{"id":7894,"date":"2022-01-07T13:16:34","date_gmt":"2022-01-07T13:16:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/?p=7894"},"modified":"2026-01-07T12:33:26","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T12:33:26","slug":"how-to-grow-a-business-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/how-to-grow-a-business-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"How to grow a business: 5 top tips to help entrepreneurs in 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGrowth & Customers<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tHow to grow a business: 5 top tips to help entrepreneurs in 2022\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t

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\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\tSimon Brooke<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Anyone who has ever wanted to grow a business knows that it can be challenging as well as rewarding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pandemic and various lockdowns have made it more of a challenge than ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, that’s not holding business owners back from working to make their companies succeed. And business growth remains a key objective for many.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Growing your business involves developing a plan and setting goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And if you\u2019ve not looked at your business plan<\/a> for a while, now\u2019s the perfect time to do so and give it a refresh if required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It can often be worth taking time out from the day-to-day operations to sit down with your colleagues and think about how you\u2019re going to expand and to look at where you see the company going over the next few years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Investing time and effort in identifying new markets, opportunities for new product development, the recruitment of talent and the use of digital technology can bring worthwhile returns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Similarly, if you\u2019ve never had a mentor then the start of the year might be a good time to think about working with one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article will provide you with some food for thought and support you as you look to grow your business in 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s what we cover:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Consider using a mentor<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Try launching new products or services<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Time to think digital<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Use social media to promote your business<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Recruit new talent<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Final thoughts on growing your business in 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Download your free small business toolkit: a guide, business plan template and cash flow forecast template so you can boss your business<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

1. Consider using a mentor<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A mentor could help you tackle challenges you\u2019re coming up against as you look to grow your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mentors are usually people who work in your industry or at least have knowledge of it but have more experience than you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They might be a bit older than you. Perhaps they\u2019re a serial entrepreneur \u2013 they\u2019ve built up some businesses and sold them, adding to their knowledge and experience as they go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll need to think about what support you need from your mentor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is it purely business focused or are you looking for someone who can help you in a deeper, more psychological way?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You could also consider a \u2018reverse mentor\u2019, someone who\u2019s younger than you and is new to the sector and can therefore offer you a fresh perspective (it could be around using TikTok to promote your business, for example).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Professional bodies and trade organisations can help you find a mentor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a good idea to arrange a regular meeting, each week or at least on a monthly basis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do your research beforehand, but even then, you\u2019ll probably need a few initial meetings to make sure you have the right chemistry between you. If things aren\u2019t working between you, don\u2019t be afraid to let your mentor know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thinking carefully about your own personality traits is important, according to Phil Drinkwater<\/a>, a small business owner who, in partnership, grew a business from nothing to end up employing more 20 people at one point and now works as a business coach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou need to start by understanding the traits and characteristics of someone who grows a business and, secondly, work to become that person,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTwo obvious traits are consistency and commitment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond that, Phil recommends remaining calm and relaxed as this will allow you to make rational decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Curiosity, he believes, will allow you to evaluate opportunities without making rash choices and you should also aim for a mindset among your team where learning and change are encouraged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEnsuring too much ego isn\u2019t connected to success will mean that you don\u2019t fight necessary changes in direction,\u201d adds Phil. \u201cUnderstanding why you want this business will mean, on the tough days, that you don\u2019t quit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Try launching new products or services<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Thanks to technology and changes in lifestyle, work and shopping habits, even the most conservative sectors are evolving rapidly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new year is a good time to think about launching new services and to grow a business by expanding your product offering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the one hand, you need to be imaginative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But on the other you need to ensure that anything new you offer isn\u2019t too far removed from your current range.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research is essential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This could involve surveys among existing clients to find out what more they might want from you and among competitors to see what they\u2019re offering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can you offer something better? Is there a gap in the market?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Start with a beta version and test it among your most loyal customers as well as your family and friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Listen carefully to their feedback and be prepared to \u201ckill your darlings\u201d, as they say. In other words, just because you love the idea and you\u2019re convinced that it\u2019s a winner, it doesn\u2019t mean that your target audience will agree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your prototype or concept doesn\u2019t get great feedback or the people you\u2019re testing it on want you to do something that seems like sacrilege to you, take on board what they say and amend your idea or even dump it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe key is to keep costs as low as possible,\u201d says Adam Strong<\/a>, an entrepreneur, business scaling expert and author of Play the Game: How To Win In Today\u2019s Changing Environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA minimum viable product [MVP], a physical product or a service, needs to be something really small and tangible, something that can give a company\u2019s audience a quick win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAfter businesses have found their target audience\u2019s main struggles, their priority should be creating something simple that addresses the symptoms and alleviates some of the pain.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adam urges business leaders to seek feedback from customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis way when their MVP earns a bigger market it will be more refined, and likely to be seen by the ideal client as the go-to solution to their problems,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBusinesses should never skip asking for feedback or testing their products, its essential to the development process.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Business coach Claire Macpherson<\/a> advises business owners to focus on clear, powerful messaging to help them to develop new products and, more importantly, to create a distinctive brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s essential to practice building clarity into your messaging,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt needs to be clear, simple, and to the point. You want potential clients to know right away if they are in the right place \u2013 or not.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Claire offers a simple format to help you to create a clear, compelling message.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It involves completing this sentence: \u201cI help _____ to _____ so they can _______.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After \u2018I Help\u2019, insert your ideal client, and their biggest pain point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After \u2018to\u2019, briefly explain the transformation that you create. In this case it might be to them to discover their life purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following on from \u2018so they can\u2019, you identify what they want to achieve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhere most people go wrong with their messaging, is not making it tangible enough,\u201d Claire argues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cConsider what\u2019s going to stop your ideal client in their tracks and grab attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat do they really want?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYour business message should be crystal clear across all of your social media platforms and website, as it also forms the base that you will create your daily content from.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Download your free small business toolkit: a guide, business plan template and cash flow forecast template so you can boss your business<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

