3 Tips for Small Business Owners

As a small business owner myself, I had the opportunity to chat with the Small Business Association of Michigan (SBAM) to give my advice to business owners. Here are my top 3 tips: 

1. Force yourself to step out of your comfort zone.

I tend to lean more towards the introverted side of the personality spectrum, and if you are anything like me, committing to public speaking, hosting events, or even being filmed for SBAM's Wednesday Wisdom video is out of my comfort zone. 

However, I believe that when you push yourself out of your comfort zone, you open yourself up to new growth opportunities. To do this, I try to schedule at least one thing a week that challenges my comfortable boundaries. These activities have often taught me the most about myself, others, and my business. It may feel uncomfortable at first, but once you are out of that zone, these events are typically where you learn the most. 

Try scheduling one thing that's out of your comfort zone next week and start opening your mind to greater growth and learning opportunities. 

2. Don't be afraid to say, "I don't know."

Business owners are typically the ones that everyone is looking at and saying, "Hey, you need to have the answers." But the reality is that we can't always have all of the answers. 

As small business owners, we're taking a huge leap. And sometimes that leap is into the "unknown." To combat this, I suggest approaching this situation by hiring people who are smarter than you, then leaning on them when you don't have the answers. 

Next time someone pressures you for not knowing all of the answers, don't be afraid to say, "I don't know, but we've got a great person on our team who I'll work with to help get you an answer." 

3. Start gathering data.

You may already be gathering data within your business, but if you're not, I suggest you start. Whether your gathering data from your production floor or taking a look at data in your accounting department, you can leverage that data to make better decisions for your company.

There are a ton of tools out there that can help you with this. Looking into those tools and figuring out which ones will work the best for you will make all the difference in how you decide to move your company towards future success. At InsITe, we heavily lean on data to help our clients make smarter business decisions and transform their view on what's happening throughout their company. 

Don’t just stop with these 3 tips. 

Now that you have my 3 tips for small business owners, don't just stop there. Subscribe to our blog for the latest ways on how you can make your business more productive and gear yourself up for future success.