25 Ways to Start Taking Your Business More Seriously

Taking your business seriously is one of the best ways to grow your business. If you suspect that you haven’t been taking your business seriously, try these 25 tips to help improve your business.

I’ve had my own business for over 10 years and learned some of these tips the hard way. I want to help you grow your business the right way by taking it more seriously.

Don’t miss the free download at the end and then share your own tips in the comments below!

1. Purchase a Domain Name

Even if you don’t plan on having a website in the near future, you’ll want to claim your domain name before someone else does. I recommend using Siteground for purchasing a domain for your business.

2. Print Business Cards

Business cards may sound outdated but they’re not! There will be a moment when someone asks for your business card and if you’re empty handed it won’t look very good for your business. You can get business cards from Canva and even use one of their templates to design your own.

3. Create Your “Elevator Pitch”

An elevator pitch is a short and quick explanation about who you are and what you do. You should practice your elevator pitch so you’re prepared when you meet someone new.

4. Have Brand Photos Taken

Every business owner struggles in the beginning stages with not having good photography. Once you’re finally able to afford hiring a photographer to take your brand photos, you’ll notice such a huge difference in your business.

Read How To Prepare For Your Brand Photoshoot

5. Get Up An Extra Hour Early

Building a business takes so much energy. Any extra time that you can put into your business will help tremendously. When I started my business, I was still working 9-5 which meant I got up really early to work on my own business first. Experts also say that the most successful people in the world wake up early.

6. Register an LLC

The most important thing you can do to take your business more seriously is to register an LLC. This is very important because it separates you from your business legally, meaning if someone tried to sue you, they can’t go after your personal assets.

7. Set Up a Business Checking Account

Mixing your business funds with your personal funds isn’t a good way to run a business. There are so many banks that offer free or no-minimum checking accounts.

8. Create Business Social Media Accounts

Running your business with your personal social media account will eventually become a major roadblock. You’ll want to create separate social media accounts for your business so that you can advertise and grow your audience.

9. Plan Your Year Ahead

Every year I create a spreadsheet for my business goals and I break down the steps on how to accomplish those goals. Holding yourself accountable with a plan helps you make the most of the year.

10. Use An Invoicing System

Sending a client a PDF of your invoice may look more professional than just stating the amount due in an email, but if you want to take your business more seriously, you’ll need to use an invoicing system. Sending invoices with programs like Quickbooks, 17Hats, Dubsado or Honeybook allow you to track and manage invoices and see what’s outstanding. I use 17Hats for my business and it’s been essential in growing my business.

11. Read Books About Business, Marketing, Finances

Educating yourself about the topics you need help with the most will make you a more confident and knowledgeable business owner. You can read books, listen to podcasts or listen to audiobooks about business, marketing and finances.

12. Create an Inspiration Board

Visualizing your business dreams and aspirations can help you to start taking your business more seriously. Collect images on a Pinterest board that will help motivate and inspire you. Try creating a mood board for your business to keep near your work area.

13. Set Your Own Office Hours

Having an endlessly open work schedule can lead to burnout. Create your own office hours (even if your office is you working from your bed) for more structure in your business.

14. Create An Office Space

While working from your bed is fun (and comfy) once in a while, you need to create a dedicated space for your office. Even if it’s a corner of your living room, you’ll be able to establish more clear boundaries between your business and your personal space.

15. Reward Yourself

It’s important to remember to reward yourself now and then when you have achievements (big or small) with your business. Treat yourself to something extra special like a facial, a new perfume or maybe a new pair of Apple airpods. Without rewarding yourself, you may end up feeling like a slave to your business.

16 Connect With Your Audience Consistently

Falling behind on social media and email marketing can hurt your business. Showing up consistently pays off in the end and shows your audience you’re a reliable resource that they want to stay connected with.

17. Hire Childcare

If having young children is making it hard for you to find time to work, consider hiring childcare. You can have someone come to your house and watch your children for just a few hours and get some work done.

18. Take Care of Your Body

It’s easy to neglect yourself and focus only on taking care of your family and your business, but what about you? Without you, your business is nothing. Take the time every day to drink plenty of water, exercise and relax. Sitting for hours in front of the computer is one of the worst things for your body. Try to take breaks every 20 minutes.

19. Get Organized

If your business has become disorganized, it’s time to reevaluate your process. Keep your files organized and create a streamlined process for organizing clients, invoices, documents and emails.

20. Use a Calendar Just For Your Business

I still use a physical calendar for my business and it’s so much better than a digital calendar. In my office I have two whiteboard calendars, one with the current month and one with the next month so I can plan my work schedule.

21. Use a Business Email Account

Using your personal email for business is a big no-no. Create a separate Gmail using your business name and add custom business signature. If you have your own domain, you can purchase email hosting for a branded email address.

22. Take More Risks

There’s a famous quote you may have heard, “Without risk there is no reward“. This is true with growing your business. If you continue to play it safe, then you aren’t taking your business seriously enough. Consider taking your profit from a project and investing it in advertising, or developing a new product.

23. Create Your “Why”

What was the reason you started your business? What gives you purpose every day with your business. This is called your “why” and it’s extremely important to communicate this in your branding. If you haven’t found your “why” – now is the perfect time.

Join our course How To Create Your Own Branding in 5 Simple Steps to take control of your branding in easy to understand steps that get you results.

24. Add Passive Income Streams

Passive income is a method of generating sales without you putting in any effort. Now, while this sounds like a dream come true, you will have to put in a LOT of effort in the beginning, but over time your sales will become passive and you’ll be earning money in your sleep.

If you are looking to take your business more seriously, consider finding ways to add passive income to help diversify your business.

25. Hire a Virtual Assistant

Making the jump to hiring your first employee can be a real struggle for most business owners. I’m sure you’ve thought “Why would I need to pay someone when I can do it myself?”. The truth is, your time is very valuable. Think about how much you could grow your business if some tasks were taken off of your plate.

Conclusion

Amazing things can happen when you make a small change to your business. You may not even realize that you haven’t been taking your business seriously after reading this list.

What do you think of this article? Do you have any questions for me? Ask me in the comments box below!