The day you launch a business is a big deal because launching it means you are now saying to yourself that you are ready to take control of your life, but what many people gravely underestimate is the importance of nurturing relationships alongside learning the ropes. Something that is critical to developing your business, as well as your relationships, are the suppliers you work with. Whether it’s a small home-based business or you already have grand ambitions after getting through the difficult upscaling stage, what does it take to find the right supplier?
This is a contributed post. Please refer to my disclosure for more information.
Understand the People Behind the Processes
Whether you are hoping to work with jeans manufacturers or providers of raw materials, it doesn’t necessarily matter what sort of process they do until you’ve understood who they really are. It can be such a cliché to prioritize the human components, but when you start to understand who those people are, it gives you a far better insight into if they will help you meet your needs, but also if the relationship goes both ways. Ultimately, it’s not just about you, so you need to make sure that you are finding those suppliers who are actually human at the end of the day. It may take a bit more time, but you’ve got to ensure that in terms of communication and transparency, they are able to give you an intelligent experience, but ultimately a human working relationship.
Are They Global?
If you are looking to dominate, finding global suppliers will make for a far more efficient manner of problem-solving. Supply chains can be affected on a global scale, and if there is a hiccup that affects one location, choosing a supplier with multiple warehouse facilities can realign and reallocate the product to other locations. But to do this effectively, it’s critical to ensure that they are all working with the same processes and practices on the same global system, as this will make life easier for you because of ease of communication and transparency, but it will guarantee that if customers come to you and you lay blame on the supply chain, you can give those customers updates that are literally up to date and authentic.
Confirm Their Security Measures
A supplier should be security-first in their working abilities, from penetration testing to authentication protocols and physical aspects of security. This all works to protect client and customer information, but this also guarantees that they are forward-thinking and are more proactive in preventing thefts and infiltrations that are all too common nowadays.
Don’t Neglect How You Are Perceived
Something that is easy to overlook is how we present ourselves. We have to remember that effective working relationships are about two-way transactions, and therefore, when it comes to finding the best suppliers for your business, you’ve got to make sure that you extend the same courtesy.
Being on the hunt for the best suppliers can be a time-consuming practice, but you should ensure that you give this the time and effort it deserves.