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How to Feel More Professional As a New Business

Tuesday, March 10, 2020

Everyone’s always excited when they first get their business up and running, but sometimes, people are guilty of making some fundamental mistakes that end up hurting their company. And the thing is that these errors are inadvertent, and the effects are so subtle that the business owner doesn’t even realize that they’re being made. Professionalism is one such example. When you first get started, it’s highly probable that you won’t be as professional as could be -- and it will impact how the public perceives your business. Below, we take a look at a few essential ways to make your new company appear more professional. 




Take it Seriously


If you’re not taking your company seriously, then no one else will either. The problem that many new business owners have is that they don’t quite believe that they’re the real deal: they start out thinking that they’re frauds, pretending to play business owner, rather than the legitimate thing. It’s always important to remember that you are what you do; there’s no hiding or pretending. If you’re running a business, then you’re legitimate. Act like it, take it seriously, and you’ll find that other people begin to pay attention to you too.


Set a Schedule


It might be that you’re trying to juggle the development of your business with regular employment, or it could be that you have all the time in the world to dedicate to your venture. Whatever the situation is, it’s important that you’re sticking to a set schedule. This is important for various reasons. First, it builds consistency with your customers, who will come to expect action at specific times. Second, it’ll help you to develop a professional approach. There are some new business owners who seem to take an ‘ad-hoc’ approach to running their company, but all that does is make the business feel amateurish.


Look the Part


Personal presentation isn’t everything, but it’s not as if it’s nothing, either. If you’re going to make a good first impression with your customers and other business people, then you’ll need to look the part. This can be as simple as wearing a suit, smart shoes, and having a presentable (by which we mean clean) car. It’s when people begin taking meetings in their casual clothing where issues arise. Sometimes it’s not as if the person on the other side of the table will even notice, but in one way or another, an image of unprofessional-ism will have taken hold. 


Online Presence


Every new business owner eventually becomes sick of their online presence, especially if they’re not an online business. However, the reason why people keep on talking about it is that it’s important, and, indeed, it’s becoming even more important, not less. And the interesting thing about it is that it’s not even as if developing a watertight online presence is all that difficult. If you’ve got the basics in place, then you’re on the right track. This means having a well-designed, clean website that’s free of errors, and also taking some steps to work on your SEO. People understandably trust the websites that appear on the first page of the Google results page more than the ones way down on the 5th page. 


Watertight Branding


One of the more difficult aspects of making a business look and feel more professional is that what the job actually entails can be a little challenging. Sometimes, we just know professionalism when we see it. One way that businesses convey their professionalism to potential customers is through their branding. This is done through the general style of their business, their text and images, and so on. Take a look at Airbnb, for example, and you’ll see perfect branding. The good news is that you don’t have to be a big multinational to have perfect branding -- any company can have it. It just requires some time.


Work Spaces


While for practical reasons you may start your business in your home, the truth of the matter is that sooner or later you’ll need to progress to bigger and better things. Having a dedicated, professional work space won’t just change how the public sees your company: it’ll impact how you view your own business too. If you’re thinking of progressing to a more professional working environment, take a read of the ‘modern office spaces in 2020: everything you need to know’ blog post. It’ll help you to create a space that works for you, your employees, and, ultimately, your business.




Outsource Tasks


It’s true that you can find it difficult to feel truly professional when you’re the only involved in your business. Self-doubt can creep in, and in any case, how serious can you be if you’re the one doing everything? Among other problems, this will also make it difficult to make progress, which will keep you stuck in ‘beginner business’ limbo. One way to get around this issue is to look at outsourcing tasks to third-party companies. This will free up your time, make you feel like you’re part of something bigger, and give you a professional look in the eyes of outsiders. For example, you could look at outsourcing your receptionist duties -- it always looks good when someone other than the business owner answers the phone. It can help to make the business look bigger than it really is.


Customer Service 


Finally, be sure to focus on your customer service. It’ll be this that really helps you to appear more professional in the eyes of your customers. If there’s one thing that makes new businesses look amateur, it’s not taking the time to ensure that their customers are fully satisfied with their experience. It’s so simple to enact (once you’ve had customer service training), yet can make a huge difference to your company. 


Conclusion


Ensuring that you have a professional look really can make a difference. Aside from helping you to get more business, it’ll make running your company more enjoyable -- you’ll have confidence that you really belong in this world, rather than just pretending to play. 

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