Whether you have a business right now or not, the below 9 ways to build a better business will be of use to you. Whether you’re starting up, or looking to improve or expand, you will find something below that can help you to improve. Take a look and see how you can build a better business in 2020.

#1: Work on Building Strong Business Relationships

Start by working on building strong business relationships. This is important for every type of relationship – from your relationship with suppliers, to your relationships with your customers, and even your relationships with your staff. Making sure that your relationships are strong will keep your business going in the long run. Make sure everybody is on the same page and with each person or business you interact with, aim to create a long lasting connection.

#2: Find Ways to Keep Your Team Happy

Your team is just as important as your customers. Many businesses put a focus on the customers, without thinking about the people who work for them. This is a huge mistake! You need your team to feel appreciated and happy at work. You want them to have satisfaction for the job they do.

You could potentially keep your team happy by allowing flexible working, as this is extremely popular. Many businesses don’t need to be open 9-5, Monday to Friday, and employees don’t always need to be working in the same environment. There are pros and cons to both, which is why finding a good balance is often the best solution!

On top of flexible working, don’t hesitate to ask your team what they would like from you. Take their feedback seriously. Make sure you show them that you’re going to listen to them and that you care about what they think. This alone can make them feel much happier at work.

As well as providing what they need and better working conditions, actually building relationships with your team works wonders. Hold team building exercises, get to know one another, and get involved with them. Learn their names, and listen when they talk about their families. Ask them questions later on. Show them that you take an interest in the wellbeing of your team!

#3: Automate as Much as Possible

If you’re not automating the tasks that can be automated, you’re wasting time. Automate as much as you can. Chances are, if there are small tasks that your team does every day, you should be able to automate. The only things that shouldn’t be automated are the things that need a specialized approach or a human touch.

#4: Don’t Be Afraid to Outsource

Outsourcing certain tasks to freelancers or dedicated companies could be something that helps you to take a step up in terms of business success. For example, what would you do if you were hacked? What if your systems were down and you couldn’t provide your service or support? Downtime can cost even small businesses thousands upon thousands, and it can put them out of action for a long time. Outsourcing an IT support team to help you stay online and avoid downtime will cost more at first, but will more than pay for itself in the long run.

Think carefully about what your business could outsource. Again, consider the things that may need a personalized touch from somebody on your team. If there are tasks that take your team away from the core roles they should be focusing on, then you could outsource those. For example, hiring a social media manager will mean better results from social platforms and not asking too much from your team.

#5: Use High Quality Products

Using high quality products where possible will make your service worth using. Do your research and be prepared to invest so that you can set yourself apart with the products you use to provide your service. For example, a construction company may use Visqueen construction products to produce a higher quality of work. Spending a little more on your products may reduce your profits, but it’ll help in terms of reputation, repeat business, and many other aspects. It’ll be worth it. Don’t become known as a cowboy company that’s only in it for the cash!

#6: Get a Mentor

A mentor can help you to see where you may be going wrong. They can help you to look at things from an entirely new perspective, so you can improve consistently. Sometimes, a mentor/mentee relationship is formed organically. You may decide to approach somebody you had a good business relationship with in the past, for example. However, there are also paid services that may be of use to you. Consider what will work best and what fits your budget right now.

#7: Strengthen Your Branding

Strengthening your branding will make you instantly more recognizable. A strong brand is what makes you stand out, and is something that will keep people coming back to you time and time again. Could you change your brand colours? Maybe you could redesign your logo? Your brand isn’t just to do with your look, remember. It’s your message, what you stand for, and how you treat your customers.

#8: Offer Better Customer Service

Amazing customer service will help you to build the sparkling reputation you need, and you’ll have referrals coming out of your ears! Offering fantastic customer service usually means having a dedicated team, and offering more than one way to get help. For instance, on the phone, over email, and using a contact form. Make sure everybody on your customer service team is on the same page so that each consumer receives help they want to tell their friends about.

#9: Have a Strong ‘Why’ as Your Undercurrent

People will rarely buy from you because of the product/service you offer. They will enjoy your story, which is of course wrapped around your ‘why’. Having a strong and compelling ‘why’ is key for making people want to work with you. Why exactly do you do what you do? Really dig deep!