Running a small business can be a real challenge. From managing your employees to marketing and everything in between, as a small business owner, you have to wear a lot of hats. With all this multitasking, the viability of your business can sometimes fluctuate. But if you’re like the millions of people worldwide who dream of being their own boss, backing down from the challenge of being a small business owner just isn’t something you’re willing to do. So to help you maintain your dream of owning your own business despite the many setbacks you may face, here are four things you can begin doing that will help to add more value to your business.

Invest in Your Employees

While it may seem counterintuitive to some, actually investing your time and money back into your employees is a great way to add more value to your company. Your business is only as good as the people you have doing all the leg work, and if those people are helping to make you profitable and successful, it makes sense to incentivise them in order to keep them around.

According to The Muse, a contributor to Forbes.com, there are a few simple things that business owners or managers can do that will help make their employees feel more valued at work. Some of these include being transparent with them, challenging them with more responsibilities, and giving them recognition for a job well done. This recognition can come in many forms, like material gifts to show your appreciation or added benefits for working with your company, like great insurance benefits or other financial assistance.

Diversify

While there is merit to the concept of having one thing that your company excels at over all the competition, there is also merit to the idea that a successful and valuable company has to offer a little diversification. According to Ekaterina Walter, a contributor to Forbes.com, having diversity within your company—whether that be in your products and services or your employees and ways of thinking—can help a company be more innovative and adapt to growing and changing markets.

When starting the diversification process with your products or services, be sure you do your homework before launching any new lines. Committing yourself to something that will soon prove to be a disadvantage for your business could put you much further behind in terms of value than you were before, so make sure you make these decisions wisely.

Increase Your Recurring Revenue

Increasing the amount of monthly recurring revenue your company brings in is another great way to increase the value of your company. However, coming up with ways in which to execute this idea can be a challenge for many businesses. Luckily, Scott Campbell, a contributor to CRN.com, shares six ways this can be accomplished. Some of the ideas Campbell gives include understanding your current and projected sales numbers, finding more lead sources, and streamlining your sales process. If you’re able to institute these ideas and more that can help to increase the amount of money your company is bringing in consistently each month, the value of your company will increase immensely.

Don’t Forget About Your Customers

Though little thought of, your customers and their loyalty add a lot of value to your company. Without customers or clients who regularly patronize your establishment, you’d be left out in the cold. For this reason, it’s vital that you not forget about your customers when you seek to increase the value of your company.

If you already have a loyal customer base, there are still quite a few things you can do with and for your customers to leverage them to increase your business’s value. Maite Baron, a contributor to SmallBusiness.co.uk, states that some actions your company can take in this area are coming up with the lifetime value of your customers and seeking to increase that number as much as possible, listening to your customer’s suggestions about ways to improve your business, creating meaningful and trusting relationships with customers and more. Your customers are a great way for both the real and perceived value of your business to increase, so use them to the fullest extent that you can.

Adding value to your business in any one of the four ways mentioned above will help to extend the life of your company and the profitability you’re able to achieve. Use the tips mentioned above to create a more valuable business today.

By Kar

Dr. Kar works in the interface of digital transformation and data science. Professionally a professor in one of the top B-Schools of Asia and an alumni of XLRI, he has extensive experience in teaching, training, consultancy and research in reputed institutes. He is a regular contributor of Business Fundas and a frequent author in research platforms. He is widely cited as a researcher. Note: The articles authored in this blog are his personal views and does not reflect that of his affiliations.