It seems like just yesterday we were talking about trends for 2015 and what businesses could expect in the year to come. Now, 2016 is right around the corner and everyone from Forbes magazine to The Wall Street Journal are discussing business trends as 2015 comes to a close. Business is changing for the better with software, apps, and mobile development to help take control of operations and help companies run easier from top to bottom.
Let’s look at three trends we know will make business even better in 2016.
3 Trends to Help Your Small Business Improve in 2016
Ditch Managers
The larger companies become, the more management believes supervisory positions are necessary. Nowadays, that’s just not the case. Many companies are moving to a more pliable and hands-off approach to how they manage the day-to-day business. Thanks to automation and sales tools, this is easier than ever. By focusing your efforts as a leader and coach, you’ll encourage those working for you to aspire for more. This will help improve relationships, grow talent, and make customer interaction that much more important when trusting your staff to do the right thing instead of micromanaging every minute of the day.
Scale Up
Many companies choose to grow side-by-side rather than up in the early stages because they are afraid success will cause them to fall apart. By taking control of how you run your company from the beginning, you can avoid the failure that comes with scaling too big too fast. Utilizing automation, streamlining business operations, and focusing on talent growth in individual positions can help your business scale and become a game changer.
Use Freelancers
Most business analysts agree that by 2020, more than 50 percent of the workforce in America is going to be freelancing. As businesses like Uber have proven, it can be done in just about any industry large-scale. If you haven’t used freelancers, consider what tasks and positions in your company could be filled by competent contractor workers that save you money, help you grow, and could be brought into the fold as a full-time employee down the line.
The way we do business is changing no matter what industry you’re competing in. By keeping up-to-date on trends, applying them where they work for your company, and being more fluid in how you run your operations, you can compete in the world of business today. Automation is helping companies across the globe create a whole new way of doing business from the ground up. It’s a trend that’s not going away anytime soon and something every CEO and Founder needs to consider for success in today’s technological age of business.