A Microbusiness Guide: Thriving in the Commercialized Industry

Sometimes we become so caught up with the buzz of life’s demands that we fail to recognize what our strong sleuths are. We miss out on the details that deserve most of our attention. Small businesses have this reality on the sideline of their daily life. In the commercially-driven society where each of us lives, there’s a great measure of difficulty in establishing the brands that we work so tirelessly to build. There’s one thing certain about our success – it solely lies in how we work on our goals and how much grit we are willing to put forth in our works. To know how you can become an empowered business in the commercialized industry, take a stroll through this article and learn how you may begin.

Table of Contents
What is a Microbusiness?
What is the Commercialized Industry Like?
How You Can Establish your Name in the Industry
The Tips You Should Keep in Mind
How You Can Get an Edge
Is Having a Social Presence Important?
Takeaway

What is a Microbusiness?

Under the category of a small business, a microbusiness is another form of enterprise that has a fewer number of employees, cost of capital, and revenue. Microbusinesses operate on a small scale and also cater to a small scale of individuals in the market. While there are different fields a business owner can explore if they want to create a microbusiness, this type of business system becomes limited to the vast and intriguing presence of commercialized companies. 

A microbusiness is operated under a sole-proprietorship business system; this means that there is only one person who owns the business. The division of capital costs may be lightened by having multiple shareholders or owners; however, this is a big downpour when it comes to profit shares. 

Being an owner of a micro-business may seem difficult at first. You would have to oversee the different departments you created for your company. On the lighter side, you also call the shots when it comes to having to decide which is which. 

Building an active market for your micro-business is also a challenge that you would have to understand and strategize with. The size of your company isn’t much of an advantage over other conglomerate companies that have been in the industry for so long. However, the size of your company may also be something that you can better take hold of. You have a closer idea of what your company is doing and how you may go about conducting the next steps of your business plan. Reaching out to your employees and team members may also be easier when you’re in a micro-business. For big companies, there’s difficulty in assessing who should be assigned to do a particular task and how it should be done because there’s a sea of people to choose from. 

A couple of industries that have the most microbusinesses include retail, food and beverage, and construction. These independently-owned businesses flourish through their consistent effort in ensuring that they can maximize their size as small businesses with minimal costs while attracting the maximum clientele.  

Fun fact, another name for micro-business is “micro-enterprise.”

What is the Commercialized Industry Like?

Commercialized industries are a lot like roads with a lot of traffic. It has a boisterous noise, it’s jam-packed, it’s crowded, and sometimes it’s polluted with unnecessary things such as overpriced goods or false advertisements. The commercialized industry is a lot more condensed than the industry of small businesses and startups, where it is more peaceful and less populated. 

While commercialized industries have their fair share of pros and cons, we can’t deny that they have a lot of resources, manpower, and support for small businesses and startup companies. Commercialized businesses are able to grow faster because they have already established their brand in the industry. They are already well known by the public and will not need a lot of effort to be publicized, unlike smaller-scale companies. 

Pros of Commercialized Companies

• Has an existing market
• Popular among buyers
• Has good standing in the number of their social media platforms
• Knows the industry more than new businesses do
• Has a good amount of resources
• Has more manpower than smaller companies

Cons of Commercialized Companies

• Has more competitors and haters
• May have a difficult time keeping up with new trends in the industry
• Has poor connections with customers and its team members 
• Populated and congested with too many products that personalization is impossible

How You Can Establish your Name in the Industry

There are countless ways you can try to establish your business name in the industry; however, you must know that not all of these tactics may be fit for your business. Some of these strategies may be too vague or inappropriate for the business that you are looking to establish. In doing so, you must learn to provide an ethical means of production of ideas for your business to be established.

The Tips You Should Keep in Mind

1. Stay anchored in your niche

Once you have finally created your niche, you may finally work in a circular motion that moves around your business niche. If you don’t know what a niche is, a niche is something that you specialize in. This is the quality of your business that you would like to make known to the public as you establish your brand. For example, the niche of Facebook is to connect individuals seamlessly. Then your niche could be something that your business can do for people as well. If it is a product that you are selling, then maybe you can describe the product you are selling in a simple way that will represent your niche. 

You can think of many unconventional ways in which you can work to inspire creativity in making your business niche implemented across your business strategies. One of the things that you can do is create a customized brand strategy that is designed according to your niche. This way, despite your efforts in jiving with the ongoing and ever-changing business trends, you will still have a business strategy that is anchored on your niche.

