Your business in 2023 — small changes for big impact
In a favorite movie of mine, “How Do You Know?,” is a scene in which the leading character gives a gift to a woman at the crossroads of some life, trying to navigate changes, she neither chose, nor welcomed. Accompanying the gift was a story of a man whose business was going under. His once popular product was a white, sticky goo used to remove soot off the wallpaper in homes heated by wood stoves and fireplaces. With the onset of cleaner burning electric and gas heating, there was no longer a soot residue on walls, and subsequently no need for the product. As the story goes, his sister-in-law, a nursery school teacher, found that her students loved squeezing the goo much more than the modeling clay they were using. So, he added color to his goo, repackaged in cute tubs, and marketed to nursery schools as “Playdough” — which ended up making him a lot of "dough." Moral of the story and killer line from the movie? “We are all just one small adjustment from making our lives work.”
The difference between a struggling business and a successful one, or even a good business and a great one is having an effective business strategy.
A good business strategy will lay out what your business objectives are and how to reach them. It’s knowing where you are going and how you will get there. Having a clear vision of what your goals and objectives are will allow you, as the business owner, to prioritize daily activities and make decisions on how to best use your limited resources for maximum impact in your business. A clear vision of where you are going, will empower you to bring others on board and lead your team to that better place. It is what will take your company from good to great.
The "Accelerate Your Business" series is a four-part, foundational business training offered by North Idaho College’s Small Business Development Center (NISBDC) that helps business owners to lift their heads from daily fires, elevate their thinking and gain strategic clarity that will enable them to implement changes to a greater future.
The "Accelerate Your Business" series includes a strong marketing strategy, clear understanding of financials, how to hire winners, developing effective operational systems and processes, and digital strategy. Each of these components are examined in the Accelerate Your Business series. The series runs monthly, alternating Friday at 8:30 a.m. and Thursday at 5:30 p.m.
The series is designed for seasoned business owners, as well as new business owners.
Here’s what you can expect from each of these trainings:
The "Marketing Strategy for Profit" class teaches how to develop a powerful business model that generates sustainable profit; Solve a compelling problem with a powerful solution. How to identify and grow your best customers. Learn how to build an effective marketing plan and value proposition. Find out what you are already doing well, and what changes could be made to improve your business profit.
In "Managing Financials for Profit," you will learn about gross margin, break evens, and how to organize and leverage your business financials as key performance indicators. Understand how your business financials as crucial business intelligence tools for effective decision making will lead your business to greater profit.
The No. 1 competitive advantage of any high performing business is their employees. Employee retention and labor costs will continue to be a challenge for business owners in 2023. In “Hiring Winners and Operational Excellence for Profit,” we discuss what is driving job seekers and how to hire winners to position your business for success. Also learn how to develop systems and processes to deliver the “wow” to your customers at a profit.
Whether you love social media or not, there are a great deal of opportunities to embrace in the field of Digital Marketing. Learn about free or low-cost marketing tools and trends that will set you apart from your competitors. Accelerate your brand through digital marketing by making consumers the focus of every campaign. Use data and technology to your business’ advantage.
How will you know what small adjustments may make a huge difference in your business? Join us for the "Accelerate you Business" series to learn the essential skills and tools every business owner needs to take their business to the next level, increase profits and accelerate business success.
Classes are available both online and in-person. Class size is limited to allow for interactive, hands-on learning for your business. Register today at NISBDC.com under the calendar tab.
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Katrina Boyer is the training coordinator at North Idaho College’s Small Business Development Center. The NISBDC offers resources and trainings, no-cost business coaching and serves the five northern counties of Idaho. Its mission is to accelerate business in the community through business resources, trainings and no-cost, one-on-one coaching in leadership development, strategic planning, financial management and more. Reach us at 208-665-5085 or kboyer@nic.edu.
