When you’re a small business owner, you are usually held back on startup by a limited budget. You do what you can to stretch what you have as far as possible, but unfortunately, you have to cut costs in a few areas. One of the most common areas to claw back some money is with equipment. You buy cheap desks and chairs, and you avoid buying top of the range machinery, even though it would allow your business to work harder and faster than your competitors because you simply can’t afford it.
It is often said that your business is like a child. Children will always outgrow their first clothes, just like your business will outgrow its equipment. Below are a few reasons to dig deep into the company pockets and buy some quality upgrades for your equipment, instead of just replacing your broken equipment with the same items.
Longevity
The most important reason to splash out on high-quality replacements is purely a matter of cost-effectiveness. Buy cheap, and you buy twice. Make sure you are buying sturdy and well-reputed replacements for your equipment.
For example: Buy solid wood desks instead of cheap plastic ones if your work is based in an office, or if you have a manual labour based business, invest in some great hardwood crane mats instead of cheaper ones that will fall apart after a few uses. Anything specific to your business that is regularly used should deserve to have some money invested in it. The time you are left with broken equipment is time that your business is not running efficiently, meaning that you will be losing profit.
Image
It says something about the output of a business when the input is the highest quality that money can buy. If your customers know that you are only using the best manufacturing equipment, the best materials, and the best processes, they will naturally assume that the services and products you offer are the best as well.
A master craftsman will not create his best work with poor quality tools, and neither can you. Advertise the fact that your business spends money on ensuring that only the best tools are used – it will give you instant credibility with your customers.
Employee Satisfaction
If you had to drive all day, would you rather do it in a brand new Bentley, or in a twenty-year-old Fiat? Being trusted with the best equipment and machinery will make your staff feel valued and wanted. They also get to enjoy the new image that you are creating for your business. They get to say with pride that their boss insists that they work with the best. Not only will happy employees further add to your reputation as someone to do business with, but your staff will also have a new enthusiasm and pride in their work when they realise just how much you are investing in them and the business.
Hopefully, these reasons have given you some food for thought and convinced you of the necessity to invest in quality upgrades for your equipment. It may cost your business dearly in the short-term, but in the long run, it will leave you in a much stronger position.