 Image credit: Image by Nietjuh on Pixabay Can you make a hobby into a career? Well, it depends on how passionate you are about your hobby, and how hard you’re willing to work at it. There are other variables as well; if your hobby is web development, you’re going to be able to turn it into a career a lot easier than someone whose hobby is painting frogs. Sure, there’s likely a market for it, but you’ll have to find the niche industry in which you can use that talent and hobby to make a whole career from it. In a recent blog, product development cycle was discussed. One of the key tips was, “Find Out How Much The Opportunity Is Worth.” Is the opportunity that you’re creating really worth enough to invest time and money in? If you’re willing to do the leg work, and continue even when the going gets tough, then potentially yes. Again, life is more than about the income you’re receiving. Having said that, you still need to pay the bills. Let’s take a look at how to decide if your hobby would be a good career path. 1. Do you know the goal? If you simply say, “I like to garden,” then that’s not enough of a goal. Millions of people enjoy gardening; what is the goal though? Is it to sell your own hybrid plant? Could you potentially create a new fertilizer? You may need to think a little bigger than just your own home or backyard when trying to think of the end goal of your hobby-turned-business. 2. Will I enjoy it when it is no longer just a hobby? This a key question to ask. If you’re suddenly forced to do your hobby for hours no end, will you still derive joy from it? If you love spending time wrenching on car engines at the end of the day because you sit behind a computer for work, is it really something you want to switch up? Be honest with yourself: if you suddenly had clients relying on you to perform your hobby, would you still enjoy it? If so, maybe it’s work looking into as a career. Just remember, the only person that can answer this question is you, so be honest with yourself.  Image credit: Free-Photos on Pixabay 3. Would it be better as a “side hustle?”
If you’re finding that you’re not sure how to turn your hobby into a full-blown career, what about the option of turning it into a side hustle, or a side gig? If, for instance, you enjoy collecting rare coins, you could consider going a step further to trade metal CFDs. Instead of spending all your time with your hobby, you can allow it to ebb and flow as you see fit. Additionally, if you know you can’t pay the bills with your hobby, you may be better off keeping it as a side hustle and trying to find a different career to find joy from. Be honest with yourself If you are stuck in a career that isn’t fulfilling, you don’t necessarily need to just go find a similar job. Think creative, but be honest with yourself when you’re thinking about trying to change a hobby into a career.
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 Image credit: BeepNBook on Pxshere.com Displaying your brand at industry events can be a brilliant way to get your name out there. An exhibition stand enables you to showcase your products and services, boost your brand awareness and provide a touchpoint to meet and capture details of potential clients.
But at a busy exhibition, there may be dozens or even hundreds of stands competing for attention. If yours isn’t distinctive enough, you will struggle to attract much traffic. To get the best results from industry events, you need a stand that makes an impact. Here are seven tips for designing a truly distinctive exhibition stand to promote your business. 1. Goals Before you start designing your exhibition stand, it is essential you are clear on your goals. Ask yourself what results you would like to see from this event, precisely who you are targeting, and the message you want to get across with your display. Use the answers to these questions to inform your stand design. 2. Space When displaying at an exhibition, you often get minimal space to work with. For this reason, it’s essential that you make the optimum use of every square foot. Ensure there are no physical obstructions to entry or your footfall will suffer. Confirm the dimensions with event organisers in advance to avoid unpleasant surprises. Check if there is a maximum stand height. If not, the sky’s the limit. Building a high stand will make you literally tower over your competitors. 3. Visuals With so many different stands for them to visit, you need to grab people’s attention straight away. Don’t make your display too text-heavy. Use captivating imagery and colour schemes to draw people in. You can explain what you’re all about after they come to you. 4. Lighting A strategically-lit stand can enhance your aesthetic appeal while allowing you to bestow whatever ambience and mood upon your stand that you wish. For example, if you’re a technology company, you may find recessed lighting makes your display look suitably modern and contemporary. Use spotlighting to showcase a particular product or service, while coloured lighting can give your stand a unique appeal. 5. Materials There are so many options for materials when it comes to building your stand, and this is an area where you can really shine. For technology firms, a more metallic design will create a contemporary atmosphere, whereas companies in the medical or pharmaceutical industry may favour a more smooth, clean plastic look. Decide what is right for your industry and target market. 6. Technology Interactive technology can be a huge draw when attracting attendees to your stand, as well as making it easier for you to capture contact details. Many stands display tablets where visitors can easily input their details to enter a competition or subscribe to product updates. 7. Audience Every step of the stand design process should be carried out with your target audience in mind. Although your stand should look compelling, the most important thing is that it both attracts the people you want to attract, and sends the right message across at all times. If you are unsure where to begin, you may wish to consider getting in touch with a design agency that specialises in creating bespoke exhibition stands.  Image credit: Conrad Marshall on Pexels If you ever wondered what could be heating your home or what could be powering the tractors that you pass by on a road trip across the country, chances are you would not know red diesel is the culprit behind all these scenarios.
