 Image credit: Ketut Subiyanto from Pexels The last year has been hard for a lot of people and a lot of businesses. Some businesses have closed some of been close to not being able to reopen and others have had to adapt very quickly to make sure they are able to trade throughout the lockdown period. As things start to ease and restrictions start to become less and fewer businesses are taking the opportunity to get back on track and continue to thrive going forward looking forward to a fantastic summer. There are a few different things businesses will need to be doing to make sure that they can continue to grow and keep their customers coming back as well as attracting new ones over the next couple of months.
Cleanliness Is Key One of the things that a lot of people will be concerned about is the cleanliness and safety of going back into the world and back of the shops and businesses. Showing your employees and your customers That you really care about their safety we’ll encourage them to come back time and time again. What of the things you can do is have a branded hand sanitiser station at the entrance of your shop or office so that when anyone comes into the premises they will now have readily available hand sanitiser as well as potentially a mask station where they can get a mask if they don’t have one and have their temperature checked to make sure that they and everyone else is as safe as can be. It will create a safe workspace in the post-pandemic era. It will also promote good hygiene levels throughout the business as a whole and having a branded hand sanitiser available is now the first point of safety for any business. Keep Creating Content Throughout lockdown, a lot of businesses have been trying to improve the digital content in lockdown. If they’ve not been able to trade, keeping active online has been one of the top priorities to make sure that people don’t forget about them. It has also given businesses time to improve the quality and type of content they are posting on their social channels and looking to help increase their following and engagement. Social media is important for any business and post-pandemic is just as important as it can help people decide whether or not they want to go to a particular restaurant or shop as they will look to see if these places are obeying the rules and looking after their customers. Use Influencers To Your Advantage Bloggers and influencers are a great way to get your message out to a wide audience and we have as well as getting a trusted and reliable voice to share their views and experiences they have with your business. Using them post-pandemic and while things easing is a great way to showcase the safety measures you’re putting in place to make shopping or working with you is safe and easy I will not put anyone at risk. If you aren’t sure where to start on work and bloggers or influences there are loads of agencies that have databases full of people who are great to work with.
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 Image credit: Hivan Arvizu from Unsplash Corporate events are a fantastic way for businesses to connect with customers and clients. They can range in size and scale, be formal and informal - making a nice change from your business’ day to day work.
But as corporate events can cost a lot of money, you need to make sure that the corporate events planned by you are effective and successful. Effective planning is a must to ensure the smooth running of your event, and if you want to know more about planning successful corporate events, you’ve come to the right place. Here are some tips to help you make a success of your corporate events. Set clear aims and objectives Corporate events should have aims and objectives to help them deliver something for your business. From generating interest in a new product or service, to encouraging new business from clients, you should have a clear idea about what your event is setting out to achieve. Focusing on why you’re having an event and what you’d like the outcome to be will guide your planning to help you deliver the most appropriate type of event. Be meticulous with your planning Planning a corporate event is no easy task. Having detailed plans in place will help you to cover all the key elements such as your venue, catering, entertainment, etc. It can help to work backwards from the date of the event to ensure you have key dates in place to engage with suppliers and secure confirmations. Working from a checklist can be an effective way of planning your event, while corporate events planners can be very useful for arranging large-scale events. Think of new and exciting ideas How can you make your next corporate event different to the rest? If you want to make an impression on your guests and secure a positive outcome for your business, then thinking of new and exciting ideas can set you apart. There are all kinds of corporate events ideas you can use to connect with different types of audiences, helping to make a lasting impression. Use each event as an opportunity to try something different to stop your events becoming stale and uninspiring. Connect with your guests after the event Following up with guests after the event is important for your business. It can help drive sales and interest in your business, and keeps your business on their radar. Investing in branded merchandise for corporate events can make sure guests take something away with your name on, while follow-up communications to thank attendees for coming can add a more personal touch. Be ready with your email marketing strategy to follow up with attendees to help generate new leads even after the event has ended. Corporate events can give your business some great results, helping you connect with customers and clients in a way that’s not possible through other communications channels. The right planning can help you make a success of your next event, ready to help your business make a lasting impression.  Image credit: Gerd Altmann from Pixabay Studies suggest that around 4.5 billion people in the world use the internet regularly. It’s a truly wonderful resource that allows people to discover new information, connect with people, and do more than they ever dreamed would be possible just a few years ago, and certainly within our lifetimes.
