As soon as your small business gets out of the red and into the black, what are you going to do with the money? There are some important decisions to make. You will be looking towards growing your company, of course. But, beyond that, are there ways of making your profits work harder for you?

Well, there are a few things you can do. Start trying to see your profit surpluses as you would with your personal income, and spread the risk of losses around. Here are a few different things you can look into to get you started.

Employees

If you want your business to go through sustainable growth, investing in your employees is a wise move. There are a couple of strategies to consider. The first is to offer your current employees more opportunities. Give them better contracts, for example. You can do this through benefits packages, staff training opportunities, and give them an excellent environment to work in. The second is to invest in hiring more employees. This ill give you the chance to grow, become more productive, and strengthen your competitive edge.

Traditional investment

You can also treat your profits in the same way that people do with their personal finances. Stocks, bonds, and commodities are all a good way of investing your business profits to eke a little more out of your money. As with personal investment, make sure that you go into this with a headful of knowledge and an eye on minimizing your risk. So, don’t just invest in stocks, for example, Spread it around a little and look at some bonds, and shares of different industries. Get up to speed on the latest developments, too. For example, if you want to explore investing in bullion, it makes sense to understand the gold price history and future expectations. Never go into any investment area blind, or it could come back and bite you somewhere painful.

Property

Property is another investment worth thinking about – and it gives you some opportunities. First of all, you could rent out space to other businesses, giving your company another income stream. You can look at a property on a local basis, or even look abroad in a developing location. If you can go in early, it’s a great way to turn a profit around if that area becomes popular in the next five or ten years. Plus, it also gives you the opportunity to take your business abroad at some point.

Buy another business

Buying another business is a great way of boosting your potential for growth. You could buy out a competitor, or look at a complimentary business that will add to your potential market. There are plenty of advantages – it’s instant expansion, for example. Plus, you will get to draw on a lot of new skills and experience from a brand new workforce.

I hope you this guide has shown you some of the interesting things you can do with your profits. If you are serious about growing your business and making the best out of it, these ideas might just help.