Ultra-low-sulfur diesel makes up the second-largest portion of a refined product barrel, according to Breakthrough, equating to about 11 gallons of the finished product. Red diesel is the fuel that is mainly used for machinery and off-road vehicles used in all kinds of industries including agriculture and construction. It can also be used to warm homes. It is chemically just like regular diesel, except for its red dye. If you want to know more about the uses of red diesel and what it is, here are all your questions answered. Why Is It Red? Red diesel is red because it has to be easy to identify. In some places using red diesel is illegal unless used in off-road vehicles that are not on public roads. Red diesel is also subject to specific fees and taxes. Red diesel is also typically sold a lower price point than that of regular diesel. As a way to deter people not qualified to receive those tax and fee exemptions to use red diesel fuel, it is required that it is dyed red so law officials can easily identify when someone is using the fuel in their automobiles. What Is Its Purpose? Since red diesel is not chemically any different than regular diesel, it is best to use it on farms and construction sites to power equipment like cranes, combines, bulldozers, harvesters and generators. It is also used for things like carnivals and state fairs to power generators, private watercraft, freight trains, back-up generators and other small scale machinery. Red diesel can also be used to heat up things. It can be kept in a storage tank for residential properties. The diesel in the storage tank can be used for furnaces and stoves. If used for heating up the home, it is recommended that you do not keep diesel fuel for longer than six months at a time. It degrades in quality and in turn, becomes very unsafe. For the most part, using diesel to heat your home is a safe option as it has a lower chance of it exploding, will not get hot enough to catch on fire, and will not burn in a liquid state. Can I Buy Red Diesel? Yes, absolutely. You do not need a special license to buy red diesel drums. Do some research on your location and figure out if there are requirements that must be met in order to purchase. It is usually bought by construction companies and farmers, but everyday people can buy them too. In some cases in the United Kingdom, all that is needed is a signed RDCO form. The company selling you the red diesel may also have to be registered with HRMC.  Image credit: Fauxels on Pexels No matter how strong our business plans, at some point we are going to run into a problem. Often this will be something that wasn’t of our creation, such as a recession or even the recent COVID-19 pandemic. We can’t get through life without hitting a little turbulence on the way, but we can control the severity of impact if we are prepared.
Regular crisis planning can help your business to avoid tricky situations and will prepare you for anything that crops up. The military uses a great strategy called the War Room Technique. Essentially they sit down in one room with all the critical personnel in the business. They discuss all possible threats and then work through all the potential outcomes. They then create a plan for each and every one of these. It can take some time, but the results will leave you with a set of solutions and actions, regardless of the situation. If you have a small business, then you could outsource to help you highlight any potential issues. Look at IT support companies, specialist business accountants and PR consultants. These people can come to your business annually and work through all the areas of your yearly business plan that could be an issue. For IT, you could utilise the experience of an ethical hacker. This is someone who operates like a criminal hacker, but they are on your side. Their job is to expose any issues within your online setup. They will find weaknesses and then come back to you with a report to show you what they were able to access and how. They can then work with an IT company to reduce your risk and help you stay one step ahead of any cyberattacks. A PR consultant will run through your marketing plans for the next year and help you create a PR crisis plan. This will include a list of questions that could be asked of your company in the event of a crisis. Having this list pre-prepared with answers allows all of your key staff to speak in the same voice. It will help you to overcome any tricky media or consumer enquiries regardless of the crisis. Finances are essential for your company, so speaking to your accounts team or outsourcing an independent business accountant could help you prepare for any unforeseen issues. Many businesses invest profits back into the company or into assets. This is great for growth, but in the event of a crisis can be a mistake. Your business should always have accessible savings to help secure the company in the event of an unexpected situation. Be this a cyber attack which takes you offline, a pandemic which causes you to close, a fire on your premises or even ill-health. Building a strong crisis plan and reviewing it annually will help ensure you are prepared for anything that life throws at you, even through unprecedented times or unchartered waters.  Image credit: Aleks Marinkovic on Unsplash Covid-19 has had a huge impact on businesses across the world, forcing many to close their doors, and even more to drop employees who desperately need the work. Those with the resources to turn their business into a remote one have managed to survive, and this process has shown their owners that working like this can provide a lot of different benefits. To start, having your team work from home will be much cheaper than hosting them all in an office, and there are many more reasons to go down this route. But what will you need to kick this off for your business on a permanent basis?
