{"id":5901,"date":"2014-01-15T09:00:37","date_gmt":"2014-01-15T14:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.smartsign.com\/blog\/?page_id=5901"},"modified":"2018-07-17T07:20:49","modified_gmt":"2018-07-17T11:20:49","slug":"15-steps-15-years-tips-e-retailer","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.smartsign.com/blog\/15-steps-15-years-tips-e-retailer\/","title":{"rendered":"15 steps to 15 years: A road map to a successful small business"},"content":{"rendered":"

In January 2014, SmartSign<\/a> marked 15 years in business. In 15 different blog posts, we reflect on the lessons learned, good experiences, and company-wide changes that helped us reach this milestone. Check out the entire series below, with a new post appearing each day over the next few weeks.<\/p>\n

\"smiling-woman-behind-board-150x150\"<\/a><\/p>\n

1.\u00a0Keep up employee morale<\/a><\/h2>\n

Great companies are separated from good companies through the foundation of strong company culture and employee morale. One of the most fundamental aspects of company culture is the employee perspective on what it\u2019s like to work for the company.\u00a0SmartSign does a lot to ensure a good relationship with its employees: sick days, floating holidays, casual dress, and vacation time all allow for a nice work-life balance.<\/p>\n

\"brand<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

<\/h2>\n

2.\u00a0Individualized brand identities<\/a><\/h2>\n

SmartSign adopted an individual brand name strategy during its 15 years of growth.\u00a0In\u00a0Marketing, Richard L. Sandhusen describes this kind of strategy: \u201ca brand name is applied to each product in the line and the company name is de-emphasized. The advantages are that brands can be targeted to specific markets [and] failure of one brand doesn’t endanger others.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"budgeting\"<\/a><\/p>\n

3.\u00a0Budgeting: not a burden to innovation, but a way to brainstorm new ideas<\/a><\/h2>\n

Some creative types balk at the idea of sitting down and figuring out the nitty gritty budgeting parameters of the next new project or business, but Bryan Bowers, SmartSign\u2019s CFO, says that budgeting can be \u201can essential source of new ideas rather than a hindrance to creativity.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"vendors\"<\/a><\/p>\n

4.\u00a0Value your vendors<\/a><\/h2>\n

In e-commerce, being successful depends on a number of factors, but chief among them is the quality of the product offered. Sites like SmartSign would be nowhere near as successful if they did not have strong relationships with the vendors who manufacture the products they sell.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"business-partner-150x150\"<\/a><\/p>\n

5.\u00a05 reasons to get a business partner<\/a><\/h2>\n

Don\u2019t go it alone. When starting a company, you\u2019re likely to need all the help you can get, and quite simply, having a business partner allows you to do double the work.\u00a0Here are just five more reasons why having a business partner is essential.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"hire<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

6.Hiring young and hiring smart<\/a><\/h2>\n

Hiring is a meticulous process. Even if potential candidates have appropriate work experience, not everyone is the right fit in the organizational puzzle. To that end, SmartSign\u2019s founders employ a valuable lesson that they\u2019ve learned over the course of their hiring experience: hire young, hire smart, and trust in youth.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"micromanaging\"<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

7.\u00a0Micromanaging puts a muzzle on your business<\/a><\/h2>\n

Over 150 years ago, Abraham Lincoln said, \u201cThe people when rightly and fully trusted will return the trust.\u201d And over the past 15 years, SmartSign\u2019s leadership has been committed to cultivating a company culture rooted in self-accountability.\u00a0SmartSign Employees are expected to be their own managers in several respects.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"knowing<\/a><\/p>\n

8.\u00a0The key to good customer service is knowing your customer<\/a><\/h2>\n

In the words of SmartSign\u2019s CEO and co-founder Blair Brewster, \u201cWhere do all the ideas for new products come from \u2013 the customer of course.\u201d\u00a0Successful companies know their customers and companies that don\u2019t focus on their customers often fail. Without understanding why your customers choose your company, how can you create and implement a sustainable growth strategy?<\/p>\n

\"multimedia\"<\/a>9.\u00a0Use multimedia early and often<\/a><\/h2>\n

B2B companies are increasingly testing the waters of incorporating images, infographics, videos, and more into their marketing content. The amount of online content is becoming more and more overwhelming to consumers, resulting in shortened attention spans and a need for eye-catching material. SmartSign is not immune to joining the growing multimedia trend by way of videos, photos, quizzes, and live chats.<\/p>\n

\"Tahyna_Colon_headshot-150x150\"<\/a><\/p>\n

10.\u00a0The first commandment of customer service<\/a><\/h2>\n

As one of SmartSign\u2019s longest tenured employees, Tahyna Colon, our call center manager,\u00a0knows<\/em>customer service and sales. She\u2019s the senior member of a team responsible for around half of all the business our websites do, so if anyone knows how to keep retail customers happy, it\u2019s her.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"personality-asset-150x150\"<\/a><\/p>\n

11.\u00a0Personality is your biggest asset<\/a><\/h2>\n

When you\u2019re looking for a new job, it might feel like your resume is your life raft. If you\u2019re just starting out, it\u2019s all about getting the right experience to demonstrate specific skills, bolstering your technological know-how, or even just cramming the whole thing full of buzzwords.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"cash<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

<\/h2>\n

<\/h2>\n

12.\u00a0Cash is still the undisputed champion of a business<\/a><\/h2>\n

SmartSign was birthed from custom technology, and our founders saw the opportunity to apply this technology to tags, mats, and parking permits. It simply made sense. But, part of the reason we were able to successfully enter those markets is the flexibility that comes from effectively managing cash flow.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Tahyna-150x150\"<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

13.\u00a0Handle with care: when customers blow up<\/a><\/h2>\n

As any customer service pro knows, one of the biggest challenges to the job is maintaining an unruffled, professional demeanor, even when you have someone on the phone\u00a0who might be abusive or difficult.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"competition-150x150\"<\/a><\/p>\n

14.\u00a0Three lessons about the competition<\/a><\/h2>\n

Starting a successful business doesn’t happen in a vacuum. The biggest thing that\u2019s going to keep you awake will be \u201cthe other guy,\u201d both your existing competition and the young upstarts that come in swinging once you\u2019re an established brand.
\n\"RoitmanHeadshot-150x150\"<\/a><\/p>\n

15.\u00a0Boost your <\/a>e-commerce business with nonprofit partnerships<\/a><\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s be honest, though: a smaller e-commerce company\u2019s every move is unlikely to make headlines by itself. We don\u2019t wield the ad budgets that a Coke does, we don\u2019t have a built-in megaphone like\u00a0Upworthy<\/a>, and our profits aren’t such that an owner funneling them into a radioactive cause is likely to get much attention, either. But the reasons to invest in nonprofit partnerships go far beyond PR for e-commerce companies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In January 2014, SmartSign marked 15 years in business. In 15 different blog posts, we reflect on the lessons learned, good experiences, and company-wide changes that helped us reach this milestone. Check out the entire series below, with a new post appearing each day over the next few weeks. 1.\u00a0Keep up employee morale Great companies […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-5901","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\n15 steps to 15 years: A road map to a successful small business | SmartSign Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.smartsign.com/blog\/15-steps-15-years-tips-e-retailer\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"15 steps to 15 years: A road map to a successful small business | SmartSign Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In January 2014, SmartSign marked 15 years in business. 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