Follow the Road to Optimization 3 Necessary Steps to Optimize Your Business
Is your business optimized ? You might scratch your head and ask, “What does that even mean?” Words like “optimized” and “optimization” are vague buzzwords that get thrown around a lot, including in the title of this article. In terms of your business, they can mean a dozen different things. But let’s define it and break through the vagueness. While “small-business optimization” can mean a number of things, that first question — is your business optimized? — is asking if your business is running the way you want it to. In other words, is your business giving you what you want? Have your marketing endeavors paid off? Are your employees working cohesively as a team? Are you hitting your financial goals? The questions can go on and on, but if you’re answering no to these and similar questions, then there’s a problem. If any part of your business is NOT running the way it should or the way you want it to, then that area of the business is NOT optimized. It’s likely inefficient and may need an overhaul. So, how can you optimize your business? How can you get any given system, process, department, initiative, or other area of your business running well — so well that you can say with confidence: “My business is optimized!”
Coming back to the marketing campaign example, let’s say the campaign was poorly targeted and now you’re going to miss your Q2 sales goal. You’re just not reaching your ideal customers. Why? Maybe you’re missing key data — the demographic data was wrong or out of date, or you’re leaning too heavily into the wrong platform (you’ve used Instagram when Facebook would have made more sense). Fill in the holes and re-strategize. It may be as simple as realigning the campaign or starting over. The same applies to systems and processes within your business. If something is falling short, draft a plan that serves as a road map to get from where you are right now to where you want to be in a month or six months. FOLLOW YOUR ROAD MAP It may sound simple, but it rarely is. You need the tools, resources, and support of your team (just as your team needs your support) to put your plan into action. If you want any part of your business to become optimized, the pieces must fit together. If you’re missing a piece, find it. If your team needs help, get them that help. The road map should also offer flexibility in the event you run into any roadblocks, and it should have enough guidance to get your business from point A to point B — the plan needs to be detailed, but not too detailed. You don’t want to give yourself room to cut corners (which can be tempting when you want to save time and/or money). When you cut corners, you’re liable to miss a step, which could end up setting you back or putting you right back where you started. Optimizing your small business isn’t easy, but if you want it to run the way you intended, it’s absolutely necessary. Walk through these steps, and you’ll achieve that wonderful thing called optimization.
IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM If your business, in part or in whole, is running
inefficiently, you must identify the source of the problem. If you aren’t going to hit your Q2 sales goal, there is a reason. For example, your current marketing campaign may have a kink in it — it may be poorly targeted, on the wrong platform, or just a bad offer. The challenge is getting to the actual source of the problem. It’s like when your back hurts and you go to a physical therapist to pinpoint the cause of the pain. Sure, you can throw painkillers at it, but the fundamental problem will remain, and the pain will inevitably return. Find the source, and you’ll be able to correct the problem. MAKE A PLAN Once you’ve identified the problem, you can create a plan to overcome it — and put your business on the path you intended. It’s important to have a plan for every area of your business you want to optimize — whether you have an ongoing problem or that area of the business simply isn’t running smoothly.
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