The 5 Worst Things that Can Happen to a Small Business

Small business owners need to exude the “Glass is half full” optimism that motivates employees and attracts new customers to their small businesses. While it is great to have a positive attitude, the fact is reality lurks behind every small business counter and under every small business desk. The reality is things can go wrong with your small business.

Here are the five worst things that can happen to a small business so you can do whatever it takes to avoid them.

No Vision

Running a successful small business begins with a vision. You do not have to be clairvoyant, but you had better mold a clear vision that you and your team continually strive to achieve. The vision should clearly define at least one small business objective, such as becoming the best supplier of used automotive parts in the greater Boston area. Keep your small business vision simple and attainable, as well as constantly in view of the entire small business team.

Lacking an Online Presence

When customers today want to search for a business offering a particular product, or in a particular industry or niche, where do they turn? The majority of people who are searching for a particular business hit the web. The days of the “yellow pages” are just about gone, except for maybe the old-fashioned among us. All in all, establishing and maintaining an online presence is incredibly essential for the overall success of a small business. This should be the top five goals of every small business.

Poor Communication

Like any type of relationship, communication is a key element. The same goes for small businesses. Poor lines of communication among customers and team members can lead to utter disaster and failure. When team members aren’t on the same page with one another or with you as their manager, this trickles down and becomes apparent to customers. Customers depend on a small business team to provide them with accurate information on products or services. High turnover creates poor service and it can be one of the most costly items in a small business income statement. All of these can be avoided by practicing some effective communication.

No Recruitment Strategy

The shotgun approach to employee recruitment leads to a slew of unqualified candidates. While this approach may be quicker or cheaper, it can often do more harm than good. A good team is one of the most important assets to a small business. Recruiting and establishing an intelligent, competent, and loyal team will do wonders for the growth of your small business. Small business owners should always be looking for the best of the best and the top talent to join the team.

Poor Customer Service

Customer service often represents the deciding factor that customers use to choose where to shop and conduct business. Poor customer service ranges from rude staff members to a group of employees that do not know how to describe the products and services a small business offers or offer information or viable solutions for customers. You are better off putting up the “Closed” sign than providing inferior customer service. You want to encourage customer satisfaction, and one of the best ways to do this is to offer a toll free vanity number.

Operating a small business no doubt requires a significant amount of positive energy. By providing poor customer service, poor communication, operating without a clear vision, and lacking an effective online presence, you can expect to drain the positive energy before you reach the end of your first year in business. The good news is there is a lot small business owners can do to easily fix or avoid the five worst things that can happen to a small business.

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