Category: Contributed Posts

5 Quick Things You Can Do To Make Your Business More Successful

The first principle of my blog is Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. As a business owner you should always be looking to improve. Your continual evolution will set you well above your competitors. The following contributed post is entitled, 5 Quick Things You Can Do To Make Your Business More Successful.

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If you want to make your business more successful, there are a few things you can do to make this happen. Below, you’ll find 5 quick things you can do to make your business more successful – take a look:

  1. Post More Content
    If you don’t currently post enough content, then it goes without saying that this is the first thing you should work on. Content marketing is extremely powerful, and you can create it in a number of ways. You could make videos, write blog posts, and even start a podcast. Add value and share your expertise.
  2. Start Conversations On Social Media
    Start and get involved in important conversations on social media. The more conversations you start, the more people will get involved. People will likely remember you, too!
  3. Run Competitions
    Run competitions and make sure the prizes are awesome. People love entering competitions online and you will likely increase your audience tenfold.
  4. Give Customers an Incentive To Come Back
    Make sure your customers have a good incentive to come back. You can do this by providing unbeatable customer service, but also by giving them a discount code or deal exclusively for them. Make them an offer that they can’t refuse.
  5. Give Away Branded Items
    Branded items are an ideal item to give your customers. Branded bags, for example, are something that will come in handy many times while also letting people know that your business exists. The infographic below can tell you more:


credit to BagzDepot

Get Back to the Books

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success. Three key focuses are Career Discussions, General Education and Professional Development and Skills. Once starting a career, everyone has to eventually decide what their next steps will be. Is there the potential for promotion at your current position? Should you switch organizations? Should you go back to school? The following contributed post is entitled, Get Back to the Books.

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You might find yourself wondering from time to time what the next steps are when it comes to your career. Are you going to stick at your job and work your way up the corporate ladder or take a chance on a whole new job.

Both have their advantages and disadvantages and both carry a certain amount of risk. However, if neither of those options appeal there is a third way and that’s going back to school. We’re not talking about studying full time necessarily, there are a number of options but instead looking at ways to either boost the professional expertise of the field you’re already in or explore a new career.

In this blog we take a look at why training up might just be the right thing for you.

Professional Qualifications

If you’ve been waiting for promotion to come your way and it’s just not happening, now is the time to get proactive.

Take a look at some of the professional qualifications associated with your industry. Would taking a course and getting some more qualifications under your belt put you in a better position? Would gaining that Florida Contractors License pay off? If the answer is yes, it’s time to put yourself out there and back into the classroom.

Don’t waste your time doing qualifications just for the sake of them. Pick the ones that are recognised in your area and will allow you to leverage them for promotion or at the very least, better pay.

Image courtesy of Pixabay: CC0 licence

Distance Learning

One of the biggest dilemmas about studying is squeezing it in around your working life. This is made particularly hard if the qualification has nothing to do with your current job. One of the best options you can consider is a distance learning course from a reputable education facility.

These courses often offer part time study that fits around your schedule. While you may need to travel to an exam centre once a year or so, that should be the only time off that you’ll need to schedule. While it often takes a little while longer to complete the course, the pressure of trying to get it all done in a short amount of time is off of your shoulders.

Consider this option a long term investment into your future.

Evening Classes

The final study option is evening classes. Use these to access higher education courses later on down the track. If you’re struggling to pay for your training, consider asking the company you work for help. If your course can, in any way, help you in your current position you may be able to persuade them to subsidise your study.

If that isn’t an option for you, you may find that many education centres offer bursaries and grants for more mature students or those studying for specific industries – nursing or education for example.

When you want to change your working world, think about how education might help you achieve your next goal.

Safeguarding Your Business: Top Tips To Keep You and Your Data Safe

Three of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money, Business/Entrepreneurship and Technology. No matter what kind of business you’re running, keeping your data safe has to be a top priority. The following contributed post is entitled, Safeguarding Your Business: Top Tips To Keep You and Your Data Safe.

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So much more than money goes into the setting up and running of a successful business. Behind every one are countless hours of hard work and effort, not to mention the emotional investment. It can take time away from our families and other interests, so if something goes wrong, it can be pretty galling. It is little wonder that making sure your business is protected to the highest possible standard is a significant concern for all business owners. Unfortunately, it is not the easiest thing to do, as the things that can harm your business can change and evolve all the time. However, there are things you can do to safeguard your business and give it the best possible chance of longevity, and that is what we are going to look at here.

Pexels CC0 License

Cybercrime

Cybercrime is a massive problem facing businesses these days, as so many business operations and functions are carried out online. Cybercriminals and hackers are becoming more and more sophisticated, with whole countries and governments falling victims in the past.