If you run a business and you’re not online, you’re missing out on a considerable number of potential customers. Although all 4.5 billion internet users aren’t going to be interested in what you have to sell, some of that number certainly will be. To show them what you have for sale and the kind of company you are, you’ll need a great website. Gone are the days when a simple page of text and a few links were enough; the consumer is much savvier in the 21st century, and you’ll have to put more effort in than that. Read on to find out how to build a better website for your business. Professional Web Design There is so much that goes into creating a good website, one that people want to explore and return to and, most importantly, buy from, that it would take the average person many years to learn it all. When you add this amount of required information to the fact that, as a business owner, you are going to have plenty of other important things to occupy your mind, it will often become clear that a professional web designer is needed. Although it will cost more money than doing it yourself, hiring someone who knows the ins and outs of web design, such as expert WordPress developers and designers, will give you a much better end result than if you tried to do the work yourself. It will be quicker too, and your site will be up and running and attract customers quickly. Added Extras If you want your website to stand out in a crowd of millions, you’ll need it to be remarkable. One way to do this and ensure you have a better website is to have added extras included. It doesn’t have to be anything complicated, as long as it’s a bit different. You might have a login area for customers, for example, with extra discounts once you’re inside. Or perhaps you want to include more information about not just your own business but the businesses you work with too. You could have a chatbot on your site to help customers in a much more direct way. No matter what you choose, having these extra features will make your site much more interesting and different from many others, particularly if you have something designed especially for you. Your website will be better for it. Original Content Something that you can’t get away from these days is content. It’s a crucial part of any business’s marketing campaign, but it’s more than just about selling – it’s about letting people know who you are and what your business ethics are. With this in mind, if you can create original, interesting content that makes people return to your site and share that information with others, you will have a better website than many others. Content can be in the form of blog posts, videos, and plenty more. Once you’ve decided how you’ll present it, you simply need to be consistent, and you should have a better website.  Image credit: Campaign Creators from Unsplash Email is by far the most effective marketing medium. It enables you to track, measure, and analyse responses. When it comes to email marketing, these responses are the number of emails opened, how many unique clicks and raises you receive on the links, how many times a customer clicks on another's link, etc.
However, there are rules to email marketing: 1. Have a proper subject line The title of the email is the most important part of it. It is where you market your company. You have 90 seconds to create a sensation with your title, and for some this sensation is achieved by doing a perfect job. Therefore, you should have your company name or company logo in it. Remember that the first impression of your company is with the recipient. 2. No SPAM Your email must be a proper marketing medium that encourages that you allow others to opt in and you do not solicit business. One of the best ways to do this is by asking those that would like to receive your newsletter opt in. There are many other things that you must do, but they are beyond the scope of this article. 3. Track, track, and track Your recipient has only 90 seconds to process all of the information and form an opinion about your email. Therefore, you must have a way for them to track your campaign and for that you have to have tracking and statistics tools. * The most simplest way is by using a form * The most advanced is by using tracking and statistics * All of these are very easy to use and they allow the recipient to form an opinion. As a result, they have to do nothing but to click on the link that they receive in the email. Finally, you must also be prepared to deal with the consequences of your actions. It is important to be upfront and honest with those who would opt in. Remember that the consequences of not opting in are the loss of any credit that you might receive, the possibility of having your domain blocked, and the possibility of having your email server blocked. These are all problems that may prevent you from building a substantial database of email addresses.  Image credit: Ono Kosuki from Pexels An essential part of making any business more efficient is taking a look at your budget and seeing where you’re spending too much money. There are a lot of potential problem children to deal with here but a common trend amongst businesses that use company cars is that they can often spend way too much on them. Here, we’re going to look at how you can cut the costs while keeping the wheels your business needs.
