What type of employees you need for your small business?
The 5 employees you will need when you plan to start a small business.
Being an entrepreneur can be both inspiring and tiring. There are days when the duties drain your energy, especially if you are the only person doing them. The sense of exhaustion when you are just starting in the industry is valid, whether it’s a large or a small business. But, one thing is for sure when it comes to corporations – every large company you see everywhere started as a small business.
But first, what makes a business small?
A small business is a relatively small organization, employing not over 1,500 people. It is usually run by family members as associates since it often operates in a localized area.
In a starting small business, you can solely encounter functional specialists as its founded employees; general manager, full-time accountant, marketing expert, IT technician, and customer service personnel.
Some say that a small business is an extension of the character of its owner, mirroring their goals and passions. So, a successful company will reflect on what the founder will implement within his employees in his organization.
When can you say a small business is successful?
Success can come in various forms, but it only has one intent. It is the accomplishment of one’s ambition or purpose.
In the business sector, it is to perform plans in a very suitable and efficient approach benefiting the enterprise, its employees, and consumers. Here are 5 objectives a business should have (or aim to have) for a successful organization.
#1: Getting Organized
A skill that you should have a habit of is getting organized. It is a skill establishing a sense of trust and professionalism in the workplace. It helps complete tasks and stays on top of things to be done, enabling focus on duties within the company.
If your small business implies organization, it will attract more customers knowing they can trust you and your employees to offer security and outstanding service.
#2: Doing Research
When planning a business structure, you should not omit competitive analysis in your process. Researching reliable sources on how your competitors’ systems work: what they are attempting to offer, and how they plan to grow their business will set a significant advantage on your end.
To add, being updated on the latest market trends is also a vital task that you should practice in your organization. The knowledge of the current marketing strategies, both digital and traditional, will definitely benefit your approach. Another thing that you should invest in is your market research. It is to identify consumer problems and offer realistic and efficient solutions.
#3: Analyzing Competition
Getting in detail with the competitive analysis stated above is to analyze your competitors.
Furthermore, to recognize your business strategy and what to do next, you must clearly understand the strengths and weaknesses of your competitors and how it compares to your own.
#4: Establishing Consistency
If you have already built organizational skills within your company, then consistency is the next skill to observe.
Consistency and organization can depict how successful a business is. If your employees aim at the forenamed, then you will witness your business improving.
Moreover, consistency is an essential part of success. It helps keep doing what is necessary and already established, resulting in practices that are long-term.
#5 Providing Great Service
As a business owner, you will get to the moment you ask yourself: What makes customers keep coming back?
The answers we get from business owners will vary on what they prioritize. Some may say it is the consistency of products, the organization the business follows, or even as simple as giving positive feelings of the business to its consumers. While all of these are valid, it only falls into one category: service.
Offering service is a way to value the time and experience of your customers with your business. For your business to offer service, hire a terrific set of employees.
So, what types of employees do small businesses hire?
Starting a business is like gambling, sometimes you are winning but there are times that you will lose. Like I have said earlier, trying to build it by yourself will drain your energy, and in no time, find yourself not having any motivation to continue your found passion and legacy. And, of course, you do not want that to happen, the subtle reason you clicked this article.
So without further ado, here are the 5 positions that will not just help with the overall operations of your business, but also help ease the insufficient energy you may have been experiencing.
#1: General Manager
A general manager is someone who is in charge of both the business processes and other staff. Other duties under this position include how the business works on the strategies for improving the various elements of the said business.
#2: Accountant
When you start a business, money is always crucial.
An individual familiar with finances and with actual experience in handling one is someone you should look for in this role – this is where accountants come in. The duties of an accountant will vary from financial strategy to taxes and the cash flow of your revenue and costs within the business.
#3: Marketing Expert
You may be familiar with advertisements, campaigns, or branding. All of these tasks are what a marketing expert does.
A marketing expert will help create, implement, and observe marketing programs across channels. A significant part of this role is knowing your target audience and what they usually want and need.
#4: IT Technician
Now, into the technical side!
An information technology (IT) technician is the one who handles the high-tech difficulties in your computers. Not everyone is a computer wizard, so having someone who will do all the magic when everything gets technical is an asset to your business.
#5: Customer Service Personnel
Even though you have managed to hire every position above, a customer service personnel is as crucial as a general manager. And as a business owner, you should take the time to invest in this role.
While general managers handle the internal operations of the business, the customer service personnel are the ones coordinating the external operations because they are the ones who instantly communicate with your clients and the ones who will keep the business alive.
But did you know you can hire customer service and administrative staff in just one role? Keep reading to find out!
What could be the next essential employee every small business should have?
If you have hired all the given roles above, you are ready to put all your time and energy into the business industry.
Nothing comes easy with this sort of ambition, but it can be simple by taking off some of the burdens with the never-ending meetings and possible concerns within your business. At this part of the article, you may be thinking about what could be uncomplicated in handling a business.
One word: Virtual Receptionist.
What is a Virtual Receptionist?
As we all know, a receptionist is the one who manages the front desk of a business. As I previously said, this role is the point person for every organization’s customers and consumers. There are also instances when receptionists may communicate with clients. And they are usually the ones who perform various administrative tasks.
Read more here: [Hyperlinked to a more broad article about VRs]
Are employees more productive when working remotely?
Recently, everything is going virtual because of the current pandemic, and receptionists are one of them. Employers and employees are given the option to work remotely, and it looks like working from home is here to stay.
Last May 2020, Jose Maria Barrero of the Mexico Autonomous Institute of Technology, Bloom, and Chicago Booth’s Steven J. Davis launched a monthly survey for US workers.
The survey measures the rate of working from home as the pandemic continues. It focused on how a more permanent change to working from home affects productivity and the general well-being of employees.
An analysis of the data collected through March 2021 found that nearly 6 out of 10 workers reported being more productive working from home, compared with 14 percent who said they got less done.
On average, the productivity of the respondents at home was 7 percent higher than expected. Forty percent of workers reported they were more productive at home during the pandemic than when in the office, and only 15 percent said the opposite was true.
The given data above only shows that productivity is higher when an employee is working remotely. You may witness the shift of businesses to hybrid or 100% remote setup sooner or later. So, investing in virtual employees can be a strong addition to your team!
Now going back, why should you hire a virtual receptionist?
Since virtual receptionists answer calls in real-time, they are often mistaken as another term for call center agents. A virtual receptionist not only answers calls from your target audience but also does administrative tasks within the business.
A virtual receptionist can also manage work schedules, set appointments, or even draft email letters. When the phone is not ringing, a virtual receptionist can also make dinner reservations, and travel arrangements, and provide personal assistant services to the Chief Executive Officer.
Virtual receptionists work in the virtual world, hence the name of the position. These people know how to be organized, up-to-date, consistent, and provide great service. Again, they are like the jack of all trades in the industry. They are for the people making sure your customers and clients are well taken care of – they never miss a phone call because they believe a missed call is a missed opportunity.