As a business owner, you have many responsibilities. If you’ve been having a reduction in business traffic or started a business that needs to build clientele, you understand the importance of a rapid improvement model to help you achieve your goals. By following these steps of rapid improvement, you’ll likely see great results in a shorter amount of time. Regardless of what type of business you have, take the advice seriously so your business can prosper the way you deserve.
Research the Best Location for Your Business Before Taking Out a Loan
You wouldn’t want to live in just any house in any neighborhood without considering the neighborhood, your surroundings, and access to amenities, correct? You must have that same consideration when it comes to your business. In business, your location matters for many reasons, especially when it includes getting finance.
Unless you have ample cash or a rich family to fund your business advancement, you’ll likely have to go to an outside funding source for your investment property financing. The tricky thing is, regardless of how hard you work and how sweet you talk, these investors are very particular about where they put their money. So whether you’re trying to meet with venture capitalists or rely on a business loan from my bank, these investors have to feel confident that your business is worth investing in. So what does location have to do with their decision-making? Well, a lot.
If you went to a bank or venture capitalist and told them you wanted to open an ice cream shop in the middle of Anchorage, AK, but you had to compete with somebody who wanted to open that same business model in Miami, the person in Miami would be much more likely to win the funding. Why is that? Because their location makes it more likely they would get quick clientele who would buy ice cream and do so year-round. While Anchorage is a beautiful city, those dark winter months are pretty harsh and probably involve people eating more soup than ice cream. Financing for your business isn’t a gift. Investors want to get it return on their initial investment, and a bank lender wants to ensure you’ll be able to pay the loan back.
When looking at location, part of your rapid improvement model should also note the type of property you want to invest in. Check out the neighborhood, is it a downtown urban market or a sparsely populated rural area? What access to customers do you have, and how much competition is surrounding you? Who’s likely to buy your product or service nearby? Do you need a production facility to make physical products, or do you need to focus mostly on office spaces and meeting rooms?
Hire Professionals to Fix Your Business’s Parking Lot
Do you already have a building to house your business? Your employees and potential customers will need a place to park. Your rapid improvement model should include making your parking lot or company driveway as safe as possible. Your parking lot is part of your business’s curb appeal, as it’s one of the first areas people will see when they arrive at your location.
Think about the first impression your commercial space will make when clients come for meetings, customers come to buy things, or a potential employee comes in for an interview. Regardless of the type of operations you have at your business, people will arrive and need a safe place to park their cars and bikes and walk from their parking location to your company door.
Look into local parking lot repair companies that can ensure your parking lot surface is as smooth and safe as possible. You may want to also repave the surface, either in asphalt or concrete. Asphalt paving is a quicker job, however, concrete can last longer and also is more versatile in terms of color. In other words, if you want a fancy parking lot that displays your business colors and logo on the ground, concrete contractors can make it happen. Your parking lot services should include properly striping the area so that people have designated parking spaces and enough accessible parking space. There should also be a space for emergency vehicles like fire trucks or ambulances.
Immediately Remove Any Dangerous Pests From Your Business
Can you imagine going to a business or your job and having to deal with cockroaches, bed bug infestations, or rodents? Such an infestation creates an unhealthy environment for anyone at your business. Vermin can spread disease as they leave droppings, and if you have a company cafeteria or food hall, it can attract them even more and contaminate the food.
Imagine the embarrassment if a potential client was there for a business meeting and they saw a mouse or a cockroach nearby. It’s a situation most employees wouldn’t want to be in either. There are websites such as Glassdoor and Reddit, where people can comment on their former places of employment and give reviews about the overall environment, workload, and so on. If your company became known as a place that was infested with pests, it may be hard to get serious employees there. Your reputation matters when it comes to dealing with your rapid improvement model, and that involves how clean and pest-free your property is.
Termites are just as much of a problem for a commercial business as they would be for a residential one. According to the EPA, termites can destroy a residential property in as little as three years. If the wooden structure of your commercial property is infested by termites, it could affect your property’s value and safety. So make sure you add pest control services to your rapid improvement model for everyone’s health, and safety and to protect your property.
Check for Evidence of Building Mold
Speaking of employee and client safety, the last thing you need is mold in your building. Mold is dangerous on several fronts. First of all, mold can make anybody in your building get sick as it impedes the overall air quality. When mold spores travel through the air, they can get into people’s lungs and either create or exacerbate is extent issues of asthma and bronchitis, and create other lung infections. People may also have other allergic reactions to mold which can make the work environment uncomfortable.
