Running a business now means not following the playbooks of the past. Traditional ways of selling may no longer be as effective, and as brands switch up their strategies to meet changing customer expectations, the key word will be “adapt.”
As small businesses plan for what’s ahead, 48% think economic uncertainty will be a challenge, while almost half (45%) believe it will be harder to get new customers, according to research from online marketing company LocaliQ.
While not everything is within a business owner’s control, plenty of consumers still have their wallets out, ready to spend. So if you’re wondering whether now’s a good time to start a business, the answer is yes. Use these 22 practical small business tips—with expert advice from entrepreneurs—to set your business up for success.
Ready to start your business? Create your website today or learn more about Shopify’s tools for selling online and in person.
Table of contents
- Narrow your focus
- Build a brand
- Make it easy to buy from you
- Find ways to cut costs
- Stay on top of the latest marketing trends
- Build a community
- Create great content
- Build an email list
- Continuously solve real problems
- Delegate time-consuming tasks
- Provide great customer service
- Keep an eye on your competitors
- Automate repetitive tasks
- Create immersive product experiences
- Find where your customers hang out
- Make sure you look good on mobile
- Consider subscriptions for recurring revenue
- Build a great website
- Understand cash flow
- Make analyzing your brand a habit
- Use social proof to sell
- Focus on omnichannel experiences
- Start growing with these small business tips
- Small business tips FAQ
1. Narrow your focus
Due to their size, megacorporations like Amazon are able to successfully sell online in a wide variety of markets. That’s largely due to the capital they can invest in branding, marketing, and customer service.
A small business owner doesn’t have that luxury. So, your best strategy is to get hyper-focused in a niche market.
“You absolutely have to understand your niche,” said Simon Donato, founder of oatmeal brand Stoked Oats, in an episode of the Shopify Masters podcast. “We had a really strong community straight out of the gate of health conscious, athletic individuals as early adopters. We've since blown it wide open and now it's just health conscious consumers, but it certainly gave us our niche to expand from.”
Niche research tools like Keywords Everywhere can help you find high-potential niches to explore as a small business owner.
2. Build a brand
A strong brand conveys the values, mission, and personality of your company, which helps it stand out from the competition. Determine what makes your business unique and then create cohesive brand elements—such as a brand name, logo, visual aesthetics, and messaging strategy—across all platforms.
“Prioritize one thing [about your brand] and repeat that story everywhere: on your website, on social email, SMS, in your elevator pitch—repeat that story everywhere you go,” said Claudia Snoh, cofounder of coffee concentrate company Kloo.
Need help setting up your brand? Try the following branding tools from Shopify:
3. Make it easy to buy from you
Consumers are as busy as you are, so it’s crucial to do everything in your power to simplify your ecommerce checkout process. Sometimes, a great browsing experience is all that’s needed to attract and convert customers.
Reduce your number of form fields, eliminate unnecessary steps, and display the order summary on your checkout page. For payments, offer as many payment processing options as you can to make the checkout process more accessible.
Ideally, you’ll want to use a system like Shop Pay, which allows customers to check out with one tap. A study by a Big Three global management consulting company found Shop Pay increases checkout conversions by up to 50% relative to defaulting to a guest checkout process. Plus, it outpaces other accelerated checkout tools by at least 10%.
You should also make sure your website follows user experience design best practices. For example, your product or service pages should be clear, organized, and easy to navigate. Make your call-to-action buttons visible, add zoom or pan functionality on images, and be upfront about shipping fees on each page’s pricing section.
4. Find ways to cut costs
Every dollar counts when you’re a small business, so find ways to reduce expenses to improve your finances. Find out where your money is going and evaluate which areas could use a trim. Accounting software can help you categorize expenses to get a closer look into where you’re spending capital.
For example, you might identify opportunities to cut down on shipping fees, cancel unnecessary software subscriptions, switch to a shared office space, or purchase used equipment instead of new. If you run an online store, finding a wholesale supplier also can help reduce overhead.
Leveraging influencer marketing allowed pickle brand Good Girl Snacks to increase brand awareness without spending money. “It’s created a lot of buzz and allowed for a lot of sales, while still maintaining a zero-dollar [customer acquisition cost], because we just gift, we don’t pay anybody,” said Leah Marcus, a cofounder of the company.
