Scaling your business
When it comes to scaling your business, there’s a lot to learn from Emma Hicks. She has spent years as an entrepreneur, including running a successful vintage furniture shop. Still, Hicks felt she could make a bigger impact in the business world. “I wanted to be surrounded by like-minded women and to really connect,” Hicks said.
She founded Camp Climb, an active community for creative female entrepreneurs of all generations. Rooted in the Midwest, Camp Climb offers in-person events, an online community, hosted excursions and much more. The organization brings together women who want to learn, collaborate and create a community as they pursue their dreams.
Hicks’ business began expanding almost immediately, and now it includes a variety of events held throughout the country and in Costa Rica. “This company has taken us on a wild ride over the last four years, and it has opened us up to many incredible possibilities and opportunities individually and as a collective,” Hicks said.
Accelerating your company
If you’re like Hicks and looking to expand your venture, it’s important to have a solid base. As you get ready to take your company to the next level, you’ll need to:
- Commit to growth: Create growth targets and plans to achieve them.
- Focus on customers: Make certain you understand your ideal clients and what problem you solve for them. Also, ensure your potential customer base is large enough to support any expansion.
- Find resources: Locate the funding and supply chain you’ll need to support your growth.
To give your business the boost it needs, consider outsourcing and automating where possible. While your goal may be to hire more employees, you might not have the time or funds to add all the staff you need—and you can’t always do more yourself. Save time by automating accounting procedures and social media posts, so you can spend more time building your business and less time running your business.
When your company requires a human touch, find freelance staff who can come in as needed to keep costs down. Camp Climb recruits and handpicks graphic designers and web developers who sit down with retreat participants to learn about their ideal audience, provide advice and offer constructive criticism.
“After a one-on-one brand audit with Graphic Designer Laura Kashner, [one of our attendees] raised [its] conversion rate by 300%,” Hicks said.
Give your marketing a boost
As you work on growing your business, it will also be necessary to scale up your marketing. After all, the more people you reach, the more people you can help.
Draw in customers online
Update your website and blog with fresh search-engine-optimized content to make it easy for your customers to find you. Being active on social media can also help boost business.
Sonya Nichols has seen the Global Women’s Basketball Association—a professional basketball league that plays nationally and internationally—nearly double its social media reach by providing content people wanted to see.
Facebook® takes games out of arenas and into people’s homes—or wherever they access the social platform. Every game is livestreamed, so fans who can’t travel, or just want to watch from their living room, can see the game. “Thanks to livestreaming, we’ve been able to double our online audience organically,” Nichols said.
37% of consumers find purchasing inspiration on social platforms.
Leverage word-of-mouth
Word-of-mouth advertising can also be a powerful way to promote growth. It’s estimated 93% of consumers trust reviews from family and friends more than any other kind of advertising. Ask for customer reviews and referrals in-person and online to ensure you’ll have a steady stream of future customers.
To help customers deliver your message, consider investing in branded giveaways.
Pennant 5″ x 12″
Deliver your message by investing in branded giveaways.
“We got a bunch of pennants with ‘Go Camp Climb’ on them,” Hicks said. “We handed them out at a closing ceremony to remind everyone of the event. We also use them on cork boards at coffee shops and other places where our vibe is going to be understood.”
GWBA also gave away shirts and other items to help spread the word about its organization.
Hanes® Authentic T-Shirt
Build your team
Getting the right people on your team is especially critical as your company grows. Hire people who are self-motivated, excited to help the company expand, and able to tap into a wide set of skills.
Finding the right partners has been critical for Nichols as she works to build the GWBA. The GWBA performs a very thorough vetting process of the teams it approaches as well as the teams who approach it.
“We’ve turned down quite a few markets because they didn’t fit the bill.”
In addition to looking for quality teams, the GWBA also seeks true partners that will help build the organization. “Each market owner is responsible for their own marketing, advertising and social media,” Nichols said.
“We have a mindset of quality over quantity,” Nichols said.
Set yourself up for success
Growing your business can be an exhilarating time in your business journey. Use these tips to travel the path to success.
Note: 4imprint is a sponsor of Camp Climb and the Global Women’s Basketball Association. Looking for more information about this topic? Email [email protected] with inquiries.
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