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What To Do With A Failing Business

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At the start of any business, there is a lot of optimism. You have great hopes for what your small business will become and a lot of ideas that you want to put into action. However, while some businesses go on to become household brands a high percentage of small businesses fail. Are you wondering what percentage of businesses fail in the USA in the first year? According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, around 20% of new businesses fail in the first year.

However, too many losses and the inconsistency of wins can result in a new small business owner having thoughts that the business is failing. If you’re in a similar situation, and you’re unsure of what to do to turn your failing business into a success, here are some tips on managing a business.

Analyze What’s Going On

The first thing you should do is take stock of your business. What are you doing well? What could you improve upon? Why is the business failing? In order to find the best way to improve your business, you need to first figure out what’s going wrong. Take some time to come up with good answers. Analyze your spreadsheets, talk to your employees, or give out customer surveys. The more information you can gather, the better steps you’ll be able to take next.

Improve Your Marketing

One area in which most businesses could stand to improve is in their marketing. No matter what condition your business is in, you should always place an emphasis on marketing. Marketing is how you draw in new customers, and without new customers, your business isn’t going to continue downward. To improve your marketing, there are a few things you can try.

First, take a look at your website. See if it needs any updating, or if it’s keeping up with the current web design trends. After that, make sure your website is optimized for search engines, so that people can easily find your site.
Another great place to improve your marketing is with social media. Social media is now one of the more prominent places to bring in customers, so you’ll want an active presence. To learn more about marketing your business through social media, you can check out this guide.

Finally, no matter how you’re marketing yourself, be sure you are collecting data in the process. Who is visiting your website? What kind of people are coming into your business? What age demographic follows you on social media? The more info you gather, the better you can refine your marketing message going forward.

Cut Costs

If your business is failing that means you’re running out of money. In order to keep your business afloat longer, you’re going to need to cut costs. This means some tough decisions, but if you want the company to survive, you’ll have to make them. Taking a pay cut, letting some employees go, or moving to a smaller office are all options to consider when trying to cut costs.

Ask For Help

Sometimes when your business is spiraling downwards, it’s hard to know what to do. This is especially true if this is your first business, as you likely haven’t been here before. In situations like this, it’s a good idea to ask for help. Talk to other business owners, get advice from family or friends, or conduct research online. There are plenty of resources available to you, you just have to go out and find them.
You can also consider asking for additional investors, or taking out a loan to keep your business going. This is only recommended if you’re confident in your business’s ability to bounce back. For more info on how to attract more investors to your business, this article may be some help.

Know When It’s Time To Sell

Finally, sometimes no matter what you do, you just can’t save a business. In this situation, it’s important to realize when it’s time to sell, rather than sinking more of your own time and money. How you sell the business will depend on what type of business you were running. For example, selling off a bakery is different than selling a dental practice. Look up the best way to get as much money as you can for your business, including any equipment you’ll no longer need or leftover inventory. Selling a business is never easy, but sometimes it’s the best decision you can make.

Explore All of Your Options

When a business is trending downward, it’s important to explore all of your options. Sometimes a simple fix, or a change in strategy, could be the difference you needed to get things headed back in the right direction. So explore all of your options, make changes where you can, but if things aren’t getting better, know when to cut your losses.

HubSpot