Running a business can be a difficult and stressful task. How do you help your startup to evolve into a big company? How to you address the needs of the market and provide a good service? There are hundreds of questions at the start of a new venture, and every day brings with it new challenges and new questions. A lot of weight is put on the question of employees. Just how important are they in making your business a success? How important is the happiness and general well-being of your workers? The answer to this question is vital as it can change how you conduct your business from day to day, as well as in the long run.

Your Employees ARE your company

Let’s start by looking at this logically. Unless your startup is run solely by yourself, your employees make up the bulk of your company. In fact, this holds true even if you are your only employee. It basically boils down to this simple statement: however many employees you have working for your company, the most important thing to remember is that they are your company. Without a solid workforce, a company will struggle to survive. How then do you keep your business at its highest possible level of productivity? It has been proven time and again that a happy workforce is a productive one. Keeping your employees motivated is over half the battle in keeping your business running.

What Kind of Motivation?

Now that we have established that motivation is key to a great set of employees, what exactly does this mean? Well, there are a number of ways in which you can keep your employees happy. The first and most obvious is to make your workplace into a fun and rewarding environment. Many people center their lives around work, but it is rare for work to be the only thing in someones life. It is important that you, as an employer, recognize this and create opportunities for quality social time outside of work. Even if this just means a party every once in a while, or a lighthearted office sweepstakes, it can make the world of difference. Motivation often stems from belief in the cause. Helping your employees to see the end goal of what they are doing can be a huge factor in creating a good work ethic. Help them to see why they must carry out their responsibilities, and the chances are they will do them with greater enthusiasm.

Care about your Employees

Much stems from genuine concern for your employees. Many of your employees go into a job with goals, or at least a vision of where they want this path to take them. Become aware of your employees individual career goals and help them to see a way that they can reach them within your company. Help them to identify options within your company, give them opportunities for growth, and help them to network with others in the company. This not only makes for hardworking and happy employees, but increases the chances that they will want to stay with your company.

Manage yourself first

In order to manage your employees effectively, you must first make sure that you are the best employee that you can be. Evaluate yourself and your performance regularly. Are you meeting your own expectations? In order to make the best management decisions for your company, you have to be able to manage yourself. Self evaluation is also important in earning the trust of your employees. The best managers are able to earn their employees trust quickly, train and prepare them effectively and are strong team players. When it comes to creating a strong business machine, training starts at home.

There are many things that go into managing a business effectively. It takes a lot of hard work and careful consideration. If you can figure out the best way to manage your employees however, you will find that you have already fought half the battle. A good business is one that is borne out of a group of people with a shared interest and goals, as well as a good general rapport. If you can create this, you can push through any challenges that come your way. It is the kind of thing that transforms a startup business into a thriving company.

Trenton Whisenhunt has amassed over 20 years in the business coaching world recently becoming a pioneer of the business coaching movement, and is currently consulting with many different businesses and their management tactics. He resides in Seattle, Washington with his lovely wife and two boys.