When we think about small business, it’s common to think of the traditional bricks and mortar setting. Maybe a corner store, a workshop, even a home office.
But small businesses are increasingly going online, whether they’re 100% virtual or utilising the Internet to complement their physical presence, operations and trade. As Queensland celebrates Small Business Week, we take a look at the ways working remotely can help small business grow.
Lower Overheads
Ironically, even a lot of online businesses are still renting offices and hiring in-house staff. This is the old school way of doing business, and it’s expensive. More digital businesses are now doing away with the office and the traditional 9 to 5, and building remote teams instead. Many of those businesses that need a physical location can also lower costs by hiring work-from-home staff or freelancers, eliminating or at least reducing costs for big purchases like computers and other equipment. Even where all staff must be on-site, remote professionals can still save on other costs like bookkeeping, marketing, design, copywriting and more.
Reduce Growing Pains
Small business owners and sole traders especially, often find themselves in the predicament of needing to hire people to allow their business to grow, but they don’t have the financial security to employ full time staff, or to establish a physical location. Hiring freelancers or remote staff on a casual basis is an affordable and flexible way to enact the growth of your business, without the growing pains.
More Sales
Every business wants exposure, and sales. And the Internet is a great place to get both. By moving into the remote sphere, small businesses can take advantage of a wider network of customers.
People Beyond Your Postcode
The success of small business relies on quality and consistency, so hiring the right staff is crucial. You could hire the best person in your postcode, or work remotely with the best person for the job – wherever they are.
Fresh Ideas
Remote workers are accustomed to working autonomously so they tend to be independent and show initiative and ownership of their work. That means new ideas for your small business, and expertise far beyond your own.
Be A Gamechanger
Some remote-friendly companies are becoming just as renowned for their flexible employment opportunities as the products and services they sell. Being an innovative and progressive leader in your industry will get your business noticed, with initiatives like our very own DRiVE publication promoting remote employers for free.
Time to Innovate
A lot of small business owners find themselves too busy working in their business to work on it. The flexibility of hiring a remote team and in particular, not being restricted to the traditional 9 to 5, gives employers and entrepreneurs more time to focus on business growth and new ideas.
If you’re a small business owner looking for remote staff, you can list your remote job vacancies free with Remote Work Hub.
If you’re a job seeker looking for remote work opportunities, check out our screened and verified jobs database and register to access full job descriptions and apply for jobs.