5. Stay on top of the latest marketing trends
Your business can only grow if your target audience knows about it—which is where marketing comes into play. Staying up to date with the latest marketing trends will help you create campaigns that engage your audience and boost brand awareness.
Follow marketing thought leaders on LinkedIn and connect with professionals in your community, both online and in person. Read expert blogs, listen to educational podcasts, and attend conferences to expand both your knowledge and your network. And look at what competitors are doing with their campaigns for insight into what type of content resonates with audiences like yours.
6. Build a community
It’s almost impossible for small brands to compete with the likes of Amazon and Temu on price and convenience, so you’ll have to offer something different. Building trust and cultivating an online community can be your biggest asset as a small business. These are the people who genuinely care about what you’re doing and want to see you succeed.
Start by showing up consistently on social media or through email marketing. Share stories about your business, celebrate your wins, and—most importantly—solicit and listen to customer feedback.
Every conversation adds a brick to your community’s foundation. Whether it’s an active online group or regular in-person meetups, focus on creating spaces where people feel valued and heard. Customers are more likely to stick around when they feel like they’re part of something bigger.
“It’s really about tapping into the different communities and making their experience better and not necessarily saying we are the community,” said Nick West, cofounder of running apparel company Bandit. “The community is a lot bigger than Bandit, but how can we lift up that community?”
7. Create great content
Content is the bridge between you and your audience. It’s how they learn about you, build confidence in you, and ultimately decide to buy from you.
But “great content” doesn’t mean cranking out blog posts or videos just for the sake of it. Instead, it’s best to share useful, engaging, and authentic stories that resonate with your audience.
“The best education is education that people don’t know they’re actually learning from,” said Aliyah Marandiz, founder of beauty brand Sugardoh. “They’re watching because they’re sucked into that satisfying element…then at the end they’re like, ‘Wait, I just learned how to sugar!’”
8. Build an email list
Email marketing offers one of the highest returns on investment among all small business marketing strategies. Of course, it can only be impactful if you have a list of people to email. So start gathering those addresses from day one. A great place to start is with a sign-up form on your business website.
For beauty brand The Body Deli, a consistent, thoughtful email strategy led to a six-figure subscriber list and became a significant sales driver. “Someone has opted into your business for a reason—they're into you or they're into your product,” said David Anton Parker, cofounder of the brand. “Once they give you that valuable connection, it's up to the entrepreneur to use it, and to work with them and to cultivate that relationship.”
9. Continuously solve real problems
Most businesses do best when they focus on solving real, everyday problems for their customers.
Julie Carty was inspired by her own experience as a new mom to create LatchLight because “I hated my lighting setup at home, and I had the ‘best’ bedside table lights,” she said. She then shared her prototype with other mothers and lactation specialists, incorporating their feedback into her final product.
Start by asking yourself: What’s frustrating or time-consuming for my customers? What keeps them up at night? Ask your audience those questions directly, too, through surveys, casual conversations, or social media. Then prioritize solving those challenges using your products or services.
10. Delegate time-consuming tasks
Even if you’re a solopreneur, you can’t—and shouldn’t have to—do everything yourself. Tasks like bookkeeping, social media scheduling, and customer support can quickly eat up your time and energy, leaving little left for actually growing your brand instead of just staying afloat.
If you have the budget for trusted team members or freelancers, pass on the appropriate tasks to them. Alternatively, there are plenty of AI business tools available to help you get more done more efficiently, like support chatbots and content optimizers. Your time is better spent on what only you as a leader can do, like strategizing, building relationships, and driving your business forward.
11. Provide great customer service
There’s nothing more effective for customer retention than delivering great customer service. Excellent customer service creates satisfied customers who are more likely to remain loyal to your brand and even refer it to family, friends, and colleagues via the value of word-of-mouth marketing.
A great way to provide high-quality customer service is to keep your finger on the pulse of your target audience. Stay on top of your social media DMs, and use tools like Shopify Inbox to let customers chat with you directly from your online store and in the Shop app. From Shopify Inbox, you can respond to customer messages and send product links, discount codes, and images.