Reconsider your ownership First of all, you should take a look at your roster of cars and consider selling any that don’t get driven as often. You should only keep as many as you need on the regular. However, you should also consider different ownership structures like contract hire and leasing if they could be more cost-effective than buying the cars outright. Help drivers drive more efficiently You could potentially be saving a lot of money on fuel costs. You can, for instance, swap your existing cars for more fuel-efficient models, as well as buying fuel cards that can help you top up more cost-effectively. You can also teach drivers to lose bad driving habits, such as speeding, idling, and braking too hard, all of which can reduce the fuel efficiency of a car, meaning you’re spending more on them. Take care of the cars If you fail to maintain your vehicles properly, you’re going to be paying for repairs and replacements more often. It’s most cost-effective to pay a little for the right servicing, but make sure you got the right team to help you keep on top of your cars. If you have a fleet of BMWs, you should have BMW specialists servicing them. Work with those who know the specific cars that you’re driving and they’re more likely to help you avoid the types of malfunctions most likely to affect those cars in particular. Utilize the right tech If you’re running a fleet of delivery vehicles, then effective routing to get to A to B matters. Cutting journeys times not only helps you save against fuel costs and wear and tear; it also enables you to potentially fit more stops into every trip. Take a closer look at some of the telematics systems out there that allow you to more efficiently route your vehicles. Mind your insurance costs Be mindful when you’re shopping for vehicle insurance, that business vehicle insurance can be more expensive, especially if more than one person is driving the car. As such, it pays to take time to compare different insurance offers. If you have several company cars, then you should look at fleet insurance instead. Make sure that you are deducting insurance costs and other vehicle costs from your business taxes, as well. It’s easy to miss this. Take a good look at your company cars, ask if you need them and, if you do, ask how you can cut the costs of them both in the short-term and the long-term. The tips above can help you find some answers.  Image credit: Content Pixie from Unsplash We all have days when things don't look like they're going to work. Days when the sky is falling, and the universe is punishing you.
The day that feels like a fluke is the day that you have to stop, pause and re-evaluate the plan of attack. If the day didn't feel like a fluke, then you are in no position to make changes to improve your prospects. As a solo entrepreneur, the fluke will always be fluke. However, it is a sign that you are approaching a place where you can start tweaking and changing the way you do things. The one thing that you must be able to do is to look at your current plan and ask yourself, "is this still a viable plan?" If the answer is no, then re-consider your options. If you are alone, then you must make yourself a Board Room. For those of you who don't know what a Board Room is, they are an expert witness (kind of like an attorney, except they sit on the Jury). It is a small room with comfortable leather chairs, where you sit across from the expert witness and ask him/her questions. In essence, the Board Room allows you to get a third person, a neutral third party, to look at your case, objectively, as if you are sitting across from a judge. At the end of the Board Room presentation, you will have learned all you could from your presentation in an environment where you were able to ask intelligent follow-up questions. This may not be the answer you were looking for, but it is the answer you need to get you back on track. So, ask yourself: do I have a plan? If you don't, why not? If you do, is it viable? Can I afford to take the risk? And then, ask yourself: will this plan change if I have a Board Room?  Image credit: Mentatdgt from Pexels If you want to start a business, you’re going to need to find a way to get into that entrepreneurial mindset. Getting into the right mindset is key, whatever it is you want to do. Any great business owner will tell you the same thing. If you’re not sure that you’re in the right mindset yet, below you’ll find some pointers that will help you get into the entrepreneurial mindset in no time. Read on and see what you can do:
