​A B2B business is a business which sells products or services to other businesses rather than customers (B2C). There are some great B2B ideas which can be started with very little investment such as a range of business consultancy services, copywriting, design, bookkeeping, corporate event planning or cleaning (to name just a few).
​In many respects, a B2B business has to overcome the same challenges as a B2C business such as sales, profits, marketing, cash flow and, if you're working with products, your supply chain. However, the solution to these issues may not be quite the same. Here are 4 key considerations for people starting a B2B business in 2019.
​The success of any business comes down to its relationship with its customers and when you're starting out fresh, knowing where to find them can be a challenge. You'll need a high-quality website, and you should try and learn as much as you can about SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) to maximise your online visibility.
Depending on the nature of your business, a social media presence can also be effective as raising brand awareness and building a potential customer base.
It's important to remember that repeat customers are key to a B2B's success, so you need to ensure that your customer service is top quality. It's much easier to retain a client that acquire a new one, so running your business should always take priority over marketing to new ones.
​If you're selling wholesale products, then a B2B ecommerce platform is definitely something you should consider. This will provide you with a virtual storefront where you can list your products with custom prices so customers can view and buy with a click. If most of your business is conducted online, you can easily adjust your product range or prices in line with industry trends, and it's incredibly easy to collect and analyse data. Some customers may still prefer the face to face sales relationship, so your customer service needs to be on top form.
​Scalability and planning for the future is key when starting a B2B operation. You may start out with just a handful of clients who may only place small orders in the early days, but as you become more established, find more customers and the orders increase, you'll need to be able to scale up your processes in order to cope.
For example, starting your business with a spreadsheet may be enough initially, but this can quickly become unmanageable. A wholesale ecommerce operation needs to be able to manage invoicing, shipping, inventory management online sales from one ecommerce platform with as much automation as possible. You don't want to be spending your time in administration and manual processes when you could be focusing on growing profits and delivering excellent customer service.
​The more you can sell of your product or service the more you'll be able to offer competitive prices or even introduce a sliding scale if you're selling wholesale. This means you can calculate your break-even point for minimum order volumes in order to offer cheaper prices to customers ordering in high volumes. However, even businesses with huge turnovers can make a loss if they aren't in control of their profits and costs, so always ensure you're in control of the bottom line.
A brand-new year could provide the fresh start you have been looking for. If you want to avoid unrealistic resolutions you know you will never stick to, you must be committed to setting goals and changing your daily habits to ensure your success.
If you are tired of waiting for your life to change, there are some practical steps you can take to achieve your goals. Read the below tips on how to change your life in 2019.
Do you often feel there are never enough hours in the day? You might simply need to wake up a little earlier. If you don't have time for exercise, breakfast, or daily chores, push yourself out of your bed an hour or so earlier than usual to improve your productivity levels. Even half an hour could make a dramatic difference to your day.
To enjoy greater financial security throughout 2019, simply make a few small tweaks to your spending habits. While that daily $3 latte might not seem like much at the time, it can add up to thousands of dollars throughout the year.
Carefully review your bank and credit card statements to identify exactly how much you are spending unnecessarily so you can make the appropriate changes to your finances. The money saved could increase your emergency savings or help to fund a summer vacation.
While you shouldn't quit your job come January 1st, you could always launch your own venture in your spare time. For example, if you have experience in retail, an affinity for numbers, or a flair for marketing, put your talent to good use by launching your own multi channel ecommerce store.
Doing so would allow you to sell your products on your website, as well as various other sales channels, such as Amazon, eBay, Facebook, and more. You never know, your small side hustle could turn into a full-time business.
There is no point sitting back and hoping your many wishes come true. Make them a reality by setting goals to pursue your dreams so you can live your best possible life.
For example, if you struggle to lose weight and can't find a health and fitness plan that works, identify the steps you will need to take to overcome your problem, such as consulting an experienced nutritionist, hiring a personal trainer, and/or joining a local weight loss class.
Also, set smaller goals for how much weight you could realistically lose each week so that you will have an achievable target to work towards.
Write a list of the top five goals for your life, and then say no to everything that will potentially stop you from achieving them.
For example, if you want to launch a business, but are regularly saying yes to frivolous activities, stop wasting both your time and money and start prioritising your goals as soon as possible.
........ and, your 2016 ministry planner.
The year is rapidly drawing to a close. In fact, emails, online stores and shopping centres are highlighting the days remaining until Christmas. I noticed, with a shock, that the countdown is listed now in days, not weeks.
So I'm sure that, likewise, your ministry events and programs now focus on the upcoming Christmas holiday season and the end of the year.
Some churches and ministries take this opportunity to review the year and look toward the future. But, before you embark on an extended planning session within your ministry or with the church leadership team, check out these 5 planning tips.
It's easy to focus on the programs, the events, the tasks and the details of ministry. But you need to set specific goals in place first. Start your planning with your ministry vision and mission in front of you. Now, you can set your direction and goals within the context of your mission. And too, you have a framework for further planning and organisation. Remember to include prayer as an essential part of your planning, not just during your planning session. Pray and think through your ideas and thoughts concerning your ministry even before you formulate them into plans. There is adage that states, 'If you know how you did it, then God wasn't in it!' I think there is a lot of truth in that. Sometimes, we make our plans and then ask God to bless them instead of asking for His help and guidance first as we plan and prepare for ministry planning.
Planning can be exciting! It's great to brainstorm ideas, programs, events and possible directions in which your ministry and your church could be heading. Don't attempt too much at once. Open your ministry planner with the year view before you. Set your priorities in place first. Then consider other options. Spread events and programs evenly throughout the year, making sure that you have remembered specific days and events that will already be a part of your year planning- Mother's Day, Father's Day, Easter etc.
Your planning will be more effective if you have systems in place that will enable you to take your ideas from planning to implementation. It's great to plan. But then you must do something with it. A good organisational system will enable you to set out your plans within realistic time frames to develop these ideas plus the resources required to implement your plans.
The 2016 Ministry Planner helps with all your ministry planning: year-to-a-page, month-to-a-page highlighting your month's focus, prayer needs, special events/programs ideas and notes, plus a list of special days and events throughout the year to include in your plans. You can read about it HERE.
I know this seems a 'given.' But it's easy to take the time and effort to carefully organise your efforts for the upcoming year before filing it carefully away and forgetting it. Share your plans with your team and encourage their discussion and involvement. Commit to doing it! Take action!
​It's helpful if you keep your planner with you. Consider placing it with your other weekly and daily ministry planning and add to it whenever necessary. (My Brilliant Kidmin Planner coming soon!) Make it a regular habit to check, review and refresh your plans.