 Image credit: Andrea Piacquadio: from Pexels If you’re a business leader, it can be easy to try and do everything yourself. You want to be in control, you want to know everything that’s going on, and you want to have the opportunity to double check everything before it goes live. And when you’re a new business leader, trying to run all of these areas can wear you down and turn you off of business for life! It’s why most business leaders need to learn to let go, and that’s what this post is here to help with.
Allow your employees to take initiative Your employees deserve a chance to shine, don’t you think? So why not take a step back and allow them to take some initiative and solve a problem or two without your input? Let their natural skills and talents win through; it’s one of the best ways to spot the knowledge gaps in your company, as well as see who’s deserving of a promotion and all its benefits. Focus on your work/ life balance Once you’ve got a bit of free time on your side, you can start to focus on what you need to do outside of work. You can approach that work/life balance in a healthier way; that’s crucial to living a long and happy life, and no longer will you need to dedicate so much of yourself to your business. You’ve built it to a place where it can function without you, which is always a good sign for longevity, and you should try to embrace that for the future. Find use in outsourcing Outsourcing your tasks to companies and professional freelancers who know what they’re doing is a great way to conquer your seeming inability to delegate things out. You get a little taste of just how much good work can come your way even when you’re not in control, and you get some free time to focus your attention elsewhere. All in all it’s a pretty good cocktail! So call in some commercial cleaning services, sign a contract with an accountant to see to the books once a month, and regularly comb through portfolios to find the next great talent to work for you. Become a mentor If you’ve got good experience in running a business, why not turn your hand to becoming a mentor? You’ve got all the right employees in the right places, you know how to spot a good outsourcing contact, and you understand what it takes to build a company, right down to the tiny details. And that’s invaluable information that other would-be business leaders would love to have. You can make your own course, write a book, or even become a consultant for hire - it's a great way to take your name and brand to the next profitable level! Letting go is necessary as a business leader; you’ve got a lot on your plate, and you can’t juggle it all. It’s a strength to be able to delegate!
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Are you an entrepreneur with a start-up frame of mind? If you are preparing to create the company of your dreams and open a brick and mortar establishment, there are a few things you will need to do before you officially open up shop.
Furnish the office After securing your company’s new location, it is time to outfit it with Office Furniture. The easiest way to obtain everything you need is to find one store that can provide you with the essentials to work well. Partnering with a company that offers Planning and Design services means you will have professional space planning options at your fingertips. They will guide you in designing and setting up the office to maximize or renovate the existing floor plan. They also offer architectural design changes as appropriate, so you are not just moving into the new building, it will be designed with your dreams in mind. Some furniture that you will need right away are:
When furnishing your office, buy furniture that will last for years and stand up to daily use. Quality furniture is worth the investment because you will not have to waste money and time by buying it twice. Keep things clean You probably will not have the time to clean. Hiring a professional cleaning company is an effective way to ensure everything is done right. Here is a video from a cleaning service offering information on their best practices. Decorate the space Adding artwork and other aesthetics to your new office space is a fun part of the process when starting a new company. You can do almost anything you want to reflect the vision of the company that you want the world to see. Let the design process follow your personality. Incorporate the company’s logo and colours into the layout scheme. This will serve to solidify the brand’s name and unique details within the staff and customers’ perceptions. Add potted plants of varying types and sizes. Select varieties that are easy to care for and will survive in whatever lighting is available. Assign someone to water the plants as part of their work responsibilities. Brown, wilted, and abandoned plants may reflect poorly and connote an air of neglect. Provide sustenance Being at work all day means a lot of things. It can equate to uninterrupted hours of productivity. Perhaps it equals deeper relationships with co-workers. One thing that time at work certainly means is making sure you and your team are well fed. Offer an assortment of teas and biscuits for the requisite tea time. Consider investing in an espresso or coffee machine. The availability of healthy snacks will leave your employees feeling good about themselves without the unfortunate sugar crash that will inevitably occur from eating junk food. 
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Be excited about your new endeavour. You have worked hard. Get ready to welcome new employees and customers into your office and show the world what you can do.
 Image credit: Luca Bravo from Usplash For many, job hunting tends to be looking for a job that’s more permanent, something you can rely on for years to come. It’s understandable why, as you’ll have a nice cushion, there wouldn’t be any need to worry about the future, plus, the benefits that long-term work provides is absolutely needed. While these are often sought after (as they should be), you should also think about the benefits of short-term work, more specifically temporary positions.
This can include things like Ace Working Holidays, summer jobs, or even something as short as working for some tourism company for a couple of weeks in the winter months. These positions are short, snappy, fun, and provide some unforgettable memories. So, what are some other benefits of temporary work? Keep reading to find out! It's a great way to improve your resume Whether you’re looking into temporary work for a certain season, specific location (such as overseas), or maybe even locally, these can be perfect for boosting your resume. Sometimes, you don’t need years of experience in order to pick up a new skill and temporary work is the best way to prove this. Temporary work allows you to use new technologies, software, and even a new environment. All in all, if you want to add a little extra “oomph” to your resume or LinkedIn profile, this could be exactly what you need. Perfect for covering up resume gaps Unfortunately, hiring managers hate resume gaps, even if it is as small as one month. So how can these be covered up with lying on your resume? Though temporary work of course! Temporary work means that you can quickly get on board with a job, and this experience can then be added to your experience and network. This is the best way to show hiring managers that you’re constantly trying to keep your skills sharp wherever you can. It's a great way to switch industries Sometimes, in order to be content in life, you need to make a big switch. This can be nicely said through switching jobs or industries. Temporary work is going to allow that. If you’re having a desire to switch to a completely new industry and just don’t know where to begin then a temporary position could be exactly what you need to get your foot in the door. Oftentimes, you don’t need much or any relevant experience with temporary work (not always the case). This could be the stepping stone you need to make that transformation for your career. The hiring process can go faster Believe it or not but if you’re looking to work for a certain company or certain position, working through a temp worker may be just what you need. When it comes to temporary hiring, it means that there is a sense of urgency and this position has to be filled ASAP. So going through the temp working process is going to drastically speed up the process where you may only need one interview at maximum rather than the traditional three. Oftentimes, if you get the position for the temp role, it immediately higher your chances of getting the position full time when that comes. So, if you’re really wanting a specific position, a temporary working position may be the best way to get to it. You may get paid more Not always, but usually, temporary work means that you’re getting paid more than a permanent worker. It’s not always the case, but depending on the job board or temporary work agency, this could very well be the case. So if you’re tight with money or just want more to spend, then temp work is going to be one of the best ways to ease the financial burden off of you. Plenty of flexibility This is especially prominent when it comes to working holidays. Some positions, such as something tourist-related are only needed during peak tourist season. This could be something such as a waiter for a resort, a table busker for a little restaurant, a tour guide for a little tourist town, but it can go far beyond that. Whether or not you’re interested in a working holiday doesn’t need to matter. Even if you just want to work close to home, temporary work allows for more flexibility than a traditional job. You’ll most likely get a better work-life balance with a temporary job than you would if it was a standard 9 to 5 job. There are more than enough benefits to temporary work, while some look down on it, these benefits can vastly outlay permanent positions. So why not give it a chance?  Image credit: Alesia Kazantceva from Unsplash Creating your own office for your business can be a daunting task. However, if you plan it well, you can make the process easier and more manageable. It’s important to approach this in the right way. If you’re ready to get started, this is what you need to do.
