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Give Your Small Business a Boost With These Tips
Want to expand your design firm? Follow these tips to get on track for business growth
HouzzIN
26 June 2018
If your business feels like it’s ready to grow, there are a few things you can do to enable it to reach its full potential. These tips will help you build on your knowledge and resources to grow your small home improvement firm.
Get a good team together
You’ll find it a lot easier to extend your home renovation business if you have a fantastic team of employees around you. Make it your mission to hire people you can trust to build your firm’s reputation for high-quality work.
A strong professional network will come in handy here. Let others in your field know you’re looking to hire and try to get as many recommendations as possible. Put adverts on social media, and keep your eye out for apprentices at colleges and schools.
When you find a potential candidate, the interview process should include a way of assessing how the employee would fit in to your business. Maya Carni, director of Scenario Architecture says: “Over the years we’ve developed a unique hiring process, based on simulations, to get a feel of how it may be working together with the candidates. For each role in Scenario we have a different interactive interviewing process.”
You’ll find it a lot easier to extend your home renovation business if you have a fantastic team of employees around you. Make it your mission to hire people you can trust to build your firm’s reputation for high-quality work.
A strong professional network will come in handy here. Let others in your field know you’re looking to hire and try to get as many recommendations as possible. Put adverts on social media, and keep your eye out for apprentices at colleges and schools.
When you find a potential candidate, the interview process should include a way of assessing how the employee would fit in to your business. Maya Carni, director of Scenario Architecture says: “Over the years we’ve developed a unique hiring process, based on simulations, to get a feel of how it may be working together with the candidates. For each role in Scenario we have a different interactive interviewing process.”
Devise a marketing strategy
To get your firm’s name out there, a marketing plan is key. By far the most effective way to market your business now-a-days is online, so you’d be wise to invest in a good-looking website with clear information about your business, and attractive images of your projects.
Once your website is up and running, it’s important to build a profile on social media. Use your website as a source of social media content by creating a blog with useful articles to share. As well as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, don’t forget to create a profile on Houzz where you can interact with a community of actively engaged homeowners.
Here’s how to connect your website and social media presence
To get your firm’s name out there, a marketing plan is key. By far the most effective way to market your business now-a-days is online, so you’d be wise to invest in a good-looking website with clear information about your business, and attractive images of your projects.
Once your website is up and running, it’s important to build a profile on social media. Use your website as a source of social media content by creating a blog with useful articles to share. As well as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, don’t forget to create a profile on Houzz where you can interact with a community of actively engaged homeowners.
Here’s how to connect your website and social media presence
Connect with other businesses
Want to expand your customer base, or take on bigger projects? A great way to do this is to team up with other home renovation specialists with the skills and resources you need.
Use their skills to get certain aspects of a job completed, and work out a way to share the profits. Or tap into their client base by agreeing to recommend each other’s business. You can build your professional network by using social media, or attending industry events. If you’re on Houzz make the most of its huge community of professionals.
Want to expand your customer base, or take on bigger projects? A great way to do this is to team up with other home renovation specialists with the skills and resources you need.
Use their skills to get certain aspects of a job completed, and work out a way to share the profits. Or tap into their client base by agreeing to recommend each other’s business. You can build your professional network by using social media, or attending industry events. If you’re on Houzz make the most of its huge community of professionals.
Nurture your client base
It’s a lot easier to keep old clients than to find new ones, so make time to stay in touch with previous customers. You never know when they’ll need your services again, and a customer who was happy with a small project might well consider your firm for a larger job in the future.
Nicola Sanders, owner of interior design firm Parsons Gray says: “I have recently started a database so that I can send past and current clients a short newsletter each quarter, which will serve as a softer reminder of my work and my business.”
Encourage your clients to write a positive review for you on Houzz
It’s a lot easier to keep old clients than to find new ones, so make time to stay in touch with previous customers. You never know when they’ll need your services again, and a customer who was happy with a small project might well consider your firm for a larger job in the future.
Nicola Sanders, owner of interior design firm Parsons Gray says: “I have recently started a database so that I can send past and current clients a short newsletter each quarter, which will serve as a softer reminder of my work and my business.”
Encourage your clients to write a positive review for you on Houzz
Delegate tasks to focus on business growth
There comes a time when it’s impossible to wear all the hats in your business. If you feel like you’re spending too much time on marketing and too little on building client relationships and planning projects, it’s time to call in some help.
Interior design project manager, Jennifer Chong of Feioi recommends you delegate certain tasks: “This could be accounts, marketing, technical drawings, social media or small admin jobs. It will allow you to take on more work and ultimately make your business more successful.”
Learn how to make your company stand out from the competition
There comes a time when it’s impossible to wear all the hats in your business. If you feel like you’re spending too much time on marketing and too little on building client relationships and planning projects, it’s time to call in some help.
Interior design project manager, Jennifer Chong of Feioi recommends you delegate certain tasks: “This could be accounts, marketing, technical drawings, social media or small admin jobs. It will allow you to take on more work and ultimately make your business more successful.”
Learn how to make your company stand out from the competition
Consider extra finance
If your expansion plans require investment, it might be worth seeking out finance options. Think about this carefully and make sure you’ve worked out a plan for how you’ll use the money and when you’ll be able to pay it back.
There are a number of ways to get external funding for your business apart from the usual option of a bank loan. For a large investment consider asking a private investor, or business angel who will not only invest money, but also their time and expertise. You can also tap into government schemes that have been devised to help small businesses, as well as any grants that might be available. There are quite a few alternative options too, like invoice finance and crowdfunding. Do your research and plan wisely.
If your expansion plans require investment, it might be worth seeking out finance options. Think about this carefully and make sure you’ve worked out a plan for how you’ll use the money and when you’ll be able to pay it back.
There are a number of ways to get external funding for your business apart from the usual option of a bank loan. For a large investment consider asking a private investor, or business angel who will not only invest money, but also their time and expertise. You can also tap into government schemes that have been devised to help small businesses, as well as any grants that might be available. There are quite a few alternative options too, like invoice finance and crowdfunding. Do your research and plan wisely.
Diversify your business
A great way to expand your business is to move into new markets. This is particularly effective if you currently work in a niche area.
If your firm specialises in carpentry, for example, perhaps you could move from bespoke storage into furniture or even kitchen cabinetry. Keep an eye on interior trends to find out what customers are asking for in their homes, and see if your business has the skills and resources to tap into these areas.
Carni says: “We started purely with residential end users, and gradually moved to residential developers and recently boutique commercial as well. But whatever the project is, we stick to the same method of getting a really good understanding of our client’s requirements and aspirations.”
Read more:
Professionals: How to Become a Part of the Houzz Community
Tell us:
Are you planning to grow your small renovation business? Share your experiences so far in the Comments below.
A great way to expand your business is to move into new markets. This is particularly effective if you currently work in a niche area.
If your firm specialises in carpentry, for example, perhaps you could move from bespoke storage into furniture or even kitchen cabinetry. Keep an eye on interior trends to find out what customers are asking for in their homes, and see if your business has the skills and resources to tap into these areas.
Carni says: “We started purely with residential end users, and gradually moved to residential developers and recently boutique commercial as well. But whatever the project is, we stick to the same method of getting a really good understanding of our client’s requirements and aspirations.”
Read more:
Professionals: How to Become a Part of the Houzz Community
Tell us:
Are you planning to grow your small renovation business? Share your experiences so far in the Comments below.
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