Starting a business is a big step. It begins with the seed of an idea that once cultivated sprouts possibilities. Drawing on your own experience and those of others around you, you initiate your fully fledged idea into a real live business. It’s not until you’ve launched your business that you realise setting it up was a piece of cake – growing it is where the real hard work begins!
Driving continued growth is difficult, particularly in adverse market conditions, during periods of political or economic upheaval and in the face of strong competition. Scaling your business is both exciting and challenging in equal measure but dealing with the complexities, infrastructure and operational adjustments required for growth are not skills that all business owners possess.
Whether you’re in your first year of trading or in your tenth, asking for help can feel like admitting defeat but there is no shame in outsourcing the things you can’t, aren’t qualified or don’t have time to, do. To promote lasting growth, business owners need to reply on the expertise of others, which is where CBASS come in.
Our talented network of experienced professionals offers a wide range of business support services designed to equip business owners with the skills and knowledge they need to grow and excel. Below we have listed the most important business support services every business needs to fuel growth.
Strategic Consultancy
Strategic consultancy services are exactly how they sound – they are external consultants who advise businesses on how best to grow and succeed. A strategy consultant will examine your business thoroughly to understand how it operates, where opportunities lie and what drives revenue, as well as your long-term goals for the business.
Once they have an insight into your business model, they’ll be able to suggest strategies to help your business thrive. Having a roadmap that leads towards growth is an essential tool for businesses of all shapes and sizes as it provides direction, specifies next steps and optimises available opportunities. Dedicated support for small businesses, and indeed large businesses too, analyses your business from a strategic point of view which helps identify areas to work on and potential revenue streams currently underutilised.
Strategic business support will typically look at the big picture view of your business rather than the minutiae of day-to-day operations. Consider a strategy consultant for help with high impact decisions and overall business direction and strategy for your organisation.
What to look for in a strategy consultant
A business consultant who advises on the management and strategy of your business should have a proven track record of success themselves. Ask about their previous experience, their own business prospects and what qualifies them to act as your strategy consultant. Look for someone who listens to your aspirations and who offers bespoke advice tailored to your business. Strategy consultancy can be found with large consulting firms that provide a range of management consulting services or from smaller independent entrepreneurs who work with a more industry-specific portfolio of clients.
Marketing and PR
The success of many businesses is determined by their marketing strategy. If no one knows about your business, your chances of growth are limited. Marketing and PR are special skills that not all business owners possess so recruiting a marketing agency or a PR consultant will help promote your business to a wider audience. These days digital marketing is essential for showcasing your business online as most customers want to be able to purchase goods and services 24/7, from wherever they happen to be. Having a website is integral to your customers being able to find you online, and a good website will work as a sales funnel, driving more conversions. Creating or optimising a website, unless you have a sound understanding of digital marketing, is a complex process and one better left to someone who knows what they’re doing.
In addition to digital marketing, social media is a growing sphere where people look for businesses. Coupled with more traditional marketing, such as brochures, leaflets and press releases, marketing your business is integral to your chances of growth and success.
What to look for in a marketing consultant
Ideally, you’ll want to recruit someone that has a sound knowledge of both marketing and PR best practices. Marketing services may be carried out by a digital marketing agency, a freelance marketing consultant or even a PR company, if this is a more relevant focus for you. As mentioned above, ask your marketing consultant about their previous experience, how they have helped businesses in your sector and what strategy they think is best for your business to drive new business acquisition and promote lead generation. Look out for someone who is data driven and who listens to your goals. It is a good idea to ask other business owners for recommendations too.
Sales and Business Development
Whether you sell products or services, having a good sales or customer service team is essential to the success of your business. These agents may drive lead generation, or they may convert incoming warm leads, but either way having a strong sales team is important for driving growth. Business development goes hand in hand with sales and focuses more on looking at new relationships and markets that may benefit the business.
Setting up a CRM system (customer relationship management), employing automations and streamlining your sales funnel will help track and manage leads, increasing conversions, revenue and customer retention. This is where you might need the help of a sales or business development manager (BDM).