The first thing that you need to do is to put tactics and safeguarding measures into place against malware. Malware is a type of software that has malicious intent, spyware, and viruses.
There are various programs and pieces of software that you can download to protect against these, but they only work if you keep them up to date. If you have an IT company managing the digital side of your business, they should be implementing these and keeping on top of it all.

Another type of cyber crome comes from people being able to access your hardware. The best way of preventing this is to make sure that your premises are secure, so no one can break in to steal anything, and that computers, devices or other hardware containing sensitive information are only taken off-site when absolutely necessary. Encrypting your files makes it harder for would-be hackers to crack into. If you do lose any, here are 2 effective ways to track your lost or stolen laptop. You may also want to ban or restrict the use of personal mobile phones and devices in the workplace, to prevent anyone from taking pictures of any sensitive information.

Physical security

For obvious reasons, you need to protect your premises against burglaries and intruders. One of the best ways of doing this is to install CCTV, both inside and out, and if you are a retail store, security tags and guards may reduce the incidence of theft.

Sadly, not all crime is committed by an outsider – employees do lots. To reduce the risk of internal crime, have lockers installed in the common area for people to leave their bags and personal belongings. This solves two issues – the one of their items being stolen, and the other is that it is harder for them to take from the business. Random bag searches are also worth thinking about, as well as CCTV in key areas such as offices and by tills.

5 Questions to Ask When Building or Renovating Commercial Premises

Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. One of the most important aspects of your business is its location and your commercial premises. There are a couple of key details you need to know about your commercial premises. The following contributed post is entitled, 5 Questions to Ask When Building or Renovating Commercial Premises.

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Image suggestions: https://www.pexels.com/search/business%20building/

If business is going well and you’re turning a regular profit, the next logical step might be to move to a better premises. Whether you’re considering building from scratch or renovating an existing building, here are five questions to ask yourself.

How big will you build it?
A bigger office will be more expensive to buy, rent or build, so it doesn’t make sense to build an enormous structure if you don’t need to. However, one thing to bear in mind is that your business might grow over the years and so more space might be needed. To get around this, you could either build it more extensive than you need, or leave space to extend upwards or outwards in a few years if you need to.

What security measures will you add?
Offices are full of high-value equipment as well as cash and customer data which can be used in crime, making them targets for burglars. Since they’re usually empty after after office hours, it gives criminals plenty of chance to strike. So when you’re building or renovating your office, think about security. Have good quality windows and doors installed, as well as shutters or lockable window grilles if needed. Have CCTV and a burglar alarm fitted, as well as floodlights which can keep burglars at bay.

How will you keep it safe?
When you’re creating a building that people are going to be spending time and working in, it’s, of course, a legal requirement for it to be safe and usable. Make sure you’re following all guidelines on construction advice, use an experienced company and ensure everything is signed off at the end. You’ll need a fire protection consultant to ensure it meets fire safety standards; this includes things like the materials used, fire doors, windows, escape hatches and more.

How will you make it accessible?
Modern buildings need to be designed with accessibility in mind, during the planning stages consider how accessible it is for those in wheelchairs or limited mobility. You’ll need to think about things like disabled parking, ramps, lifts and more.

What location should you choose?
The area that a business is placed in can be the difference between success and failure for some companies. Shops or retail companies, for example, will rely heavily on foot traffic as a way to get customers. For this reason, you will need to be in a prime location for this. If you don’t rely on footfall to generate customers for your business, then you could build your office a little further out where you’ll get more for your money. However, location is still relevant as you will need to think about how easy it will be for your staff to get to. Look into things like transport links and road access.

What Your Website Will Probably Need In Order To Be A Hit

Three focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money, Business/Entrepreneurship and Technology. In today’s digital world, pretty much everyone has a website or should get whether it’s for blogging, for business, politics or even for churches. There are keys to creating a successful website. The following contributed post is entitled, What Your Website Will Probably Need In Order To Be A Hit.

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https://unsplash.com/photos/npxXWgQ33ZQ

A website is a staple of pretty much every single venture. Whether you’re looking to create a business, or whether you’d just like to start up a personal project; a website will need to accompany it. We’re nearly into 2020 now; we’re so far into the digital age, and it means that pretty much every man, woman, and child is connected to the internet somehow. You’ll need to be amongst the online crowd if you want your venture to be a success.

