Organisation: the key to a successful expansion of your business

It is often implied that, in any walk of life, it is those with big ideas who go on to yield big results. Take Richard Branson, for example, who started his Virgin empire by travelling back and forth across the English channel to pick up discounted records. He would then sell them out of the boot of his car to larger retail outlets in London. However, while it is fundamentally important to possess the brain power to devise forward-thinking and efficient business plans, ideas mean nothing if the necessary practicalities are absent and they cannot be executed proficiently.

This is one of the main problems faced by proprietors of smaller, independently maintained businesses. It is without doubt a certainty that the chasm between running a company on the smaller, more independent level and taking that next step towards a higher turnover and a wider client base is often underestimated.

Apart from the obvious transitions that independent businesses have to make in order to expand successfully, preparation and organisation are often underestimated in as far as how much they are able to determine the relative success of the process. The often overused phrase ‘fail to prepare, prepare to fail’ is actually a rather poignant piece of advice for smaller companies in search of bigger and better results at the end of the year.

From the execution of successful negotiations with prospective clients and meetings with future investors right down to the answering of mundane phone calls in the office, effective organisational strategy is the fundamental prerequisite for success.

Although not the most glamorous part of any corporation, the importance of administration and organisation is not to be underestimated. More and more smaller companies are tactically choosing to invest more and more to better equip their offices with efficient and up-to-date technologies to streamline processes as much as possible.

Upgrades in both the software and hardware departments, particularly as a consequence of the recent iPad revolution, are commonplace in businesses of any shape and size. Perhaps the most standardised upgrade for the administrative department of any business willing to expand is the transition from inkjet to laser printing, particularly with label printing, where the mass production of laser labels is made easier with revolutionary laser technology.

Although technological upgrades come at a price, there are no concessions to be made in an ever-competitive world if a small business seeks a lucrative step towards expansion.