How to choose the right office space for your Business Choosing the right office space for your business can be a difficult task. It is important to consider factors such as how much space you will need, where you want to set up your office, and what kind of environment you want to create. Some people prefer to work from home, which also has its benefits. You can save on rent and other expenses. However, if you are working from home it is important that your family life doesn't suffer because of this decision. You should also make sure that there is a good internet connection in the house or apartment where you are going to work from so that you don't lose productivity time due to slow internet speeds or interruptions in service. The furniture you need for your office Choosing the right furniture for your office space is not an easy task. You need to take into consideration the size of your office, the number of people who are working in it, and the type of work you do. There are many types of furniture that can be used in a startup office space. You might need to get a desk and chairs, huddle room furniture, storage and even kitchen space. But you might want to make it inviting too. One way to make your office feel more like home is by adding a couch or some comfortable chairs to your space. This will give you a place to sit and relax when you need to take a break from work. What kind of equipment do you need in an office? A lot of people are starting an office with no equipment and they are wondering what kind of equipment they need. This is a difficult question to answer because there is really no "one size fits all" solution. The type of equipment you need depends on the type of business you have, the size of your office, and how many people will be working in it. It’s likely to be a computer as a minimum, but it may also be a printer or phone conferencing services too. How to make your office productive & motivating Many offices have a culture of being unproductive and unmotivated. These days, it is not uncommon for people to spend most of their time in an office space on social media or watching TV. There are many things that you can do to change this and make your workplace more productive and motivating. If you want to be more productive, then you should create an environment where they will succeed at work. This means creating a space that is conducive to focus and concentration. It’s important to avoid being distracted in your office space and ensure the decor boosts your focus.  Image credit: Manuel Ramirez from Pixabay As a working professional, it is always a great idea to change your scenery and refresh your mind now and again. Being productive as a working adult can be difficult, and sometimes the best thing you can do is have a change of pace and a change of everything you thought you knew.
Have you ever considered working abroad? If your job allows remote working or you work for yourself, taking the opportunity to work in another part of the world can be a magical thing and one of the best decisions you ever make. Today we want to take a look at some of the biggest perks of working abroad and why you should consider it as a fresh start for you in 2022. Escape from real life One of the best reasons to work abroad is to escape the monotony of your regular life. If you have been working from home since the start of COVID or you have been at the same job for a long time, a change might be needed and finding a serviced office to rent abroad could be the medicine you need. Experiencing work in a whole new setting can bring you a renewed sense of purpose and you may find that you can work more productively and efficiently than you did at home. Enjoy a stunning view What could be better than waking up in a beautiful new country and working with a view over an amazing city or seascape? Sometimes the change of scenery is all you need to spur you on and the ability to enjoy a new part of the world is a privilege and will help you to feel like you are living life to the fullest. Consider making the change even if only for a month or two and see what a difference it can make to your mental state. Work on the beach Laptops are one of the best inventions of the last century and they allow us to take our work with us pretty much anywhere as long as we have wifi or a hotspot we can use. If you have your own hotspot, imagine how amazing it would feel to take your work down to the beach and enjoy some vitamin D while making your living? Working on the beach can be such a great change of pace and the sunshine will make you feel happier and healthier too. Experience a different culture If you are the type of person who loves to learn - working in a whole new country can be a huge opportunity. Depending on the country you work in, people might not speak the same language and their culture could be vastly different to your own. The chance to learn about new people and their culture is a great opportunity and during your stay you will likely pick up a few local words and phrases you can take back with you when you leave. Working abroad is something you should consider this year for a change of pace.  Image credit: Free-Photos from Pixabay Building the best team, isn’t all about the compensation you provide them for the work they do. There is much more to it and set your team up to be successful comes down to intellectual, emotional, and physical support.
