I am an entrepreneur and have created multiple companies over the past 10 years. Many of them have been small and unsuccessful, but I have learned how to persevere and overcome obstacles that have tried to get in the way of growing a business. One thing I have learned is you need to be ready to possibly change your business plan to accommodate the changing economy.

Here are 5 tips that I have found helpful making that change more successful:

1. Talk to your customers

Entrepreneurs and business owners need to gather feedback from customers and clients. From surveys to in-person conversations you will gain valuable feedback and ideas. Instead of moving forward with a business plan that may not work, you can figure out early on how and when your company may need to change its focus, all from effectively communicating with your customers.

2. Analyze the data

Everyone talks about “Big Data” and how important it is to business but you need to know how to analyze it. When you track and analyze your metrics, you can determine if and how your company should change. One of the most useful tools in tracking your website data is Google analytics. You can reveal how customers navigate the site and where you might be losing or gaining your potential customers.

3. Test, Test, Test

As a user experience designer, one of my objectives is to run testing on my designs to make sure they are user friendly. It is essential with any new design, product, or business plan to test it with users in case the new model turns out to not work. It will also verify the things that you think are working.

4. Iterate and move fast

Many times entrepreneurs and business owners spend a lot of money on building too much, too early. By moving fast and iterating you can make changes through your testing and make sure that the ideas you are trying to implement will be proven effective. Many companies get in trouble with this because of over eager entrepreneurs. It is better to bring those new ideas to customers at an early stage and iterate on them in case a new strategy is needed.

5. Be flexible with change

To make your change successful, set aside personal beliefs and distractions about the company and its products. Analyze your data. Review customer feedback. Be okay with changing direction if needed.

Here is just a sample of the companies I have created and the changes that were made.

First Venture

The first company was a t-shirt company started by a friend and myself during college. We used our own designs and screen printed them on good quality shirts. For us, it was pretty successful for a couple of college students.

Change: We made a change in the company name and purchased better quality material. Although the change in the quality of the t-shirts was helpful, the change in the company name did not seem successful. Outcome: We ended up selling the company for a small profit.

Second Venture

The second company is my personal freelance business that I created to design and develop websites, marketing material and create branding for small businesses.

Change: Most of my projects have been a flat fee per project but I have seen a larger potential with monthly payments by my clients. It works best for both because I am able to keep my clients work fresh and updated rather than build a website and hope they they come back for updates in the future.
Outcome: Growth over the past 10 years and still going strong.

Third Venture

The third company was created 5 years ago to make a better online resource for the local golf community in my local city. In creating GolfLocal.com we first went with an advertising model and found out early that this was hard to gain paying customers without a dedicated sales person to make it happen.

Change: Our first change was to create a magazine and offer advertising in print and on the website. This was hard to create and maintain and the printing was costly. Our second change was to create a discount card that golfers could purchase and save each time they visited a local course. This was pretty successful. The third and probably most successful change was to focus on bringing golfers from out of the area and setting them up with Stay and Play vacations.
Outcome: I am still manage Golf Local and have plans to expand into other markets. At this time, however, I am pouring most of my time into my most current venture.

Current Venture

My latest venture has been so far the most fun and I am confident that, in the end, it will be a very successful company. I have been in the advertising/marketing industry for over 10 years and have seen so much change. Right now, if you are not thinking digital and mobile your company will suffer. All businesses, large and small, need engaging photos combined with social media marketing to grow their businesses. My current venture is going to help those businesses along with bloggers, designers, and advertisers find engaging photos to use for marketing purposes.

Engagement is a key part in online marketing strategies as brands fight for the consumers attention through creating engaging content. Some of the best and most engaging content that brands are currently seeking is on Instagram.

My mission with my new venture called Candidly is to make this engaging content even easier for designers, bloggers, and marketers to find so they can spend more time on what truly matters.

I know there will be a lot of change ahead, and I am confident that these 5 tips can help minimize the time and money spent to grow Candidly into a successful company.

Please leave your comments, and if you are interested in buying or selling images, please signup at Candidlyimages.com or send us an email at team@candidlyimages.com for more information.