2. Tell the story behind your brand

People want to know who you are. When you work with customers or business partners, all of you want to learn about each other. It’s not because they want to find out what your motives are; it’s just that they want to be introduced to your brand in a way that they know your roots. 

Through this point of introduction, you are able to narrate how your business was built, why you decided to build it, and what your purpose is in building the business that you created. When you do so, just tell a story. You don’t have to sound like a marketer all the time. It’s always best to just talk about your humble beginnings and why you built the business. 

3. Tiptoe on top of ongoing business trends

Keep yourself on your toes when it comes to the changes that occur in the industry you are in. Say if you are in the retail industry, then you must be aware of the fashion trends that come and go every now and then. If you are a supplier, then you should know about the trends in procurement. One eCommerce company that is made by a Filipino entrepreneur, is the eCommerce company called Shoppable. It’s one of the businesses that work with suppliers, small businesses, and consumers in achieving their goals of establishing their brand. 

Keep in mind that because trends change easily, you can’t have a staple set of strategies when it comes to implementing marketing strategies for trends. You need to be constantly researching the market and learning about all the ways in which you can improve and catch up with everything going on. While there are many trends in the market, not everything is applicable to your business. Some may be too far off for your business, while others may just be a little suitable. Identify which trends are appropriate for your business and let that be your compass for the time being.

4. Embrace the things that are unique to your business. 

Embrace diversity and the uniqueness of your business. Don’t be afraid of being different from other brands because being the best version of yourself (your business) is the best decision that you can make as you establish your brand. Instead of morphing yourself into something you’re not, then perhaps you can work on the characteristics that you work best at. Say, for example, if you are a supplier that produces environmentally friendly plastic that dissolves in water within a hundred days, then make that is your strong sleuth. Let people know what you are capable of. 

Embrace the things that are unique to your business. If you are a startup supplier with only five people on your team, then embrace your number of five. All of these will make up a positive outlook for your business because you choose to accept it for what it is. As your business grows, it will bear the fruits of your and your team’s hard work, making it an effective work environment for all of you and a brand that your customers will remember. 

5. Conduct a thorough internet search

One of the most important things you need to look after is intellectual property rights. You must be aware of these legal requirements in order to protect your intellectual property and those of other brands. You don’t want your work to be stolen by others and vice versa. The more that you dive into the different companies and industries there are over the web, you will be introduced to a lot of companies that offer the same products and services you do. No harm, though, because here’s where the perfect competition is. All that matters is that nobody robs the other of their own branding or production. 

Know what your business rights are so you can protect them just in case other companies try to bring you down. A lot of companies play dirty in the game of commerce and some have a rowdy attitude that will drive you insane. However, if you know your rights and you know how to act on the fulfillment of your legal obligations, then you have nothing to worry about. 

6. Be driven by your slogan or motto

Have a motto or slogan for your business if you don’t have one yet. One of the most famous slogans all over the world is Nike’s “Just do it” or Disney’s “Happiest place on Earth.” All of these are very short and catchy, easy to recall, even if you were just a five-year-old. So, in hopes of establishing your brand, you must not miss out on creating a good slogan that your customers will remember you by. 

For the slogan that you will be creating for your brand, make sure that it is something that relates to your business. We don’t want anything that sounds fancy but doesn’t relate to your business at all. See to it that when you create a slogan for your business, it is appropriate for your business, easy to remember, and within the three to 7 words lineups. Anything difficult to remember defeats the purpose of having a slogan.

7. Keep your customers as your top priority

Have your customers in mind when you want to create content. Place them on top of the list when you want to adjust your business strategies. Ask yourself questions like; will they like this? Or questions such as “is this appropriate for our target market?” When you place your customers as your top priority, you place yourself in their shoes, thinking to yourself about all the ways that you can improve your business and make the best out of your efforts.

When you strive to do the best for your customers, you spend extra time thinking about what they want or how much better they can be pleased with your products and services. Without compromising your efforts and resources, you think about the ways in which you can inspire your customers to act on knowing you better. When they finally know you enough, they can begin to analyze how you can be a good addition to their regular shopping. 

