Startups come and go. Remember how that cake shop on your walk home from high school sold the best cakes for about a year and then vanished? Or do you recall your favourite burger sauce that you can’t find anywhere? Startups are often mismanaged. Not everyone who goes into business has what it takes. Let’s look at how to make your startup a standout success.
Invoicing is essential (invest now)
Invoicing isn’t just something in which some companies choose to randomly invest. It’s the difference between a professional company that gets paid and an unprofessional one that has to regularly chase late payments.
For example, in the early days of your startup, you probably realised that sending emails (and other ad hoc messages over social media) wasn’t the best way to request payment. Customers will happily let their payment obligations slide, and before you know it, days have passed and now you’re now chasing payments that are a week or more late.
Professional invoicing software is the answer. Not only can you automate your invoices, so you never forget, you can include vital details such as an itemised bill and accepted methods of payment. Stop chasing payments today and invest in professional invoicing software today.
Today, many companies, especially startups, outsource IT companies to reduce their IT department costs and concentrate their efforts on reaching their main goal. Managed IT services are ideal for companies that need to supplement in-house IT teams, keep up with increasing IT demands, and scale IT services up and down as needed. One of the main benefits of managed IT services is flexibility, which allows business owners to customize tech solutions to fit their needs.
Customer care creates loyalty
Startups are busy. That’s because a startup is typically just one or two people trying to do all the jobs a full company would normally have all day to do. Everything comes down to that core staff pulling out all of the stops – from deciding the company logo and producing all marketing materials to procurement, accounting, manufacturing, and emptying the bins, it’s several full-time jobs stacked on top of one another.
Something that should not be overlooked is customer care. People want to know that your startup is worth shouting about. Nobody wants to support a hair-brained scheme. Give your customers the kind of service that they can go away and promote to their friends and family. That means welcoming them via email, thanking them for their order, and replying to all messages within 24 hours. It’s difficult to do, but the pay off in growing your loyal customer base is more than worth it.
A modern website that says, “We’re number 1, so why shop around?”
A website is just a website, right? Well, no. Not right. Wrong, in fact. A website is a calling card. A website is something that says who you are and what you stand for. You don’t have time to meet and greet each and every customer in person, but that’s where a website can help. Here’s what to do.
Look at the competition. Look at who ranks at the top of search engines for the search terms related to your industry, products, and services. They’ve already done the hard work. Their website layout clearly satisfies their customers. Make notes on how you could improve your site using the best ideas from leading competitors … if all else fails, employing a web designer wouldn’t hurt.