 Image credit: Drew Beamer on Unsplash When you first start a company, you’ll often have these big, grand ideas of what it is that you want to be able to achieve. Maybe you know exactly where you want to go but you’re not too sure on how you’re going to get there? It happens. As a business owner, you won’t always know the answers. And that’s okay. However, you are going to want to make sure that you’re doing what you can, at all times, to build a better business? But how do you do that when you feel like you’re doing all that you can? There are always answers if you know where to look for them. Let’s take a look at five different things you can do to build a better business. 1. Care About Your Customers To start with, the best way that you can make sure that you’re looking after your business in the best way is to look after your customers first. When you care about their needs, you’ll be able to meet them better. And the more accurately you’re meeting their needs, the easier it’ll be to grow. 2. Build Better Products And then, you need to make sure that you’re creating and producing much better products. If what you offer is not the best that it can be, you’re missing out. If you commit to always improving your products, it’s going to make sure that you’re the best you can be.  Image credit: Carl Heyerdahl on Unsplash 3. Get Professional Assistance
From here, you may even want to try and get some professional assistance. If you know that you’re doing all that you can and maybe that you’re stuck a little, you may need some outside support. There will always be outside consultants, such as Scott Robert, that are experts in their niche. So do your research and see who is an expert in your field and who might be able to mentor you and keep you on track. 4. Help People Then, you’re going to want to make sure that you’re able to help people as much as you can. If you want a better business, you need to be able to make a difference. And that’s not only to your customers and the people that interact with your business, but also the local community. If you want to do good, you have to make sure that you’re making a difference. So think about what you can do to help others. 5. Have Fun With It Finally, you’re going to want to make sure that you’re just having fun with it overall. If you take business too seriously, you may find that you’re getting stressed and you’re not doing what you can to actually make a difference. But this all needs to be fun. It should be something that you love to do and that you help others with. Don’t let it bring you down or be a cause for negativity in your life. Enjoy it and let your business bring comfort to the world.
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 Image credit: Pixabay on Pexels Every business owner should be at least aware of the risk of natural disasters, big and small, and how they can affect the business. Here, we’re going to look at some of the most common ways they can disrupt, damage, and otherwise downgrade your business operations, as well as what you can do to protect your business and keep it as productive and profitable as ever, no matter what might be happening. Be ready for an emergency
Natural disasters are precisely the kind of emergency you should be ready to respond to. A crisis management plan (also known as an emergency operations plan) lays out the steps of how you secure your business, who leads which teams, how the business operates if the premise is inaccessible, and so on. People tend to naturally panic in an emergency situation and their judgement might not be at its best. Crisis management plans are about making the big decisions ahead of time so they don’t have to be made in a panic. Be able to work flexibly Many natural disasters will limit your access to the premises. For instance, if there’s a snowstorm or flood outside, you don’t want to ask workers to come in and risk their wellbeing. As such, you should be prepared to run the business a little more flexibly. This can be done by, for instance, allowing your team to work remotely from home until the office is operational once again. A lot of employers are finding that remote working isn’t as bad for the productivity of the team as they might have imagined and, even better, may even improve engagement and satisfaction. Have backups at the ready Natural disasters (and more routine malfunctions) can limit your access to the tools you need to work, even if they don’t shut down the business premises completely. One of the most common forms of this is a power outage. Your business could benefit from the installation of diesel generators if there’s serious risk of losing power due to storms or high winds in the area. Similarly, if you lose access to the internet, then you should have a backup connection at the ready, such as a hotspot installed in the office. Make sure you’re protected Natural disasters of all sorts can cause costly damage to both the premises and the work assets that are at your disposal. From fires to floods to power surges, you can protect your finances from all kinds of damage. Make sure you invest in the appropriate level of business property insurance. This way, no matter what gets damaged, so long as you have the coverage, you can get quick access to the money you need to repair or replace and get the premises up and running as soon as possible. Take a look at your local area and what natural disasters might be most likely to affect your business premises and invest in the appropriate protections. Otherwise, you could be dealing with a very costly surprise somewhere down the line.  Image credit: Fauxels on Pexels Your business will be a lot more successful when you focus on being an exceptional leader and boss. Be glad to know there are tips you can implement to help make you a stronger and wiser business owner.
