Summer is the time of vacations, the seaside, sipping ice lattes on the beach, and being completely carefree. However, entrepreneurs do not have as much luxury when it comes to free time in the summer as some other people do. They need to stay alert even when others relax as their responsibilities are higher than the regular folks. Nevertheless, if you work smart enough, you will still be able to enjoy that beach, maybe not all summer long, but a part of it, for sure. So, let us see what is there to be done.
All about the looks
You know how our parents always taught us that looks are not everything and that it is what ison the inside that counts? Well, that still is true, but it does not really apply to people who are choosing a website of an online business they wish to use. This website simply needs to look beautiful. Unfortunately, even the best content and the highest quality products cannot do what first impression UI does. These things make people stay, but you need a factor that attracts customers to take a deeper look, and that facto usually is superficial, unless it is a recommendation. First-time visitors definitely care about the look of your UI and they will judge your business solely based on that. So, this summer, try to invest smart – there are great options for web design in Houston where professionals will handle anything you wish to be done with your UI. This is not a place to spare any expenses as it is a very important step in drawing new customers to your business. There will be other areas that could be done well and on a budget, this is simply not it.
Customer focus is important
After you work on a great new summer UI, it is time to focus on the gist of your business. What is your relationship with your customers like? Do you run a generic business that handles contact strictly formally or do you add a piece of yourself every time to make the atmosphere homey? A personal touch can go a long way in keeping your customers’ loyalty. Appreciating their birthdays or their taste in products that you sell will make your customers happy and they will be more likely to stay with your business. In the world where AI does most of the customer support, be old-fashioned in a good sense and keep the human touch strong. It can be something that sets you apart from other businesses and many people will be completely in love with it. They would not care if some other place has better products or better prices, they will stay for the experience.
Create control groups
Implementing a system of control groups is a challenging task, but it has a huge reward, both financial and core. Imagine you wish to launch a new feature that you think everyone will love. You work on it for months, spend a big budget on it, and after launching, you realize that people are not responding well and you end up reverting all the changes to save your old customers who mainly hated the new feature. This is a disaster, not only it is a waste of time and money, but it also leaves a bad impression on your customers. This is why people use control groups. They are not easy to form, but if formed well, they are invaluable to a company. Forming a control or a test group is very difficult and you should probably use the help of experts in psychology to form it. The goal is to gather a group of people that represent a great approximation of a random set of your target audience. This is not easy, but it is doable. It takes some time and effort, but it is worth focusing on since this step needs to be done right in order for the whole thing to work. Once your group is formed, it will be the perfect ace up your sleeve. If you wish to know about the feedback on a new feature, you can just present it to your audience prior to spending any time on money on it. Just show them your proof of concept and they will decide whether they think it is a smart move or not.
You cannot do it all alone
This is difficult for many entrepreneurs to understand, but you cannot do it all on your own – and you should not even if you could. This is a terrible system which is completely unsustainable. Surely, in the beginning when there is only a few people in a startup, it makes sense that most responsibilities fall on the person that runs it. However, in time, you must surround yourself with smart, capable and trustworthy people who can take on a part of your responsibilities. However, they will not do it on their own, you are the one that needs to shape them, guide them and, finally, trust them with responsibilities. This is difficult for any entrepreneur, but it is a vital part of their own development and the development of their company. A system that depends on solely one person is a very fragile one with no chance of survival. This is why this is to be taken seriously and worked on over time.
Take that summer vacation
Having handled all the responsibilities and delegated some others, it is time for you to go away on a vacation. Nobody is omnipotent, so neither are you. Everyone needs rest, a time to recharge their batteries and get ready for the things that follow. Do not let yourself suffer from burnout, take regular vacations. Yes, we know that compromises need to be made in this area and that you cannot leave anytime, but make sure to do so as soon as possible. Take longer and shorter vacations whenever you can. Sometimes just a few days is enough, while other times, one needs a longer rest to recover from all the work and the stress.
