7 Ways To Grow Your Business—For Free

7 Ways To Grow Your Business?For Free

Growing your business does not always require you to spend money. As an entrepreneur, you should always seek to promote and publicize your venture in ways that are cost-effective. Every entrepreneur should develop the habit of streamlining operations. Regardless of how much money you raise during funding rounds, you should always endeavor to be lean and conservative in your spending. Finding free ways to grow your business is a significant step in realizing this goal.

Inc. magazine is carrying an article which gives tips on the various ways that you can grow your business for free. As is indicated in the piece, the best way of growing your business for free is to extend and build on the basic strengths that you probably already have as an entrepreneur. Here are some of the seven things it recommends doing:

• Build relationships
• Be valuable
• Think out loud
• Be patient

The full list of recommendations can be seen here. ?I heartily second the first item on this list. People often underestimate the value of meeting other entrepreneurs and establishing relationships with them. You should remain on the lookout for meetings, meetups, and panel discussions. Such events are often sponsored by colleges and universities, as well as law firms, banks, and consulting companies. Meeting people and taking an interest in their business is not just touchy, feely nonsense. It can lead to the development of a business network that can you can leverage to help grow your venture.

Thinking out loud is also a great way to promote your business for free. One of the best ways to promote yourself is to become a thought leader. You don?t need a column in Forbes magazine to do this. To reach your target audience you can post in the comments section in leading online business magazines. Or, if you really have something to say, start your own blog. I?ve been writing my own blog for the last five years and it has been a great experience, and a useful way of promoting my larger enterprise.

The bottom line is you should always strive to find new levers of influence. Entrepreneurship doesn?t begin and end with the day-to-day operations of your business. You must be just as innovative and creative in your approach to growing it.