Expanding your business is both exciting and nerve-wracking. After all, you already know it's successful in one area, but what if it is not successful anywhere else? What do you need to do to expand your business successfully and confidently?
Developing your business into another city or state doesn't have to be a guessing game. In this post, we'll cover all the steps you need to take to help your company prosper while reaching even more customers. So what are you waiting for? Let's begin.
Étudier le marché et la législation dans la nouvelle région
The most important step you must take for your business expansion's success is to do your research. Before you invest hundreds or thousands of dollars into a new business venture, make sure you know whether the area will allow the business to be successful. If you're considering expanding your business into another state or city, you've likely begun some research already. However, there are many different questions that you might not have thought to cover in your initial research phase.
Commencez par effectuer quelques étude de marché. Vous avez déjà une entreprise prospère et vous connaissez le type de clients qui l'utilisent le plus. Ce type de clients existe-t-il dans la nouvelle région ? Ont-ils également besoin des services ou des produits que vous proposez ?
If there is substantial demand for your business in the new state or city, there are still other questions to ask. For example, is the need for these services already being met by a different company? If so, how many companies in the area are competing for the customer base? If there's too much competition in that location, you might consider expanding elsewhere. However, if you believe your business model is better than the current competition, you have the potential to beat out the competitors.
If this is your business' first expansion, consider developing in an area where you already have a customer base. For example, some customers might travel about an hour to use your company's products or services. Meet these customers' needs by moving to them.
En plus de l'étude de marché, vous devez research the new area's laws. The laws regulating business operations vary by state and even by city sometimes. Make sure you understand how laws differ in the new location and decide if your business can modify to operate under them. If the local ordinances restrict your type of business, you'll need to invest elsewhere. You may consider contacting the local chamber of commerce to learn more about operating businesses in the area.
Étude de marché
Créer un site web
Chances are, you already have a website for your business. For those who don't, get one. Advertising in other areas costs a lot of money, but a website can help you reach audiences outside your business' natural boundaries.
You can even use a website to help you determine which areas you should expand in. Regardless of what host site you use (ex. Word Press or Wix), they should provide you with a map showing where those who visit your website are from. If there is a significant number of searches in one area, this poses the perfect opportunity to meet an audience's needs.
Un autre avantage d'un site web est qu'il vous permet de réaliser des ventes dans d'autres États ou d'autres villes si vous êtes une entreprise axée sur les produits. Vous élargissez ainsi considérablement votre clientèle, ce qui vous permet d'être plus rentable. En outre, si vous avez tendance à réaliser beaucoup de ventes en ligne dans une région, celle-ci pourrait être l'endroit idéal pour une nouvelle implantation.
Keep in mind there are some laws regulating online commerce across state lines. In general, you only have to charge a state's sales tax if your business has an "established presence" there. For example, if you have a store in Iowa and conduct online sales in the state, you must collect sales tax for those transactions. Another example would be traveling to that state frequently for business deals. Unfortunately, there isn't one set of guidelines explaining what an established presence means in all 50 states. Instead, every state uses its unique interpretation. This can make conducting online sales more complicated.
Site web d'entreprise
Organiser les finances
Before you leap into expanding your business, decide if it is a profitable venture or not. To do so, you need to organize your business' finances.
Avant tout, vous devez savoir si vous pouvez vous permettre de vous développer. Pour ce faire, déterminez les dépenses actuelles de votre entreprise. Calculez ensuite le chiffre d'affaires de votre entreprise. Si vous prévoyez d'utiliser ces recettes pour amortir les coûts d'ouverture d'un autre site, cela suffira-t-il à maintenir les deux sites ouverts ?
Avant de se développer, votre entreprise doit avoir au moins une année d'activité réussie à son actif. Cela vous aidera à comprendre les coûts et les revenus auxquels vous pouvez vous attendre. En outre, vous devez disposer des économies nécessaires pour financer l'expansion ou obtenir un prêt à cet effet.
Costs of opening a new location include purchasing land and building, renting an existing location, or purchasing a structure. All three of these options can be quite costly. Also, consider how many employees will work in the new store. Does the minimum wage rate differ at this new location from your current one? Will that impact what you pay employees? Use these figures and facts to determine how much you'll spend each month to pay employees.
Il faut également tenir compte de l'augmentation des taxes liées à l'exploitation d'un nouveau site.
Once you know your business' expansion expenses, calculate how many sales you need to make each month or year to break even.
Ne vous lancez jamais dans une nouvelle entreprise en fermant les yeux sur les finances. Il se peut que vous ayez inclus certaines questions financières dans la phase de recherche initiale ; cependant, il n'est jamais mauvais de vérifier les chiffres deux fois.
Coûts de l'entreprise
S'enregistrer en tant qu'entreprise étrangère
When you think of the word “foreign,” you probably think about different countries. However, the law uses “foreign” to describe any business not originally located in the area. This means if you're expanding into another city, or especially another state, you need to register as a foreign business.