The following suggestions will help you know what to focus on so you can perform better in your role. Making the right management decisions will ensure that your business is a success for years to come. You’ll look back and be glad you put in the hard work and dedication and didn’t give up trying to improve. Have A Clear Direction One tip that will make you a stronger business owner is to have a clear direction for where you’re heading. Set goals and know what initiatives you want to focus on and tackle now and in the future. Have a written plan and follow it but also be willing to flex and make changes based on what you’re observing and the environment and circumstances. Your employees will be looking to you for input and guidance, so you want to be prepared to give it. Know Your Finances Become a stronger business owner by knowing your financial situation well. Keep track of everything and manage using numbers, facts, and data. Know your finances by creating and following budgets and understanding your books. Perform research before spending money and ordering supplies such as finding out what's the price of red diesel? Collecting this information ahead of time will allow you to plan properly and avoid overspending. Listen to Others It’s essential that as a business owner, you put your ego aside and are willing to listen to others to manage your business more efficiently. They may have valuable suggestions and new perspectives on matters that you hadn’t thought of previously. Not only listen to your employees and clients but be willing to make changes based on the feedback you receive to run a better business. There may be issues they’re seeing and noticing that you aren’t aware of, and you should be addressing. Build A Support Network You’ll find it helpful to lean on others while you’re trying to grow your business and skills. Build a support network that you can turn to when you have questions or need direction. You can learn from their past mistakes, so you don’t repeat the same ones. A mentor can help you make forward progress with your business and ensure that you stay on the right track for being able to find long-term success. Get involved in your community and meet new people so others can get to know you, and you can exchange ideas and input. Conclusion These are a couple of tips that will help you become a stronger business owner and leader. Soon enough, you’ll be on your way to taking your company to the next level and exceeding your goals. Be prepared to face a multitude of obstacles but also wise enough to know that with a little hard work and dedication, you can work through them and still come out on top.  Image credit: iuriimotov via Adobe Stock Efficiency is vital for the success of your company. As the day starts, it is good to think of ways to save time. Nowadays, workers are spending more time at the offices. Sometimes it can be hard to start, but you need to begin from somewhere. Start by making a plan to identify all the inefficiencies in your business. Completely hauling your business is unnecessary, but the small changes you make can go a long way towards your company’s success. How to Increase Business Efficiency
Business efficiency is not just about how well your company is doing or delivering products. It is about how faster you can do so. How can you increase your employees’ efficiency as well as the quality of your business? The following are some ways to increase employees’ productivity as well as the quality of your products. Outsource logistics A lot of businesses seek to improve their efficiency through improved logistics. The efficiency that can be improved in the company is dependent on the nature of the business. Some businesses have a massive improvement capacity for the improvement of logistic systems. There are numerous ways in which organizations can attempt to improve efficiency through logistic systems. Logistic management is a crucial component in any business operations because its performances affect both the internal processes as well as the customers. Logistics outsourcing entails bringing an outside logistic firm like the Freo Group to handle some functions of your logistic trade. There are various forms of logistic outsourcing, including using the logistics company to transport your goods and raw materials between locations for a fee. Additionally, you can use the firm to handle an outside firm to your organization's logistics. Improving the logistics in your business will lead to noticeable improvements in your organization. Automate whatever task is need Business automation is not only for luxury but is equally vital in the current competitive world. Automating monotonous tasks saves your workers time and allows them to focus on doing more productive tasks that require practical human thinking. In the beginning, you might find it costly to implement automated tasks; however, all of it will be worth in the long run and increase your business efficiency. Make communication easy Miscommunication is another cause of inefficiency in business. Miscommunications can sometimes be solved with just a meeting; however, the meeting can prove hard to schedule. Implement an open-door policy. Encourage communication, collaborations, and feedback between departments as well as staff. A smooth lining communication is vital. Use the technology that is available