Starting a business is hard work. It takes a lot of dedication, time, and effort to get a new venture off the ground. But once you've made it past the initial hurdles, how do you take your business to the next level?

No one tells you this, but the time after launching your startup is the most challenging stage. You're past the initial ideation and product development stages, but you haven't reached profitability or scale yet. This is the stage where most startups fail.

So, how can you make sure your business doesn't fall into this category? There are many different ways to grow your company and make it more successful. Here are ten of the most important ones.

Increase sales and market share.

One way to take your business to the next level is to focus on increasing sales and market share. Doing so can help you grow your company and reach new heights. There are a few key ways to go about increasing sales and market share, including:

You ensure that you have a product or service that people want or need. If you don't have something that people want, it will be tough to increase sales. Take some time to do market research and figure out what potential customers are looking for. Once you know what they want, you can create a product or service that meets their needs.
You are ensuring that your pricing is competitive. If your prices are too high, people will simply buy from your competitors instead. Make sure to research your competition's pricing and adjust your prices accordingly.
Good marketing strategy. This is key for increasing market share. To reach your target audience, you need to find the right mix of advertising, PR, and social media. If you can get people interested in what you're selling, they'll be more likely to buy from you.
Great customer service. When customers are happy with their purchase, they're more likely to come back and buy from you again. Ensure that your team provides excellent customer service and that all of your policies and procedures are up-to-date.
Have a responsive, functional website. In today's world, more and more people are shopping online. If you want to be successful, you need to ensure that your website is up to par so that mobile screen readers and browsers can see your content correctly. Also, the web design should be excellent. If you need help in this area, work with us, a digital marketing agency based in Los Angeles.

Develop new products or services.

Maybe your products or services have become a little stale that they're dragging down your company's image. Thus, not allowing your business to grow and expand. In this case, you'll want to come up with some new and innovative offerings to help increase interest in your company.

It could be anything from a new version of an old product to a whole new service that no one else is offering. Whatever it is, make sure it's something that will really wow your customers and gets them excited about your company again.

If you're not sure where to start, think about your customer's needs that aren't being met. Then, try to develop a product or service that would fill that need.

You can also look to your competitors for inspiration. What are they doing that you're not? Can you do it better? Whatever route you decide to take, just make sure the new products or services are something that people will want to buy.

And be prepared for a lot of hard work – introducing new offerings is no easy task!

Expand into new markets.

Another great way to take your business to the next level is to expand into new markets. You can do this by opening up new locations, expanding your product offerings, or even just reaching out to new customer segments.

By doing this, you'll be able to tap into new revenue streams and potentially grow your business at a much faster rate.

Of course, expanding into new markets comes with its own set of challenges and risks, such as:

Determining whether or not the new market is worth entering
Investing time and money into expanding your operations without knowing if it will pay off
Having to compete with established players in the new market who may have a significant advantage over you

But if you're carefully planning and executing your expansion strategy, it can be a hugely rewarding move for your business.

Improve customer service.

Of course, your business won't be able to grow if your customer service is lacking because no one will want to continue doing business with you. That's why it's important to take the time to improve your customer service.

You can do this by providing excellent and responsive customer service, showing that you're always willing to go above and beyond for your customers, and making sure that your employees are properly trained in customer service.

When your customers are happy, they'll be more likely to continue doing business with you and to recommend you to others, which is essential for growth. So, make sure that you're always working on improving your customer service!

Cut costs without compromising quality.

Your small business might not be reaching new heights due to the high costs. These costs may come from the materials you use, the employees you have, or your outsourcing services. You don't have to sacrifice quality to save money, though. Here are some tips:

Use cheaper materials without sacrificing quality. Many high-quality products are also affordable. For example, many types of wood can be used for furniture that is just as beautiful and sturdy as more expensive types of wood.
Employ fewer people without sacrificing quality. You may be able to get the same level of work done with fewer employees. This can help you save on wages and benefits.
Outsource services instead of providing them in-house. There are many services that you can outsource for a fraction of the cost of providing them in-house. For example, you can outsource your local digital marketing services to a freelancer or an agency.
Use social media platforms for advertising and marketing your products or services instead of traditional methods such as print or television ads. Social media advertising is a cheaper way to reach out to potential customers, and it allows you to target a specific audience.

These tips are helpful, but you don't have to implement all of them at once. Just pick one or two and start saving money without sacrificing quality.

