Staying relevant is something a lot of businesses are struggling with, startups being no exception. However, if you take into account that, unlike well-established business, startups are way more vulnerable because they’re still fresh, it becomes more than obvious just how real the struggle is.

Since the business world is so unpredictable and changes happening in it are fast and, oftentimes unforgiving, it’s important to make sure that you future-proof your startup by paying extra attention to a few key aspects. So, here’s what you can do…

Dream big but act small

For any business venture and especially a small one, such as a startup, it’s important to try and keep your expenses as close to zero as possible. What this means is that, while it’s completely fine and understandable that you wish to one day be able to operate from a large office complex, you need to understand that – in the beginning, a shared office space will do just fine. So, instead of wasting funds on renting an office, you should focus more on growing your business.

Listen to your customers

The next thing that requires your undivided attention is your customers because, without them, there’s not much point in running a business. So, ask them for feedback whenever possible and make sure you actually listen to what they are saying. A business that caters to its customers’ needs is a business that won’t hit the road to irrelevance. Besides, not only will your customers help you better your business endeavors, but they can even help you expand it, by promoting your business to their friends and family. However, in order for that to happen, they first need to be happy with the way you handle things.

Invest in a sold website

Nowadays, a business that doesn’t have a well-developed, functional website is missing out on way too many opportunities. First and foremost, all the searches made nowadays are made online. This means that, if you don’t have a website, people just won’t be able to find you. Next, a good website will help you boost your profit because a) more people will become aware of your business, b) more people will buy from you if you offer them a chance to buy online and c) you can even use your website for an affiliate program and boost your revenue that way. For example, there are a lot of affiliate programs you can become a part of, such as casino affiliate, for instance, and boost your income by promoting other businesses to your audience.

Stay up-to-date with current trends

The key to staying relevant lies in staying up-to-date with all the latest trends in the business world. While your startup might be well-shaped to fit the current market, that doesn’t mean that things will stay the same forever. That’s why you should constantly observe customer behavior and identify the changes you, as a business, need to embrace in order to stay relevant. Some of the things you should pay extra attention to include the audience’s preferred methods of payment, shopping habits, excellent customer experience, as well as customer satisfaction. Additionally, you need to keep an eye on industry-related trends as well, to avoid falling off the wagon.

Try out new tech

Next, you should always try to work smart, not hard. This means that you should definitely allow technology to help you out in your business endeavors as much as possible. Find various software solutions, apps and other tech solutions you can use to make your business at least a bit easier and better organized. That way, you’ll have more room to focus on your customers and improve your business overall. Additionally, find out which apps your customers prefer and see how you can use them to better your business. For example, if your customers like apps such as Facebook Messenger you can develop a chatbot feature for that app, as chatbots are becoming quite popular in the business world.

Be mindful

One of the things that will set your startup aside from so many other businesses is mindfulness. If you nurture a good relationship with your customers and audience, it will make them more prone to choosing your business over some other that operates in the same niche. So, what you can do is send your customers personalized offers, thank you cards, offer interesting loyalty programs and simply be super polite when interacting with them.

As you can see, with just some careful planning and by keeping your eyes peeled on the most current trends in the business world, you’ll easily keep your startup relevant throughout 2019. Remember that your customers are your most valuable asset, so make sure that they stay happy and satisfied with your business, because the more satisfied customers you manage to generate, the more relevant your startup will be.