to streamline your communication. You can also encourage your workers to communicate face to face and speed up the process of solving problems, answering questions, or even getting something clarified. To establish a smooth flow of information, encourage your workers to communicate with each other. Using technology platforms like emails and chat can keep your business moving efficiently. Incentivize workers One of the best ways to improve employee efficiency is by offering incentives to them. Recognizing your employees for their hard work will make them feel appreciated. There are numerous ways in which you can reward your workers, for example, by taking them out for a meal, giving the coupons and gifts, and sending a handwritten thank-you card. Final Word Having a strong understanding of where your company needs to improve is significant for your success. With the knowledge of technology and the available resources, you will be able to manage your business efficiently. The above tips can help you improve your business efficiency and see a rise in the general productivity and profits.  Image credit: mentatdgt on Pixabay Your business is something that you’re going to pour a whole lot of hard work, time, effort and money into. You’re going to want it to be the best it can be. After all, the more successful it is and the better established it becomes within its field, the more money you will make and the better quality of life you can lead. There are also great feelings of success and fulfilment that can come hand in hand with watching your business grow and expand. It’s not all too surprising, then, that every once in a while we need to turn to our management styles and processes and reflect on whether there’s anything we can change or anything further we can do to manage our businesses even more effectively. At the end of the day, there’s always room for improvement, and what will benefit your company in particular may differ from what may benefit someone else’s. But to help you along the way, here are a few tips that you can take to manage your business even more effectively than you may be doing at the moment!
Consider Training Programmes Sometimes, the most glaringly obvious routes for improvement will be invisible to those who work within a company and have become set in its ways. Sometimes, it takes an expert with an outsider’s view and stance to be able to identify exactly where you can make changes that will prove beneficial all round. This is why you should consider Training Programmes specifically designed for helping entrepreneurs and business owners in your position. You can really benefit from an alternative approach or stance on what will help your business prosper! Outsource Sometimes, you’re better off outsourcing than keeping everything in house. If there are tasks that need to be completed, but you don’t require full time help within that area, or you don’t want to invest in the equipment or machinery required to complete the task, outsourcing can be the perfect solution. Here, you can collaborate with a professional on a project by project basis, rather than committing to providing ongoing and consistent work to a full time or part time employee. Keeping Staff Motivated Your staff are going to be the backbone of your company. You need to make sure they’re motivated and in the best spirits at any given time. This will increase their productivity and boost your profits. It will also make a much nicer working environment to spend time in. Now, there are various ways to manage staff. Some go for a route of intimidation, pressure and punishment. But this is no way to lead. It may keep staff in line but satisfaction will be low and productivity will be limited to the bare minimum. If you treat your staff well, respect them, reward them for their achievements and are generally positive, they’re much more likely to work hard and try to achieve for your company. These are just a few different areas to focus on. Hopefully, they’ll help you to manage your own business as effectively as possible!  Image credit: jarmoluk on Pixabay Innovation in business, refers to creating more effective processes, products, and services as well as implementing these new ideas with conviction and promise. It is a great way to improve your brand and create dynamic products. Innovation allows you to change your business model and make necessary changes to the pre-existing business to ensure it delivers better, often and accurately.
Innovation is a great way to grow your business but as an SME you may be wondering how this can help you in such a way? Innovation is not an overnight success but rather a set of steps that lead to an end result. The successful implementation of new ideas is crucial to your business. You need to constantly look at ways to be able to improve your businesses’ processes and functions and bring new and improved ideas to the table. Innovation can also help increase its efficiency and, most importantly, improve its profitability in the long run. Where Do I Begin? Innovation is different with every company because they all have different niches and goals. Work out what your goal is and what you want to achieve first and then you can work on how to improve it. Then you begin with looking at a list of things that you can do to change things up and start to work through them one by one.
