Category: Contributed Posts

Running a Business on the Road

Two key focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. With today’s technology, many businesses can now be run from the road and remotely the majority of the time. What are the keys to running a business on the road? The following contributed post is entitled; Running a Business on the Road.

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In the age of the internet, more and more people are finding themselves to be not as restricted by location as they once were. Many businesses can be run from anywhere in the world, and this is certainly an opportunity which more and more people are embracing. Obviously, this is not the same as running a traditional business, and you need to be prepared for this change in a number of different ways. Whether you are a digital nomad globetrotting around the planet or you are simply moving from place to place in your home country to meet clients, here are a few pieces of advice which can help you out.

Stay Disciplined with Your Office Hours

One of the great pleasures of working while you are on the road is the fact that you don’t have to submit to regular office hours. Even so, you need to stay disciplined with the times that you decide to work. Ideally, you should be sitting down on a regular basis to look at your calendar and work out when you will be travelling, when you will be working, and when you will be relaxing. Communicate with your clients well in advance to tell them. You need to ensure that your company is a professional enterprise and that you develop a solid reputation.

Choose Your Equipment and Suppliers Carefully

When you are choosing equipment, you will want to look at factors such as its portability and performance. And when you are selecting suppliers such as a phone provider, you should look carefully at their overall performance, roaming fees etc. Think about the other practical services which you may require relating to your vehicle, and check out providers such as New Era Fuels. Ultimately, your individual needs will depend very much on the type of business that you are running and how much travelling you are planning on doing.

Monitor Your Expenses

Just like running any other kind of business, you need to keep your expenses low and managed as much as possible. There are plenty of ways that you can cut them by looking at all the free services out there relating to software etc. When your location is changing on a regular basis, it can be very easy to overlook how much you are spending, but you need to monitor this to keep your business running smoothly for the longest possible time.

Stay Connected

It can be very easy to caught up in the lifestyle that you have built for yourself, but you need to remember to stay connected as much as possible. And the internet has provided more ways than ever to do this. Even if you only have once a day to respond to all your correspondence etc, make sure that you stay disciplined and up to date with this.

Simple Ideas. Big Money

Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. If you’re thinking about starting a new venture, it’s important to know what simple ideas you can you use to generate extra cashflow. The following contributed post is thus entitled; Simple Ideas. Big Money.

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Sometimes it’s the simple things in life that seem to make us happy. The things that we just can’t take our minds off, and the things that as soon as we think about them, we smile. But when it comes to business, the thought of a simple thing is few and far between. It would seem that pretty much everything is related to stress and confusion. Arguably, the time when this is at its highest is when we’re thinking of the idea to begin with. All your mind can think about is what might be involved with the process, how you can make more money, and all of the things that could possibly go wrong. So, what if we were to give you some simple ideas, that would make some big money. Ideas that wouldn’t require you to do much, but that you would get a lot out of? Well, you’ve come to the right place, because that’s exactly what we’re going to do for you!

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Farming Ideas

Ok, so this one is a little out of the box, and one that we think you might not have thought of before. But, if you were to go into the agricultural industry, you really could be set for life. Farming is not only fun, but highly profitable if you produce good quality produce that people are after. The main expenses you will have will come from your equipment, and the expenses of caring for any animals. You will need tractors, and you will need a lot of red diesel, which can easily be sourced from the internet as to save money. Once you figure out all of the logistics of how to rear animals, plant good quality produce, and maintain it all, you just need to figure out your sales points. Where is the best place to start? Farmers markets. It’s the easiest place to sell the produce, and you can easily make a name for yourself over the years. Enter competitions, grow a following, and reach out to supermarkets. Before you know it you could be a worldwide brand!

Food Ideas

Sticking to a good theme still, but being slightly different in terms of what you can do. If you’re thinking of setting up a food business, you have to consider the lucrative idea of going into the restaurant business. But don’t just set up your average pub, you need to go for something hip and interesting. One idea that we think will really capture the eyes of people is a healthy eating establishment. Put it next to the gym, and make your menu one that just can’t be beat in terms of creativity, and you should always be able to bring in the money. It has to be creative though, the funkier your make literally everything, the better you’re going to become.

Activity Based Ideas

Some people like to be active, some don’t, but who says this idea is out to encourage everyone to get sporty? This ideas is funky, as we’re going to suggest opening up your own indoor inflatable course. Adults and children could be catered for if you made it big enough, and it is so unique that people will always want to be a part of it. Definitely an idea worth doing if you’d like something easy to manage, and easy to maintain. You’d just have to make sure you’re highly focused on health and safety here.

