We are living in the age of the entrepreneur, but that doesn’t mean that everything goes the way of the innovators. While it might be the age of the startup, it’s also the age of big business (when isn’t it?), who are doing phenomenally well. So while setting up a company might be straightforward enough, making it successful might be a challenge, especially when you’re competing against a giant! Fortunately, there are some things you can do that’ll make it something of a more even fight. Below, we take a look at five actions for keeping up with the big guys.
Neutral Spaces
You’re not going to take on big business in public ad spaces, such as billboards or television ads. The costs are too great. But you can get competitive in “neutral spaces” that money can’t buy, such as the internet. Many forms of traditional marketing just don’t work online, so even when big companies pay to have their names up in lights, internet users often ignore them. Work on developing a solid online presence, throw in some useful marketing tips, and your popularity will organically grow
Hire the Best
Your eyes might water when you see that you, a small business with just a few employees, is to try to make a dent in a market dominated by a business with hundreds or thousands of employees. But don’t be disheartened. It’s much better to have ten brilliant employees than it is to have thousands of paper pushers. If you’ve got the capital, look at offering an attractive compensation package in order to entice the best talent. There’ll be no inherent prestige in working for you, whereas there might be with the larger companies, so you have to give them something inspiring to get them to work for you!
Work With Other Companies
But of course, unlike the big companies, you won’t be able to hire people for every task you need completing. You can, however, still have access to some of the best workers, and have an infrastructure that’s comparable to how big businesses operate. How? By outsourcing your work. You can hire an experienced marketing firm to market your company. You can work with a company like http://www.xirtix.com/ to get sophisticated IT support. Your financial matters can be dealt with by a financial advisor and accountant. They won’t be on the payroll, but they’ll work like they are.
Use Your Advantages
You do have an advantage over big companies, ones that they can never take away from you: you’re small! This means you’re more able to offer excellent service. You can focus on cementing yourself in a niche market. Instead of cowering in size, be proud of how small you are! It means you can offer the best to your customers.
Think Big
Finally, think about the vision. A company that acts small will never compete. Believe you’re just as valuable as the big guys, and you’ll have the aspirations needed to take them on.