Your website is an important part of your marketing. A well-maintained website can help you gain an advantage in your niche. It will also improve your business image and give you a head start on other businesses, especially if it is well designed and looks good. Once you have achieved this, you will want to market your website to the best of your ability and this begins with SEO. With technical SEO you can really get to the core of what you need for your business. Technical SEO refers to websites that assist search engines and will index your site effectively. This is how your website can organically rank on Google searches. The higher up your ranking, the more likely chance of people seeing you as well as people putting their faith in you. This is important because when your website is faster, and user friendly as well as being understandable for search engines you are improving your business in general and innovating your marketing efforts. An SEO specialist will be able to bring you your target readers more effectively as well as being able to help your content rank higher in search results and drive good quality traffic which could translate easily into sales and more clicks. It is number one on the list for business innovation. Without a good digital presence there is very little chance of having a huge success. Most people look for companies online now, there is very little need for the yellow pages anymore; with everything going digital, this is also a positive to the planet. Less waste and consummation of materials. Digital is the future and it’s time to jump on the bandwagon, if you haven’t already. Making a new product or service This is definitely one form of innovation that can lead to big results. As long as it is a product that someone actually wants. This is exactly why market research and databases can help you to determine what may work and what won’t. First of all you should consider the following for any type of innovation before you start the process. How to:
When creating a new product or service it is going to take time and effort and possibly money to invest in either new products or new people to help bring it to life. You don’t want your product rejected, although this could certainly be a huge learning curve, but you need to take the right steps. Just like most products you are going to want to create what is known as a prototype. The first product that can be tested on the public before it goes into production. You need to take many things into consideration. Such as development and manufacturing costs? Without the prototype you could lose thousands on an unsuccessful product. After this you must try to maintain a balance between the costs and the capacity of the product in order to see a return. Once the product is in production it is the distribution costs which then must be evaluated. If you sell an item in your local area just to your small town, then you could look at keeping the costs down by selling locally. Finding a sales distribution company willing to sell your products to retailers is an option but this will incur further costs and depends on what your goals for the product are. Upgrading your entire business Upgrading is a massive part of innovation. Improve your business technology to start seeing positive changes. Technology gives any SMEs the ability to connect with their customers via the internet. Small business owners can take advantage of this instant communication but if the tech isn’t up to scratch, you aren’t going to be seeing those changes. You want to see changes within your technology so that you can connect even quicker and be able to store information well. Improving technology is a great step for innovation. Getting new systems on your computer that serve you well and are quick paced, is fantastic. It assists with:
This will be able to assist you with keeping on top of trends quicker. New computer systems and advanced security is really important when it comes to keeping your business safe too. The bigger your business grows, the more chance of having some type of attack. The more numbers and information relating to business and finance, the bigger the chance of someone trying to hack you. You could also look at new and improved telephone communication especially if you have a phone line that people call, or any type of helpline, a good fast system will keep customers happy and will make your productivity much more improved. Having a great and efficient Accounting System is also vital to keep on top of what you’re spending and how best to budget month by month. Innovation starts with you but it does take a little time to figure it all out. Don’t be despondent though. Have chats with your team and brainstorm ideas for the future. It’s time to get things on track. Improve your SEO, look at new ways to move forward, keep in communication and watch your business grow.  Image credit: helpsg on Pixabay Attending exhibitions as a business can Help to keep your brand above water. Exhibitions help you to keep your brand in the market as well as remaining relevant and sharing it with the rest of the world. Exhibitions also help your brand to stay upbeat by showcasing your services and products, you can market your brand in a fun and fresh way, which allows you the perfect opportunity to network and speak to potential customers. It is vital to always increase brand recall value and credibility in the market to remain popular and relevant.
