Diversify or Die: 4 Simple Rules to Stay Alive!
As an entrepreneur, your number one priority should be to strengthen your business’ ability to withstand future unfavorable economic events. That’s to say, you have an edict to maintain your business as an “Ongoing Concern.” This premise should be the basis of every entrepreneurial endeavor.
Don’t Put All of Your Eggs in One Basket!
In business, as in life, it is easy to fall into old habits and pick the low hanging fruit. So many young entrepreneurs fall into the practice of allowing one customer to account for over 80% of their revenue. In many cases, this is their first customer.
If you have a customer that accounts for over 80% of your revenue, you are no longer in charge of your own destiny. In short, you are no longer an independent entrepreneur. Instead, you’ve allowed yourself, and your company, to become nothing more than a contract employee of your largest customer.
While stating that you’re simply a contract employee may seem harsh, the fact is, few businesses can survive, for even a short period of time, after losing 80% of their revenue overnight. And remember, customers always have the option of moving their business to a new vendor.
Losing a customer can result from something as simple as a personnel change. The vast majority of sales are based on personal relationships that have developed over time. In many instances, a new manager will opt to buy products and services from a list of trusted vendors that he developed while with his previous employer. So, your best old customer, with a new purchasing manager, could stop buying from your company overnight!
The Four Rules
1. Never stop marketing! Even though your business might be at full capacity, keep marketing. You never know when a longtime customer will stop buying from you.
2. As a rule of thumb, I encourage my clients spread their customer base out and try to keep revenue concentrations below 25%. This is more of a guideline than a rule.
3. Try to develop pool of small but high margin customers. Should a big customer go elsewhere, these are the customers that are going to keep your business “in business.”
4. Try to develop personal relationships with all of your customers. A good personal relationship with your customer can provide vital information on planned personnel changes and/or provide intelligence on your competitor’s activities. Never underestimate the value of socializing or entertaining your customers.
READ MORE FROM AMERICAN COMMERCIAL CAPITAL
Houston Factoring Companies: Why Choose American Commercial Capital for Invoice Factoring?
If you’re a Houston-based entrepreneur who has been searching for ways to improve your business cash flow and get the capital you need to grow, chances are you’ve come across a dozen Houston factoring companies who all claim to be the answer to all your problems. Invoice factoring, for those who don’t know, is when a business sells its accounts receivable (invoices) to a third-party company at a discount. Factoring…
Business Video Roundup: Managing a Remote Team, Leading in a Time of Crisis & More
In this week’s business video roundup, Small Business, Big Heart features Tim Jobe and Bettina Shultz-Jobe, co-owners of Liberty, Texas-based Natural Lifemanship; Columbia Business School talks with Best Buy Executive Chairman Hubert Joly about purposeful leadership in a time of crisis; and Forbes explores how COVID-19 is affecting America’s food supply chain. Plus, Basecamp CEO Jason Fried gives excellent advice and actionable tips on remote team management and CNBC looks…
Business Video Roundup: The Best At-Home Business Strategies & More
In our latest roundup of great videos for entrepreneurs and small-business owners, we continue to see how businesses around the country are coping with our new normal. In Small Business, Big Heart, Jennifer Desrosiers talks about how her Exeter, New Hampshire-based eatery Lanny & Lu is staying afloat while trying to help frontline workers and others in need, and Forbes explores the plight of a comic-book store owner in Cockeysville,…