The best thing you can do is create a positive work environment where they can thrive and feel valued. Let’s have a look at the ways you can do this: Prioritise Training When it comes to creating a positive and high-performing work environment, you can’t just hope for the best after recruitment. You need to make both initial training and ongoing training are a priority. You should aim to provide a minimum of two weeks of onboarding training, where new staff have their first weeks planned out in full. If you can provide an ongoing training programme, you are more likely to see successful employees. Create A Comfortable Work Space The workspace you provide should empower your employees to do their best. But this isn’t all about physical comfort, it’s also about providing a space that suit’s workers’ cognitive and psychological characteristics too. Providing standing desks, well-positioned computer screens, and using a commercial electrician to install natural lighting can not only make your employees comfortable, but it can also have a positive effect on their emotional wellbeing, promoting focus. Check-In On Your Employees People who like coming to work and feel valued actually do better at work. Part of providing a positive workspace includes having regular check-ins with your employees. Nothing complicated, just checking how they are feeling, how they are finding the work they Just stop off at their desk and ask how their day is going, or if you have a remote team drop them an email or informal message. You may be surprised by how these little gestures boost productivity and team morale. Encourage Communication And Collaboration It is your job as an employee to make sure both existing and new staff never feel left out. Of course, it may not always be possible for you to be there to make sure this doesn’t happen, but you can establish efficient and effective communication. A few things you can do include:
A positive working environment starts with management. If you want to build a happy, productive team you need to create a positive working environment. The tips above should help you to get started. Do you have any other tips that help to achieve this? Please share some in the comments section.  Image credit: Christina Morillo from Pexels A lot of people dream about the concept of being able to go self-employed. After all, it means that they have the freedom as well as the autonomy to be able to work on their very own terms. The growth of the sector alone has been very well publicised over the years and this means that there has bever been a better time for you to take the plunge. If you want to make sure that going self-employed is the right decision for you then you can find out whatever you need to know, right here. You Know your Product or Service If you want to go self-employed then you don’t need to have a final or even a polished proposition. You do however need to make sure that you know your product or your service. If you don’t then you may find that you struggle to know whether or not your idea is feasible. You also need to make sure that your product solves a definite pain point, so that you are aware of how best to address your customers. You’re Ready and Willing
Even though you may be an expert in your field, that doesn’t mean that you can easily deal with all of the other aspects that are involved with running a business. If you want to come out a success then you need to make sure that you are able to deal with your sales, marketing accounts, technology and even legal team. The main problem with being self-employed is that you might not be an expert at everything and you probably can’t afford to outsource either. This is normal, but it does mean that you need to get your head around the basics if possible. If you want to get the best result out of your self-employed experience then eventually it may help you to look into remote onboarding at a later date. You Want Control If you are at a point where you feel like your ideas are just not getting the appreciation that they should, then this may indicate that now is the time for you to go self-employed. It may be that you no longer want to be told what to do, or that you just want to be more rewarded for the work that you are putting in. Either way, going self-employed gives you the chance to call all of the shots you need. You’re Ready to Talk about Money You have to be comfortable with money if you want to be self-employed. Undercharging is a huge issue for freelancers so you need to make sure that you pitch your services and your products at the right time. Some signs that you need to think about your charges include if your tasks are taking longer than they should be to get done, or if you find that you are continually trying to undercut your competition. It will take some trial and error, but if you take your time then you should be able to set the right prices.  Image credit: Start Up Stock Photos from Pexels The fact is that when you first started your business, you most probably didn’t think that you would ever end up in a position where you had a team of employees to manage. You most probably hoped that this would be the case but you may not have thought that it would be the case, after all getting your business to a place where you need and can afford a team of employees is an amazing place to be at and not many business owners manage to get to this point. Now that you’re in a place where you need to take on a team, you are most probably feeling somewhat stressed out and overwhelmed. After all, there’s a lot to think about and consider when it comes to taking on new team members. It’s not just a case of identifying the fact that you need some support, there’s a lot more to choose to employ people than meets the eye; there’s a lot that you need to think about and consider. It’s incredibly exciting to be at the stage that you are at now, but the fact is it can also be extremely daunting as there’s just so much that you need to think about and consider; it’s not just a case of taking on team members, you need to think about all of the ins and outs of running a team. Bearing all of that in mind, there’s a lot to think about and consider. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be an overly stressful experience, it’s just a case of knowing how to go about managing things, that’s all. To help to make the process of taking on your first employees a little easier to manage, below are a few tips and suggestions to have a read and take note of. Have a set screening process in place
First things first, let’s talk about employee screening. How do you ensure that when it comes to selecting a new employee that you’re choosing someone who is a good fit for the role and your business? The truth is that you can never be 100% sure but there are steps that you can take to make the process easier, such as utilising HR support to help ensure that every avenue is looked into. You can also ensure that you ask for references and follow up on those references, to ensure that what a potential employee is telling you is the truth. It’s also worth nailing the interview process by creating a list of questions that not only look at the candidate's potential fit for the role but also for your company ethos and work setup. Master payroll A tricky aspect of managing a team of employees can be payroll; whether you are taking on two employees or 20, you need to master payroll. Payroll is not always something that it’s easy to do or manage, especially when finances aren’t your strong suit. The good news is that there are plenty of resources that you can utilise to make managing payroll a little easier, such as using payroll services, for instance. Learn to be a leader As an employer, you need to find the perfect balance between being a boss and being a friend to your team members. You naturally want to have fun with your team but you also need to ensure that you remain the authority, and that your team members look up to you and respect your choices. It’s also important that you act like a leader, rather than a traditional boss. What does this mean? Well, a traditional boss tells their team members what to do, whereas a leader is part of the workload and leads their team in every task. This is a fantastic quality to have, and something that will help you to be an amazing employer. Create the ideal working environment If you want your team members to be happy working for you, it’s essential that you create the ideal working environment for them to work in. The right work environment can impact how productive a team is, and so it’s important that you think carefully about the kind of space you create for your team. Not sure how to create the perfect workspace? Get inspired - look online, talk to other business owners, speak to your employees. There you have it, everything that you need to know about taking on your first team members and succeeding as an employer.  Image credit: Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels Are you exploring new ways to grow your business and strengthen your brand? If so, then you should think about the best ways to use the power of your clients and customers. These are a few of the possibilities that we strongly recommend you consider. Use Their Opinions
First, you should think about whether you can use the opinions and thoughts of your customers. They might be able to explain to you the best ways to move forward with your business. Don’t forget, when you’re looking to improve your company it’s important to move in directions that your customers want to see. No one knows what directions these are more than your customers themselves. You might think that customers aren’t going, to be honest when you interact with them. While this might be the case, there are ways to skirt around this issue, such as by using Mystery Shopping experiences. Here customers get a product to review but don’t know what the brand is and deliver honest feedback. Use Their Content Next, you should think about whether you can use content from customers to your advantage. User-generated content can be helpful because it allows you to connect with that individual customer. It will also help you reach their followers. Don’t forget, that customers are far more likely to trust the word of other clients rather than your brand. User-generated content also makes your business seem more accessible and that’s always going to provide a tremendous benefit. Use Their Reviews Next, you should think about using reviews in your business. Do note that a mixture of positive and negative reviews is far better than zero reviews for your business online. That’s why you should make sure that you are encouraging customers to leave reviews. You should do this after the completion of a sale. Business owners often assume that it’s going to be difficult to get customers to leave reviews. However, this is not the case. The reality is that they will drop reviews if you ask the right way and provide some client aftercare instead of just abandoning them once a sale is complete. Use Their Reach Finally, you might also want to consider using their reach to gain more customers and clients for your business. One of the best ways to do this is through promotional merchandise. The right sponsored merch will be worn and used by your clients. This means that they can effortlessly spread the word about your business. You just need to spend a little time ensuring that the merch is attractive and stylish enough that clients want to use it. You might even want to consider using popular brand items to promote your company in this way such as Nike or Adidas sportswear. We hope this helps you understand some of the key ways that you can use your customers and clients to your advantage. By taking the right steps here, you’ll find that your customers can become your strongest asset and help you grow your business, even in a short period.  Image credit: Chris Montgomery from Unsplash Back in March 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, millions of people around the world began commuting to their kitchen tables and makeshift home office nooks, few believed they'd still be there now, nearly a year later. And yet, here we are.