What to look for in a sales and business development consultant
A sales consultant will examine your sales funnel and make recommendations on how to optimise your processes. This might be via sales training for staff, implementing a CRM or sales pipeline software for tracking leads, optimising your website, or a combination of all of these. Taking time to understand where your customer base comes from, where there are opportunities to enter new markets and how to retain existing clientele are all important for the growth of a business. Look for a consultant who has a proven track record of success and can give examples of businesses they have helped grow.
Finance and Accounting
Having a good head for business doesn’t necessarily mean that you are the best person to manage your accounts, payroll, expenditure and cash flow. Many business owners choose to outsource these services to an external accountant or finance manager. Financial services such as auditing accounts, financial forecasting and profit and loss management often require a professional to ensure accurate figures and to maximise opportunities. Employing an accountancy firm or a freelance accountant will help you make the most of tax incentives, financial schemes, investments and savings, hopefully saving you money long term.
What to look for in a financial or accountancy services consultant
For your business, you want to look for someone who has previous experience managing the financials for other businesses in your sector ideally. This way they should already have a sound understanding of initiatives, grants, funding and the nuances of your business. Accountants may be freelance consultants or from larger accountancy firms, but regardless of this, ensure they have experience offering the services you need and that they are someone you can work closely with.
People Management
For smaller businesses and start-ups, people management support may be a way off yet but as soon as you have employees you have a duty of care as their employer. Your staff need contracts, regular reviews, wages, training, equipment and support. Nurturing staff and investing in them promotes loyalty which leads to retention. High staff turnover is a clear indication of an issue with the business and needs addressing. Working with a people management company or a HR consultant will ensure that your employees legal rights are enacted and that their terms of employment are clear and understood and that your legal obligations as an employer are implemented.
What to look for in a HR consultant
A HR, or human resources, consultant will either work for a dedicated HR consultancy firm or may be part of a larger business support service that provides more than one service to businesses. Whoever provides your HR services should have a good understanding of employment legislation, payroll and have experience managing people within your sector.
Operations
The operations element of your business includes the infrastructure of what you do and how you do it. Operations includes logistics, supply chain, procurement, service management, IT systems, operating procedures and shipping, to list a few. Most businesses will have an operations manager, although they might not be named as such, this could be the business owner or a manager in charge of day-to-day operations. Streamlining your operational procedures could lead to increased efficiency, reduced waste and optimised processes, all of which will help reduce operational costs. To support you with a review of your operations, you may be able to recruit an operations consultant or it’s more likely that a business consultant who helps with overall business strategy would be able to advise on how to maximise your operational efficiency.
What to look for in an operations consultant
An operations consultant who can help drive growth for your business should have an analytical mind to be able to identify strengths and weaknesses within your operations alongside solutions for how to streamline these processes. Either look for a business consultant who is able to support with multiple elements of your business or search for an operational consulting firm.
Legal Support
Lastly, but by no means least, legal support for your business will help you navigate the law to ensure you are operating within the relevant legislation for your business sector. Sound legal advice will make sure your business is compliant, legally formed, licensed appropriately and meets its contractual obligations. Usually, a solicitor would be the best person to provide legal support for your business. Solicitors may be singular consultants or part of a larger legal services provider. Advice for small businesses can be ad hoc or part of a larger package of business support but mitigating risk and liability will ensure that all your hard work is going towards scaling your business and not firefighting.
What to look for in legal services for businesses
The most important skill a solicitor or legal advice service should possess is a sound understanding of current law and legislation applicable to your business. Look for companies or individuals that have experience in your business sector for professional legal advice that benefits your growth.
CBASS for Business Growth
CBASS is a one-stop shop of seasoned professionals who will help drive your business forward. Our consultants each have a proven track record of success in their fields and offer dedicated business support to small, medium and large businesses in the northwest and wider UK. All the business support services mentioned above, and more besides, are provided by our team of experienced experts who will draw on their knowledge and expertise to help your business thrive.