Like an exercise regime or healthy diet, good online business is all about good habits. And there are a host of ways to ensure productive and growth-focused work tasks become regular habits that they don’t require much thought. Here are 10 habits you can employ to make your online business grow.
Planning
Good online business planning isn’t something you do once then file in a cupboard. It should be a habit that is referred to time and again. At least once a month take the time to look over to your business plan and see whether it’s meeting your estimations. Then, update the plan at least once a year.
Set goals
Goal setting has its place throughout the life of your business. While many entrepreneurs start their business with clear cut goals in mind, it’s imperative to revisit them regularly and set weekly, short-term and long-term goals for where you want your business to be and what you hope to achieve within it.
Network
Connecting with others should be part of your weekly schedule, whether that’s attending the local Chamber of Commerce or via an online community. Regular networking is a great way to tell others what you do and work together with like-minded business individuals.
Track your time
Too often good online business owners fail to account for their time. By consistently tracking your tasks and the time spent on them you can see what’s costing you money and effort, and where improvements can be made.
Communicate your vision
When you work with a team, it’s important to regularly communicate your vision via face to face meetings and written direction. The most successful good online business owners have weekly meetings to review tasks, KPIs and future projects.
Engage with your customers
Regular engagement with your customers is imperative to keeping your name first in their thoughts. This can be as simple as monthly e-newsletters or regular blogs on your website.
Referrals
One of the best ways to grow your business is via customer word of mouth, and a great way of encouraging this is through referrals. If you’ve done a job well and the customer is thrilled, make it practice to ask them for a written referral for your website or profile.
Start your day the night before
By taking time each night to plan for the next day you crystallize ideas and tasks and then awaken ahead of the game. This habit may be as simple as making a list or taking time out on the drive home to plan your strategies and what you will accomplish with a big picture in mind.
Clear space
Your work space should be free from clutter and your office a tidy zone. By ending each day with a clean-up, sort and clear, you start the following day afresh with your most important tasks on top of the paperwork pile.
Revisit
Whether it’s looking back over your accounts, perusing the KPI’s or re-writing your policies and procedures, revisiting the way your business operates, your goals and plans is imperative to consistent improvement and growth.
Growing your good online business is an ongoing process. But by creating regular habits as part of your day-to-day operations you can rest easy in the knowledge improvements occur all the time.
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