Success is a fickle thing in business. One month you could be expanding your customer base and raking in huge revenue, but the next you could be floundering in the red as your sales plummet. 

As a small business owner, it can be hard to keep track of your success. Everything is constantly changing, and measuring how well you are performing is a big challenge. There are so many metrics for success. It’s not just about profit and market share. Success can also be measured in things like growth, employee satisfaction, and the amount of good your organisation brings to the world.

It is essential for any CEO to keep abreast of their performance. You need to know what is working and what isn’t in order to hit your targets and rise above your competitors. To help you out in this regard, here are five ways to measure the success of your small business.

Financial Statements

One of the most obvious metrics for measuring success is profit. Simply put, if you have more money coming in than going out, you are doing well. Take a look at your various financial statements to get a good idea of how you are doing. Your income statements will show you how profitable you are, while your balance sheet gives an idea of your financial health, including how much you owe or are owed.

Customer Satisfaction

You could be making a huge amount of money right now, but if your customers are unhappy with your product or service, it is only a matter of time before you start to lose business. Your customers are the most important people for the survival of your business, so you need to listen to them. There are many ways to measure customer satisfaction, such as through surveys, reviews, and social media monitoring. This will help you identify what you are doing well, and areas in which improvement is needed.

Customer Acquisition

If your business retains the same handful of customers without gaining any new ones, this is a possible sign of stagnation. Building your customer base is a clear sign of success, so you should be tracking your acquisition rate per month or year.

Business Valuation

Business valuation consulting is a great way to assess the market value of your company , and is very useful if you are in talks with potential investors to raise capital. You need to convince them you are the right horse to bet their money on, and they will want to know everything, including how much money your company will make, how much investment is needed, and how much of a share they will receive in return.

Personal Satisfaction

Success is not always measured in statistics. Sometimes you just need to look inside yourself and question whether or not you are satisfied with the direction your business is going in. Even if the numbers are good, you may still be unhappy with where you’re at, so a little introspection can help you make necessary changes.