Having a self-sustained business is the dream, but very few entrepreneurs work towards that goal. On the contrary, they can become an essential part of the operation, and that is not bad when you are starting; after all, it is your idea, and you want to accompany it in its growth.
But when the entrepreneur falls ill or wants to take a holiday, it’s impeded to perform, and everything stops because the business depends on him or her. Imagine if you’re going to retire; you would have to sell or close your business, and your already earned money will run out, and your plans too.
Building up a business that can let you take days off and, eventually, retire is not an impossible mission. You just have to be incredibly organized and invest a little today to have time in the future. There are places like Camino Financial that can help you with small business financing to achieve this goal.
Keys for a ship-shaped business
Now is the time to invest time and money into creating an operation that can endure throughout the time and management changes. These are some ways you can do it:
Have a timeless offer
This doesn’t mean that you won’t have innovative solutions or tap into trends, it means that you need to have an offer that will evolve and change with the passing of time. For example, the business of an auto body shop is to sell and install car parts and, even when cars change, and you’ll have to find new suppliers, it will be something that can continue its operations for as long as you want.
Build it like you want to sell it
From day one, you’ll need to have a record of every process that can become an operation manual. This way, it doesn’t matter who is on the wheel, that person will always know how to run the business.
It’s harder than you think but, paying close attention to the way you do things and having one or multiple documents that can be followed up on will help you relax as you know that you don’t need to come in every day to keep it afloat. If you want, you can train someone to handle operations for a while under your supervision before you retire.
Profit first
Author and entrepreneur genius Mike Michalowicz wrote a whole book called Profit first, where he explains how to charge and manage money from every payment so your company always has a profit.
In a nutshell, he says that the moment you get paid, you need to transfer the percentage of profit into a separate bank account so it won’t be lost in the day to day operation and that this way, you’ll learn to live with the money you are supposed to use for the company and not with revenue.
Focus on volume
A good way to make steady money is to offer something where you don’t earn a big chunk for each sale but a little for the sale of 20 pieces. Accessible products might be counterintuitive if you want to make a lot of money, but remember that you’ll still have revenue in volume.
Cover your bases for future development
Have a person or area destined for research and development (R&D), so you can keep up with innovation, trends, and consumers’ needs. This way, you’ll continue your normal operation and will also have possibilities to create new things and stay relevant. A good team is key because they will depend on their abilities and not yours.
As you can see, there’s a lot of work to be done in all of your company if you want to retire without a hiccup, but once you do it, your company will be better for selling, operating with a professional director or even be inherited to the next generation. Think of small business financing as an inversion of your company and your future and get started.
