Career Advice

Small Business Success Secrets Revealed

We may receive compensation when you click on product links from our partners. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.

Last Updated on February 14, 2025

The majority of businesses in the United States are small businesses. Unfortunately, only about half of them will exceed the five-year mark. If you find that your business is losing ground and you cannot show a profit, there are things you can do to turn it around.

What This Article Covers

  • Business Longevity Challenges: Understanding why many small businesses struggle to survive beyond five years.
  • Funding Your Business: Exploring financing options, including small business loans, HELOCs, and credit cards.
  • Effective Marketing Strategies: Utilizing social media, email marketing, and local engagement to attract and retain customers.
  • Importance of a Professional Website: How a well-designed website can enhance brand credibility and drive sales.
  • Community Engagement Benefits: Leveraging local events and sponsorships to establish a strong business presence.
  • Customer Service & Retention: Building loyalty through excellent service and customer satisfaction strategies.
  • Eco-Friendly Business Practices: The advantages of sustainable packaging and its impact on customer loyalty.
  • Hiring & Retaining Talent: Recruiting qualified employees and implementing incentives to maintain a productive workforce.
Struggling to keep your small business afloat? Discover key strategies to boost profits, attract customers, and build a loyal base. Don't let setbacks define your success—take action today! #SmallBizTipsClick To Tweet

Money to Invest

Unfortunately, money can make or break a business. You can have terrific ideas to move your business into the green, but you’ll never achieve it if you do not have the funds to invest. While you can borrow money from a family member, you need access to cash as needed to stay afloat. Thankfully, there are several loan options available for any small business. You can take a small business loan from a bank or other type of lender, a HELOC loan against your home, or use credit cards; however, the latter can expose you to the highest interest rates.

SuperMoney - Personalized Business Loans

The Smart Way to Fund Your Business

  • Find your best loan offer from competing lenders*
  • Loans up to $5M. Rates from --%**
  • Checking rates won't affect your credit score


See If You Qualify
We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you.

Marketing

Marketing is one of the most essential components to the success of any business, large or small. Without attracting new customers, you remain stagnant at best. The good news is that there are several ways to target your audience at a relatively low cost. Social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook can give your business access to a lot of traffic you can direct to your website. Email is another way businesses can reach many people simultaneously and with a small out-of-pocket cost.

Presentable Website

In today’s digital age, having a well-designed and presentable website is crucial for the success of small businesses. Your website serves as the virtual face of your company and is often the first impression potential customers have of your brand. Creating an appealing and user-friendly website that effectively showcases your products or services is essential.

By partnering with a nearshore team of software developers, you can ensure that your website is professionally designed, optimized for search engines, and delivers an exceptional user experience. These skilled developers can help you create a visually appealing and responsive website that aligns with your brand identity, attracts visitors, and converts them into loyal customers.

Freshbooks - Accounting Software Built for Business Owners and Accountants

Easy-to-Use Accounting & Bookkeeping Features. Invoicing and Accounting Tools Built for Any Sized Business

Learn More
We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you.

Part of the Community

Business owners may launch a successful campaign to attract new customers, but they often forget the benefits of their surrounding community. Having a presence lets you connect with existing customers and make new ones. It also forms a long-lasting bond and helps to brand your company as not only reputable but as a member of their community. Sponsoring events or taking up a booth at the local fair will provide positive results.

Customer Service

If as many customers go out the back door as you bring in, you won’t grow. To reach the next level of success, you must maintain a loyal base and grow from there. Customer service is necessary to satisfy your existing customers and separate you from other businesses that offer similar products or services. While you can’t please everyone, you can do your best to please most.

A good business needs to start as a functional, basic idea. Let’s say you want to start a baked goods company. First, you should be able to make, package, and ship a great cookie. If you can create a cookie which could, theoretically, sustain your business indefinitely, then your idea is a good one. From the cookie foundation, you can build into other baked goods, expanding your business model. But you’ve started from a solid platform. Many businesses do not start from a sustainable mode, and it’s challenging for them to grow from that point.” – Is Starting a Business Right for Me?

Customer Loyalty

Many business owners don’t properly utilize their existing customers. A loyal base can bring in many additional sales from their family, co-workers, and friends. Offering a small monetary gesture of appreciation can get the ball rolling. Many companies already use this method to gain sales without spending big bucks on advertising. As a result, you get referrals, and your existing customers feel appreciated—it’s a win for both.

Small businesses need to implement eco-friendly packaging to succeed in today’s marketplace. With an increasing demand for sustainable and environmentally friendly products, customers appreciate businesses prioritizing eco-friendliness. Green packaging can enhance customer loyalty and showcase the company’s commitment to being environmentally responsible. Moreover, eco-friendly packaging can reduce costs and increase profitability in the long run by reducing waste and shipping costs. Adopting innovative and sustainable packaging strategies can help small businesses thrive and stand out in a competitive market. For more information visit here for sustainable custom mailer boxes.

The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It
$12.99

Small business consultant and author Michael E. Gerber, with sharp insight gained from years of experience, points out how common assumptions, expectations, and even technical expertise can get in the way of running a successful business.

Buy from Amazon
We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you.
02/21/2025 07:37 pm GMT

Qualified Employees

Every business needs qualified employees to achieve success. Many companies now use recruiters to gain access to talented individuals instead of searching through a large pile of applications. Once you find them, keeping them in your employment is also necessary. One way an employer can retain their talent is through incentive programs where the more sales they produce, the more money they make. In addition to monetary incentives, employees want a decent benefits package that includes healthcare, sick time, vacation, and yearly bonuses.

The online workshop is an invaluable asset to any small business. By investing in train-the-trainer certification, businesses can ensure their employees have the skills and knowledge they need to succeed. The certification provides employees a comprehensive understanding of teaching theory, classroom management, and other necessary training skills. Businesses can rest assured that their employees can deliver high-quality training and stay up-to-date on all the latest industry trends and practices.

If your business is not gaining ground in the growth department, look at how you operate. Is your marketing campaign working? Are you active in the community? Do you have qualified individuals on your staff? Do you also have funds available to invest in your business?

The McGraw-Hill Guide to Starting Your Own Business : A Step-By-Step Blueprint for the First-Time Entrepreneur
$24.00 $13.59

This completely revised second edition once again shows entrepreneurs the keys to determining the best business opportunities, creating a business plan, and formulating a winning marketing strategy.

Buy on Amazon.com Buy on Walmart.com
We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you.
02/22/2025 07:38 am GMT


What's next?

home popular resources subscribe search

You cannot copy content of this page