Solutions to Help Your Small Enterprise Get Ahead
Small enterprises make the UK economy tick over. Whilst big chains and supermarkets might dominate price wars, the current financial climate is proving that a well-run small enterprise can survive the tough times with a business savvy approach and a reliable and loyal customer base.
A report by the BBC on independent music chains, one choked out of the market by HMV, are once again thriving whilst the Goliath that killed them off faces up to the possibility of one last Christmas on the High Street.
It isn’t always the case, but small business is in vogue. Local people want to see local shops and businesses do well and there is a feeling that the slogan of ‘we’re all in it together’ has never been more applicable than when dealing with local communities right now.
Goodwill and local solidarity can only go so far though, so if you’re a small business looking to thrive in 2020, we’ve got a few solutions here you might find useful.
Cloud Solutions
A Small Business report explains how cloud solutions are becoming more popular in small and scalable businesses, with 76% of small businesses and entrepreneurs turning to cloud solutions to increase their business efficiency.
This can range from a simple accountancy function to a full IT solution. Whatever your business is and whatever industry you are in, there could be a cloud solution for you. Stock management is another area in which a cloud system can help, particularly if you’re managing on the go.
Even if your existing business isn’t on board, a small transitional period can see you move across to a secure cloud network with minimum fuss. “We would encourage those businesses to consider the longer-term benefits that cloud has to offer rather than the negatives associated with transitioning,” is the message from Maria Fandrakis, head of business outsourcing services at Smith & Williamson.
Payment Solutions
‘Minimum spend is £10 please’ – is there any phrase as upsetting as that when you’ve popped into your local corner shop for milk and only taken your card. The cost of running payment services in small businesses used to mean that taking debit cards had to come with a minimum spend to make it viable.
The costs for processing Visa transactions came down significantly recently and whilst charges are one aspect that has evolved, so has the method by which you can take payments as a business. Run a plumbing service and only ever take money in a customer’s house? Not a problem. Run three vans and need to track all incomings quickly and easily? Not a problem.
An overview by FIS on how small businesses now accept card machine payments outlines how mobile cash payments can be managed from one place and with such a variety of different methods to take money available, your business has never had such flexibility.
HR Solutions
If you’re employing staff, it might pay to outsource your Human Relations. Laws which protect employees have become commonplace over the last two decades and understanding what you can and can’t do may well be something that doesn’t fall into your spectrum of knowledge.
A post by The Guardian covers how this is one area of business that has seen plenty of outsourcing in recent years, with savings found not only in you not requiring an HR person in-house or training for yourself, but it also allows you to focus on your core business and not the peripheral but necessary elements that come along with it.
Have you juggled running a business with raising a family? If so, we want to hear from you. Have a read of ‘We Want Your Mumpreneur Story’ and get in touch if you feel you have a story to tell.
Image credit Pixabay
