How Your Corporate Job Can Help Your Small Business – 3 Actions To Take Now!

When you hear the word corporate, many of us think back to the days when we worked in a sea of cubicles in a sleek office building downtown.

Although we worked hard, there were also holiday parties and potlucks. Employee newsletters and lunch & learns. There may have even been a softball game or two.

All employees got together at least once a year for a big meeting and Management handed out rewards for service.

And while many of us started our professional careers in companies just like this, now that we’re in business for ourselves, there are a few things we did then, that we haven’t gotten around to doing in our own businesses.

Things like…

1.  Investing in branded items. From the fleece pullovers right down to the sticky notes and stress balls, corporations are great at putting their name and logo on things. And if relationship is what you’re after, then promotional items branded with your company name or logo is a great way to communicate value, build credibility, and leave a lasting impression.

Given as gifts to customers and prospects or as incentives to employees and colleagues, promotional items are great reminders of who you are, and they impact your confidence as well – somehow making things feel official.

But make smart choices. Because of the cool factor, it’s easy to overspend here and never see the value back. Set a budget and stick to it.

2.  Having annual meetings. Yes, even if it’s just you. These meetings are a great way to present the big picture, celebrating your successes and setting expectations for the upcoming year.

If you don’t have any employees, invite vendors and service providers you work with and colleagues and mentors. Put together a few PowerPoint slides or a video and share your vision for the months ahead. Your audience will appreciate being included and will want to do what they can to help you achieve your next milestone.

As an added bonus, hand out inexpensive awards or certificates of appreciation and enjoy food and drinks. What better way to kick off another year in business than with a pep rally!

3.  Committing to continuing education. Some corporations offer professional development courses to enhance your value to the firm or prepare you for management. Others require CE courses to keep your licensing.

As a small business owner, licensed or not, engaging in an ongoing CE curriculum keeps you competitive. Staying current on the latest trends and newest technologies or polishing a skill you never quite mastered could make all the difference in how well you do in business.

Consider taking a class at your local college or attend a lecture series at least once a year. Online universities like Coursera and edX offer courses in just about anything you can think of from some of the best universities in the world, at absolutely no cost to you.

What’s important to remember?

Simply this. The beauty of owning your own business is that you can create the culture – you set the tone. Don’t let the size of your business keep you for putting things in place that make you feel good about what you’re doing and make others want to be a part of it.