There is no assurance in business. No one can tell whether a venture will eventually become a global success or will become an embarrassing failure.
It is difficult to watch a venture you invested so much of your time, energy, and money succumb to a competitive market. You have to try something — anything — to keep it going as long as possible.
You do not have to give up just yet. There are things that you can do in order to save your business, and yourself, for bankruptcy.
Ask for Help
One of the first things that you must do when your business is in trouble is to seek advice from an outsider.
There are several third-party services that provide businesses with particular needs. A consultancy firm, for example, can help evaluate your current strategy and determine why it is no longer working or it has stopped giving you favorable returns. If the problem is leadership, services like Miick.com can guide your team to make decisions that will allow the business to thrive and grow. In case you walked into legal trouble, hiring a lawyer would get you out of it.
The key is identifying what exactly went wrong and addressing it accordingly.
Time to Cut Costs
For any business to survive the inflow of cash should be equal or greater than the outflow. If you are spending more than you earn, it is only a matter of time before your business crashes and burns.
The first thing that has to go are the discretionary expenses, spending that is not necessary for your operations. Buying your staff fancy new uniform, for example, is a discretionary expense, and so if painting your office’s walls and ceilings a trendy hue.
Anything that falls into the “wants” category rather than needs should be removed from your budget.
Next, identify non-human expenses that can be reduced or completely exclude, at least for the time being. It might include your travel expenses, rent and utilities, etc. Often, switching to a cheaper supplier or moving to another location will save you a ton of money.
Finally, if your business is still suffering, you have no choice but to let go of some people. However, to prevent lowering your staff’s morale, find other areas that you can cut costs and assure everyone that they still have a job.
Be Open to Changes
Your business will never progress if you hold on to tradition. If you are not ready to adapt to what the consumers need, your business will end up falling into obscurity.
You should not stick to what you know. You have to recognize when a novel but creative strategy, although unfamiliar to you, might introduce your products to a new group of consumers or launch a new product that competes directly with what a competitor offers the market.
If all else fails, maybe a reboot is in order. Changing how you market, how your stores look, and the experience that provides your customers. It is a huge gamble, but it might be exactly what your business needs.
Host a new grand opening and tell everybody. This will drum up interest that, hopefully, you can retain for months and years to come.
You have to work hard every day to ensure your business’ survival and longevity in the market. If your growth comes to a halt, remember that there is nothing embarrassing about asking help, cutting costs, and then pivoting to a new direction.
