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Scaling Your Business Made Simple

Scaling your business is something you are probably going to want to do at some point if your business is successful at least. Of course, the idea of doing so can be daunting and it might seem like an impossible feat to achieve, but it really isn’t! Below are some top tips to make scaling your business as simple as can be, so why not read on and you might just realize you can do it after all!

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Embrace the Cloud: Your Data’s New Best Friend

First off, if your business still treats the cloud like some mysterious entity in the sky, it’s time for an intervention. Cloud-based services are the multi-tool of scaling, offering everything from data storage to customer management without taking up any physical space whatsoever, and without costing you very much either. They’re your go-to for staying agile, informed, and, importantly, sane as your business grows. Plus, you get the added bonus of throwing around buzzwords like “leveraging cloud solutions” at dinner parties.

Automate Like There’s No Tomorrow

Automation is like having a team of robots at your disposal, minus the uprising risk. From invoicing to email marketing, if there’s a task that makes you think, “Ugh, not this again,” there’s probably a way to automate it. It’s about working smarter, not harder, and keeping your sanity intact as your business grows. Just remember, robots can’t replace human touch, so don’t automate your customer helpline and have it answered by a robot named Dave. People hate talking to robots. Especially Daves.

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Go Global: The International Payment Processor Is Your Passport

Thinking of selling your artisanal, gluten-free dog biscuits beyond the borders? You’ll need an international payment processor, your financial passport to the world. This nifty tool helps you accept payments from customers worldwide without fussing over currency exchange rates or international banking fees. It’s like having a financial Rosetta Stone, translating the complex language of global commerce into something you can actually understand. Just make sure you’re ready to handle the “I didn’t know I ordered dog biscuits from across the globe” emails.

Cultivate a Dream Team: Hire for Scale

Your business is only as good as the team behind it, right? So, as you scale, you’ll need people who bring more to the table than just their lunch. Look for versatile, growth-minded individuals who can wear multiple hats without toppling over. It’s not just about filling positions; it’s about building a dream team capable of taking your business to new heights. And remember, a team that scales together, stays together – or at least until they ask for a raise.

Keep Your Customers Clued In

As you grow, don’t leave your customers wondering if they’ve been ghosted by you because that’s never a nice feeling, right? Communication is key. Keep them in the loop with updates, improvements, and the occasional “We’re still here for you!” message. It reassures them that, despite your growth, they’re not just another order number. Plus, engaged customers are your best advocates; they’ll scale your business through word-of-mouth faster than any marketing gimmick.

Scaling your business isn’t about reinventing the wheel; it’s about greasing the wheels to make the process more effective, and as you can see, it is actually pretty simple to do that. So, what’s stopping you?

3 Common Scams You Need To Be Aware Of

Scams and online fraud account for over 40% of criminal activity in the UK, and between April 2022 and March 2023, there were over 3,5 million incidents involving people aged 16 and over in the UK.

Falling victim to a scam can be extremely worrying and have massive implications on your lifestyle and finances. Sadly, too many people are still fooled by scammers; as seen on the BBC 1 show Scam Interceptors and the methods used by unscrupulous scammers are becoming more sophisticated, manipulative and conniving as they go through the process of trying to obtain money and items that don’t belong to them.

Knowing the scam is part of being able to stay safe, and this post is going to look at a few of the more common scams seen in the UK to help you stay wise to criminals and their devious tactics.

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Amazon Scam

The Amazon scam is quite possibly one of the most common and even well-known scams. What happens is you get a call from someone pretending to be from Amazon (FYI, amazon will never call you out of the blue, so this should be a sign to hang up). Continuing the amazon scams approach, the caller will try to convince you someone is attempting to use your account to buy something expensive, and they’re going to hippo you to stop this by finding the person responsible and preventing you from losing money. The opposite is likely to happen.

Hi Mum

The “Hi Mum” scam is carried out via Whatsapp or text message. And it will simply be a message from an unknown number saying hi, mum. You will then be expected to respond with your child’s name to check if it’s them and ask why they are contacting you from a different number. They will then use this to ask you for money to go to an account you probably won’t recognise again, telling you a story as to why. If in doubt, don’t respond. Call the actual number for your child to talk to them directly.

Missed Delivery

Missed delivery texts or email scams are becoming more popular as more and more people use delivery services for good delivery. You will typically be told you need to pay an additional fee to have your parcel released, something which most companies don’t do unless import fees have not been covered, and this is usually relayed to you prior to delivery from the courier service or you will have a card posted through your door via Royal Mail.

To avoid flailing victims of any of these scams:

  1. Always hang up and use another method of communication to contact the company in question directly via usual methods, not using any suggestions from the potential scammer.
  2. Avoid giving them access to your phone by downloading an app or any other software they suggest.
  3. If they become pushy or impatient with you, then this is a clear indicator of a scam, and you should end all communications.
  4. If in doubt, call your bank or other associated accounts to protect your details and stop any transactions.

The more you know about the different scams and tactics used by scammers, the easier it is to spot different scams and stay safe.