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Top 6 Tips for Growing a Successful Small Business

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Successful Small Business

Launching and sustaining a business idea is not all flowers and roses, as many think, but with the right mindset and strategies, you can be part of the success rate.

How to Make Your Small Business Successful

While the idea of starting and growing your own business can be thrilling and super exciting, you must understand that it is a challenging endeavour. Practically anyone can set up a business; all you need is to fill out some paperwork, create a logo and some banners, and offer a legit service or product. However, making your business successful is another ball game entirely. Sustaining a successful small business depends on many factors and requires you to possess a specific mindset. You must be able to apply the right strategies and ideas to specific situations at the appropriate time.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 25 per cent of startups sustain for up to 15 years, while the remaining 25 per cent collapse before the first 5 years. This statistic shows that most entrepreneurs fail to understand what it takes to sustain a business before starting one. Do you want to stand above the fierce competition in the business world and be among the success rate? I bet the answer is yes! Well, this article will explore helpful tips and strategies to make your small business successful.

Conduct in-depth research on your product or service

One common error most people make is starting a business on the product or service they have in mind without researching how well it’ll sell. As you are planning to start up your business, you must understand that your love for an idea of a product or service doesn’t mean people want to buy it.

To avoid failure in your startup, you must conduct in-depth research on the service or product you want to offer with respect to how many people want it in the market. Talking to several of your target customers about your product and analyzing how they feel about it instead of guesswork will give you a clear picture of your business’s likelihood of success. Also, ensure to check out how existing businesses with similar models are doing in the market.

Know Your target customer

Running a business based solely on your personal values and ideas is why many startups fail today. Yes, you have chosen to offer a product or service with a good prospect; however, a critical factor for your success is to know who your target customers are. Even established businesses that get this wrong usually end up sliding down the slope.

To sustain a successful small business, you must gather enough information about how big your target audience base is and what their features are. For instance, you must know their age range, demographics, and personas. Also, you must know what influences their buying decisions. This will not only help you reach and convert them effectively but retain them even after they become your customers. Remember, a thriving business is one that understands what its customers want.

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Offer great service

While it’s great to consider several other factors, you must understand that the core element of your business is the quality of the product or service you offer. It is one thing to get customers to patronize your business; it is another to offer them outstanding service and a great customer experience. The latter will help convert your one-time visitors into loyal customers.

An essential ingredient to a successful small business in this highly competitive environment is generating enough positive word of mouth. A sure way to achieve this is by offering professional service to your customers. More than brand promotion, your customers singing your praises and turning into your brand ambassadors is one of the most effective ways to grow as a small business.

Study your competitors

Every business has competitors, and you should be worried if you don’t find any around you. A lack of competitors in a market may mean a lack of demand for the product or service it offers. Since your primary goal is to ensure that your target customers choose your small business over your competitors, it’s imperative that you stand above them by researching the competition around you.

When you find your competitors, you must find out who they are, their strengths and weaknesses, their customer reviews, and their results. You must also ask yourself which of them stands out and which of them are out of business. This information will enable you to make informed decisions that will keep you above the competition in your market, no matter how fierce it is. You’ll easily be the first choice of your target audience when they find that your business offers more value where others are lagging.

Cut unnecessary costs

Another common mistake many small businesses make is the lack of proper cash management by spending on unnecessary things. This has sent many small businesses packing in their early days. Cash management is vital, especially when you have just launched your business and have a lot to spend on. Hence, it is important to have a budget for each of your expenditures and stick to it to avoid running into debt.

Here are some helpful financial tips for your small business:

  • Cut unnecessary subscriptions
  • Get a cheaper supplier for your products
  • Downsize to a smaller space if necessary
  • Charge late-payment fees from customers
  • Review your expenses regularly

Be focused and passionate

Finally, the most important personal traits vital to the success of your small business are your focus and passion. These will drive you towards achieving your goals no matter what challenges arise. Before reaching your big goals, you need to be satisfied with short-term goals and milestones. Know that sustaining a business is not a sprint but a marathon, so you must be patient.

Also, you must be passionate about your business to make it a success story. You must not for once be distracted from why you started the venture in the first place. Passion will always keep you on your feet. It may take you more time than you might spend working for someone else, and you might even sacrifice fun weekends and vacations, but it will be worth it in the end.

Conclusion

Rome wasn’t built in a day is a saying that applies to your small business. Launching and sustaining a business idea is not all flowers and roses, but with the right mindset and strategies, you can be part of the success rate. Don’t forget to visit Parimatch for a fantastic betting experience.

Dipo Olowookere is a journalist based in Nigeria that has passion for reporting business news stories. At his leisure time, he watches football and supports 3SC of Ibadan. Mr Olowookere can be reached via [email protected]

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Economy

Geo-Fluids, Afriland Properties Lift NASD Bourse by 0.13%

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shareholders of Afriland Properties

By Adedapo Adesanya

The duo of Geo-Fluids Plc and Afriland Properties Plc propelled the NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange up 0.13 per cent on Friday, January 10.

Investors gained N1.4 billion during the trading session after the market capitalisation of the bourse ended at N1.053 trillion compared with the previous day’s N1.052 trillion, and the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) increased at the close of business by 4.07 points to wrap the session at 3,073.93 points compared with 3,069.86 points recorded at the previous session.

Geo-Fluids added 25 Kobo to its value to close at N4.85 per unit compared with the previous session’s N4.60 per unit, and Afriland Properties Plc gained 24 Kobo to close at N16.25 per share versus Thursday’s closing price of N16.01 per share.

