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5 Reasons Why Your Business Isn’t Profitable

One of the main reasons why people launch new businesses is so that they can turn a profit. Doing something they love does factor into the equation, but a comfortable lifestyle is undoubtedly near the top of the list.

5 Reasons Why Your Business Isn’t Profitable

While some businesses flourish as soon as they launch, others don’t. If your business is not doing as well as you had hoped, it might be due to one of the following reasons:

Your Prices Are Too Low 

When experts tell you that one of the best ways to get rich is to start a business, you might be confused as to why you’re not yet rich. Becoming a business owner doesn’t make you wealthy overnight, but it can be worth considering whether your prices are too low.

Pricing products and services appropriately are not always straightforward. You not only have to factor in the costs associated with those products and services, but other costs like utility bills, wages, insurance, and more.

Rather than focusing on your gross revenue when establishing pricing, look at what’s leftover once you cover all your costs. Now might be the right time to increase your prices, which can also involve increasing your value and ensuring your customers recognize that value.

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Your Prices Are Too High

Of equal impact to your business profitability is setting your prices too high. While a higher price means a higher profit margin, it can also drive customers into the arms of your competition. When you’re in the early stages of business development, do your homework. Visit your competition and find out what they charge for the products and services you will also be offering.

However, it can also be worth your while to offer a point of difference. If you have your heart set on charging more than your competition, help your customers see why that is. For example, a car servicing business might offer a free safety check that their competition doesn’t. Anything that can set your business apart from others may be how you justify your higher profit margin.

Overspending On Non-Necessities

In your early days of business, financial health might not be something you’re putting a lot of thought into. Instead, you’re likely trying to make sure your business is as desirable to new customers as possible.

However, overspending in those early days can put you in the red before you even land a long-term client. Focus on what’s essential, track your spending, and learn to budget for those luxury extras rather than splurging on them without thinking about your working capital.

You’re Spending in the Wrong Places

The ultimate goal of any new or seasoned business is to lure in as many customers as possible. When you’re just getting started, it can be tempting to tap into all advertising avenues in the hope that at least one of them will bring in paying clients.

However, your ROI can end up being non-existent if you haven’t taken the time to research what works and what doesn’t. Establish a marketing plan that clearly outlines who your customer is and where you will find them. That can give you a starting point and an ideal advertising platform, such as digital marketing, direct mail, radio, or newspaper.

Don’t tap into these avenues all at once. Instead, focus on one or two and analyze the results after a set period. You may not get it right the first time, but controlling your marketing may put you in a better position to turn a profit.

Your Business Isn’t Adapting

You would be surprised at how many business owners started out offering one product or service and ended up offering something completely different years later. They found out what their customers wanted, saw gaps in the market, and adapted.

If you don’t adapt to your customers’ needs, your business may no longer end up as profitable as it once was. For example, a VHS store purely selling VHS tapes will not be nearly as successful as one that branched out to DVDs and digital downloads as the market’s needs changed.

Listen to your customers, know your industry, and be prepared to grow with it for better chances of business success.

Any new or long-standing business is a work in progress. Customers need change and technology advances, which means you must be willing to evolve with them. If you’re struggling to understand why your business isn’t turning a profit, consider whether any of these factors above could be involved.

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Some other articles you might find of interest:

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How to Drive & Increase Traffic to Your Startup Website

Do you have what it takes to start and run an online business?

5 Key Skills You Must Have to Start & Run an Online Home Based Business

 

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