The big question looming in many employees' and leaders' minds alike is, what does it all mean for the future of work? Some argue that the great work-from-home experiment of 2020 will lead to the end of offices forever. Others say the last year, in fact, proved we need offices for the collaboration, the creativity, and simply the excuse to get out of the house they provide. You can find the five top tips we learnt about remote working over at Inc...  Image credit: Fauxels from Pexels If you want to survive and help your business to grow, then you need to make sure that you have a steady stream of business clients. In the old days, this was a case of you simply sending out a flyer or even a postcard. You might have even been able to put your ad in a local paper, but right now, things work very differently. You have to make sure that you adapt to what is around you and you also need to make sure that you are willing to figure out the best way to really get your business on the map. If you don’t then you may find that you end up struggling to get noticed and this is the last thing that you need. Verify Google Business
If you are running a B2B business, then you have to make sure that you are as professional as the companies you are marketing to. Your Google Business Profile is what gives your business the opportunity to show up in search results. It also shows up when someone types in your company name on the internet. Google is getting better at catering to users all the time and this free listing should always be your top priority. Ideally, you would use your business profile to promote your company, not to mention that it also helps to verify legitimacy. You can do this through your very own Google My Business account. When you are able to verify ownership of your company, you can then optimise your listing. This will help you to show up much higher in the search results and it will give you access to much more advertising options. If you are able to show on Google Maps, then this will help you to really make the most out of your local SEO efforts. Print Leaflets and Flyers You may think that this is a very outdated way for you to do business, but this is not the case at all. In fact, printing leaflets and flyers is actually a fantastic way for you to make the most out of your marketing campaign, if you combine it with your other efforts. If you are going down the flyer route then you have to make sure that you incorporate your website and you also need to make sure that you add plenty of digital information. This could include your social media handle, for example. If you want to make the most out of your marketing, then it would be wise for you to use large format printing machines. Implement SEO It’s one thing for you to promote your company, but it is another for Google to promote your company. SEO will ultimately determine your ranking algorithm, so you have to make sure that you put in the work to boost your ranking. If you want to boost your SEO, then you need to add relevant keywords that are based on your location as well as your industry. You also need to make sure that you add them to specific places on your site too. At the end of the day, if you can produce high-quality content with tagged images then this will help you out in the long run and it will also help you to maintain a solid site that brings in business for years to come.  Image credit: Skitterphoto from Pexels When you work in construction, you are working in a dangerous occupation and there is no getting away from that fact. It's never a fully safe working environment, from the materials you use to create a structure or foundation, to the tools you use to get the job done. Construction is often all about edges, excavation, collaborating with others to ensure a safe build with hazardous material. When you don't manage the site and the equipment on site correctly, you end up with a bad working environment - not something anyone should be aiming for. Health and safety is important in any industry, but in construction it can literally mean the difference between life and death. Whether you use forklifts and diggers or you handle corrosive materials and Fosroc chemicals, you cannot make mistakes. Understanding which health and safety measures are most important as you work will enable you to complete construction projects without worrying that you're doing it wrong. Below, we've got five safety measures that you should be taking when on the construction projects you gain.
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We all want to work less and earn more, don’t we? It’s the dream, the final step towards that ever-elusive ‘work/life balance.’ And yet, until now, most of us have assumed that it’s a myth. After all, you get out what you put in – everyone knows that!
Unless maybe you don’t. According to recent reports, US workers who put in as many as 60 hours each week were less likely than their peers to have received a bonus in the last three years. Far from being an injustice, this is clear evidence that you don’t have to work yourself into the ground to get ahead. In fact, doing so could be hindering your earnings, and here’s why.
A focus on quantity not quality
When we push ourselves too far to be productive, we fall into a focus on quantity rather than quality. After all, a sixty-hour workweek might sound impressive, but there’s no way you can produce good work for that length of time. Rather, you’re liable to work like a sleep-deprived zombie trudging towards a deadline. And, your efforts will be as flat as your pulse! By comparison, employees who stick to the forty-hour standard may well come in and boss it on the quality front, meaning that their shorter timeframe is worth more than your long one. Which begs the question, why would you bother to work more in the first place? An inability to hand over responsibility If you’re too focused on being the hardest working, then you’re more likely to take everything on your shoulders. This may seem like a valiant effort, but martyrdom is never good. If you’re juggling product development on top of lead generation, you’re more liable to wear yourself down and drop both balls. By comparison, outsourcing allows you to hone your time, and clock off at a decent hour. All with the promise of better results. After all, outsourcing managed IT means that you can get cybersecurity right at last while turning to a lead generation company ensures that time you spend converting is time well spent. Far from a failure, accepting that you can’t do it all is fundamental to making the most possible money from your time.