How Does It Help? Exhibitions and conferences are perfect opportunities for meeting key people face to face, in your industry. This gives you the perfect chance to market your business in a professional yet personal capacity and gives you the chance to talk to as many people as possible. You want to also market your business but take the time to learn about theirs too. Switch business cards and keep in touch. The more contacts you build, the better, for future reference or if something comes up that you feel you can connect with them on. You’ll need it to follow up after the event on email, this really establishes a relationship. Don’t forget that the event can also be used for carrying out market research too, just by asking others about your niche and what they may look for. Ask people what their needs are and look at the competition also. That is quite a vital element. You will certainly be surprised by how much you can learn - but in addition to this, you will be able to gain access to important information. If you want to market your business to other business professionals then it is good to have a clear message. Make sure you can clearly communicate, getting across all the information in around 30 seconds and being able to offer answers to questions they may have. There are plenty of great exhibition stand companies that are there to help you get on your feet. Once your stand is in place, decorate it with your branding as well as maximising your presence at business events. Use direct mail, e-newsletters, social media and PR to raise your profile ahead of the event. Flyers and magazines if you have them are great for people to take away, as well as possibly looking at goody bags that are a nice treat. Add any press releases and information that could help you at the exhibition. You’ll also need to prepare a press pack which can be slotted into your goody bag. Most exhibitions have a press office for journalists attending as well as photographers, so wear your best outfit and smile and learn to impress. If you are struggling with a press pack, then just add a few pieces of select information, images, news, and contact details so that you can be easily reached. It’s time to make your business stand out. There are many opportunities to get yourself to an exhibition, so start thinking of your next move!  Image credit: Clker-Free-Vector-Images on Pixabay We all want the best from our team. We want them to be as productive and effective as they can be, but it’s not always about making sure you have the right people for that team. Sometimes you have to be the right leader, too. If you want to see them get more done, then you need to take steps to help them improve their daily workflow, too.
Stay organized Clutter is one of the biggest issues when it comes to workflow. It can distract and confuse a member of the team when they’re supposed to be focusing on something else. As such, establishing practices to eliminate clutter, from tidying the desk to deleting resolved emails to closing windows that aren’t relevant to the task at hand, can all help them focus. By eliminating clutter, you can improve the general workflow, in the long run, leading to greater productivity. Get automating There are some steps in the workflow that, until technology improves, will need a human hand to make sure they are done the right way. However, there are many steps in a workflow that might not need as much human intervention, especially in the admin part of the job. Tools like https://www.templafy.com/document-automation-software/ can help you drastically shorten the amount of time needed to, for instance, prepare and send company-wide or customer communication documents. As such, the time and effort that would normally go into the relatively menial task can be spent on something both more important and more engaging. Start prioritizing Not only should you look at how you can more efficiently take care of certain tasks, but you should also help ensure they’re taking care of the right tasks, to begin with. Most workflow tasks can usually be ordered from the most important to least important, as well as the most urgent to least urgent. Tools like https://appfluence.com/productivity/prioritization-matrix/ can help your team do that for the whole day ahead, helping them better see where they should spend their time and what tasks might be able to be left until a little later before they get attention. Keep communicating To some degree, you want employees to be able to prioritize their own work but there are some times you have to get them to switch tracks to hit a more urgent goal. Or perhaps there are issues within the workflow that can cause bigger problems down the line and you need to correct them. Leading with communication is essential, and having the right tools to get in touch quickly can help as well. Collaboration tools, such as team management and communication software, can ensure that your team is always plugged into the conversation. By making the means of communication consistent across the board, you ensure no messages get lost in the mix. With the tips above, you can help employees focus on the work that needs to be done first, get it done quicker, and make sure that they’re working with others to ensure efficiency across the board.  Image credit: pmbbun on Pixabay In order for your business to succeed, you need to have the right team of people in place propelling it forward day after day. Without that, your business will fail to launch and your dreams of success will be in ruin. Not many businesses can succeed off the back of one person’s aims and ambitions. It takes a team effort, and that makes building and motivating your team one of the most important tasks you’ll have. Here’s how to do it.
