While starting a business can be a leap of faith, an estimated 92% of entrepreneurs say they don’t regret taking the plunge.
In fact, savvy small-business owners don’t mind the work that goes into it because they know the best things in life rarely come easy. Becoming a new business owner might be one of the most difficult undertakings, but if you’re passionate about your work, you can weather storms and keep going.
![](https://i0.wp.com/startupill.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/word-image-23071-1.png?resize=1000%2C500&ssl=1)
Since those storms are often financial, it’s important to make sound business investments that offer a good ROI and help your business grow. Unless you have more capital floating around than most small businesses and start-ups, it’s imperative to make wise financial moves on the front end.
Here are three of the top investments you should make in your small business.
1. Create and Maintain a Professional Website
If you don’t have a professional website, get one now. While a Facebook page is free and easy, consumers prefer buying from a company that has a formidable online presence. Without it, you risk losing credibility in the eyes of many customers and prospects alike. According to recent consumer behavior trends, because 80% of consumers shop online, especially millennials (ages 25 to 34), the potential customer base you lose by not having a website could make or break your business.
Some entrepreneurs push website creation down the list of priorities or simply create a placeholder showing little more than the company’s address and phone number. Others assume a Facebook page is a reasonable digital presence and maintain it a few times a week to be seen as a legitimate business. Both of these approaches will eventually backfire if you plan to grow, particularly among millennials.
Having a strong digital presence is one of the least expensive but high-return marketing investments imaginable. For as little as $25 per month, you could have a professional, user-friendly website that can be easily viewed across multiple devices. Not sure how to go about it? Check out resources like Fiverr, whose freelance users can create and upload a website for a nominal fee.
2. Invest in eSignature Software
Electronic signature software allows you to sign important legal documents with a push of a button and have them transmitted safely and securely online within minutes. It also works as a way to automate workflows when daily tasks involve signing off on projects or collaborating with freelancers and third-party services. For as little as $25 a month, you can sign documents for remote employees from providers like Jsign to get a project rolling, make legal agreements with clients binding, and automate your workflow to find ways to work smarter, not harder.
3. Buy a Generator
If you operate out of a brick-and-mortar storefront and don’t have a basic disaster recovery strategy in place, don’t underestimate the value of a generator. This might seem like a silly thing to have available at all hours of the working day, but it’s something you won’t regret when it’s actually needed (and, trust us, you’ll eventually need it).
When a storm hits or you lose power due to a natural weather event out of your control, it could be hours, days, or even weeks before power is restored. That’s a long time to go without income, but a generator could have you back up and running within minutes, and in doing so, pay for itself in as little as a day.
Smart Up-Front Investments That Pay for Themselves
Even when operating budgets are tight, these small business investments should still always be an important line item. Underestimating their worth simply to save a little money could set your business up for failure right from the outset. But investing in them now could be the smartest decision you make as an entrepreneur.