1. Find Mentors Find mentors who can inspire you. How do they act? How do they think? You may not be able to pick up on it all right away, but continuously trying to learn from them can help you to adjust your own actions and mindset. They can be people you know in real life who you admire, or people like Tony Robbins. You don’t need to spend a fortune to go to their seminars, unless you really want to. Reading up on their free material and watching their talks online can help you in a myriad of ways, and it won’t cost you anything. 2. Read Books The more books you can read on the subject, the better. Of course, some will resonate with you more than others. Try to read at least one book per month so that at the end of each year you have gotten through 12 books that have helped you to expand your mind. Books like Think and Grow Rich and Automic Habits are amazing places to start. 3. Get Clear on Who You Need To Be Your self image can have a lot to do with how easily you are able to get into ‘entrepreneurial mode’. You can do lots of reading and learning, but if you don’t change your self image, you’re unlikely to actually get to where you need to be. So, get clear on who you need to be to achieve your dreams. What do you need to believe? Who do you need to spend time with? How do you spend your days? Really immerse yourself in this new vision of yourself and then try to become that version of yourself each day. Soon, you won’t need to try and your goals will come to you far more effortlessly. 4. Set SMART Goals Setting vague goals rarely helps anybody. Setting SMART goals can help to give you goals that you can actually measure. SMART goals are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time bound. This way, you know exactly what you must do, can see whether you’re getting to where you want to be, and have a deadline to keep you focused. 5. Work on Your Limiting Beliefs Limiting beliefs are often deeply ingrained in our subconscious, and play a huge part in how we act and what we believe we can achieve. In a way, it ties in with our own self image. Figure out what you believe deep down. You may consciously believe you can be a business owner, but what about subconsciously? If you don’t think you’re smart or cunning deep down, then you may not get to where you want to be. Get to know yourself inside out. 6. Figure Out Your Budget A budget will help you to see what you need to focus on when you get started. You’ll also be able to approach suppliers and start building relationships with them, which can further help you get into the right mindset. Whether you’re looking at a company to provide a carbon steel butt weld or a company to outsource your accounting to, make sure you consider this carefully. You will need to be frugal with your budget to begin with. 7. Stop Being Self Centred A good business owner in this day and age is always people-focused. This means remaining focused on both your customers and your team. It’s time to stop thinking about yourself and how you can benefit and instead think about how you can provide value to the people around you. This is what makes an effective business that can stand the test of time. 8. See Failure As A Step Towards Success Failure doesn’t need to be the boogeyman of business. It can teach you so much about what works and what doesn’t, and should be looked at as a valuable lesson. You aren't going to make it through life without making a few mistakes. Make sure you appreciate these mistakes and learn from them. Don’t dwell on them! 9. Always Keep Your ‘Why’ In Mind Entrepreneurs have a very clear idea of what their ‘why’ is and what they would like to achieve. If you forget your ‘why’ or your personal mission, you could easily fall out of your entrepreneurial mindset. Before making any decision, remind yourself of your why. Write it down so you can see it every day. Making sure you keep it in mind will inform you in many positive ways. 10. Stay Flexible Flexibility is key as an entrepreneur, too. You might be able to get into the right mindset fast, but that mindset might not benefit you forever. Things are changing, across all industries, and they are changing faster than ever. Make sure you’re always prepared to learn and do new things, whatever it takes to be successful. A flexible attitude and way of working is a must in 2021 and beyond, so don’t allow rigid thinking or an inflexible way of running your business. Getting into the entrepreneurial mindset fast might not seem possible to some, but with determination and SMART goals on your side, you should be able to do it in a week or less. This doesn’t mean you’ll never need to work on your mindset again, just that you’ll be in a much better place to start your business venture. It could even be worth changing your idea of what ‘entrepreneur’ means. It doesn’t have to mean a suit wearing, fast decision making, cut throat person who is cut off from their emotions. Anybody can start a business in this day and age! |
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