Expert gives his top five tips to help Coventry firms ahead of tomorrow's Small Business Saturday
This Saturday 4th December is Small Business Saturday. Whether you are a family business, local shop, online business, wholesaler, business service or small manufacturer, Small Business Saturday asks consumers to support their local businesses. Now in its ninth year in the UK, the campaign has grown significantly with an estimated £1.1 billion spent in small businesses across the UK on 2020’s Small Business Saturday. With an estimated 59% of UK shoppers now favouring local businesses over corporate* it’s the perfect time to take advantage of this new consumer trend.
Kevin Riley is a business growth specialist working with businesses in Coventry and the surrounding areas. In addition to joining the campaign for Small Business Saturday, he is sharing his top five tips with small business owners to set themselves up for a great 2022…
Tip 1: Master your destination – know from the very outset where you want your business to end up. If you don’t know your destination, how do you know if you are going in the right direction?
Tip 2: Master your numbers – know how much your hourly rate is, how much profit you are making, know your targets and regularly review so you know when you achieve them!
Tip 3: Master your time – be efficient, don’t get distracted, do the big (horrible!) jobs first and reward yourself with the more enjoyable tasks later. If you find managing your diary difficult, consider blocking out time to complete regular essential tasks as part of a default diary.
Tip 4: Master your delivery – perfect your finished product/service, then be consistent in your delivery. Clients will become accustomed to your high standards, so don’t ever let them drop. Write a procedure that staff can follow if you are off sick or unable to work, so your clients always receive the same delivery.
Tip 5: Celebrate your successes – take time to celebrate each achievement and milestone. Shout about it on your website, social media channels and newsletters so your clients (and potential clients) know how well you are doing.
Local business owner Gemma Diaper of The Cakery is hoping to take advantage of Small Business Saturday by getting a big slice of business during the global event, “Since the pandemic, we have noticed a big difference in the number of people using our services. People genuinely seem more motivated to shop local, which is fantastic to see. To gear up for Christmas we have an online store with lots of special items in it, which we deliver around Leamington Spa, Warwick and Kenilworth. This is the first time we’re taking part in the event, so we’re hoping to see a lot of new customers on Saturday.”
Kevin is gifting local business owners a 20-minute coaching call to share and formulate strategies you can use to transform your business in 2022. To register visit: warwick.actioncoach.co.uk
*Small Business Saturday, 2020. Consumer Data