We all have hobbies that we love spending time on. When you do what you love, it can set you up for an enjoyable life. When you start running your solo or small business, it can feel like an enjoyable hobby. That does not mean that you should treat it as a hobby, otherwise it can lead to so many problems and most certainly will not lead you to get clients and sales to earn high income.

How do you ensure that you scale your online business to hit your income goals? There are four important steps you need to take in order to overcome this problem and scale your business. Here are some guidelines for determining if you’re working to scale your business and why you need to make some changes in order to grow.

Be Organised

One of the main problems that most new businesses face is disorganisation. This gives the impression that you’re treating your business like a hobby. During the time that you only have a few clients, it can be manageable to do things haphazardly. As soon as your business starts growing, you’ll need to have a good understanding of your strengths and weaknesses, so that you can create a plan that will work for you. Next is setting up systems that will help with administration, time management, project management, task management etc. After this, you need to set up systems for finance-related tasks like bills, receipts and other paperwork which will help you manage finances effectively. Finally, start automating tasks like social media marketing or email marketing by using simple tools.

The good news is that digital programs make it easier to do so, and it’s best to start as soon as possible. 

Set a Schedule

When you start running a small online business, you can expect events will pop up occasionally, and being flexible is helpful. However, you’ll soon realise that one of the keys to scaling a business is setting and keeping a schedule as much as possible. A schedule will help you stay focused on the things that need to be done for your business. You want to make sure to budget time each day for handling business elements and make sure to do this daily to turn the practice into a habit.

Moreover, on certain occasions, you may need to improvise, however setting a schedule and sticking with it ensures you’re able to operate in a professional manner and deliver appropriate services. You will also discover that tracking your time early in the process is also worthwhile. If you find out that doing a particular task takes up so much of your time, outsourcing it can help you spend your time more effectively.

Communicate and Promote

If you want to scale your online business, you will need to dedicate the time and effort to promotion and communication. One of the most important steps when scaling an online business is communicating with clients. It will require talking with your audience and actively engaging in social media.

Communicating with a handful of clients through your personal phone might be an acceptable option in the early days. As you decide to scale your business, then setting up more formal lines of communication can help tremendously. Creating a dedicated email for clients will help to keep them up-to-date and keep it separate from your personal inbox.

In addition, if you have a website, it is important to make sure that the customer can find something they need. Website designers can help with this, but sometimes it’s better to hire someone who has experience in designing websites for small businesses. You may find that it’s cheaper and easier than you imagine.

In terms of promotion, Social media platforms are a good place for promotion, but also think about word of mouth marketing and other ways online such as blogs and forums. Offline marketing includes traditional forms such as flyers and newspapers, using word-of-mouth to reach out to your audience.

Separate Personal and Business Life

As you make the move to scale your business, you want to take steps to ensure your business life and personal life don’t mingle too much. Bringing your work home with you can make it difficult to unwind and relax, and it can have a toll on your family life and self-care. If your business generates enough income, a great option is to rent office space.

If you want to work from home, it’s important to set up a dedicated home office to help ensure you’re able to mentally separate yourself from your business. Taking a break from work ensures you’re able to be at your best while focusing on your business tasks.

Work Smarter, Not Harder

You may have the tools for scaling your business to six figures and you have the desire to do so, but do you have a guide to get there? In my next 4-Day Workshop, I’m talking about this exact topic, Smart Steps to Get Clients and Sales in 2022. You’ll leave with 4 action steps you can work on immediately and even though it’s by no means easy, the road map will be a little clearer.  Sign up for the Workshop. You may also Follow me on Facebook to get the Workshop notifications!