Applying School To The “Real World”: Turning Subject Knowledge Into A Career

The first principal of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success, and two of its focuses are General Education and Career Discussions. Sometimes early on in school we wonder about how our classes will be useful in the real world. The further we progress it likewise becomes important to know where can apply what we’ve learned in a practical way. The following contributed post is thus entitled; Applying School To The “Real World”: Turning Subject Knowledge Into A Career.

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As kids, we all remember complaining about school. And those complaints often extended beyond a mere dislike of homework. Often, children ask themselves why they’re bothering to learn certain things. “When will this help me in real life?” That’s a question many students ask, even when studying technical subjects such as mathematics. Unless you want to become a teacher, the knowledge isn’t important. Right? And technology has made human talents redundant. Spell checkers remove the need for grammatical skills, and calculators remove the need for numerical skills. And, in fact, any piece of knowledge can be gained online. But this is too cynical an approach. There are more ways to apply school to the real world than you might realize. Whether you’re a recent graduate or somebody who’s rethinking their job role, here’s how to turn your subject knowledge into a career.

Science
STEM subjects are valued very highly in the job world, so you probably feel quite confident that there are plenty of career opportunities for somebody with scientific subject knowledge. However, you can use your qualifications for more than obvious options. You don’t have to become an academic researcher in medicine or marine biology. You’ve gained more skills than you realize if you’ve studied for a scientific subject. You’ve learned to critically think, problem solve, organize multiple projects, and adapt on a continuous basis. Those skills could suit you well in the business world if that was a route which interested you.

You could start your own business or become a consultant for other businesses. Science is an incredibly vast field, so your subject knowledge doesn’t limit you to a select few career options. You can take alternatives to the traditional route. Even a student of medicine doesn’t have to become a doctor or a surgeon. Your knowledge is valuable in the “real world”, so don’t dismiss the importance of your qualifications. If you’re not interested in the traditional career routes related to the subject you’ve studied then do some research to gain an understanding of the other options out there. You might just find something totally unexpected that fits your personality perfectly.

Geography
A geographical understanding in the modern world is also highly valuable. There’s more to this subject than knowing where places are on a globe, as you well know. Otherwise, geographical studies would be made obsolete by Google Maps. You can use your degree for more than simply teaching geography to the next generation. If you’ve studied in geographical information science then you could even consider pursuing a career in surveyance. You might want to look into land surveying jobs in your area if that type of career route appeals to you. It could be an exciting opportunity to make a difference in your community with your subject knowledge. A qualification in geography can lead to plenty of vital professions, so don’t diminish the technical weight of your subject knowledge.

History
Much like the other subjects we’ve discussed, history is a topic which is often pigeonholed into a very limited range of career options. You would probably imagine that a history graduate either has to become a teacher or a historian. But research and education aren’t career routes that appeal to everyone. Luckily, you can do more with a history degree than you might think. You could even consider a career in politics. Historical knowledge is incredibly valuable because it outlines mistakes of the past. By working in government, you could advise as to how we could avoid repeating those mistakes again. You could also look into media-related jobs. This is worthwhile subject knowledge for many career routes.

Wide Load: Selling Large & Impractical Products Online

Two key focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. Some businesses sell large products that don’t ship easily, and there are special considerations for these types of ventures. The following contributed post is thus entitled; Wide Load: Selling Large & Impractical Products.

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For a lot of businesses, being able to sell products online has made life much easier over the last few years. Without having to start a normal store, this process is a whole lot cheaper than it used to be, and this has opened the doors for loads of companies to get started. Of course, though, when your products are very large or hard to handle, the online trend can start to become a hindrance. You have no choice but to sell online, but will face challenges which simply don’t come with smaller products. To help with this, this post will be exploring some of the best ways to solve these issues before you get started.

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Communicating Size: Simply giving customers the measurements for your products won’t often be enough when it comes to showing them the size of your goods. People will feel worried about buying something which they aren’t sure if they have room for, though, making it important to look for new ways to convey the size of your goods. One of the best ways to achieve this is through photography. As long as you have a common item in the shot, like a magazine, it will be easy for your customers to tell the size of the piece you’re selling. This trick may sound simple, but it can have a huge positive impact on your sales.

