Five Things You Can Do This Week to Give Your Small Business a Kick Up the Backside

Running a small business is like driving an old Holden ute.

Some days, it’s smooth sailing. Other days, it feels like the whole thing is rattling apart, and you’re just praying it holds together long enough to reach the pub.

But here’s the thing—you don’t need to rebuild the engine to make it run better. Sometimes, a quick tune-up is all it takes. So, if you’re looking to give your business a bit of a jolt this week, here are five simple things you can do that actually work.

And no, none of them involve “manifesting success” or sitting in a circle chanting about growth potential.

1. Contact Past Customers (Because They Actually Like You)

Business owners are obsessed with chasing new customers, but let’s be real—getting strangers to buy from you is like convincing a cat to go for a swim. Meanwhile, past customers already know you, trust you, and might even like you.

• Send them a quick message or email—something like, “Hey, remember us? We’re still here, and we’ve got something new you might love.”
• Offer them a little something extra—a discount, a bonus, or even just priority booking.
• Ask them to leave a review. Because nothing builds trust like random strangers on the internet saying nice things about you.

It’s free, it works, and best of all—it takes about five minutes.

2. Fix That One Annoying Thing on Your Website

Your website is your digital shopfront. And if it’s a mess, customers will walk away faster than I walked out of that awful BMW X6.

• Is your contact info easy to find? If customers have to go on a treasure hunt just to call you, they won’t bother.
• Does your homepage actually explain what you do? If not, rewrite it. In plain English.
• Is your site mobile-friendly? Because if your website looks like an unreadable mess on a phone, you might as well be invisible.

A bad website doesn’t just annoy people—it loses sales. So fix it.

3. Post Something (Anything) on Social Media

If your business’s last social media post was in 2022, people will assume you’ve either gone bankrupt or been abducted by aliens. Either way, they won’t buy from you.

• Post a behind-the-scenes snap—people love a peek into real businesses.
• Share a quick tip that makes customers’ lives easier.
• Show off a great customer review (bragging is fine when someone else is doing it for you).
• Run a ridiculously simple giveaway—”Like this post and tag a mate for a chance to win [something cool].”

The key here is to be human, not a corporate robot. People don’t follow businesses for bland sales pitches—they follow for personality, humor, and interesting stuff.

4. Launch a Flash Sale (Because Everyone Loves a Deadline)

Want to shake things up and make some quick sales? A limited-time offer works because people are lazy. Give them a deadline, and suddenly they find the motivation to buy.

• 24-hour sale on a popular product or service.
• Bundle deals—buy one thing, get a little extra for free.
• VIP-only discount for email subscribers or past customers.

Whatever you do, keep it simple. No one wants to read a 17-paragraph explainer about how to claim your “exclusive, limited-time, members-only, unlockable platinum deal.” Just say: “Hey, this thing is cheaper today. Buy it before the deal’s gone.”

5. Make Life Easier for Your Customers (Because They’re Not Psychic)

Want more customers? Then stop making them jump through flaming hoops just to buy from you.

• If customers always ask the same questions, stick the answers on your website.
• If your booking process is clunky, streamline it.
• If your online checkout is an obstacle course, simplify it or lose sales.
• If people keep calling to ask how to pay you, maybe—just maybe—your payment options aren’t obvious enough.

Tiny fixes can mean the difference between a sale and someone giving up and buying from your competitor. And you don’t want that.

Final Thoughts: Get Off Your Backside and Do Something

Business doesn’t magically improve on its own. You can either sit around waiting for the economy to change, the stars to align, or Jeff Bezos to personally recommend your business…

Or you can do something practical this week.

• Contact past customers.
• Fix the annoying things on your website.
• Post something on social media.
• Run a quick sale.
• Make it easier for customers to buy from you.

Pick one (or all five), and take action this week. Because even a tiny improvement is better than sitting around doing nothing and hoping for the best.