With technology constantly revolutionising the world, business owners have the opportunity to save more money, without making sacrifices. By adopting the latest stocktake tech, or investing in HR management software for small businesses, your team can save time and money.
Bigger changes like AI customer service can be a complete game changer for the way you run your business. Is it time that you see how you can make your operations more effective and your business more efficient?
Here’s how you can do it, with our guide on how small businesses can save money – without cutting corners.
Adopt new technologies
AI automation is making waves through every business sector on the planet. From 24/7 virtual assistants, to task management organisation programs, every business will have a digital aid that can save them time, which they may not even know exists yet. Take some time to learn online about which programs could be integrated into your business — AI customer support, payroll and HR programs are the most commonly adopted. Using machine learning, and guaranteed accuracy, these AI software symptoms can take care of the parts of your business that are monotonous, yet require exact precision, therefore eliminating the risk of human error.
As with implementing all new technologies, there will be skills to learn, but the upside for small businesses is especially pronounced as you’ll be able to offer new services without hiring more team members and save on staffing costs, or cut out menial tasks from your workflow, to focus on the more important strategising.
Get creative with your marketing
Social media influencers provide unique opportunities to every business. Whether that’s offering a free meal to a local foodie, holding a pop-up event, or giving out products to popular people within your niche.
Social media influencers want new and interesting things to show their fans, and sometimes will even do so for free to build their audience, so working with people within your niche could be a quick way to spread your business through word of mouth on a budget.
Take a look at the social media you think your target audience uses most, then search for which accounts are creating content for them within your niche. This can be as simple as looking up “Melbourne eats” on Instagram, but sometimes it’s more complex and you’ll have to ask around for help. Once you’ve found a couple of accounts you’re interested in working with, just reach out directly and see if they’d like to collaborate.
Keep it simple and focus on what works
Though expansion is the goal for small businesses, sometimes it’s better to stick with what works, at least for the time being. When you have limited resources, it’s easy to stretch yourself thin with new products or services, but if you already have a consistent demand, or just a finished product, it will save on development time and prototype costs by just focusing on what you have already, and scaling it up with demand.
Once your business has a surplus of time and money, you can comfortably try out exciting new avenues for growth without causing issues to your established business.
Consider using freelance or remote workers instead
Renting an office space is an expensive overhead when you could be hiring workers who will source it themselves. Remote and freelance workers will do just this, so if your team is able to work efficiently online, you can save money by transitioning to a hybrid or work-from-home workplace.
Besides that, freelancers will often work for more competitive rates, so if your work requires services like graphic design, copywriting, or product photography, it might be more economical to hire a local freelancer whose work you like, and then you can choose as and when you want their services.
Plan ahead logistically
All businesses aim to be active far into the future, but small businesses often only plan for the next month or two. And of course this is reasonable while you learn the ropes, but if you plan further ahead you can cut costs and save money.
So instead, do the calculations for your overheads for six months to a year, and see whether you can start buying stock or renting warehouse space in bulk— longer contracts will sell for less overall.
Examine your unnecessary expenses
In the hustle and bustle of business, mistakes and unneeded purchases can slip through the cracks. At the end of each month you should be comparing your budget with your expenses, and considering which needs change, and where you can save money. That might mean cutting out buying receipt paper by switching to digital, or using a payroll program to automate the process for you.
Doing this is also a great way to identify areas that can be improved– for example, if you’re buying a lot of paint, you could buy in bulk, or if you’re spending a lot on essentials like ink cartridges or monthly internet bills, maybe switch to cheaper brands instead.
Conclusion
Each business will have unique opportunities and interests, so finding the right changes for you will take some time and consideration. Look online at which tools you could be using for your type of business, think about whether you can outsource work, or how you could save by taking out long-term buying contracts, or buying in bulk.
Moving forward with more efficient practices will reward you far into the future, and open your eyes to even more potential savings for your small business too.