Work Management Tools One of the biggest challenges that comes with having a remote team is managing the work that everyone has to do. With everyone working under their own steam, you will need to ensure that they know exactly what they need to do each day, while also having the tools to monitor their progress. Websites like Asana can provide you with everything you need to assign work to your team and make sure that they are doing it on time. Many companies are finding that systems like this can work better than the ones they used back in their offices. Virtual HQs There wouldn’t be much point in moving your team over to remote work if you are going to keep your offices open, especially if you don’t plan on using them again. Of course, though, you will still need a business address and phone number for your clients and customers to contact you on. Solving this problem is easier than ever before, with companies like Virtual Headquarters offering forwarding address and professional telephone answering services. This will give you the chance to maintain the illusion that your business is operating from a single office, and this could even be at a better address than your old office. Communications Tools Keeping on contact with your team is going to be vital when they’re all working from home. Keeping track of their work, making sure everyone is happy, and simply knowing that you can get in touch are all very important, but you need to provide your team with the tools to do this effectively. Video chat services like Zoom have become extremely popular in recent months, while instant messaging services can also be extremely useful. Many of these tools can be used for free without having to compromise on quality, making it nice and easy to keep in touch with your employees. Working from home is going to become a lot more popular over the next few years. More and more businesses are seeing the benefits of this work, and it’s getting easy for normal people to take advantage of the tools that make it easier. Of course, though, you will still have to work hard to get your business into the right position, and this could mean having to learn quite a bit along the way.  Image credit: Tumisu on Pixabay A business launch takes a huge amount of time, effort, and planning, so for most entrepreneurs, plans usually stretch months if not years into the future. Such measures are entirely sensible; taking the time to ensure everything is in place prior to launch and that the business will be starting off on a strong footing is absolutely advantageous. However, for those planning to launch a business in the latter half of 2020, the landscape onto which they planned to launch has now suddenly changed beyond almost all recognition.
The impact of coronavirus Much has been said about the impact of coronavirus on businesses, even with many country’s governments doing all they can to shore up support for companies. What’s more, the problems look to be far from temporary, given the scale of the recession that most financial experts seem to predict. The vast majority of the focus, however, has been dedicated to established businesses; very little has been said about the fledgling businesses that were still in the planning phase at the time of the coronavirus outbreak. Unfortunately, businesses in the early phase of life face the same challenges as established companies - and more still, given they do not have name recognition or an established customer base to lean on. So is cancelling a launch the only option? Many prospective business owners may assess the ongoing situation and assume that there is little point in opening their business under the current circumstances, and shelve their plans with the intent to wait for better times. However, this doesn’t have to be the case. While businesses connected to the most affected sectors - such as travel and hospitality - could potentially benefit from a delay, other businesses remain viable even in difficult times. In fact, some aspects of launching a business are easier during difficult economic times: borrowing, for example, is cheaper than it will ever be, high fluidity of employment can mean businesses can attract great candidates to roles, and commercial rents can be cheaper if there’s a sudden surplus of properties as a result of a recession. As a result, unless a business idea is in one of the industries that have been particularly impacted, moving forward with a business could still be worthwhile. Quick tips for getting it right If you decide your business is still viable for its launch this year, here are a few tips that can help everything goes smoothly:
Launching in 2020 is certainly still possible for many businesses, and the tips above can help to ensure the venture is as successful as possible.  Image credit: Alexas Fotos on Pexels.com Every business goes through changes, and every single business plan that’s ever been drawn up has undergone revisions. Indeed, in the working world, change is a great thing, and can ensure a company goes from strength to strength as its lifecycle goes on. So, if some things need to be changed within your business, it’s time to take a step back and think about them. Some changes for the benefit of the long term could be made here, and you could really make a difference to your company. Here’s some ideas to start thinking about. Think About Your Company Culture
Company culture makes or breaks a business. You and your employees need to be able to trust one another, and transparency will always be key. Most of all, company culture is something that needs to stay positive and free flowing; even just one toxic person within the company can mean the entity of your workforce is feeling the negative effects. You also need to think about the goals you set as a company - what are you working towards? Can you see the effects of your results? And could some more attainable, real world goals be set to ensure your workforce are feeling moralised? Consider Proper Communication Tools Communication is essential in a business environment, and even just a single mixed or dropped message can mean the whole work day goes to waste. Of course, you have private messaging, and software like Zoom or Microsoft Teams, but are they doing enough for you? And are they secure enough to make use of in the long term? You could think about setting up your own intranet for use within your company; something only you and your employees have access to, and can only be used for work purposes. It could be a great way to keep people on task, and it’s one of the most flexible forms of accessing a digital workplace, as well as safely and securely share messages with one another. It Might Be Time to Look into Fleet Options Of course, your company is getting bigger and bigger, and because of that, it might be time to think about time constraints. One of the main problems you’ll be dealing with is commuting - people needing to get to and fro from the workplace, in a timely and representative manner. Not to mention the amount of delivery you’ll have to cope with on your own too; you’ll need a vehicle or two that’s capable of ferrying a large amount of items wherever they need to be. It’s why plenty of Van Offers are circulating right now; usually you can get a discount on a model if you’re buying on a business expense basis, and this could very well be the start of your own company fleet. Planning business changes can occur in both the intangible and tangible sense; if you need a better working environment, or a way to get to work, you can make that change.  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.  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. |
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