There is a multitude of different things going on within your online business expansion. Orders are flying in, the stress of missing deadlines is unbelievable, and there is likely to be a swelling of employee numbers. Whether the new recruits are temporary workers or employees, you or a member of your team has likely had to take time out to interview. Of course, there will also be the training of the new personnel which also will need to take place.
On top of all this, however, there are some additional decisions that you will have to make sooner than later. You will have to make an important decision about how your online business expansion will operate in the future. It is likely that with all the new members of staff, the room could be tight. However, some options are open to you.
#1 Move, Restructure, or Change Your Working Facilities/Methods
For a start, you can choose to move location. This could be a costly decision as you will be enforcing downtime on your business as well as the additional costs of the move itself and the added distraction of inflated rent, utility bills, and upkeep of larger premises.
You could restructure your working arrangements and offer remote or even hybrid working conditions for those that want to take it. At best, remote workers could free up office space or promote a desk-sharing scenario between hybrid workers.
Or you could change your working facilities and decide to offer shift work to cover all the hours in the working day. This, too, will enforce a desk share scenario but will only work in certain business models.
#2 Install An Office Support System For All of Your Employees To Use
Of course, you are going to require software so that regardless of which scenarios you choose, all of your workers will be able to gain access to the data that they require to carry out their jobs.
In this, you will probably require an intranet system for your business – if you haven’t got one already. Intranet systems do not just deal with the mundane workloads that need to be performed but can also help with employee interaction and performance. To read more on how an intranet system can help your business, click here.
#3 Outsource Departments To Save Space For An Online Business Expansion
However, there is another option open to you to help save on space, although you will still benefit from an intranet system – outsourcing areas of your business to third parties so you can concentrate on the areas that are important to you. You can outsource the whole of departments, such as your front office, HR, IT, and accounts, or whatever your business needs.
Alternatively, you can outsource to subcontractors that have specialist knowledge in certain areas. They can help you with project design or completion, amongst other services for your online business expansion.
Undoubtedly they will work from their own premises so will not take up any room in your business and you will only be paying them for the work that is specified in the contract drawn up between you.
Final Thoughts Coping With Your Online Business Expansion
As you can see, you have a lot to think about, and, of course, you can make sure that you are well on the path to calm success by initiating some of the topics spoken about above.
Regardless of the size or growth rate of your online business expansion, it can be beneficial to install an intranet system for your online business. And by outsourcing departments or just the occasional piece of work, you can get used to outsourcing before it comes to an over-stressful event.
When it comes to offering different working scenarios, it is totally up to you how soon you move to remote working, hybrid working, or shift patterns into your online business.
How do you cope when your online business is thriving and you need to expand quickly? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.
