You’ve probably heard of the terms B2B (business to business) and B2C (business to consumer) before when talking about companies. Most organisations fall into one of these two categories, depending on what they do and who they sell to. But what is a successful B2B company and what do they do? In this post, we’ll be looking into what can make a B2B company successful, as well as some of the things that often come under their remit. Keep on reading to find out more!
So, what is a successful business to business company and what do they do?
Firstly, let’s start with the basics and take a look at a few definitions. In short, a B2B company is one that sells its products and services to other companies. This is in contrast to a business to consumer model, where the general, everyday consumer is the target market of the products and services. Often, if you don’t own a organisation that requires these sorts of services yourself, you may not even know that purely business to business companies exist, because they simply fly under your radar. Some common products or services that may be sold by these companies include office furniture, company IT programmes or support services, and even those who provide office spaces to rent!
However, just because they’re not selling exciting consumer products doesn’t mean that these companies are boring! If a company has a problem that they need solving, and you have the products or services on offer that will help them solve these problems, they will be willing to pay you for your effort. In fact, often they are willing to pay more than you would think, so running a successful business to business company can be quite lucrative!

Successful business to business company examples
There are plenty of business to business companies out there, some of which you’ve probably heard of before, and some that you may not know about. In fact, many large consumer companies also have a B2B arm, where they sell their products and services to fellow businesses around the globe. Let’s take a look at a few examples of a successful business to business company and what do they do:
- WeWork is a popular supplier of flexible shared workspace solutions. They have locations all around the world, and focus on providing their spaces to technology startups. They’re a B2B company because they sell their office spaces to their fellow companies to use. These companies may not be ready to rent their own office space yet, or they like the flexibility and community that WeWork can offer. This is another prime example of the common rental model that’s becoming more and more popular these days, with companies such as Uber and AirBnB. It’s just got a bigger focus on providing organisation services.
- Skype is an example of a company that offers both B2B and B2C services. However, it was first and foremost set up to offer video conferencing options to businesses, allowing them to expand their teams and save money by hosting meetings online instead of in person. It has expanded to the consumer market, but its main focus and use is still commercial. And, in 2020, the year of the Coronavirus pandemic when more people were working from home before, Skype has proved that it is going to continue to be a useful company tool for many years to come.
- If you’ve not heard of Herman Miller before, you’ve probably at least sat in one of their chairs! They are a successful business to business company that has been around for over 100 years, providing office furniture to organisations around the world. They have a niche of comfortable and high quality furniture and have stuck to it, providing something that offices need from the very beginning to be able to function.
- MailChimp is another example of a successful business to business company that offers something that many businesses need. In its basic form, it can be used to design and send email marketing campaigns, and manage databases of contacts. Email marketing is still a successful form of communication that many businesses include in their marketing strategies. MailChimp is there to make it simple and easy for them, which is why it continues to be a success.
- Do you think of social media platform LinkedIn as a B2B company? If not, then you should! It provides a place for people from all over the world and different industries to come together and share insights, as well as being a great platform for recruiters and job hunters alike. While not everyone on the platform is a business (in fact, it’s mainly made up of individuals), it has a strong business focus that ensures it provides B2B services to companies everywhere.
How can you grow a successful business to business company?
So, we’ve learn what is a successful business to business company but how is this achieved? There are plenty of things that a B2B company can do to help ensure that they will be successful in this specific market. Next up, we’ll take a look at some of the things that can be done in this space:
- Excellent customer service is key for absolutely any business out there. However, when dealing directly with other businesses, it is perhaps even more important. This is because these businesses will also have products and services to sell, so will know the ins and outs of customer service themselves. They’ll be expecting a great experience, or they will just move on to the next company that can offer them a solution to their problems! Having amazing customer service as a B2B company is a great way to build up customer loyalty, which is vital in any industry or niche.
- Knowing who your target customers are is also of vital importance. It’s easy to say that it’s just other businesses. But, there’s so much variety between them, just as there is between regular consumers. You need to hone in on exactly who they are and what they need. What industries do they work in? Where are they located? What problems do they have that need solving? These are just a few of the questions that any successful business to business company needs to ask itself before it begins.
- Linking into this is the idea of a marketing plan. Any business needs one if they are going to survive and thrive. So, as a B2B company, you need to take a close look at what you are offering, and who you want to offer it to. This can then guide your marketing plan to ensure you’re going to get the business customers you need. After all, you need to create the marketing content that is going to encourage them to buy from you, over all other B2B companies that offer similar services.
- Don’t discount social media when it comes to your B2B company! Many primarily B2B organisations make the mistake of thinking that social media marketing is just for B2C companies, because it is consumers that make up the majority of users on these platforms. However, this isn’t the case, and social media can actually help bring success to your business, no matter whether you’re B2B or B2C. You just have to ensure that you are tailoring your strategy to your target customer. This may mean taking a closer look at your messaging, or using more business-focused platforms such as LinkedIn. If you’re stuck on how to use social media as a B2B company, keep an eye on your direct competitors and others in the B2B space. This way, you can see what they’re up to and whether you could adapt any of their strategies and make them your own!
Overall, there is plenty that goes into making a successful business to business company that has a solid market position and a loyal customer base. Each company is, of course, very different, so will take different interpretations of what success looks like to them. Having said that, there are basics that can be put in place by any business that wants to expand and grow that can help them on their journey! Here at Chrysalis Growth, we are experts at working with companies that are looking to expand. Find out more about what we do here.

What is a successful business to business company and what do they do: conclusion
Hopefully, this article has helped you to understand what a B2B company is, and what successful ones do to thrive in this market. Really, there is no limit to what a B2B company can be or do. As long as businesses somewhere can make use of their products and services, and they can sell them to them, they can be a B2B company. And, some companies even have both B2B and B2C arms to sell to different target markets, either with the same products or different ones!
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