Take time to review customer feedback to identify areas for improvement and make changes that help improve your customer experience. Once you’ve done that, ask customers to review your business on platforms like Google and Trustpilot. Doing this will help you build social proof, which can be a powerful revenue driver for a small business.
12. Keep an eye on your competitors
No matter the nature of your business, you will have competitors.
Research their practices and find out as much as possible about them. What do consumers like about their products? How about their customer service reputation? Their branding? Doing this research will help you develop strategies that will empower you to stand out from other businesses over time.
To create a winning strategy, start by identifying which companies offer similar products or services in your market. Then evaluate your strengths and weaknesses in comparison to theirs. You can even use free tools to analyze, track, and learn from your competitors’ strategies.
13. Automate repetitive tasks
Are you constantly doing things on repeat? Do you find that you have limited time to work on the things you’re really passionate about? AI-powered automation can help you break the monotony and regain freedom in your business.
Be selective about which tasks you automate. Focus on automating mundane tasks like online scheduling or analyzing sales data. But don’t automate tasks that require lots of creativity, like building your brand and creating unique content—AI can’t replace the imagination of the human brain.
“AI is an amazing tool that can be leveraged to facilitate certain things,” said Jeremiah Curvers, cofounder and CEO of mattress company Polysleep. “Really spend the time to ensure it makes sense for the user. Because it's easy to pump gibberish that will not bring value to the user, and ultimately that will not help your brand.”
14. Create immersive product experiences
Customers want to know exactly what they’re buying before they click “purchase.”
Immersive experiences like augmented reality (AR) or 3D-rendered product views let them see, test out, or visualize your product in their world. That might mean letting them “try on” glasses virtually or place a digital version of your furniture in their home. The biggest benefit of these tools is they remove any doubts and hesitations, making customers more confident in their purchase decisions. Research from the architecture and design website Houzz, for example, found consumers are 11 times more likely to buy furniture after viewing it through AR technology.
Incorporating these technologies doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated. Start with small, accessible features that enhance the customer experience, and run A/B tests from there.
15. Find where your customers hang out
Instead of spreading yourself thin by trying to be on every social channel at once, figure out which platforms, communities, and spaces your customers are most likely to frequent. Online communities might be found on popular social platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Reddit, or LinkedIn, or perhaps in more niche online forums.
When you’ve found your space, don’t just show up—become a valued part of the conversation. Engage authentically and don’t sell immediately. Instead, listen, contribute value, build relationships, and trust that authentic engagement will make the impact that helps your business grow.
“You never want to market your product so explicitly,” said Aliyah, of Sugardoh. “Create content where you would never know that you were marketing a product or pushing a product, so it’s just natural.”
16. Make sure you look good on mobile
Most customers will experience your business on their phones first. In fact, 76% of Americans have made purchases from their mobile devices, according to data from Pew Research Center.
If your website is slow, clunky, or hard to navigate on mobile, you’re losing sales. To avoid missing out, optimize everything for mobile—from loading speed and button sizes to checkout processes and product pages.
17. Consider subscriptions for recurring revenue
One of the biggest struggles small businesses face is maintaining a steady income. The ups and downs of the economy have mirrored themselves in most business accounts, which can make it hard to predict cash flow.
If this is you, consider implementing a subscription business model to turn occasional buyers into loyal customers who engage with your brand month after month. Think about what types of subscriptions make sense for your business. Can you offer exclusive access, regular product deliveries, or ongoing services that provide consistent value?
“We actually wanted to create a huge incentive for subscriptions to really increase and encourage higher lifetime value,” said Claudia, of Kloo, who implemented a flat-rate discount to encourage conversion.
18. Build a great website
Your website is the digital version of a brick-and-mortar store. It needs to look professional, load quickly, and clearly communicate what you offer.
Start by focusing on your site’s loading speed: A website that loads in less than three seconds is a non-negotiable. Next, prioritize user experience and make sure every page guides visitors toward a specific next step that gets them closer to making a purchase.
