No one ever said running a small business was easy, and you’re living proof that it takes plenty of hard work and elbow grease to make all of the puzzle pieces come together. While there’s a long-running list of different services that will enhance business management, we’ve narrowed down the list of absolute essentials to 5 services every business owner should be using.
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Whether you have to outsource the help or hire within, set yourself up for success with these 5 services.
1. Accounting
Tax season is already a headache and a half as an individual taxpayer, but filing as a small business is a completely different, more complex story. Rather than navigating the waters alone, hiring an accountant or bookkeeper to organize all of your financial paperwork and business-doings is a business must-have.
Things can easily spiral into a mess of numbers and sheets of paper if you leave all of your tax season documents in an unkempt pile just before the April 15th due date. Instead of playing catch up bookkeeping, ease the burden by getting your accounting services on board as soon as possible.
If you’re in the process of building your own business, hiring a bookkeeper from day one will serve you well. Be choosy during your hiring process. A good accountant will make tax seasons work for you rather than against you.
2. Recruitment
Building your team from the ground up is tough. No matter how large the pool of potential candidates is, you struggle to find a perfect line of qualified individuals who surpass your bar of expectations. That could be, in part, because you want to see your business succeed more than anyone else. That being said, you’ll be hypercritical about the people you hire— and maybe to a fault.
Take the hiring process out of your hands and task a professional recruiter with the job of building your dream team. After all, talent is the lifeblood of a successful company. An expert recruiter will best understand your needs and will do the job of sorting through applicants with grace and ease. You’ll have a bustling team of ambitious workers in no time.
3. Cybersecurity & IT
According to a 2018 Verizon study, an alarming 58% of last year’s data breaches targeted small to medium-sized businesses. The average cost of a data breach puts companies out $3.9 million. You can imagine the terrifying impact a data breach could have on your company, so before that nightmare has the chance to become a reality, hiring cybersecurity and IT expert will protect your at-risk odds.
Every modern business is, to a degree, dependent on computers. It should be a top concern to ensure all computers and all networks are constantly safe and secured. A smart cybersecurity team will be able to anticipate any threats and respond with sharp punctuality.
4. Digital Marketing
The face of marketing has changed in the digital age. Search engine optimization, social media, and e-mail marketing tactics are among the most vital to a company’s online presence. And since so many people depend on the World Wide Web to find products, services, and information, all small business owners should make a point to do their fair share of digital marketing.
Whether you plan to band together a team of strong copywriters or want to outsource your SEO strategy, nailing down a plan to bolster your digital marketing game will have a high pay off.
5. Human Resources
As you grow your in-house team of employees and co-workers, you should keep the importance of an HR presence in mind. Though it’s a tough pill to swallow, the more people, the more problems—and when people feel as though they have nowhere to turn to for problem-solving, things can implode.
Keep yourself sane and your employees happy by creating a human resources team. HR is responsible for employment contracts, legal advice, disciplinary action, payroll, benefits, and can even be tasked with hiring, firing, and tax compliance. Employee satisfaction is a key factor in a business’ success. Happy workers make great content, and great content makes everyone money.
Take control of your business in 2019. Growing for the better will get you closer to being among the best. These 5 services are your driving vehicles on your unique success ladder! Have more you’d like to share? Comment below, we’d love to hear!
This article first appeared on Melissablevins.com.