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Make Sure Your Hardware Can Handle The Traffic
What if your marketing efforts were suddenly twice as impactful, and resulted in increases in web traffic, sales, and customer service inquiries. Could your business handle this influx? It’s silly to think that a good thing could cause your business to fail, but the reality is just that. If your hardware, software, and employees aren’t ready for success, you won’t blow up; instead, your business will blow up in your face.
CB Insights studied the post-mortems of 101 failed startups and determined the top 20 reasons they fail. Chief among the reasons is a lack of market need and no cash flow, but the data yielded some surprising results too. The startups failed because they got outcompeted, they ignored their customers, and they lacked a network; all of these are solvable issues, but without the right tools for the job you’re almost guaranteeing your business will suffer a similar fate as those who participated in the study. If you’re prepared for success, these won’t be the reasons you fail.
Ensuring Your Hardware Works Hard for the Business
No matter if you’re a large or small business, it’s important that your equipment (your hardware and software) is protected. Hackers love attacking small businesses, startups, and entrepreneurs. They recognize that you’re small enough to be vulnerable, which is why it’s essential that you protect what you have with a comprehensive cyber security suite.
Okay, so you may have set up some security protocols, but do your employees know what to do when something breaks or there’s been a hacking attempt? If not, you may want to take advantage of IT support. IT can be outsourced to third-party companies, such as Firewall Technical IT support services, to ensure that nothing is left broken for too long and business remains functional even when your site and systems are not under your own watchful eye.
Cyber security is a preventative measure, but IT support is ongoing support for when hardware or software breaks. Considering that employee dissatisfaction is among the top reasons businesses fail, it’s beneficial to the team as a whole to provide them with support. This is going to facilitate teamwork and ensure that your employees are dissatisfied because nothing works.
Let Your Hardware Reflect Your Growth
You may have started your business with only a little, but as it grows you can’t rely on simple hardware to support it. Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, started the company in his garage in 1994. What began as a simple online bookstore quickly grew into the world’s largest online retailer. It’s possible that what begins small has the potential to grow exponentially, but you won’t get there if you don’t let your hardware reflect this growth.
Do you think Jeff continued to code on a MacBook (or whatever he used) when Amazon started to take off? There’s no way he would have been able to handle the success if he had. You’ve got to upgrade. You need to utilize the tools that are available to you and you need to upgrade what you have in order to support the business you’re taking on.
If you’re short on cash but high on traffic or other positives, you may want to check out what’s free on the web. There’s plenty of code-free design tools and other software trials available to you. Reach into the cookie jar and take advantage of what’s available to you while it can do you some good.
You may need to upgrade your servers, employ more people, and strategize to connect with people and customers in order to be successful. If you can’t handle the volume of inquiries you’re receiving that’s a problem, but having the right equipment can mean you can automate some of these issues which frees up manpower. At the end of the day, it’s important to not let your success cripple you, but rather leverage the right tools to meet every challenge and ensure the equipment you’re currently using is in tip top shape.
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