You should also make sure your website reflects your brand identity. Use consistent fonts, colors, and tone of voice to build recognition. Add testimonials, case studies, or trust badges to reassure visitors they’re shopping in a credible and secure online store.
19. Understand cash flow
Even the most profitable businesses can fail without proper cash flow management.
Start by tracking your income and expenses in real time. Use accounting software to get a clear picture of your financial health and monitor patterns in your cash flow. Check whether clients are paying their invoices on time or if you can negotiate better terms with vendors.
Then plan for gaps or delays. Build a buffer of three to six months of expenses in your savings to make sure you have enough reserves to cover things like payroll, inventory, or unexpected costs.
20. Make analyzing your brand a habit
What works for your business now might not work next year or even next month. That’s why regularly analyzing your brand, website, and data is so important.
Start by gathering feedback. Conduct surveys, read reviews, and pay attention to what customers are saying on social media. Then, look for patterns.
“We asked for lots and lots of feedback from customers,” said Claudia, of Kloo. “I would text them, email them, ask to speak to them on the phone. Whether we knew them or not personally, I would just bother them.”
You can also use tools like Google Analytics or Hotjar to see how people interact with your website. Are they spending time on the pages where you want them to spend the most time? Are they dropping off before converting?
Bake these analysis habits into your quarterly strategy so you can quickly spot any changes and respond to them before they dramatically impact business and sales.
21. Use social proof to sell
People trust what others say about your business more than they trust your marketing.
Start by gathering specific reviews and testimonials from happy customers. These can live on your website, social media accounts, or even product packaging. Also, consider highlighting user-generated content to show real people using and loving your products. Get customers to tag you on social media or leave photos in reviews, then share this content with permission.
Don’t be shy about asking for social proof. Send follow-up emails asking for reviews, incentivize feedback with discounts, or create a referral program. The more you can show that others trust you, the easier it becomes to earn that trust from new customers.
22. Focus on omnichannel experiences
Consumers expect seamless experiences no matter how they interact with your business. Whether they’re browsing your website, engaging with you on social media, or visiting your physical store, the journey should feel connected and consistent—from branding to messaging to product offerings. This is known as an omnichannel strategy.
Understanding how your customers interact with your brand can help you meet them where they are and optimize the customer journey. If someone abandons a cart on your website, for example, consider following up with a personalized email or text. If they inquire on Instagram, pick up the conversation seamlessly over DM. Use tools like CRM platforms or unified messaging systems to tie everything together, and leverage data to personalize the experience whenever possible.
Start growing with these small business tips
The road to small business success is bumpy and full of challenges. For many entrepreneurs, the journey will have obstacles that test their patience, persistence, and perseverance. The good news? If you implement a few of the business tips above, you’ll find it easier to break down the barriers to growth and will discover new ways to thrive as a small business owner.
Small business tips FAQ
How can I be successful in a small business?
Being successful in small business starts with a clear business plan. What is your target market? What product or service are you selling? And how will you sell it better than anyone else? Once you get up and running, maintaining good customer relationships and constantly delivering a good product are essential for success.
How can I make a lot of money in my small business?
Make sure you are maintaining good profit margins. A standard profit margin in many industries is 20%, which means you keep one-fifth of the small business’s revenue as profit. Control your expenses and innovate on ways to obtain customers for less, while keeping your existing customer base happy and loyal.
What do small businesses need most?
Small businesses need capital, marketing strategy, and a well-defined product or service. Lack of cash is the number one reason a small business fails. So if you can maintain positive cash flow and keep customers happy with a quality product, you’re in good hands.
What makes a small business good?
Good small businesses meet customer needs, stay financially stable, and operate efficiently. A positive organizational culture and strong relationships with customers and suppliers are also important. Lastly, staying adaptable to market changes can help you navigate through tough times and come out stronger.
Is $1,000 enough to start a business?
Yes, $1,000 can be enough to start a business, depending on the type of business. For service-based businesses or online ventures with low overhead (like freelancing, consulting, or ecommerce), $1,000 can cover basic startup costs like a website, marketing, and tools. However, businesses that require inventory, physical locations, or specialized equipment may need more capital to get off the ground.
