As the owner of a startup or growing enterprise, if you are constantly stressing out and always in a state of flux, chances are that you are so busy working in your business that you are rarely working on your business. To be successful in business you can’t get bogged down by day-to-day details. You have to have your eyes set on the future. You have to be planning, strategizing, and building the best business in your industry. What’s your company’s vision for the New Year?
[Related: 9 Branding Techniques For Your Small Business]
What is one thing all entrepreneurs can to do to rev up their businesses for 2016? BLACK ENTERPRISE reached out to the members of the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC recently launched BusinessCollective, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses. The following responses from these young CEOs are meant to help small business owners drive sales, engage customers, and ultimately boost profits in the coming year.
1. Use Branded Content. If you think you still have “consumers,” you’re wrong. You have an audience, and you need to build it. If you think you own your brand, you don’t. Your newly created audience owns your brand. Give them the content they crave and your company will flourish. The best part is, it’s a fun processes. So throw out the old playbook and allow your branded content to drive your marketing.
— Kevin Robinson, Juniper Jones
2. Become Overly Accountable. Being accountable to yourself isn’t good enough. It’s like the difference between going to the gym by yourself and having a trainer or training partner. Find someone who you really admire and look up to –Â someone you can’t bear the idea of letting down. Give them your goals for the year and ask them to check in with you regularly.
3. Have Brand Ambassadors. You need people at your company besides the founder who are credible. It shows online in the content that they produce and the events they speak at on a monthly basis. The way you brand them will help to gain trust and credibility online. Once you have someone’s trust, you will have them as a customer for life.
— John Rampton, Due
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