{"id":2097,"date":"2018-12-26T16:05:00","date_gmt":"2023-10-18T16:05:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/?p=2097"},"modified":"2023-10-18T17:35:40","modified_gmt":"2023-10-18T17:35:40","slug":"side-ventures-customer-base","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ca\/blog\/side-ventures-customer-base\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Find Side Ventures that Boost Your Customer Base"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Once you\u2019ve launched a small or medium-sized business, attracted a healthy roster of customers and established a certain level of brand awareness, it might feel like it\u2019s time to simply sit back and watch your firm grow. In some cases, though, you might start to feel the same entrepreneurial itch<\/a> all over again — only this time you\u2019re ready to build a side business off of the one you already operate.<\/p>\n

The concept of a \u201cside hustle\u201d has been talked about for years now, but that term is usually focusing on individual employees in an organization who moonlight doing something almost entirely different from their day-to-day jobs. A side venture is something different, in that it tends to complement or at least develops something that\u2019s already core to the existing organization. Think of a gutter cleaning company, for instance, that also puts up holiday lights in December, or a farm that offers classes for people who want to learn about when foods are in season and how to choose properly ripened fruits and vegetables. A popular mom-and-pop restaurant, meanwhile, might sell cookbooks full of some of their most popular recipes.<\/p>\n

Of course, no one\u2019s suggesting you have to start a side business, particularly if you\u2019re already spread too thin with your existing duties. For some entrepreneurs, though, the skills they\u2019ve developed using technology to market, sell and service their products make launching a side business more feasible than might otherwise be the case. Beyond the opportunity for additional growth, a side business can also provide additional value to customers that deepens their relationship with you, or it can offer a secondary revenue stream when your main business is affected by fluctuations in the economy or other challenges.<\/p>\n

Here are a few things to keep in mind about brainstorming, budgeting and running a side business that becomes as successful as the one you already own.<\/p>\n

1. Develop Side Businesses Based on a Holistic View of Customers<\/b><\/p>\n

Lots of businesses focus on the customer experience — what someone goes through before, during and after they make a purchase — but that still only covers a portion of what customers want and need overall. Brainstorming a side business can begin by thinking of other interests and pain points that your customers encounter on a day-to-day basis, some of which might be fairly aligned with things you already offer.<\/p>\n

If you start off by building a successful apparel business selling dresses, t-shirts and other clothing, it\u2019s not hard to imagine that customers could be interested in jewelry or other accessories. In other kinds of businesses the ideas might be less obvious until you put more thought into it. Ask yourself the following:<\/p>\n