TGR Staff - 05/30/2022
We’re sure that you have heard a lot of different things about running a business online. You might have heard the rumors about this and are now wondering whether or not running an online business is all it’s cracked up to be. There are a number of factors that you should be considering and it’s going to be a personal choice in the end.
Some people massively prefer getting to run their business online, while others find it too distracting and not at all what they want. In this article, we’re going to be taking a look at some of the things that you need to know about running your business online so that you can decide what’s best for you. Keep reading down below if you would like to find out more.
You Do Not Get To Avoid Work
One of the common misconceptions is that if you run your business online this gives you an excuse not to work. First, if you are looking for reasons to avoid work on a regular basis then maybe you shouldn’t be running a company in the first place as this takes time and effort to achieve success. Second, you cannot expect those who work for you to be committed and dedicated to your business if you are not, as this is simply unreasonable.
You will still need to do the same amount of work that you would have to if you were running your business in the real world rather than the virtual one. We understand that a lot of people don’t think this is true as you don’t have to sort a business office etc, but this is not usually the job of the business owner anyway. Problems with the business office would be with the building manager and maintenance team, so it’s only a small job to organize these in the first place.
Ensure You’re Using The Proper Software
It is essential that you are using the proper software when it comes to running a business online. Of course, this is important for any business, but when you are relying on things online rather than being able to see your team by running down the stairs and talking to them, it’s more important than ever. So, things like Zoom are going to be essential for team meetings, but we’re going to be looking at this specifically a little more later on.
You are also going to need to look into things like a shift planning app that everyone can access. This is going to make your life so much easier as a business owner, so it’s well worth looking into. It will also help to build efficiency and productivity in your business and you won’t have people saying they didn’t know what they were doing or when they were supposed to be working. Look into all the different types of software and apps that are available, because we guarantee you that you’re going to need a lot of them to run a successful online business.
You Save Money On A Business Office
As the business owner, we recommend that you always try to make yourself available to your employees when they need you. Yes, it is more difficult when you run your business online, but it can still be done. It’s just a case of having your phone nearby when you are supposed to be working and keeping it there until you’re done for the day.
You can also expand your business by opening umbrella businesses. This means you can work online in different industries. For example, feet pics sell well so you could do this as a sideline to your eCommerce website. If you have the time and dedication, working online can be lucrative.
Yes, it’s true that you save money on a business office. For some people, this is a massive selling point as money might be tight, or the office environment simply might not be for them. Not having to find a business office saves a lot of stress, a lot of hassle, a lot of money and cuts out a lot of problems for people being late to work. If you have employees who are late to work, at least it’s going to be less frequent than if they were having to actually get to a physical location as transport and traffic is not going to be an issue.
But, you need to decide whether or not you are going to be able to be productive if you’re not in a business office. If this is all that you have known, or you have worked from home before and you noticed a drop in your productivity, then this is an indicator that running an online business is not something that you should be looking into.
You Can Still Meet With Employees
There may be some out there that are skeptical about communicating with employees, and it’s a fair concern. You aren’t going to be able to meet with employees face to face the way that other business owners can, and you’re not going to be able to run downstairs or upstairs to check in on progress and this can be a concern. However, the good news is that there are a whole bunch of ways that you can keep in touch with your employees. It might be that you hold weekly team meetings over Zoom or Microsoft Teams for example, as well as being available to have conversations with individuals who need you.
All in all, good communication with your team is still necessary. It’s also important to consider other factors that will help to keep employees happy such as company benefits. Well being in the workplace is as vital as it is in a physical business - even if you don’t have a physical workplace. Make sure to check in on your remote employees regularly to see how they are coping and try to solve any problems together.
There’s Always Room To Expand
When you run an online business, there is always room to expand. You can of course expand when you run a normal business offline, but it’s a little easier when you have an online business. For example, with an offline business, you would have to go through all the channels to potentially expand your business building because you would need more staff. If this didn’t work, you would have to completely change offices, if you were going to serve more areas you would need more offices in different areas and it’s going to snowball into something massively expensive.
If you’re running an online business, you can expand your website, open a new social media account to improve your reach, outsource or hire more people to work for you, and still not spend nearly as much as you would. This leaves more money for things like marketing which is a huge bonus for the business.
No Commute!
The final thing that we are going to mention is the commute. It might be the case that when you have worked in offices previously, you have struggled with the commute. Whether it was getting up on time to actually make it for the start of your shift, or whether it was public transport letting you down, commuting can be absolutely tiresome. When you run an online business, this is eliminated for everyone, which also eliminates some of the excuses that people have for being late.
Don’t get too comfortable though because you will experience other issues with lateness such as the internet not working, something happening in the house and so on. So, it has its own set of issues, but nobody has to commute, including you which is something that sways a lot of people in the end.
We hope that you have found this article helpful, and now see some of the things that you need to know about running an online business. Is it really all it’s cracked up to be? Well, that depends on who you are, your personal preferences and so much more, but at the end of the day, it’s going to be a personal decision about what is best for you. We wish you the very best of luck, and hope that you manage to make a choice about whether you want to run your business remotely or from an office!
_websize.jpg)
