Next Steps for Business

Next Steps for Business Helping solopreneurs grow confidently

👋 Hi, I’m Marie | Business Coach & Accountant

Earn more | Stress less | Build a stronger business

12/09/2026

🌙 Business Story Saturday

Did you know Moonpig got its name from its founder’s old school nickname?

When Nick Jenkins was looking for a memorable name for his new business, he tried his old nickname – Moonpig – and the domain was available.

But the business idea itself is just as interesting.

Moonpig didn’t invent greeting cards.

It found a new way for people to create and buy them, allowing customers to order individual personalised cards online.

And there’s a great lesson in that for small business owners.

You don’t always need to invent something completely new.

Sometimes the opportunity is in looking at something people already buy or use and asking:

Could I make this experience better?

đź’¬ Is there something familiar in your industry that could be done differently?

11/09/2026

Save this for your next business review.

Instagram caption

Businesses naturally evolve.

You add products, services, tools, processes and new ways of doing things – usually for perfectly good reasons.

But every so often, it’s worth checking whether everything you’ve accumulated is still helping.

Ask yourself:

Do we still need this?

Is there an easier way now?

Does this actually help the customer?

What would happen if we changed it – or stopped doing it altogether?

Making your business easier to run doesn’t always mean finding something new to add.

Sometimes it starts with looking again at what’s already there.

Save this for the next time you review how your business works.

10/09/2026

How many times have you fixed the same problem in your business?

When something goes wrong, of course you deal with it.

But if it keeps happening, there might be something behind it that needs your attention – a missing step, unclear information, an outdated process or something that hasn't been handed over properly.

Sometimes the best improvement isn't getting quicker at fixing the problem.

It's working out why you keep having it in the first place.

09/09/2026

Being flexible can be one of the biggest advantages of running a small business.

But lots of little exceptions can quietly turn into lots of different ways your business has to operate.

That doesn't mean saying no to every customer who asks for something different.

It means noticing when the exceptions are starting to create unnecessary complexity behind the scenes.

Flexibility is useful. Complexity by accident isn't.

08/09/2026

Some things in your business are worth doing exactly as you've always done them.

Others might still be there simply because you've never had a reason to question them.

Businesses change. Customers change. Technology changes. You change.

So, every now and then, it's worth asking:

If I were setting my business up today, would I still do this the same way?

If yes, great.

If not, perhaps there's a better way to do it now.

What would you question in your business?

07/09/2026

Got a new idea for your business? Don't just think about what it could add – think about what it'll take to make it work well too.

A new service, product, sales channel or system could be a brilliant next move.

Looking at what needs to happen behind the scenes isn't a reason not to do it. It helps you introduce it intentionally, rather than creating unexpected work or complexity along the way.

Look at the opportunity AND what it'll take to make it work.

06/09/2026

🎮 Behind the Business Sunday

Nintendo existed long before video games.

It started in 1889 making traditional Japanese playing cards.

Over more than a century, what Nintendo sold changed enormously – from cards to different games, toys, arcade machines and eventually the video games and consoles we know today.

But the underlying theme remained:

Entertainment.

There's a great lesson in that for small businesses.

Don't define your business too narrowly by the product or service you happen to sell today.

Ask yourself:

What value do my customers actually come to me for?

Your answer might open up opportunities you hadn't considered.

05/09/2026

🛍️ Business Story Saturday

Not On The High Street didn't become successful by making all the products sold on its website.

Its founders spotted an opportunity to bring independent businesses together and help them reach more customers.

And I think there's a great lesson in that.

Creating value doesn't always mean creating the product yourself.

It could mean connecting people, collaborating, building partnerships or making it easier for someone else to reach the people who need what they offer.

Sometimes the opportunity isn't in what you can sell.

It's in what you can make possible.

đź’¬ Are there other businesses you could collaborate with rather than compete with?

04/09/2026

If you want more profit, more sales might feel like the obvious answer.

But there are other places to look first.

Your pricing, sales mix, existing customers, wasted spend and efficiency can all affect how much profit the business actually keeps.

And you don’t necessarily need one huge change.

A few small improvements in the right places can add up to a much stronger result.

So before you ask “How can I sell more?”, ask:

“How can I make more from what I already have?”

03/09/2026

If your business takes more time to run than it should, that inefficiency could be eating into your profit.

Better systems and processes can help reduce:

• wasted time
• duplicated work
• mistakes and rework
• unnecessary admin

And that can create more capacity without you automatically needing to work more or sell more.

Systems aren't just about being organised.

They can help your business work better – and more profitably.

If your systems could be working harder for you, check this out our Systems & Processes Made Simple Step:

https://www.nextstepsfor.biz/systems-processes-made-simple?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=reel_descriptionlink&utm_campaign=week31

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