Is your online business built to grow? Building an online business for scalability involves careful planning, strategic decision-making, and the implementation of systems and processes that can handle growth efficiently. Let’s talk about some of the steps you can take to prepare you and your business for the future.
Business growth can happen at any time, so it’s important that your online business and business methods are scalable. Some steps that you can take to build a scalable business are:
Choose the Right Business Mode
Not all business models are created equal. Depending on what you’re selling and how you are creating and selling those products to customers, some business models are more scalable than others. Labor intensive products may be hard to ramp up production for. A service-based business with only a handful of employees may have to turn away customers due to the lack of manpower to fulfill requests. When possible, opt for business models that inherently allow for scalability. E-commerce, SaaS (Software as a Service), digital products, and subscription-based services are examples of business models that can scale well.
Invest in a Robust Infrastructure
Your online shop’s technical infrastructure plays a large role in your business’ ability to grow. When choosing your website, hosting provider, and other technical aspects of your business, you want to think about the well it can adapt to growth. Can your infrastructure handle an increase in traffic? Are you limited on the number of transactions your website can process? Ask your hosting provider about the scalability of their solutions to prepare for the possibility of future growth.
Automate Processes
Over time, you will also become more experienced with your business processes. To prevent overwhelm as your tasks change and grow, take the time to automate routine tasks. Identify repetitive tasks and processes within your business operations and automate them using software tools or outsourcing solutions. This could be tasks like sending emails to your clients or even processing orders from customers. This frees up time and resources to focus on more strategic aspects of your business.
Implement Scalable Marketing Strategies
Social media and email marketing can be a massive task and can take an incredible amount of time to do. Depending on your current marketing strategies, you may not be able to scale them up as your audience grows. Take time to invest in marketing channels and tactics that can scale efficiently. Content marketing, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), social media advertising, and email marketing are all tried and true marketing strategies that can grow with your business. Utilize these tools to build a strong brand presence and generate sustainable, organic growth.
Monitor Key Metrics
Catching growth before it is important. By tracking metrics such as traffic, website performance, customer acquisition, revenue growth, and so forth, you can identify opportunities for optimization and expansion. This allows you to catch growth before it happens, giving you time to prepare you online shop and establish strategies. Metrics also allow you to foster opportunities, letting you guide your business growth in the right direction.
Want to learn more?
Continuous iteration on your business helps you build an online business that is primed for scalability and poised for long-term success. For more tips on how to improve your online shops, listen to our eCommerce Made Easy podcast and explore our blogs!