What does a website need in order to be taken seriously, and to be a real hit with anyone that enters it? Well, it doesn’t exactly take a genius to figure it out, but you’ll still need to practice fairly thoroughly. Here are just a few things you’ll need:

A Good Plan

Before you even think about spending money on the creation of a website, you’re going to want to plan everything out. You’ll first want to figure out what the point of the website is. Sure, having an online presence would be great, but just being online for the sake of it seems pretty counterproductive. You’ll also want to draw out an actual design for it. If you have a clear idea of what it will look like, and what the pages will be, then you’ll be in a better position to work.

Input From A Web Designer

Web designers know a lot more about this kind of thing than you do – that’s a fact. Now, if you’re completely in the dark, then you’ll probably need a web designer to create everything for you – that’s all part of their job, so it’s not a problem at all. You’ll just need to tell them the basic idea, and they’ll get going. Even if you have some skills, and have created a site yourself, you might still want to gather advice from someone that knows.

Managed IT Support

Your website and the data on it could be compromised at any time if it’s not protected. There are a lot of criminals out there looking to ruin your day for some reason, so you’ll need to get a little more secure. Sure, you might have protective software installed, but a company like Binatech that offers managed IT support will add that extra layer of safety.

Enough Content, But Not Too Much

Be sure to regularly update your site with fresh content, that’s the right way of doing things. If you abandon it, then people aren’t going to be interested. If you don’t put in the effort, then neither will others. Pumping in new stuff is great, but don’t just throw in random stuff just for the sake of it. That kind of clutter will only ruin it – and it might possibly make everything look a lot uglier.

Strong SEO

Search engine optimization is quite literally the practice of making a website more popular on a search engine. Make sure your site’s SEO rank is high by utilizing an array of techniques. Link building and relevant content are just two ways of upping this kind of score.

Overcoming Business Hurdles as an Enthusiastic Entrepreneur

Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. Many businesses fail initially. In the excitement of wanting to succeed, many new entrepreneurs overlook several critical details. As such they run into numerous hurdles. The following contributed post is entitled, Overcoming Business Hurdles as an Enthusiastic Entrepreneur.

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If owning a business was a walk in the park, everybody would be doing it, right? Unfortunately, entrepreneurship isn’t that easy. When running a business it is likely that you will face many challenges along the way. Keeping your company up and running during difficult times is what will make you a successful business owner. When hurdles get in the way of your success, you can rectify the problem in an instant if you keep a positive mindset. Don’t allow small setbacks to stop you from achieving your full potential and consider some of the following ideas.

Seek Assistance Where Necessary

Being an entrepreneur doesn’t automatically denote that you have to do every business task on your own. Seeking assistance might just mean the difference between success and failure. Have you ever started your working day and struggled with your current technology? If you sought advice from a professional IT Consulting company, your hurdles would be instantly overcome. Whatever your unique business needs may be, the experts will be able to help you. Nowadays business technology is complicated, so why make it more difficult? Accept the help you deserve and have complete peace of mind.

Image from Pexels – CC0 Licence

Assess Your Finances Regularly

It is very easy to fall into financial troubles in the early stages of entrepreneurship. Hire an accountant and don’t turn a blind eye to any money worries you may have. Be wary of your spending in the first months and years; don’t make risky business decisions without weighing up the pros and cons. Money is everything in the initial stages of your business, so try to be as thrifty as possible.

Keep a Close Eye on Your Competitors

The competitors in your market can seem like hurdles, but you can actually use them to your advantage without a doubt. By tracking the movements of other companies in your market you can stay one step ahead and remain a strong contender at all times. Whether you’re tracking their keywords on Google searches or taking note of their marketing campaigns, you can learn a lot from opposing businesses.

Don’t Give Up

Your enthusiasm levels as an entrepreneur may dwindle from time to time, especially when new competitors emerge onto the scene. Staying motivated as a business owner is easier said than done, but you need to concentrate on why you started your company in the first place. Read your business plan again and you will soon regain the fire you once had in your belly.

Many business owners wallow in self pity and allow hurdles to get in the way of their success. If you let minor or major problems stop you from pursuing your career goals, you will never be able to reach your full potential. Whether you’re accepting IT help or carrying out competitor research, each one of these steps will help you to get the best out of your business. Don’t let the hurdles defeat you; accept the challenge and learn from everything it teaches you.

The Things That Every Small Business Owner Should Do To Get Ahead

Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. Small business owners have a different set of considerations than large business owners. Following a certain set of keys can ensure that your business will make that transition and grow. The following contributed post is entitled, The Things That Every Small Business Owner Should Do To Get Ahead.

