Starting a business involves investing a lot of time, money and labour to get your idea off the ground. Sensible entrepreneurs also heavily research every angle of their new operation, seeking knowledge and experience from advisors, mentors and books. But now you’ve survived the initial hard times and find yourself sitting at the top of a successful business. Everything looks great, but you find yourself asking: what now?

Here are some simple ideas to help Keep Your Business Moving Forward

The kinds of measures you take to grow your business further depend on many variables, such as the resources available, the type of business and how much effort you can invest now. Here are five ideas to get you started on the path of growth.

Define Your Goals

Both in business and in life in general, simply having vague desires to grow will not lead to success. Accomplishing your objectives means first defining them and then planning a route to achieve them. Flexibility in your plan is important as well – by planning for the obstacles you might encounter, your chances of success are greatly improved.

Take Risks

This is something all business owners should be experienced in – setting up a business is a massive risk. The important thing is not to start taking it easy and settle into a routine. As long as the potential rewards outweigh the risks, it pays to take chances. Failure shouldn’t be feared: in reality, it is one of the best teachers and mentors that any entrepreneur could hope to find.

Consult a Mentor

Nonetheless, input from a more experienced mentor can help when you genuinely feel unable to decide what the next step should be. Getting advice from someone who has already travelled the same path can help you to navigate around the minefield of business operation and keep moving forward towards success.

Merge with Another Business

Growth can necessitate expansion. Buying a bankrupt company at auction or simply finding a similar business with a different target market and proposing a merger is a bold step, but one that will pay huge dividends if done carefully. Integrating the two companies can be the hardest step in the process. Concentrating on building relationships with the client base of the new company is vital to retain their customers. Likewise, retaining their best staff members can also provide assets for your business, accelerating growth further.

Diversify Your Markets

Up to now, you may have focussed on cornering your target market. There is a limit to the amount of growth that a single market segment can provide. Finding new and different consumers is important to see continued growth. You may need to expand the appeal of your product through marketing to draw in new consumers. For example, to draw in a younger demographic, you could offer first-purchase discounts to students.

Alternatively, you could create new products or services to appeal to whole new segments of consumers. The best time to take such action could be after the acquisition of another company, trying to capture their existing customer base by expanding your offerings through the fresh ideas and employees that come with a merger. It goes without saying, however, that careful research is absolutely vital before taking such big steps.

Allsquare offers a range of services including support and guidance with accountancy and bookkeeping . For more information, call Allsquare today on 0131 343 1510.