Growth: The Stages Your Online Business Goes Through

Saturday, October 24th, 2009 at 12:14 am

Whether you’re establishing an online business or an off-line presence, certain things remain the same, and you can always expect to go through growing pains as you progress. Most of us can easily remember, or clearly see from our own point of view, the steps that a child takes through adolescence and into adulthood, and from this we can derive an incredibly valuable and useful analogy with the business world. An array of fundamentals have to be addressed and careful attention given to each stage of development before advancement to the next level can be achieved.

If you have a super idea for your new business, don't be tempted to rush into anything before you have a clear plan of attack. For example, if you were constructing a house, you wouldn’t begin without a strong foundation, and the same idea holds true in business as well.

No amount of experience in the world of business will allow you to take shortcuts with any new project. You should always lean on your marketing and customer relations experience if possible, but remember to take a fresh approach to each new enterprise, and you’ll be pleased you did.

The process of creating your unique angle, also known as a USP, requires you to determine the makeup of your typical client and what sets your service or product offering apart. At this stage, preparation is crucial, and you should be thinking about pursuing website development strategies. If you don’t take the time to carefully analyse your business and break it down thoroughly, you're more than likely to run into an assortment of problems down the line.

A well thought out business enterprise is an excellent base from which to launch from, and it should assist you with making sure that your delivery is consistent and goes far beyond what most customers would reasonably expect. This will enable you to gather great testimonials and referral work right from the start. It’s good to know that your “baby” is up-and-running, but be sure to continue to provide outstanding high levels of customer service even as you focus on growth.

As you start to gain momentum, keep focused and become the best at what you do in your key areas before you start to investigate different directions. Don't cut yourself too thinly and be tempted to take on too much, as your core business will likely suffer.

Some business owners attempt to micro-manage every element of their operation, and are afraid to delegate. As your business grows, there will come a time when you have to delegate, and as such, there are certain parts of your operation you’ll need to entrust to the care of an expert virtual assistant, and in this instance – just like any other, your selection of appropriate teammates is vitally important.

You’ll know that you have a business based on solid ground if you have loyal customers, a good reputation, a productive referral and marketing system, and built-in safety nets. When your strengths generally overcome your weaknesses and you see more opportunities than threats in the market, then your successful business is destined for stardom!

Michelle Dale is The Managing Director of Virtual Miss Friday, an Executive Virtual Assistant who assists businesses and individuals with achieving their professional goals. Want to find out more about online business building success strategies? Contact VMF Now!

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