There was a 35.4 per cent fall in the volume of securities traded in the session as investors exchanged 4.3 million units compared to 6.6 million units traded in the preceding session, the value of shares traded yesterday went down by 37.4 per cent to N17.2 million from the N27.5 million recorded a day earlier, and the number of deals decreased by 47.2 per cent to 19 deals from the 36 deals recorded in the preceding day.

FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc remained the most active stock by value (year-to-date) with 1.9 million units worth N74.2 million, followed by 11 Plc with 12,963 units valued at N3.2 million, and Industrial and General Insurance  (IGI )Plc with 10.7 million units sold for N2.1 million.

IGI Plc closed the day as the most active stock by volume (year-to-date) with 10.6 million units sold for N2.1 million, trailed by FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc with 1.9 million units valued at N74.2 million, and Acorn Petroleum Plc with 1.2 million units worth N1.9 million.

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Economy

Naira Depreciates to N1,543/$1 at Official Market

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Naira-Yuan Currency Swap Deal

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Naira witnessed a depreciation on the US Dollar at the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEM) on Friday, January 10.

According to data from the FMDQ Exchange, the local currency weakened against the greenback yesterday by 0.12 per cent or N1.80 to sell for N1,543.03/$1 compared with the preceding day’s N1,541.23/$1.

The pressure on the domestic currency came as the access granted to the Bureaux de Change (BDC) operators by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to purchase FX from the official market through the Electronic Foreign Exchange Matching System (EFEMS) platform prepares to end next week, precisely on January 19.

The CBN had given a 42-day window to the operators to access the platform to help stabilise the Naira in December, and this expires next week.

On Friday, the Nigerian currency tumbled against the Pound Sterling in the official market by N30.78 to sell for N1,889.29/£1 compared with the previous day’s N1,858.51/£1, but gained N5.48 against the Euro to finish at N1,583.81/€1, in contrast to Thursday’s rate of N1,589.29/€1.

As for the parallel market, the Nigerian Naira remained stable against the US Dollar during the trading session at N1,650/$1, according to data obtained by Business Post.

In the cryptocurrency market, it was bearish as the US economy added 256,000 jobs last month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Friday, topping forecasts for 160,000 and up from 212,000 in November (revised from an originally reported 227,000).

However, the readings came after a number of recent economic reports triggered a broad-market pullback across asset classes such as crypto as investors quickly scaled back the idea of a continued series of Federal Reserve rate cuts in 2025.

Cardano (ADA) fell by 3.6 per cent to trade at $0.921, Solana (SOL) slumped by 2.8 per cent to $185.93, Ethereum (ETH) depreciated by 1.4 per cent to $3,233.27, Litecoin (LTC) lost 1.3 per cent to finish at $103.62, Dogecoin (DOGE) shed 0.5 per cent to sell at $0.3315, Bitcoin (BTC), waned by 0.2 per cent to $94,154.43, and Binance Coin (BNB) went south by 0.1  per cent to $693.30.

On the flip side, Ripple (XRP) jumped by 1.5 per cent to settle at $2.34, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) sold flat at $1.00 each.

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Economy

Customs Street Crumbles by 0.08% as Profit-Takers Take Charge

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Customs Street

By Dipo Olowookere

Profit-takers took control of Customs Street on Friday, plunging it by 0.08 per cent at the close of trading activities.

The sell-offs were across all the key sectors of the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited on last trading session of the week.

The insurance space went down by 1.53 per cent, the banking index depreciated by 0.41 per cent, the consumer goods sector weakened by 0.16 per cent, and the energy counter slumped by 0.08 per cent, while the industrial goods sector closed flat.

At the close of business, the All-Share Index (ASI) tumbled by 79.68 points to 105,451.06 points from 105,530.74 points and the market capitalisation retreated by N48 billion to N64.303 trillion from N64.351 trillion.

Yesterday, investors traded 1.5 billion shares worth N19.4 billion in 12,877 deals compared with the 489.5 million shares worth N13.1 billion transacted in 13,010 deals in the preceding day, indicating a decline in the number of deals by 1.02 deals and a rise in the trading volume and value by 203.14 per cent and 48.09 per cent, respectively.

Wema Bank was the busiest stock with 976.2 million units valued at N9.8 billion, Tantalizers traded 53.0 million units worth 129.6 million, Universal Insurance sold 34.8 million units for N26.8 million, Access Holdings exchanged 33.9 million units valued at N843.8 million, and Nigerian Breweries traded 27.3 million units worth N873.3 million.

The heaviest loss was suffered by Sunu Assurances with a decline of 9.99 per cent to trade at N7.30, Eunisell shed 9.96 per cent to N17.35, SAHCO crumbled by 9.87 per cent to N30.15, DAAR Communications plunged by 9.28 per cent to 88 Kobo, and Sovereign Trust Insurance went down by 7.04 per cent to N1.32.

On the flip side, C&I Leasing gained 10.00 per cent to close at N4.51, Honeywell Flour appreciated by 9.99 per cent to N10.02, Trans Nationwide Express jumped by 9.89 per cent to N2.00, RT Briscoe rose by 9.83 per cent to N2.57, and Secure Electronic Technology grew by 9.46 per cent to 81 Kobo.

Business Post reports that the bourse ended with 33 price gainers and 25 price losers, indicating a positive market breadth index and strong investor sentiment.

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