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Your small business might seem insignificant at the moment, but every big corporation had to start in the same place as you. If you have the motivation and the willingness to persevere through mistakes and slow financial periods, your company could slowly start to grow into something more successful on a long-term basis. The key is to be willing to take risks and not shy away from pressing onwards when you occasionally face setbacks. That’s a part of the learning process, even if it feels as if you’re facing setbacks and no instances of success. These are the things that every small business owner should do to get ahead.

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Research the target market.
First of all, you need to research the target market, as explained at bizfluent.com. Your company can’t stand out from the crowd if it doesn’t know what the crowd is missing. Simply offering the same products and services in the same way as your competitors will not help you to get ahead. Why should consumers choose you over your bigger and more established rivals? That’s the question you need to answer. And if you can solve a problem that your competitors have yet to solve, then you’ll have given the target market a reason to choose you.

So, make sure you conduct extensive research on a regular basis. Talk to your current customers and any potential customers who want to share their opinions. Use your social media pages to connect with people by running polls and surveys. Make posts requesting direct feedback on your business and your industry as a whole. That’s how you’ll start to figure out what your intended audience needs from a company such as yours. Once you start solving their problems, your small business will start standing out. And, as a result, you’ll increase your customer base, as outlined at inc.com.

Outsource certain services.
You should also outsource certain services if you want your small business to get ahead. You might have a small and reliable team of professionals who help you to deliver high-quality products or services to the market, but you might still find that your company is falling behind in the market. However, before you start hiring new full-time employees, consider a more cost-effective investment: outsourcing. You might need full-time employees to handle the more technical aspects of your daily operations which relate to your specific field of work, but you don’t necessarily need full-time employees to deal with every aspect of your operations (whilst your business is still small and limited in funding, anyway). You might want to visit safebitsolutions.com for IT support services. If you don’t have a proper IT team or you simply need technological guidance, then those outsourced professionals could consult you effectively. Outsourcing can help you to grow your small business in a cost-effective manner.

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Use digital marketing properly.
As a modern-day entrepreneur, you probably know that digital marketing is crucial for businesses. Still, you might be struggling to make an impression on your target market. Online marketing is competitive; it takes more than a website and a few social media pages to advertise your company effectively on the internet. You need a strong social networking strategy. Create content regularly on multiple platforms to widen your reach, as has been suggested on this site before. You need a constant presence online to not only engage with consumers but maintain their interest.

Getting Your Best Business Support

Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. Most new businesses initially fail and if you’ve started one of the select few to make it passed the early stages, there are a couple of key considerations that you need to keep in mind. The following contributed post is entitled, Getting Your Best Business Support.

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When you’re up and running and your start-up is showing signs of growth, this isn’t the time to take your foot off the gas. No, now’s the time to push forward, to invest, to think big, to reimagine your yearly targets and overall goals and see just how far your business is going to take you.

This might mean it’s time to take on more staff. Increasing your sales or marketing team to push for higher selling figures. Perhaps you’ll also need a greater amount of the stock or product that you sell and that might mean more warehouse space too, or more boots on the ground if you sell services.

But none of this will pay off unless you have the infrastructure in place to support your ambitions.

In this blog we take a look at the structure that supports your whole business, your IT network, and whether recruiting an IT team to keep you on track is always the best option.

In House Options

Recruitment is a time consuming process, more so when you have several posts to recruit for. Nevertheless, when you’ve assembled the right amount of people and have a fully functioning IT team in place, their expertise is invaluable.

Image from Pexels: CC0 licence

You’ll never have to wait for outside support, you’ll always have someone on hand to come and help you fix whatever computer or software issue that arises.

When things are going well, your team will have time to develop new software and upgrade your network to keep it functioning at its best and when there’s a problem, they’ll work tirelessly to fix it.

But what if problems are few and far between? Do you need to have the physical presence of an IT on site seven days a week?

The Outsourcing Option

You might instead consider outsourcing your IT needs to a company like Infotech Management, Inc. Why? There are several good reasons to consider and here are some of the advantages: you’ll have access to a larger support network with more resources then you might be able to provide through your own business.

Like your team they’ll be on hand 24-hours a day to help you out. This work can most often be done remotely and down the phone, so there’s no need to provide desks and computers or have to look for larger office space.

Look for a company that has engineers based near you, so if there is a need to have someone on site, they can be with you in as short a time as possible.

Your business deserves to have the best when it comes to IT support and how you choose to provide that is going to depend entirely on the nature of your business and your personal preferences. Recruiting a team does have its advantages but if you’re looking to potentially save money and desk space looking at outside support might just be the right solution for you. Talk to your local managed support team today and find the right solution.

Mistakes Made By New Event Planners

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success and a key focus is Career Discussions. Becoming an Event Planner can be a lucrative career choice. Event Planning is a world all its own with nuances and keys for success. There are several mistakes that novices make. Avoiding the mistakes can propel you far beyond your competition. The following contributed post is entitled, Mistakes Made By New Event Planners.