Streamline operations

Many businesses, especially small businesses, find it difficult to keep up with the ever-changing technology and trends. It's important for businesses to streamline their operations to stay afloat and be successful in today's market.

It means finding ways to do things more efficiently and effectively and eliminating any unnecessary tasks or processes. There are many ways to streamline your business operations. Here are a few tips:

Evaluate your processes and eliminate any that are no longer necessary or effective.
Look for ways to automate tasks or delegate work to other team members.
Use technology to help you save money. Technology can help you automate tasks, which can save you time and money. For example, you can use a CRM system to help you manage your customers and sales. Or you can use our Convert Smart Framework to automate your business.
Make sure all team members are on the same page and working towards the same goals.
Simplify your product or service offering. If you offer too many products or services, it can be difficult to keep track of everything and provide quality customer service.

By streamlining your business operations, you can free up time and resources to focus on more important tasks, such as growing your business. Implementing even a few of these tips can help you improve your bottom line.

Get better at marketing your business.

Perhaps the reason why your business is not growing as fast as you want it to could be because of your marketing strategy. It is possible that you are not doing enough or that what you are doing is not effective.

So, how can you go about improving your marketing strategy? Here are a few ideas:

Educate yourself on the basics of marketing. If you don't know the difference between branding and advertising or what a target market is, you need to learn more about marketing before improving your strategy. The internet is an excellent resource for this; many articles and blog posts can teach you the basics.
Do some market research. It will help you to understand your target market better and figure out what marketing strategies are most likely to reach them. There are many different ways to do market research, from online surveys to focus groups. We, one of the top digital marketing agencies, can help you do that.
Analyze your competition. See what they are doing that is working and try to replicate it. Also, look for ways that you can set yourself apart from the competition.
Create a marketing plan. Once you have all of this information, you can start to put together a plan of action. What goals do you want to achieve? What strategies will you use to reach your target market? How will you measure the success of your marketing efforts?

Marketing is an essential part of any business, so it's important to get good at it. By educating yourself on the basics, doing some market research, and creating a marketing plan, you can start to improve your marketing strategy and see better results for your business.

Raise capital from investors or banks.

If funding or capital is the problem, you have a few options. One is to raise money from investors through either equity or debt financing. You can find these investors through networks like AngelList, or by reaching out to venture capitalists (VCs).

There are also grants and funding programs available from the government, both at the national and state level. Check out Grants.gov to see what's available in your area. You can also seek out loans from banks or other financial institutions. But be warned, these come with their own set of challenges and may not always be the best solution for your business.

Before you start reaching out to potential investors, make sure you have your ducks in a row. It means having a solid business plan that outlines your idea, market opportunity, financial projections, and how you're going to use the funding. You should also have a good understanding of the terms and conditions of the investment.

And remember, even if you manage to secure funding, that's just the beginning. You still have to execute your business plan and make sure your investors are happy with the progress you're making.

Make strategic alliances with other businesses.

Making strategic alliances with other businesses or organizations is another great way to grow your business. When you team up with others, you can share resources and customers, which will help both businesses grow.

There are a few things to keep in mind when forming alliances with other businesses. But the most important is to make sure that both businesses are compatible and have similar goals. Also, be sure to clearly define the terms of the alliance and what each business is responsible for.

Creating strategic alliances can be a great way to grow your business, so don't be afraid to reach out to other businesses in your industry.

Build a sales funnel.

A sales funnel takes potential customers through the journey of becoming paying customers. By mapping out this journey, businesses can better understand nurturing leads and close sales.

Sales funnels typically have four distinct stages:

Awareness: Potential customers are just learning about your product or service in the awareness stage.
Consideration: Potential customers are actively exploring your product or service in the consideration stage.
Decision: In the decision stage, potential customers decide whether to buy your product or service.
Purchase: Potential customers have decided to buy your product or service in the purchase stage.

It should be tailored to your specific business so that it aligns with your sales process and customer buying habits. You can use many different tools to create a sales funnel, including webinars, podcasts, sales pages, landing pages, e-mail marketing, social media marketing, and more.

Conclusion

If you want your business to reach the next level, it's essential to take some time to reflect on what has been successful and where you may have hit a snag. Learning from your past can help you make better decisions in the future and ensure that your business is constantly moving forward.

These ten tips should help point you in the right direction. But if you need more assistance, don't hesitate to contact us for help. We're a local marketing agency based in Los Angeles and composed of highly-trained experts in the field.

10 ways to take your business from startup to the next level