Failure to see straight
It’s also worth noting that, the more you work, the less you can see simple solutions to challenges. And, when this happens, you spend more time developing less satisfactory responses. Switching your brain off sometimes is the ideal way to solve production dilemmas or close leads at last. Much like when we’re falling asleep, our brains often find answers to these things themselves when left to their devices. By comparison, hunching over a desk and considering things for too long will make it trickier for you to reach satisfactory conclusions, as well as taking ever more of that precious time. So, you see, it may sound impressive when you state you’ve worked a sixty-hour week, but is it really the right way to earn more? Probably not.  Image credit: Negative Spaces from Pexels Are you considering launching a business with high earning potential? If this is the case, then you should give thought to starting a tech business. Despite the hardship posed by covid-19 on personal finances, businesses, and the economy, the UK tech industry led pandemic recovery raising over $15 billion in investments. Business experts have projected an exciting time for tech business as investors are shifting to investing in scaleups and start-ups; Google MD Ronan Harris indicated that the tech giants are looking to being part of the ecosystem in 2021. Are you wondering how you can join the trend? Check out these top tech business ideas you can start. 1. Web designing Website designing is a tech business idea that will never become unpopular. Websites have become an essential business need to build a professional, trustworthy and strong brand image. According to statistics, approximately 84% of UK shared businesses had a website in 2018. With the outbreak of COVID-19, the country has recorded a boom in website demand as companies turn to e-commerce and digitalisation. Website design includes several services such as UX design, graphic design, and SEO, and will remain a lucrative business idea worth considering even post-pandemic. 2. IT support Are you aware that several small businesses don’t have the funds to engage full-time, internal IT support staff? With many small business owners employing cost-saving measures like outsourcing, starting an IT support firm is a potentially high-earning venture worth starting. From providing cloud infrastructure systems to setting up and maintaining networks and implementing data backup and recovery, there are so many in-demand tech services you can offer businesses. Based on your customers’ demands, you may offer other services like security systems and mobile app development and management. 3. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) Consultancy Google remains a fundamental piece of marketing strategies for several businesses. With the UK recording €222 billion in online sales in 2020 alone, companies will invest in digitalisation and SEO to show up as the top outcome in the right search for keywords identified with their business. This implies they will require SEO experts to help them achieve their objective. While some companies will recruit full-time staff to take up such specialised roles, others will engage an SEO agency to implement the required strategies to stay ahead of the competition. You can launch a business to offer such services to other firms.  Image credit: Geralt from Pixabay 4. Computer training services
Are you good with computers, software, and other tech gadgets? If that is the case, then it's a great fit to start a business to offer computer training to individuals and companies, as many people struggle when dealing with anything related to computers. There are a ton of alternatives for getting started with computer training services. You can either train people on how to use Windows, Macintosh, or both operating systems. More so, you can train individuals on the best way to utilise specialised applications. You may decide to offer training on individual bases, groups, or take to online lessons, which is more useful amid the pandemic.  Image credit: Canva Studio from Pexels Starting up a business is no easy feat. Expect financial loss, energy exertion, and heavy competition. With that said, it is important to start your business with the best possible chances. These simple steps will guide you towards developing a successful start-up.
1. Consider the market you are going into Think about any market niche your business applies to. Gaps in the market will generate higher consumer demand, which you can capitalize on. Familiarize yourself with competitors and find out what they are doing, and more importantly, what they are not doing. Carrying out competitive analysis is crucial if you want your business to succeed. 2. Devise a business model Businesses come in all shapes and sizes. You may aspire to one day expand your start-up into a franchise. You may want to offer a subscription-based service to maintain loyal customers. Or, perhaps you are going for a direct sales business model. Whatever the case, modeling your business will fortify your vision and assist with potential problems. The nine building blocks of a business model are customer segments, key resources, value propositions, client channels, key partners, customer relationships, revenue streams, activities that create value, and cost structure. 3. Consider your employees Once you have established your business model, think about what kind of working environment it will create for employees and how you can implement systems to benefit them and improve efficiency. For example, if you have lone workers or employees that perform paging and alarm management, Motorola radio rental offers specialized two-way systems and communication solutions. 4. Work on your final product Many start-ups' common downfall is assuming they can offer a wide range of products from the outset. Doing this will deplete the limited resources you have. Instead, pick one or two products you can perfect. New customers will appreciate your service quality and be inclined to positively review, repeat purchase, and recommend to a friend. 5. Gather customer feedback After launching your business and getting those initial sales, it is important to review your customer feedback. Positive or negative, it will demonstrate where to alter your business. If the reviews are mostly positive, look specifically at what worked well. Recurring themes in feedback signify consumer habits. Analyzing this data may reveal opportunities for expansion within that area. 6. Carry out market surveys If you are trying out a new product or service, it is a good idea to collect data from your targeted audience before launching anything. You can do this through online questionnaires like Survey Monkey. You could put the question to online forums. Or, you could organize a focus group. Each method has its benefits. Online surveys and forums can target a wider demographic, while focus groups may offer more in-depth feedback on a product or its branding. Conclusion It's a given that start-ups need a fair amount of initial planning. But with savvy preparation and research, there is the opportunity to succeed. Remember: start small, think big.  Image credit: Avi Richards from Unsplash When building your company, trying to promote your business, and push towards success, it’s tempting to take every responsibility on board yourself. Doing so allows you to stick closely to your vision. It means everything will come out exactly as you wanted. But, experienced business owners know that this is not the way forward, and sooner rather than later, you’ll find yourself burned out, drained, stuck for ideas. This is why it’s important to reduce your workload, but if you don’t know where to start with this, consider these ideas.
