Helping small businesses on the Sunshine Coast to fulfill their true potential
By BMN
It’s the stuff of nightmares for business beginners: customers not paying on time; never enough cash in the bank; unexpected tax bills. Where does it end? To help you sleep easier, read this short guide on cashflow management.
https://nzbusiness.co.nz/article/beginner’s-guide-cashflow-management
This article was suggested by our mentor Julie Piper
By BMN
Starting a business for the first time and worried about failure? Give your new enterprise the best chance of success with these top business tips, the best advice I’ve collated from other entrepreneurs and developed from my own experience of more than 20 years of having “been there and done that” as a small business person.
https://www.thebalance.com/top-tips-for-starting-a-business-that-will-succeed-2947246
This article was suggested by our mentor Julien Cahn
By BMN
The biggest problem founders and small business owners have is that they’re experts in their field and novices in what it really takes to effectively run a business. That’s what usually trips them up, sooner or later.
Don’t let that happen to you. Admit that you don’t know what you don’t know about business, starting with these 15 tips guaranteed to help keep you and your company out of hot water. Some are straightforward, others are counterintuitive, but they’re all true. And some day they’ll save your butt.
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/253143
This article was suggested by our mentor Julien Cahn
By BMN
Mixing family with business can be tricky, but there are certain frameworks that can be put in place to reduce tensions when disagreements arise
https://www.intheblack.com/articles/2017/08/01/mixing-family-business
This article was suggested by our mentor Julie Piper
By BMN
Tips for small business operators: See your business through the eyes and ears of your customers.
Here is a check list:
Telephone manner :
Do you and your staff answer the phone in a friendly, well-spoken manner, with a voice-smile, giving your name and sounding attentive?
Face-to-face manner :
Do you and your staff appear friendly, smiling, attentive, sincere, speaking in a well-spoken way and with a neat clothing appearance?
Store/shop:
Is the area in which you deal with customers faultlessly clean, with zero clutter, neat displays, and clear signage?
Telephone service:
Do you and your staff answer the phone within 3 or 4 rings whenever possible?
Face-to-face service:
Do you have procedures in place to give preference to a customer in person instead of an anonymous ringing telephone?
Impressions:
Does your customer leave with a smile and a sense of confidence in your business?
Greeting:
Do you recognise and greet returning and regular customers?
Promises:
Will you deliver on your promises? Ahead of time?
Pricing:
Will your customer feel they are getting value for money? Reaction to overcharging is often silent and unforgiving. Have you researched your competitors’ pricing?
Professionalism:
Are your customers handled too casually? Customers react positively to smoothness and professionalism in how their transaction is handled.
Complaints:
Do you handle customer complaints in a way that keeps the customer coming back? All businesses occasionally annoy a customer – handled well, quickly and with sincerity, the customer will appreciate it and should remain loyal.
Price changes:
Do you give advanced warning of price increases? – it is usually appreciated.
Self assessment:
Have you walked in the footsteps of your typical customer as they engage with your business – either literally or in an imaginary sense? It would be unusual not to spot at least one issue that should be improved.
Have you been able to give yourself a tick for each tip? If not, attend to the issues – which may involve setting changes and standards for staff – and re-evaluate as soon as practicable.
This article was suggested by our mentor Stephen Seward