Last week, BetaKit and Dell partnered to host a Twitter chat looking at ways that startups at every stage could maintain their trajectory without breaking the bank.
Joined by Ben Zlotnick, CEO and founder of INcubes; Avnish Patel from DMZ; Nathan Monk, Founding Director of Startup Next Toronto and Sr. Strategist at MaRS; Alex Kinsella, account manager at Communitech; Jeff Goldenberg, growth hacker at Borrowell; and Marie Chevrier, CEO and founder of Sampler, the #DellSMBChat asked participants for their best small business hacks.
#DellSMBChat participants: How does your team discover new hacks (or ideas) for your small biz?
— DellSmbCA (@DellSmbCA) June 29, 2016
Read on to find out how to build strong workplaces, increase sales, and manage the juggling act of being a founder.
Tips for first-time entrepreneurs
A1: Talk to your customers as often as you can! #DellSMBChat @DellSmbCA
— Communitech (@Communitech) June 29, 2016
A1: You are about to jump off a cliff. #DellSMBchat https://t.co/vpVkMPhcBz
— Douglas Tr0n Soltys (@tron) June 29, 2016
A1: @DellSmbCA Take every day as a chance to learn. You won't know everything right away, just ask questions & go with the flow #DellSMBChat
— Marie (@MarieChevy) June 29, 2016
A1 find good mentors who have been in the trenches before and can help you avoid common startup pitfalls #dellSMBchat
— Jeff Goldenberg (@jeff_goldenberg) June 29, 2016
Building a highly productive workplace
@DellSmbCA – A3: train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don't. #Branson #DellSMBchat
— Nathan Monk (@Cowboytweets) June 29, 2016
@Cowboytweets @DellSmbCA training often is overlooked. Building capabilities of young/hungry is a $$-saving hack. cc @incubes #DellSMBchat
— Douglas Tr0n Soltys (@tron) June 29, 2016
A3: A balance between fun and work. Socials and celebrations are great to boost morale for when it's really crunch time! #DellSMBChat
— The DMZ (@RyersonDMZ) June 29, 2016
A3: If people are comfortable and feel like their opinion is valued, then work will be productive! #DellSMBchat https://t.co/7GD0zFMinM
— Legal InnovationZone (@RyersonLIZ) June 29, 2016
Balancing multiple aspects of running a business as a founder
A6: @DellSmbCA I surround myself with experts and I constantly ask for help. We can't be the best at everything #DellSMBchat
— Marie (@MarieChevy) June 29, 2016
A6; if you can you will run into problems, it comes down to proper delegating. Key piece for a founder. #DellSMBchat https://t.co/BWbUSbpspD
— INcubes (@incubes) June 29, 2016
@DellSmbCA: A6: assign key roles and responsibilities. #DellsSMBchat
— Nathan Monk (@Cowboytweets) June 29, 2016
What small businesses need to focus on to prepare for the future
A12 hire for the future and don't just hire to put out fires @DellSmbCA #DellSMBchat
— Jeff Goldenberg (@jeff_goldenberg) June 29, 2016
A12: Need to focus on building a strong, predicatable funnel. @DellSmbCA #DellSMBChat
— Communitech (@Communitech) June 29, 2016
A12: @DellSmbCA Talent & culture. Everyone should be thinking about their recruitment & culture building strategy earlier. #DellSMBchat
— Marie (@MarieChevy) June 29, 2016
@DellSmbCA A12: branding and traction. Check out @jeff_goldenberg and my presentation at @MaRSDD E101. Watch: https://t.co/Svq9fl1nRb
— Nathan Monk (@Cowboytweets) June 29, 2016
Optimizing small business sales
@DellSmbCA A10: go digital. Use Stripe, Square, Shopify, Waav Accounting etc to get your business online. #DellSMBChat
— Nathan Monk (@Cowboytweets) June 29, 2016
@DellSmbCA A10: go digital. Use Stripe, Square, Shopify, Waav Accounting etc to get your business online. #DellSMBChat
— Nathan Monk (@Cowboytweets) June 29, 2016
A10 biggest hack is good messaging. Have a short, engaging value proposition that solves an important problem @DellSmbCA #DellSMBchat
— Jeff Goldenberg (@jeff_goldenberg) June 29, 2016
A10: Remeber that sales and marketing jointly own the funnel – get them working together! @DellSmbCA #DellSMBChat
— Communitech (@Communitech) June 29, 2016
Must-know marketing hacks
A11 – build relationships with the media, help them help you #DellSMBchat @DellSmbCA
— INcubes (@incubes) June 29, 2016
A11 – now that the base is in order, start hitting up your other strategies and see what sticks #DellSMBchat https://t.co/xjKPtuhKYf
— INcubes (@incubes) June 29, 2016
A11: Learned one from @hzynczak last week – be scrappy. She put stickers on soda cans at a conference, got leads – #DellSMBChat @DellSmbCA
— Communitech (@Communitech) June 29, 2016
A11 automate the mundane to give you the time and freedom to focus on the big needle movers @DellSmbCA #DellSMBchat
— Jeff Goldenberg (@jeff_goldenberg) June 29, 2016
How startups can stay lean
A7: @DellSmbCA Apply for sponsorship, participate in contests & leverage incredible organizations like @RyersonDMZ and @MaRSDD #DellSMBChat
— Marie (@MarieChevy) June 29, 2016
@BetaKit @DellSmbCA @jeff_goldenberg spend every dollar smartly. There will always be costs, but keep it to the essentials. #DellSMBchat
— Marie (@MarieChevy) June 29, 2016
A7: look at fractional execs (CFO, COO) to help get opperations running smoothly. @DellSmbCA #DellSMBChat
— Communitech (@Communitech) June 29, 2016
@DellSmbCA A7: with a savy use of free software and a deep network of professionals, I've been able to save thousands. #DellSMBchat
— Nathan Monk (@Cowboytweets) June 29, 2016