Something that’s really, really, really, common in solo founders, is you get so wrapped up in the day to day work of running your business, that it’s incredibly easy to realise you’ve gone months without actually doing anything to grow it. Ask yourself, when was the last time you actually did something to grow your business, rather than just running it? If you’ve just read that and realised you haven’t done any growth activities in a while, here’s some of my favourite, quick wins when it comes to growth.
I will preface this by saying quick wins alone are not enough to actually grow your business, you do need to commit some real time to it as well but if you have a few minutes for now, here’s where I would start.
Follow up on past enquiries
Chances are you’ve got a bunch of warm leads who have already enquired with you that you’ve just kind of forgotten about. Or maybe you’re not following up with them because you’re worried it’s too pushy or annoying? Go and send a friendly follow up to each of the people who are on the list that you’ve not spoken to in a while.
Add a booking link or call to action in your first response
Take a look at the first email you send when you respond to enquiries. Does it have a clear and simple call to action telling the enquiry what to do next? If it doesn’t, add it in. A link to book a call with you or a very clear line telling them the next step is so important to converting enquiries and not leaving them confused and wondering what’s next (and inevitably not coming back to you).
Ask for testimonials and reviews
Message the last 5 people you worked with who haven’t already left you a review. There’s nothing needy about asking what someone thought of your service and most people will be happy to share their thoughts if you tell them where to do it! If you’re not sure how to ask, check out my blog here with templates for asking for reviews.
Turn on revenue streams that you’re missing
If you have an opportunity for revenue that you’re not using, turn it on. It might not make much without some additional work but it has the opportunity to make more money when it’s turned on than off! I’m talking about digital products that already exist and are sat in the back of your website without a link to checkout or online print stores for photographers.
Send an email to your marketing list
Do you already have a growing email list that you’ve been neglecting? Send them an email, share a little catch up, where you’ve been, what availability you have at the moment and don’t forget to share something that’s valuable for them - a tip or a tool that will make them want to read!
Introduce yourself in 2-3 communities
You’re probably already in a bunch of Facebook or Whatsapp groups - introduce yourself and share who you are, what you do, how people can find you or work with you. You’ll be surprised how many people in there won’t even know you exist but might actually be interested in hearing more from you.
Block out 1 hour a week to work on growth
This one is the biggie, true growth doesn’t happen with these 5 minute quick wins, you need to dedicate actual time to it. So go and look in your diary and block out an hour a week (or a bigger block over a month) for you to focus on proper growth tasks within your business where you won’t get distracted by client work.
If you want some support figuring out what steps to take to grow your business, get in touch today.