Work With Professionals Working with professionals is always an excellent way to help lessen your workload. But many first-time entrepreneurs avoid doing this because they want to save money and don’t understand how difficult it can be to cover all the basics. Soon enough, though, they realize that it is challenging to create social media content, write blog posts, design a website, and develop marketing campaigns. There’s nothing wrong with reaching out to others for help, and the likes of fable studios, professional website designers, and more are all far more qualified than you are. The result makes your business more reliable and more professional, which is something all small businesses need. Bring In Top Talent Very few businesses can survive as a one-person show. There will come the point where you need to bring in reinforcements. Immediately, you will see a difference. Rather than doing everything yourself, you can pass other tasks on to your staff, even if it’s just one other person to help with payroll or posting to social media. However, you can't hire just anybody. Bringing in the best talent around will give you more confidence that they can do everything you need them to do. This talent won’t want you breathing down their necks all day long, though, so learn how to delegate and, more importantly, trust them. Embrace Technology Technology is there to help you, but you might not realize just how much technology can help. It isn’t just using a website or social media to spread brand awareness. You can also use it behind the scenes of your company. If you’re short on time, look at marketing automation to save you studying business data and analytics manually. You can also use efficient marketing automation to post campaigns to social media without being by the computer to press Post. The bigger your business becomes, the more you may need to rely on technology. You shouldn’t expect yourself to do everything, and with more things done for you by a computer, the more time you will have to look towards the future. This enables you to plan your next steps and prepare your marketing automation for your follow-up campaign. Slowing Down It can be tricky to loosen the reins yourself and trust others with your business, but as you’re unlikely to be an expert in everything, it can boost your company’s fortunes. By spreading the workload, you will have more time to focus on the things you’re good at, which can lead to more success for your business.  Image credit: Anthony Shkraba from Pexels We spend the majority of your adult lives at work, so it’s vital your career inspires, motivates and rewards you. If you’re unhappy at work, these feelings of discontent and dissatisfaction will inevitably spill over into other areas of your life. By prioritising your professional happiness, you can ensure that your career is as meaningful and fulfilling as other elements of your life. We tend to start thinking about future careers at a relatively young age, whether we want to or not! Teenagers as young as 15 or 16 years old are asked to make major decisions about what they want to do with the rest of their lives. While some people may have a yearning ambition that will stay with them forever, most people don’t. Indeed, you might not even be aware of the range of career options out there when you’re still in your teens or early twenties, right? Fortunately, it is never too late to change your career and do something you truly love for a living. If you’re apprehensive about moving into a new industry or starting over in a new sector, just take a look at these reasons why it’s worth taking a risk: A Job You Love is Less Stressful Although some jobs are naturally more fast-paced than others, a career you don’t enjoy can easily become stressful and overwhelming. When you aren’t particularly motivated to enhance your industry, for example, you might find it difficult to stay on top of the latest developments or be at the forefront of new innovations. In contrast, when you’re doing a job you enjoy, you’re actively interested in how your sector is evolving. As a result, you see potential obstacles as challenges to be overcome, rather than as barriers to your success. This change in your mindset is one of the reasons why a job you enjoy is less stressful than one you don’t, and it’s well worth remembering when you’re weighing up the pros and cons of changing careers. Industries are Constantly Evolving Many people fear starting over in a new industry because they assume, they’ll have to start from the bottom and work their way up. While it is important to gain experience in your chosen sector, industries are constantly evolving, which means everyone is continually learning. The introduction of new technology can revolutionise a sector in an instant, so don’t assume that a lack of experience is going to hold you back.  Image credit: cottonbro from Pexels New Challenges Are Out There
Perhaps you’ve reached a point in your current career where there isn’t really anywhere to go or maybe you’re simply not interested in climbing to the very top of this particular corporate ladder? If so, you’ll be relieved to find that new challenges await you. Taking on a new role in a different industry can unleash the creativity and innovation you thought had fizzled out some time ago. When you’re inspired by your colleagues and peers, and genuinely interested in what you’re doing, it can have a big impact on your mental and emotional well-being. You Have Transferable Skills If you’re worried that the energy you’ve invested in your career thus far will be wasted, don’t be. Nothing can diminish what you’ve achieved in your career and switching to a different sector won’t detract from your success. In fact, your professional experience has equipped you with a whole range of transferable skills that will stand you in good stead, whatever you decide to do next. By choosing to do something you love, however, you can ensure that this hard-earned skills and talents are used to pursue your passion and achieve your lifelong goals. It’s Time for a Fresh Start When people feel apprehensive about changing careers, they often postpone their plans until the ‘right time’. In reality, it’s always the right time for a fresh start, so why wait to do something you love? As 2021 approaches, you can embrace the upcoming opportunities with a ‘new year new job’ mentality. Giving yourself the freedom to seek out new professional challenges will give you the impetus to make positive changes in your life and the drive to enhance your success. Plan Your New Career A career change can enable you to do something you love, but it’s always helpful to have a strategic plan in place. By building a network, gaining informal experience and honing your skills, for example, you can ensure you’re well-equipped to uncover new employment opportunities and secure the job of your dreams in 2021.  Image credit: Marcus Herzberg from Pexels As a business, 2021 will hopefully be making up for the fact that this year hasn’t been the best for anyone. For businesses, it’s something to be grateful for that that they’ve even survived what is possibly the worst year in the world’s economic history. Here are four ways to promote your business in 2021.
Focus On Social Media Social media continues to thrive and be a great area to focus your marketing and advertising. It’s definitely become a lot more saturated over the past couple of years and therefore it’s a lot harder to make it successful than it used to be. Therefore, it’s a good idea to find your niche on these platforms and focus on any platforms in particular that you feel are going to be a good fit for your business. Think about what social media platforms you might be using now or if you’re not using any, what platform is best going to suit your business. Take a good look at your analytics and how they’re performing to see what you might need to change or do more of. There are so many people online nowadays that it would be the wrong move to not take advantage of what social media can offer you for the new year for your business. Revisit Your Branding Branding is an important part of your business because it can end up becoming widely recognized by your customers and those who aren’t yet your customers. Whether you look at who you’re using for digital printing services or what you outsource for your design work, think about revisiting your branding. You could consider changing it or tweaking it slightly so that it’s a more elevated and modern version of your current branding. There might be room in the branding to make it better than it already is or to perhaps make it more consistent across your platforms, whether that be your website or social media. Think about what it might be lacking and then consider what you could do to help improve it further. Make Use Of Your Loyal Customers Your customers are important and you want to continue ensuring they remain loyal to you as a business. Think about loyalty and how you can make sure your customers continue buying from you and not from your competition. Go beyond the call of duty where you can and always be active in providing the best products or services for your customers. Excellent customer service is going to get you further than just providing a bog-standard service they can get elsewhere. Better Your SEO And finally, when it comes to your SEO, try to better it where you can. There’s going to be a lot of benefit from improving your search engine optimization because the higher you rank on search engines, the more visible you’ll be to others online. This can be great for generating new leads and hopefully, more business. Use these tips to make sure your new year is the best one yet for business.  Image credit: Tom Mossholder on Unsplash This year has been very challenging for businesses across the country, in all different industries. Businesses that have been best able to adapt to these difficulties are surviving the best. As the pandemic continues, businesses have had to make many changes and learn fast in order to carry on. Some of these lessons could be utilised after the pandemic to help your business to be more efficient, productive, and successful in the future. What can businesses learn from COVID-19?