Mold also endangers your company’s foundation. When mold gets into the walls, floors, or ceilings, it’ll seep through the foundation and cause it to weaken and rot. The result? Your initial investment in your commercial building may end up going to waste because your property value decreases if you don’t handle the mold quickly. So one of the first things you should do is invest in mold inspection services.
If you receive good news that you’re building doesn’t have mold, your job isn’t over yet. You still have to ensure that your building can prevent mold from occurring. Make sure that your building stays at a comfortable level of humidity so that it never gets to the point where it can encourage the growth of mold. You should also make sure your commercial roofing is constantly inspected and any repairs are handled immediately so you’re not at risk for leaks.
Install Charging Stations for Electric Vehicles
More Americans are becoming aware of the value of being eco-friendly and living as green as possible. That’s why people participate in CITY BIKE programs where they leave their car at home and ride a city bike to work and back home. Because of the dangers of fossil fuel emissions, more people are also opting for hybrid or electric cars. Do your best to promote this value in eco-friendliness by having an EV charging station installation.
Promoting green living in your rapid improvement model, shows you’re an employer that cares about the environment. That’s something that will look good to potential employees as well as other clients you want to do business with. Making these environmentally friendly updates can also be tax deductible when you do your commercial tax filing.
Ensure That Your Business’s Roof is Sturdy
As mentioned, a leaky roof can make your business vulnerable to mold. After all, when leaks come through the roof, they can cause major water damage to your commercial structure. That water damage seeps into your foundation and weakens it. In addition to promoting the growth of mold, it creates an unsafe environment where you and your employees are not under a sound structure. If the foundation is slowly rotting away due to water damage from a roof leak, your ceiling or a wall can cave in at any time.
Make an appointment with a local roofing business as part of your rapid improvement model. Let a professional roofer check out your existing roof. If they recommend a replacement, don’t hesitate. After all, replacing your commercial roof with high-quality materials can benefit you for decades to come. According to Bob Vila, a metal or slate roof can last for 50 to 70 years.
Add an Attractive New Walking Path to Your Business’s Front Door
The parking lot isn’t the only part of your entrance that you should worry about. You should also incorporate a new and improved walking path to your front door. A local hardscaping company can create a beautiful walkway that can make your business look very appealing. They could use cement, stone, brick, or a combination. They can make the space look even more pretty by adding vegetation such as flower beds and a couple of bushes.
Work With Agencies to Provide Better Staff for Your Business
It’s hard to imagine a rapid improvement model without getting the right staff. After all, you’re going to need the right people working at various levels of your company. Regardless of what type of business you’re running, you’ll need people with a vast amount of skills depending on their position.
You can begin by enlisting the services of staffing agencies that will do most of the hard work for you. They’ll recruit staff, interview them, and handle all the paperwork. Then they will send anyone over to you who has passed their process so you can do a final interview to make sure they’re a good fit. You can also decline to do the final interview and just have the staffing agency make the final decision.
Purchase Attractive Business Apparel for Your Business Team
If you’re running a type of business that needs uniforms, look into purchasing high-quality items. With a business apparel service, you can ensure your employees have the right T-shirt, pants, and other logo items for your business.
Consider Decorating Your Business’s Interior
Once people step through your doors, you want to make a good first impression inside the building. You can start by giving your interior walls a professional interior painting overhaul When you add interior painting to your rapid improvement model, you can expect to get a rate of return of 107%, according to Bob Vila. In addition to painting the interior, you can make sure you have the right office furniture as well as comfortable furniture for your lobby.
Invest in couches and chairs for employees and visitors to sit, chat, lounge, or have meetings on. Further, beautify your space by buying some quality artwork for the walls. Freshener air and add nature by adding plants and some flowers. Quality oriental rugs are a way to add a touch of elegance to your floors while also providing warmth and comfort.
As you can see, using the rapid Improvement model takes many steps, but it’s doable with the right planning. You’ve taken the time to get this far with your business, so you might as well put in the work to ensure you can increase traffic flow and revenue. If you take your improvement model seriously, not only can you see great success in 2024 and beyond, but you may be able to further expand your business to new locations. Hopefully, this list will help you create a prosperous business.