Running a successful business requires a lot of strategizing, from figuring out a marketing plan to hiring the best team members for your needs. When it’s time to start thinking about growing your business, your strategy sessions will be similar to the ones you had at the very beginning, but with a few tweaks; how can you revamp your marketing tactics? Which companies can you partner with that will benefit your goals? Which resources are available to you–both locally and online–that will help you make more informed decisions about the direction your business is going in?

When it comes to the latter, take a look at the El Dorado Chamber of Commerce, which is full of tools for small business owners in the El Dorado area. Here are some goals to consider when you’re ready to grow your business:

Your business structure is a crucial element of your daily operations, allowing you to ensure that your tax responsibilities are taken care of and providing flexibility with the way you run your business, but not all structures are created equal. Some work better than others for small businesses, so take a second look at your chosen structure to ensure you maximize its potential. A limited liability company, for instance, can provide tax benefits and requires less paperwork than some other options. Each state has its own steps for forming an LLC, so read up on the rules for creating an LLC in Kansas. Keep in mind that you can save quite a bit on attorney’s fees by hiring a formation service to file the paperwork.

Once you’ve taken a looked at your business structure, you might start thinking about how to expand your reach to a wider audience. Small business owners can greatly benefit from connecting with other business owners, so networking is essential. You might try setting up a community event that allows local entrepreneurs to mingle or heading to a conference or convention so you can meet new people. You never know where the next big idea will come from or where you’ll find the perfect partnership. Think about how you can optimize a potential partnership; for instance, if you’re in the catering business, consider teaming up with a tuxedo rental business so you can cross-promote for weddings.

For some small business owners, a website is more of a tool for providing information to customers than anything else. However, your site should be much more than that if you want to create growth. It should include SEO tactics on every page in order to ensure that customers can easily find it through search engines, it should be accessible for every ability, and it should be easy to navigate since customers typically won’t spend much time scrolling through a site to find what they’re looking for; they’ll just move on to a competitor. Your site should also be compatible with mobile devices and, ideally, offer an e-commerce section so your customers can take care of all.

As you make changes to your website or marketing strategy, it’s a good idea to utilize analytics tools that can tell you exactly how you’re performing with your audience. Are customers staying on your site long enough to find what they need? Are they clicking through and converting visits to sales? You can learn all this and more by using the right tools, which will help you make crucial decisions that will facilitate growth.

Growing a business is a big job, but with the right moves–such as reconsidering your business structure–you can make easy work of it. Hold a strategy session with your team members or partners and create a plan that will allow you to spread into new markets or engage a wider audience.

Ready to join the El Dorado Chamber of Commerce? Fill out an application.