Make use of virtual tools As offices and shops around the world have had to shut their premises, businesses have had to find new ways to stay in touch with their employees, customers, and clients, even while they can’t be in the same place. Most businesses have made use of virtual services to help them. Whether you’re having meetings over Skype or Zoom, are working on shared documents on Google Drive, or are making use of cloud virtual services, there are some tools that could still be useful after you reopen your premises. For example, if you’ve found that having people work from home hasn’t damaged productivity, then you could look at offering more options for remote work. With cloud documents, virtual meeting rooms, and secure VPNs, you can keep staff productive while still being flexible when they need time at home, such as to care for an unwell child. Could you save money by forgoing parts of your office and going online? For example, if you don’t have clients or customers who come to the office, then you do need reception in the building? A virtual reception is cheaper than in-house staff and office space. Make Digital A Priority Businesses who already had a strong presence online have found it much easier to keep working than businesses who have struggled to get their digital offering ready for use. All businesses should have a website. Make sure that basic information like your contact details, opening hours, and location are easy to find. The website must be functional, easy to use, and clearly express what you do and who you are as a brand.. If suitable for your business, an eCommerce platform is very useful to have. While shops have to close, being ready to sell online has allowed some businesses to stay afloat. When you can reopen, selling online adds another way to sell your products and earn a profit. If you don’t sell online, you still need to make sure that your clients and customers can easily get in touch with you online. Some people prefer to contact companies online, rather than come to a meeting or make a phonecall. Make sure you are present and active on social media. You need someone to respond promptly to comments, questions, or complaints that come up on your social channels. A chatbot for common questions, such as delivery tracking, can be useful on your website too. Be Flexible The businesses who have managed the best with COVID-19 difficulties are the ones who have been able to adapt quickly and make changes to their business. For example, restaurants who have been able to support their suppliers by operating as an online deli, or alcohol companies who avoided wastage by making hand sanitizers, have been better able to cope. While another pandemic on this scale may be unlikely, other changes can happen in the business world at any time, suddenly changing the demand for what you offer. Businesses who are unable to react quickly enough to changes in their industry are unlikely to survive. Your business needs to be ready to react and adapt, whether you make a big change to what you offer, or make a smaller change to the way you operate. For example, if you have had to close your doors to customers, can you offer a delivery service instead? Will there be a demand for this delivery when you can reopen? While the global pandemic has of course made things much harder for all businesses, but there are many lessons that can be learned that could be very helpful in the future. By being ready to adapt, your business will be better able to succeed and flourish. The world of business moves quickly, and businesses that carry on as they have always done are the ones who will be left behind and who will falter. If you have found ways to work smarter during COVID-19, try to see what measures you can make use of when the world is normal again.  Image credit: Canva Studio Running a successful marketing campaign is defined by quite a few parameters. Length, breadth, growth, etc., which are all extremely variable. And in the modern day and age, it seems easier than ever to get a successful marketing campaign off the ground. After all, there’s a lot you can do with just an internet connection and a platform to make good use of!
So who knows when you’re going to hit success with your brand?! But even with your relative prowess in the digital world, is your marketing campaign running as smoothly as you want it to? And if it isn’t, even when you’ve tried to up the ante and your efforts, are you sure that your marketing campaign truly suits you? Let’s go through a few points below to double check. It Depends on What You’re Aiming For Of course, what you’re aiming for in your business is always going to be at the crux of how you run a marketing campaign. You need to know, ahead of time, what you want out of the period ahead, and what success is going to look like when it’s finished running. Will it mean plenty of inbound visitors? Will it mean ranking at the top of a search engine? Will it mean running a lengthy content campaign, to really build up a log of articles to ensure that SEO strategy really goes off? Simply put, to ensure your marketing campaign suits you, decide what you want before you put anything in place. It Depends on the Type of Business The type of business you’re running should always dictate how you set up your advertising efforts. For example, let’s say you’ve just started up a law practice of your own. How are you going to attract people to your business? Running ads on Facebook pages alone won’t score success here, unlike in an ecommerce business, so you’re going to need specialised services in the form of something like Elite Lawyer Management. Some business leaders just aren’t cut out for running communications as well, simply because they didn’t train this way, and that’s important to remember. At the same time, dipping in and out of various marketing efforts could be a waste of time and money, and in the early stages of establishing your business in the market, this could spell very bad news for you. It Depends Who You’re Trying to Reach Finally, you need to think about your audience as well. Who are you trying to reach? Where are they? What do they need from the market you’re within? All three of these questions need to determine how your marketing campaign is set up and run, to ensure it entirely suits you. When you can imagine your average customer, you’ll have something to design content around, and that’ll give you a real launch pad. A marketing campaign needs to be entirely your own; make sure you know what you’re doing, who you’re reaching, and who you are.  Image credit: Bruce Mars on Unsplash If you are a business owner, you surely start the day with a question: how can I do more? Of course, what we want is not to work longer hours and end up affecting our personal lives, but to be more effective with the resources and talents we have. Productivity has not only an impact on the objectives we reach and performance of our business, but also our stress levels. So what is it that we can do to work better? Here we share some tips that you can apply from tomorrow onwards.
