating a positive image for yourself (and your business), you will grow your base of loyal customers.
A few ideas to try this year:
- Join your local chamber of commerce and become an active participant
- Sponsor local fundraising events
- Better yet, plan and host your own fundraising event!
- Be sure to support other businesses in your community
2. Hire good employees
Your employees are your brand. They represent you and your business through their interactions with customers, so hiring good employees is an essential part of providing your customers with a great experience. Good employees are also people you can trust. They care about your business and often have the experience and knowledge to handle tasks that are delegated to them. Trusting that you can pass off certain tasks to others enables you to spend more time focused on growing the business.
A few ideas to try this year:
- Review any hiring policies provided by your franchisor
- Reward top employees – this could be a monetary raise, extra time off, or another creative way of recognizing them for their efforts
- Get to know all of your employees – connect with each person you employ on a personal level
3. Expand your reach using new tactics and technologies
The way people interact with businesses is constantly changing. It wasn’t long ago when not every business had a website – and now, not only is it necessary to have a website, but your business needs to have one that works on mobile devices. Staying up-to-date on the latest recommendations can take a lot of time, but this is time well-spent. Think of how far ahead of the competition you will be if you are always on the forefront of what’s new. While catching up with technology, social platforms, and marketing techniques may seem like a daunting task, once you are caught up, maintaining and updating your knowledge base will be much easier.
A few things to try this year:
- Make sure your digital assets are fresh – a mobile optimized site and active social profiles are a must
- Commit to trying something new – video, social advertising, etc.
- If you’re not sure where to start, check in with your franchisor to see if they can provide any guidance
- Subscribe to a marketing/technology blog to get the latest information delivered via email
4. Commit to learning from your data
If you’re like most business owners, you are busy running a business. If you don’t have a lot of help, you are taking on all the roles within your franchise. It’s easy to see how the actual business operations can take priority over any reporting activities you might be doing to gauge your successes. Going forward it is essential to commit to paying attention to those details.
A few things to try this year:
- Establish your Key Performance Indicators – the factors that are most crucial to your success
- Dig into failure to pinpoint what went wrong
- When something works, find ways to expand that success by reaching a wider audience or another channel
Like personal resolutions, business-related resolutions take time to bear fruit. But if you commit to them each day, you will begin to see your business grow. And even a little bit of effort in any of the above-mentioned ideas can yield big results.
Interested in a low-cost franchise opportunity offering low startup costs and minimal monthly overhead? Click here to learn why The Groutsmith stands out as the leader in grout and tile cleaning, repair and restoration. Want to connect with us one-on-one to get started? Contact us today.
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