3. Time to think digital<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Another change that\u2019s always worth considering involves reviewing your processes to see what can be improved and made more efficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Digital technology can help here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cloud accounting software<\/a>, for example, can send and track invoices, improve the chances of your getting paid on time and protect your cash flow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many will now allow you to photograph and capture receipts to make them easier to store and to match with bank statements and expenses claims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, payroll software<\/a> can help you ensure that your employees are paid securely and accurately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This will leave you and your payroll and finance teams to spend more time doing the human things that technology can\u2019t do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dario Bucceri, managing director of Manna House Consulting<\/a>, advises those who want to grow a business rather than simply manage one to change their mindset around money and other factors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He says: \u201cMuch of the economy is still in recovery mode and it would be a mistake to assume business as usual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNow is not the time to be set in our ways and what has worked in the past might not work now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy advice is to live in the most agile frame of mind that you can muster. Have an annual goal but plan in quarterly stages, watch your cash flow and update your budgets frequently.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Use social media to promote your business<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re not yet using social media to promote your business and sell more products, then 2022 should be the time to start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Begin by identifying which network is right for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Facebook<\/a>, for instance, is good if you\u2019re looking to generate leads and build relationships with customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LinkedIn is best for business networking and Twitter is great for piggy backing off new trends and developments in the news.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Creating videos for TikTok is another useful way of reaching audiences. Make them short and punchy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Think about your audience \u2013 who are they? Where are they? How old are they?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are the mainly male or female? What are their interests, hopes and fears? What language do they use?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Decide on your tone of voice \u2013 are you friendly and funny, or reassuring and helpful (or a combination of all, or something completely different)?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tailor your content to your audience and provide some useful advice and tips or something that they will want to share on their social media accounts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Identify influencers and prominent people in your industry that you can follow as they might follow you in return and even share your content. Either way, you can comment on what they say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Set aside an hour every week in your diary to work on your social media profile (or you could even outsource this task to a social media manager or agency).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Recruit new talent<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For many businesses in 2022, recruiting the right people is something you\u2019ll want to do well, alongside it being an essential plank of your growth strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that\u2019s the case no matter whether you\u2019re looking to hire staff for the first time or increase the headcount at your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eliane Lugassy is the CEO and founder of Witco, an app that facilitates interactions between tenants and building managers and provides real-time data and analytics to improve building maintenance and management.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She says: \u201cMy biggest priority in 2022 will be talent management, building up the team where we can maintain a strong brand, scale up and retain our company identity and culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy advice for other businesses for 2022 is to hire the best talent but also consider to what will be the best cultural fit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFind and promote the people who bring ideas and enthusiasm and who encourage everybody else.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although hybrid working seems here to stay, she advises business owners to consider having their managers present in the office, at least part of the time if it\u2019s safe to so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBeing in the same building, in person, is the best way to propagate your values, maintain productivity and share ideas,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c2022 will be an exercise in empathy, however, balancing the needs of your team with the bottom line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd this will be enabled by effective internal communication with your team, and your efforts to encourage them and develop their skills.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Feedback from clients of recruitment consultancy Meaningful Recruitment suggest that 27% of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) plan to hire new staff in 2022, after recruitment was put on hold in 2020 due to the uncertainty but the job market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s according to Katie Redfern, founder of Meaningful Recruitment, and author of Working Meaningfully: Your Fast Track Guide To A Career That Lights You Up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She says: \u201cEmployees are increasingly wanting to work for employers that are making a positive social impact in our world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Final thoughts on growing a business in 2022<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The way we work, shop and interact has changed forever, especially as the world prepares to live with rather than after the effects of Covid-19 and all of its variants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Technological change has been accelerated and working practices have evolved, while supply chains have been permanently altered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rather than trying to continue where they left off in the spring of 2020, those businesses that are wiling regard this transformation an opportunity to do something different and reimagine their companies will be the ones that flourish in 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Small business toolkit<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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Get your free guide, business plan template and cash flow forecast template to help you manage your business and achieve your goals.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDownload your free toolkit<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n

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Join 1.5 million subscribers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Got a goal of growing your business in 2022? We’ve put together a series of essential tips to help you along the way.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":653,"featured_media":8422,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[162],"tags":[130,131,160],"business_type":[5],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[232],"imagine_tag":[230],"coauthors":[415],"class_list":["post-7894","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth-customers","tag-grow-business","tag-recruit","tag-workplace-technology","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-ie","author_name":"Simon Brooke","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1220287664.jpg","imagine_tags":{"230":"Small business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice Ireland","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7894","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/653"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7894"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7894\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/8422"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7894"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7894"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7894"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=7894"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=7894"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=7894"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=7894"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=7894"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=7894"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=7894"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}