Starting your own business is never easy, especially for a first-timer. Without proper and adequate experience, you may get confused as you take big and crucial steps. From planning your strategies and creating a comprehensive business plan, to implementing them and acquiring new tools and equipment for sure growth and development—each step is as important and crucial as the other. These are the reasons why I was hesitant to start a business on my own. But as more and more individuals and companies resort to online shops and ecommerce stores, I have finally decided to start on a small mother and baby shop that eventually grew into a successful hit.
During the first month, I was focused on advertising my products which revolved around babies’ feeding equipment. The accessibility of free blogs and websites, as well as forums was very helpful in obtaining quite a number of loyal customers. Social media sites and other types of online platforms like eBay and Amazon were also significant in introducing my newly-founded business. By word of mouth (and updated daily posts that were shared by around a thousand friends on Facebook), I accumulated more than a hundred orders during the first two weeks.
As my product line increased to breastfeeding equipment and maternity clothes, I was obliged to expand my business’s scope to a wider audience This time, there was a great need to upgrade my tools and go beyond online platforms such as Facebook and websites like Amazon. Although there was no way I would let go of these essential instruments which led my investment to greater heights, I started investing in a comprehensive, feature packed, and reliable phone services. I tried out several phone packages and finally settled on the RingCentral small business phone. This significant step enabled me to communicate more effectively with my clients and customers, removing the gap between my local store and the global market.
I enjoyed advanced features including call forwarding, call waiting, voicemail, online faxing, dial by voice directory, extension numbers, and hassle-free installation. The particular aspect I really found useful are 1 800 numbers. Also called toll free numbers, these indispensible business tools paved the way for a consistent customer service and communication system. Aside from encouraging more incoming calls by charging each minute to my business, I was able to choose a more personalized vanity number that caught the attention of callers. Plus, it was easy to forward toll free incoming calls to the correct and appropriate department. In no time, my small home-based office was as organized as a big and renowned company. More than that, the 1000 toll free minutes were included in my VoIP plan, and did not cost me anything unaffordable.
My online and offline business began to grow tremendously because of my VoIP package. As a breastfeeding advocate, I offered to give professional advice to new breastfeeding moms—something which added power to my business. Not only was I receiving orders every day—I was getting intimate with my customers who valued my recommendations according to their needs.
Handling your own online business and directing it to grow offline is a very challenging mission. Nonetheless, with today’s contemporary options and widely accessible tools for communication, owning and managing a business are not only limited to those who can afford to hire a business specialist or strategist. Moreover, tools and means are now available for small entrepreneurs.
I'm Nancy Perkins. I'm a writer enthusiast. I love to learn and explore almost everything about business and technology. I'm not a geek or nerd, I just love fresh ideas.