File a Certificate of Authority and a Certificate of Good Standing if the state you're hoping to conduct business in requires it. You will have to pay a licensing fee; however, every state charges a different amount for various business types.
In addition to registering as a foreign business, you should consider incorporating or forming a Limited Liability Company (LLC). As an incorporation or an LLC, you can take loans out in the business' name rather than in your own. This could protect you from many of the financial burdens and risks of owning a business.
Au cours de cette étape, vous devez également obtenir toutes les licences et tous les permis dont vous avez besoin pour exercer votre activité dans ce nouvel État. Vous ne savez pas exactement où vous devez vous rendre pour obtenir les permis correspondant à votre type d'activité ? Consultez le tableau suivant du site Administration des petites entreprises pour en savoir plus sur les agences qui délivrent des permis pour les différents types d'entreprises.
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Source : Administration des petites entreprises
Other agencies offer permits as well. Make sure you're well informed about the requirements to do business in a new area. The city you plan to operate in may require certain licenses or permits too.
Entreprises étrangères
Décider de franchiser ou non
Franchising your business is an excellent way to get others involved and share some of the profits. However, you'll probably need to own several locations for other people to be interested in buying into the company.
L'administration des petites entreprises (Small Business Administration) suggère de travailler avec un avocat pour franchiser votre entreprise.
La SBA recommande que seules les entreprises dont les stratégies sont faciles à reproduire et à enseigner soient franchisées. En outre, une entreprise qui envisage de se franchiser doit proposer un produit ou un service dans lequel les chefs d'entreprise souhaitent investir.
Si vous choisissez de ne pas franchiser, vous devez envisager d'autres stratégies d'expansion, telles que les suivantes :
- Pénétration du marché
- Expansion du marché
- Expansion géographique
- La diversification
- Nouveaux canaux de distribution
- Développement de produits
- Segmentation du marché
Vous pouvez également acheter une entreprise existante dans la localité et la renommer ou fusionner avec votre entreprise actuelle.
Statistiques sur le franchisage
Impliquer l'entreprise (et vous-même) dans la communauté
The best way to get your company's name out in the community is to get involved in it! Get involved long before your business opens its doors. But how can you do that without doing actual business?
The first thing you could do is donate to local charities or organizations. You could also help sponsor some local sporting teams. Doing this helps get your business' name into the community in a positive light.
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Another option is to participate in any local parades or farmers' markets. At these events, you can hand out advertising material such as pens, bracelets, or business cards. If your business sells a product, a farmers' market is an excellent way to introduce it without committing financially to the area first.
Lors d'une parade, envisagez d'utiliser Oppizi'pour élargir avec succès votre base de clients. Oppizi peut également distribuer des flyers et des dépliants en porte-à-porte ou par courrier afin de faire connaître votre entreprise aux clients d'une zone donnée.
As you involve yourself and your business in the community, the citizens will grow to trust you. When your business opens, they'll be more likely to use your products or services.
Milieu des affaires
Rejoindre des organisations locales de réseautage d'affaires
No matter where you plan on expanding to, there is some form of business network. Getting involved with these organizations can make the transition/expansion go much smoother. Even if the only network available is the local chamber of commerce, they can help you understand the business culture, types of licenses needed, and offer assistance through their businesses' services.
Types de réseaux d'entreprises
Embaucher des locaux
Un autre moyen d'assurer la réussite de l'expansion de votre entreprise est d'embaucher des locaux pour effectuer le travail. Vous devriez adhérer à ce principe dès le début du processus d'expansion et jusqu'à la fin. Par exemple, si vous envisagez de construire une nouvelle structure pour votre entreprise, recrutez des entrepreneurs et des entreprises de construction réputés de la région pour effectuer les travaux.
Once your business is built and you're ready to hire employees, find people from the community looking for work. You may consider having an employee from an existing location work there temporarily to help train the new employees. However, your main source of employment should be from residents in the area. After all, building a business isn't just about making more money, it's also about creating more jobs.
You'll also benefit from hiring in the community as the employees will tell their friends, families, and other acquaintances about where they work. It is an excellent way to get your business' name spread around. Additionally, the community is more likely to trust a new company run by their peers than one with mostly outsiders as employees.
Recrutement
S'engager sur la même qualité de services
L'expansion est un excellent moyen d'augmenter les bénéfices et la clientèle. Toutefois, si elle n'est pas effectuée correctement, cette opération peut être difficile à la fois pour le site existant et pour le nouveau site.
Since you're considering expanding, it is safe to assume that you have a returning clientele base. These customers return to you because they favor the quality of your product or service. If expanding will impact the quality of the business you do with your existing customers, you should reconsider.
As you open your new location, commit to providing your new customers with the same high-quality services that your existing stores provide. Don't focus on serving as many people as possible. Doing so could lead to decreased quality and fewer returning clients.
N'oubliez pas que votre entreprise a une réputation et que ce nouvel emplacement doit la préserver.
Satisfaction des clients