How You Can Get an Edge

Truthfully there are no shortcuts to establishing your business in the online world or in physical stores. However, there are ways in which you can work on reaching your customers in a more organized way. One example of this is through joining an eCommerce platform that allows you to work more efficiently without any delays. Some eCommerce platforms like Shoppable Consumer and Shoppable Business offer tons of features for startup companies, small businesses, and suppliers. You would also be happy to learn that it is completely free. When you download the application or register through your browser, you should be able to easily access your shop account without trouble because it’s free for all.

On the note of getting an edge, well, since there are no blueprints to success and each business is unique, then the most you can do is maximize the use of the tools you have on the eCommerce platform you have selected. For example, if you are a supplier business and you have decided to sign up with Shoppable Business, then you can utilize the tools on the platform to your advantage. Your edge against other companies is that you will get to each of your target markets faster than others. 

On the Shoppable platform, you can conduct conversations securely with your customers, and you may also have their transactions made more efficiently through the different payment channels provided. Each payment channel in the application is encrypted and will not let anyone purchase anything without passing the security verification method. This way, users and merchants alike can be assured that their transactions are safe and secure. 

In addition, the good thing about joining an eCommerce platform like Shoppable Business is that the platform already connects to the different courier services available. If you want to receive your package within one to two days, then you’re on a roll because Shoppable Business also offers same-day delivery for each of their orders. Exciting stuff awaits your business, and you can start building your eCommerce page and start selling by signing up here. 

Here’s why you should join Shoppable…

• It’s FREE – It’s free to start selling on the Shoppable platform. As long as you’re a legally registered business, you’ll be able to list products for free on Shoppable. You only pay a commission if an item sells on the platform, and you get paid. 

• Expand your Customer base – Through Shoppable, you’ll reach thousands of new customers for free. Think of Shoppable as your marketing arm that you only pay when you have a sale. 

• Get your eCommerce Store – Increase sales by digitalizing your product catalog and reaching customers worldwide. Print catalogs are dying, costly, and not environment friendly – digital is the future. Sellers can get their eCommerce store on Shoppable Business which can be given to any client. 

• Procurement Technology – Enable your customers to pay you online through Bank Transfers, Credit Cards, Over-the-Counter Payments, Recurring Payments, and more. Easily track and manage orders, payments, and shipping through the Shoppable platform. 

• Shipping Technology – Shoppable has integrated directly with multiple shipping couriers, enabling you to provide same-day to next-day delivery to your customers. 

• Compliance – Sales invoices and 2307’s required? Don’t worry. Shoppable has got you covered! The platform keeps sellers fully compliant, never worrying about missing documents. 

• 3PL & Fulfilment Services – Need additional manpower? Shoppable can provide you with warehousing and fulfillment solutions so you can expand your brand to different locations enabling you to get products delivered faster to your customers. 
  
• Real Sellers, Real Buyers, and Real Products only – We vet and interview sellers that join the platform, so you will be assured that all of the products and transactions are authentic and legitimate. 

Is Having a Social Presence Important?

Having a good social presence is one of the most effective ways to produce quality marketing content for free. For businesses, it is a good idea to engage with your target audience and make them knowledgeable about your business goals and ideas so that they know what you have in store for them. Note that this does not mean that you have to divulge your trade secret to everybody; this just means that you must inform your customers of their importance and role in the establishment of your business. 

When you have the time to respond to your customers online, say their inquiries or comments on your posts, and make sure that you engage with them courteously. See to it that they feel heard, understood, and respected. Having a good social presence will draw attention to your brand in all directions. Make sure that you have enough manpower and knowledge to respond to the questions and concerns that your customers have. 

Another thing you must take into account is the number of likes and follows you receive online. Yes, we don’t want to base our worth on numbers; however, when it comes to businesses, these numbers represent how credible a brand is and how much support it garners from the public. This means that if we are a good brand but we have a low number of followers or likers online, then other customers won’t trust us easily. It’s interesting how technology has shaped our way of thinking and has affected our lives, making us dependent on our credibility on the number of likes and followers we receive. 

Some of the ways you can improve your social media presence…

• Posting engaging content on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google My Business, and TikTok

• Posting informative content about our brand to educate our customers and target audience about who we are as a business

• Creating new content that celebrates our small business wins and how much we have grown in a span of months or years

• Creating content that is dedicated to our buyers, business partners, and target audience

Our content can be anything we make it out to be, it all depends on how well we take the time to think about our customers, business partners, and target audience; the more that we think about what matters to our customers, business partners, and target audience, the more that we become connected with their needs and understanding what they want for businesses like ourselves.