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https://pixaby.com/photos/concert-confetti-party-event-club-2527495/

If you have recently become an event planner or this is a career you are thinking about, learn from the mistakes that others have made by avoiding the errors we discuss below.

Not mastering the world of online marketing

There is only one place to begin, and this is with online marketing. All event planners need to have a good online presence today. If you do not have any knowledge or experience in this, or you do not have the time to dedicate to marketing your services, hire a SEO company. They will be able to help you with everything from building an effective website to producing quality content and ensuring you have a good presence on social media.

Using fresh flowers all of the time

Virtually all events require flowers. Without them, it can be difficult to adorn a venue beautifully, or create the right ambience. With that being said, read on to discover more about artificial blooms and why they are a must for your business.

As briefly touched upon, all occasions, be it a wedding or a birthday party, require flowers. This is a must-have decoration. It can help to make a venue look show stopping while also creating the right mood, from excitement to romance. But, why should you look for cheap artificial flowers in particular? There are many different reasons, but mainly it comes down to the fact that fresh blooms are too much of a hassle and risk.

When dealing with fresh flowers, you will need to get them delivered on the day of the event to make sure their appearance does not deteriorate and they do not lose their beauty. This can be very risky for any business. What if they do not get delivered on time? If you take the opposite approach, i.e. you buy fresh flowers in advance, you run the risk of not using them at an event, and thus you are going to make a loss. With artificial flowers, you don’t have to worry about any of this, you can order them in advance for minimal hassle and you can use them again and again to make sure you get your money’s worth. Not only this, but artificial blooms make sure you can cater to the demands of all of your clients, as you are never restricted to what is in season.

Putting all of your eggs in one basket

Last but not least, it can be a very big deal for any event planner when they manage to secure a big client. However, you need to be mindful and make sure you do not put all of your eggs in one basket. What would happen if this client then decide to take their work elsewhere?

Get Social: Brilliant Benefits For Your Business

Three focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money, Business/Entrepreneurship and Technology. As today’s world has become more digital, your social media presence is critical to your business’s success. While social media is misused on a personal level by many people, it’s a very valuable weapon in your arsenal for your business. The following contributed post is entitled, Get Social: Brilliant Benefits For Your Business.

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More than 3 billion people use social media platforms. While social networks may have started out as a communications hub designed to help friends, colleagues and family members stay in touch, its role has undoubtedly evolved. Today, social media plays an integral role in promoting businesses and enabling companies to reach out to customers. If you’re not already reaping the rewards of utilizing these networks and apps for your business, now is the time to get social.

Image credit https://pixabay.com/illustrations/social-social-media-communication-3064515/

Brilliant benefits for your business
If you’ve never used social media as a business tool before, you might be wondering what all the fuss is about. The truth is that social sites offer an incredible platform for all kinds of companies, and an effective social media marketing campaign can have an amazing impact. Here are some of the most significant advantages of using social media as a marketing tool:

Raising brand awareness
Branding is a means of giving your business personality and showing potential customers what you are all about. Social networks offer an opportunity to enable followers and friends to get to know your brand and to show the human side of your company. Whether you’re a fun, quirky business selling gifts, toys or novelty items, or a smart, professional firm offering services like accounting or legal advice, you can use social media to enhance your brand image. You can also get your name out there by encouraging all your existing friends and followers to share your pages and posts. A small group of virtual friends can soon become an expansive network.

Reaching more customers
Billions of people use social apps and sites, and many subscribers check their profiles and news feeds several times per day. Using social media advertising and sharing posts can help you build your client base and reach out to users you may never have been able to contact without social networks.

Defining an audience
Social platforms often have tools you can use to pinpoint users and define your audience. If you’re using adverts to promote your business, for example, you don’t want to pay for posts that have no chance of converting. You can use features like Facebook’s audience insights to maximize your chances of targeting people who are likely to have an interest in the products or services you’re selling. If you are looking to use social media to expand your customer base and increase conversion rates, and you’re not sure how to go about it, it’s wise to consider working with a social media agency. Marketing experts will be able to design and implement a campaign based on your objectives and your target market.

Engaging and communicating with users
Communication is key in modern business, and many customers like to have a relationship with the brands they buy from. Social sites enable you to share posts, comment and send messages within a matter of seconds.

Social media may be a platform for catching up with friends and sharing funny videos, but it can also be an incredibly effective marketing ploy. If you’re not already using these networks to showcase your business and attract customers, what are you waiting for?