Plan each workday Before leaving the office, review your schedule and set your to-do list for the next day. Determine which are the priorities, give them a schedule and be realistic about the time available. It is better to move slowly and steadily than to remain stuck in the same place. Look at what is going wrong in the office and if things need to be changed. Many businesses fail to see things that are going wrong. So whether it's talking about updates to your technology or being more productive with your energy, there are things to think about. Perhaps you need to look at upgrading your Fuel Tanks, or maybe you need to change your phone systems, planning what needs to be changed will make things more productive. Forget multitasking. Multitasking is a myth, and we can't all be good at everything. Some studies show how this way of working can reduce productivity by up to 40%. In small and even medium-sized businesses, it is very common for one or more people to do tasks of a very different nature throughout the day. Still, it can become a risk to productivity if not properly addressed. Focusing on specific objectives is a sure way to increase the productivity of your company. Have your team delegate. Concentrate more. With constant meetings, social media, and instant messaging, it's hard to stay focused for more than half an hour on a single task. To avoid distractions, establish work blocks and respect them as if it were the presentation to your most important client. Move your smartphone away from your desk or silence alerts from applications such as social media. And if you are working on something very important, let your team know that you cannot be disturbed unless it is an emergency. Forget about repetitive tasks. One of the biggest challenges is repetitive, time-consuming jobs that distract you and your employees from those that are much more important to the business, like selling products and winning customers. An example of finances, and it is that recording or controlling all invoices, expenses, or payments is a task in itself. The better you look after your finances, the more chance you have of being able to put money into other areas, such as social media. To make your life as an entrepreneur easier, you need to tackle such routine tasks to increase productivity properly. There are dozens of ways to save time and gain productivity in the short and medium-term, such as direct debit of payments to suppliers in a bank account and even immediate payment with a company card.  Image credit: Marc Mueller on Pexels During the coronavirus pandemic, unemployment rates have skyrocketed everywhere you look. In the United Kingdom, the unemployment rate has gone up to 4.8 percent. Nearly 250,000 people have lost their jobs since June of this year. That is the largest unemployment increase in a three-month period since 2009.
The same thing can be said with the United States in terms of unemployment. Rates are the highest they have been in a long time. According to the United States’ Bureau of Labor and Statistics, U.S unemployment currently sits at 6.9 percent. Before 2020, the last time the states’ rate of unemployment was this high was November of 2013. With all that being said, it may be harder to find a job at this current point in time than it has been in recent memory. But in the same breath, it is worth mentioning that you should not just take any old job that you come across. Yes, if you need the money right then and now, that is not a bad route to go. But if that is not the case, you should take some time in deciding the route you want to go in. Here a few things you should consider when concluding on whether or not a job is a good fit. What is the commute like Commuting to work every morning can be a pain. So when considering whether or not a job is right for you, make sure you have a good idea of how long the commute is. The commute to a company offering you a position should not be the biggest of worries, but it would be pretty inconvenient to take two hours to drive into work and two hours to drive home. Is the company you are working for well managed This is essential when finding the right job. If you work for a company that is professionally handled, organized life can be a lot easier. No one wants to work for a disheveled boss with a nasty personality. It could make waking up every day that much harder. So when picking an occupation, look at the company as a whole. Ask questions about employee benefits, what the chain of command at the company/organization is, and how communicating is effectively done at that given job. Do you like the work you are doing This might be the most important of them all. Making sure you like what you do day in and day out is so important. You do not want to show up to work dreading the next eight hours of your life. Try and find an occupation that is engaging and keeps you entertained: even if that means there is a little more stress on your plate. That is a little easier said than done, but do your best! You know yourself enough to say whether or not you would be a good fit working in a restaurant, office building, gym, et cetera. Being bored can be a lot worse than being busy, so try and find work that will make you excited to head in and earn that paycheck.  Image credit: Unsplash under Creative Commons People who hate their jobs tend to move on and look for something else. Some even change their careers when they’re feeling unfulfilled by work.
But what do you do if you love your career, but need a new challenge? The good news is that there are a lot of ways you can turn things around and inject some excitement into your job. Here is some useful advice for taking on a new challenge, without changing your career. Move to a new location f you’re starting to outgrow your current workplace, moving to a new location could help keep things fresh for you. A change in location not only helps you realise new career opportunities but opportunities for your personal life too. Perhaps you want to move closer to home to be with family, or even move to an exciting new city or country? Wherever you decide to relocate, you’re going to need to get on the job hunt. Check out cmr.com.au for some exciting opportunities that could invigorate your career. A change of scenery brings all kinds of changes, and could be just what you need to shake things up. Start chasing that promotion Perhaps a part of your frustration comes from outgrowing your role? When your job starts becoming routine and easy, it could be a sign that you’re ready for more. Start preparing for a promotion so that you’re ready to go for it when the opportunities come your way. Volunteer your time and skills to help others If you’ve always felt like you could do more with your skills and expertise, why not use what you have to do some good for others? If the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything, tit’s that community values are more important than ever. There are several ways you can use your skills to help others, including mentoring, pro bono work and volunteering to help charities and good causes. This can bring a lot of fulfilment to your role, and could even help you discover new opportunities that could help you choose a different path for your career. Take on a side hustle Side hustles are a great way to develop other interests that you have, without sacrificing your career. There are inspiring stories of people who’ve embarked on incredible new ventures, from starting fitness businesses to their own pizza brand! It’s possible to be passionate about more than one thing at a time, so why not give it a try so that you can get more out of your career. If you’re dissatisfied with your current situation, then it’s time to make a change. Even if you love your career, it doesn’t mean you have to stay exactly where you are - there are ways you can develop and grow tbring exciting change to both your career and your life outside work. There are all kinds of challenges out there waiting for you, so which one will you take on first?  Image credit: Joshua Miranda on Pixabay When lockdown started in March, workers across the UK packed up their office equipment and set up work stations in their own homes. Bedrooms, kitchen counter-tops and dining tables became the new way of working for millions of people. According to the ONS, 30% of adults in the UK were exclusively working from home at the start of July. BBC News has the info...
 Image credit: Victoria Heath on Unsplash Financial uncertainty has prompted many to start thinking about a Plan B to help supplement their existing income, while others have spent lockdown pondering whether the career they thought they wanted is right for their long-term future. Entrepreneur Europe caught up with one CEO to find out how she runs her business in 3 hours at night!
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