Three tips to help small companies upscale and compete for big business

When you first hung out your shingle to start a business, perhaps the idea of being your own boss was the sole motivation. WillowbendService Park respects that you've taken that idea and established your business identity… so now’s the time to upscale and really be the boss.

No matter how well your small business is doing so far, it’s important to consider the next five years – not the last five – when you decide to expand your space, your time and your marketing… three ways fine-tune your business for the rest of 2017 and get a jump on 2018.

Size matters, nearly all the time. If you’re concerned your business appears too small to impress potential clients, consider leasing office space in a busy, desirable location. Realtors crow about the three musts for a business being 'location, location, location.' Your garage or a small shop may have been the prudent location for your start-up, but an address and business office say 'I'm open for business.'

Expanding beyond your means without the necessary preparation could be detrimental to your business’ future. However, the space you're in today can be the factor stalling your growth. Continuing as you are and not hassling with moving to create space for clients, employees, or inventory is a trap that dooms small business.

Marketing matters, always. In order to get this far, you’ve had to tell hundreds of people what you do. You’ve sold your services, your products and your brand successfully. Can you convince more people to trust you with their business?

Social media can help inexpensively up your marketing game. Large companies get this wrong. They can reach out on social media, but still lack the local connection you offer. Where large corporate firms can only say they care about that connection, you can put in the time and effort to actually be social on social media on a personal level. Staying engaged with past, present and future clients leverages the trust you've built to date. By the way, social media can be a gigantic time-saver when you decide to move to that new location.

Outsourcing matters, when money matters to you. One of the most widely acknowledged problems that faces growing start-ups is keeping on top of operations and administration. Spending time here personally, takes time away from what you can deliver in person to your clients. As you move to a new space, take that as an opportunity to evaluated where you're spending your time and where you want to be spending it. Keep in mind that as your business expands, so does the amount of administrative work, giving you less time to focus on strategy, and ultimately, less time making money. Outsourcing is an effective way to tackle those tasks that get in the way of day-to-day business.

Photo by Mauricio Jordan de Souza Coelho , used with permission.