Create an Environment That Allows Your Team to Take Risks You should work to create the kind of environment that gets the best out of the team at your disposal. You should look for ways to encourage your staff to go their own way and take risks. Employees that feel empowered and liberated tend to be the ones who do the best work. Give them to the space to do their best work and it’s your business that will benefit in the long-term. Find Ways to Boost Morale and Team Spirit There are lots of ways to boost your team’s morale and team spirit. You need to make sure they enjoy the work they do and enjoy coming to work. And you should also take steps to make sure that the way in which they work is focused on togetherness and teamwork. When people rely on one another and work together, there’ll be a better team spirit among your group. Learn How to Maximize the Talent Available to You The team you have is there for you to mold and shape. It’s up to you as the leader of the team to make sure that you’re doing everything within your power to get the most out of them. With good leadership and the right kind of direction, even a mediocre team can achieve great things. So your role in this is going to be key. Get Help with the Hiring Process Building a team always involves hiring new people, and that’s always something that you should enter into carefully. Places like DSC Personnel can help with the process and offer their expertise when you’re looking for certain kinds of employees. Getting this help might help you to find the right people more easily and avoid the mistakes that small businesses so often make in the hiring process. Recognize Each Team Member’s Contribution Finally, you should make sure that you recognize the contribution that each person in the team makes. Everyone has something to offer and it’s important that you recognize that and make the most of each person’s individual talents because that’s how you’ll get the most out of them. If you want your business to achieve lasting success, you need to make sure that you have a team in place that’s capable of making that happen. Follow the advice above and make sure that your team has the qualities and abilities you need, and that you have the talents to get the most out of them.  Image Credit: Carlos Muza on Pixabay.com Running a business is hard work. Many entrepreneurs or small business owners find themselves wearing many hats. They spend so much time working in their business they never get the opportunity to work on their business.
Using automation intelligently can not only improve your business processes, but it also frees people up to work on core business priorities. A study in the UK showed that business owners spend up to a third of their time on business admin. Automation can be used in most areas of a business, but here are a few of the main ones that will make the biggest impact in the shortest amount of time. HR & Payroll Systems Even businesses with only a few employees have a number of legal and financial obligations to their employees. There are a number of great cloud hr systems coming onto the market which can run your day to day recruitment, HR and payroll services. These are cloud-based so won’t need to invest in any IT or data storage systems. They’ll save you time, money and make sure that you stay legally compliant. Employees can update their personal details, access policies, request holiday or communicate feedback all directly through an online platform. Running payroll through one of these systems can save your money on accountants and still let your remain compliant with the government tax systems and online banking facilities. Task Management An efficient, well-organised team can do wonders. Rather than relying on emails and handwritten scribbles, why not run all of your tasks and projects through specialist software like Asana or Trello. These programmes both have free versions that you can use to set up recurring tasks to keep your team and your business on track. The amount of time saved on unnecessary meetings or emails will transform your business. Marketing A great deal of your marketing funnel can be automated through software such as Hubspot or Zoho. Once you’ve set up your campaign materials, you can rely on your software to push prospective clients through your marketing funnel without the need to manually trigger actions every step of the way. Content, email and even social media content curation can all be automated in line with your campaign goals. A well-designed chatbot on your website can drive enquiries through without you needing to speak to people. The good news for small businesses is that you don’t need huge huge budgets to begin automating your business. Most of the larger software companies offer a freemium model, allowing you to access a range of features for free in the hopes that once you expand, you’ll move directly to the paid version. Conclusion Automating processes in our business can save you time, money and allow you to spend your precious time on actually running your business. Increased productivity leads to better margins and an improved bottom line. Not adopting an agile approach to your business can lose you that competitive edge if your competitors do embrace automation.  Image credit: NordWood Themes on Unsplash Being cooped up at home means a lot more sitting and scoffing! The Mirror has a guide of how you can stay healthy during the lockdown!
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