Tune-Up Your Small Business, livre ebook

Tune-Up Your Small Business is the ideal guide for small business owners who want to achieve their personal and professional goals by making their businesses more successful.

This book focuses on making regular, small changes that can lead to significant improvements over time. Through stories of small businesses that have grown by following the advice in this book, it offers inspiration and practical advice. Dr Sleeman provides easy-to-follow steps to help you define what makes your business unique, communicate effectively with your customers, and present your business accurately online.

The book also advises on how to get better by listening to customers, ensuring your team delivers the best service, and discovering what customers are looking to purchase. You will find simple advice on how to price your services and reduce expenses without losing value.

This book is a step-by-step guide to developing your business steadily and effectively.

• Preface xi
• Introduction xiii
• Introduction to Effective Project Management for Small Business Owners xvii
• Chapter 1: The Power of Business Personality 1
• 1.1 Why Your Business’ Personality Matters 1
• 1.2 Creating and Maintaining a Consistent Business Personality 5
• 1.3 Success in Action: A Small Service Firm’s Business Personality (Cleaning Company) 9
• 1.4 The Power of Business Personality: Key Insights and Next Steps 12
• 1.5 Start: Research to Differentiate Your Business Personality 14
• 1.7 Do: Developing Your Business Personality Promise 27
• 1.8 Finish: Creating an Online Presence That Accurately Reflects Your Business’s Personality 33
• Conclusion 41
• Chapter 2: Embracing Change for Growth 43
• 2.1 Recognizing and Embracing Change 44
• 2.2 The Right Time to Start 45
• 2.3 Success in Action: A Small Service Firm Adapting to Market Changes (Hair Salon) 47
• 2.4 Embracing Change for Growth: Key Insights and Next Steps 49
• 2.5 Start: Recognizing and Embracing Change 50
• 2.6 Plan: Determining the Right Time to Start 59
• 2.7 Do: Develop a Customer Experience Strategy 68
• 2.8 Finish: Developing a Growth Mindset 76
• Conclusion 85
• Chapter 3: Visibility for Success 87
• 3.1 Consistency Is Key 87
• 3.2 Protecting and Enhancing Your Business Personality 89
• 3.3 Success in Action: A Small Service Firm’s Successful Business Personality Visibility Strategy (Piano Tuner) 91
• 3.4 Making Your Business Personality Visible: Key Insights and Next Steps 94
• 3.5 Start: Announcing Service Improvements to Attract and Retain Customers 96
• 3.6 Plan: Regular Updates to the Business Website for Visibility 106
• 3.7 Do: Marketing Material Updates 114
• 3.8 Finish: Monitoring and Responding to Customer Feedback 122
• Conclusion 130
• Chapter 4: Continuous Growth and New Ideas: Unlocking Your Business Potential 131
• 4.1 Enhancing Your Services for Customer Experience 132
• 4.2 Small Steps to Big Impact: Embracing Incremental Improvement 136
• 4.3 Success in Action: The Small Animal Care Clinic’s Journey to Continuous Improvement 140
• 4.4 The Power of Continuous Improvement and Innovation: Key Insights and Next Steps 142
• 4.5 Start: Use Customer Feedback for Continuous Growth 143
• 4.6 Plan: Improve Your Customer Experience Through Owner and Employee Training 154
• 4.7 Do: Uncovering Profitable Customer Needs for Business Growth 164
• 4.8 Finish: Prioritize Marketing and Business Personality for Rapid Expansion 171
• Conclusion 181
• Chapter 5: Maximizing Profitability: Pricing and Cost Management Strategies for Small Businesses 183
• 5.1 Smart Pricing: Finding the Sweet Spot for Your Services 184
• 5.2 Striking the Right Balance: Cost Reduction Versus Customer Experience 187
• 5.3 Success in Action: A Small Service Firm’s Journey to Master Pricing and Cost Management (Holiday Cottages) 190
• 5.4 Effective Pricing and Cost Management: Key Insights and Next Steps 192
• 5.5 Start: Increase Your Profits With Simple Cost-Cutting Techniques 193
• 5.6 Plan: Discover Your Customers’ Value Perception Through Easy Market Research 201
• 5.7 Do: Streamline Your Business by Outsourcing Nonessential Tasks 208
• 5.8 Finish: Strengthen Your Bottom Line by Negotiating Better Deals With Suppliers 216
• Conclusion 226
• Chapter 6: Conclusion 227
• 6.1 Business Personality Importance Highlights 227
• 6.2 Embracing Change Highlights 229
• 6.3 Visibility for Success Highlights 231
• 6.4 Continuous Growth Highlights 232
• 6.5 Maximizing Profitability Highlights 233
• 6.6 Reflecting on Success Stories 235
• 6.7 Next Steps and Action Plan 236
• 6.8 Further Resources 237
• About the Author 239
• Index 241