Storing Goods: When a business is selling small products, storing a couple of boxes is usually all they will need to keep a good inventory available to their customers. Larger products will make this very hard, though. To solve this issue, having a slightly longer delivery time quite be well worth it, giving you the chance to either make or order in the products as you need them. While this may stop some people from buying, it will be significantly cheaper than paying for a warehouse to keep goods which may not sell.

Shipping Orders: Getting orders out into the world is another challenge which large product sellers will often face. Normal delivery companies won’t be able to help you, as their vehicles simply won’t be big enough. To save looking for this company and that, there are loads of marketplaces around the web for those who need to buy large item delivery, making it significantly easier to get goods out of the door. Not a lot of people know about this sort of service, leaving them to pay for private companies to do all of their shipping. This can cost a small fortune, and won’t often enable you to handle more than a single order at a time.

With all of this in mind, you should be feeling ready to get started on the process of selling large goods. While a task like this may be a challenge, there will always be ways to overcome it, making your life as a business owner much easier. Of course, though, you will need to do plenty of research, and you may even have to talk to a couple of companies along the way.

What Makes Business Computing Such A Challenge

Two focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. A key to operating most businesses today is keeping your Information Technology systems running optimally. The title of this contributed post is thus entitled; What Makes Business Computing Such A Challenge.

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It’s no secret that a lot of businesses struggle when it comes to the computers they have to use each day. These machines are the subject of a lot of frustration within a lot of companies, making it hard for people to do their jobs, while also presenting challenges which a lot of business owners never expected to face. Not a lot of people understand what makes these machines such a chore, though. Instead, they will simply harbour a dislike for them, often making it even harder to get to grips with the tasks they need to perform with them. What exactly makes this field so difficult, then?

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Unfortunately, while modern schools are often including computing in their standard work rotations, this wasn’t the case just a few years ago. People would go through education learning about all sorts of useful life skills, but would only use computers for tasks which related to other subjects, halting their chances to learn about the devices properly. As a result, a huge portion of the working population finds it hard to use computers. Even those who have to use them everyday will often only learn what they have to, leaving them to struggle when something happens which they don’t expect.

Of course, though, you don’t always have to wait for something to go wrong for a machine like this to throw you through a loop, as the software systems which businesses tend to use are always changing. Developers will rarely consider the impact an update will have on their wider user base. Instead, when they release something like this, it can often take weeks or even months for guides to be made which will teach you what you need to do. This presents more learning, along with forcing a lot of organisations to use IT consulting services just to figure out which versions they should be using. This makes it very hard for people to learn how to use software, especially when they already find it hard to use a computer.

On top of all of this, computers are generally seen as boring machines. People don’t want to dedicate themselves to learning something which they don’t enjoy, even if it is part of their job. This is a real issue, but most people won’t even notice it happening, as it simply makes the learning process a little bit harder. To solve this issue, companies have to work hard to create training programs which can actually engage their employees. Even if it means using tools like social media for context, it will be worth looking for creative ways to handle this task, as people won’t be willing to do it for themselves.

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In reality, most of the trouble which computers can cause for a company will be down to the users themselves. These machines will rarely go wrong without cause, and will be impossible to operate properly without the right learning, making it crucial that you take the right steps when it comes to conquering this challenge once and for all.

Protecting Your Business From The People Within

Two key focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. When running any business, it’s important to hire staff you can trust to the best of your abilities, and also protecting your operations from your employees if necessary. The following contributed post is thus entitled; Protecting Your Business From The People Within.

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Hiring people should always mean that you’re able to trust those inside your business. When you’re paying someone to work for you, you should be able to expect their loyalty, even if things go a little bit wrong. Of course, though, this isn’t always the case, and a lot of businesses have been impacting by their employees in the past. To keep your company safe, this post will be exploring some of the measures which can be taken to make sure that your team is always on your side. This sort of effort is worth it in organisations of any size, even if they are very small.

Monitoring: While keeping an eye on people may seem a little sneaky, it’s not such a big problem when you’re paying for their time. A lot of companies monitor areas like search histories, room used by employees, and even the activities people get involved with outside of work. Taking this approach is nice and easy in the modern world, with loads of tools available to make sure that you can achieve this goal without making your employees feel like they’re being watched all the time.

Security: Information within a business should always be kept on a strictly need-to-know basis. If someone doesn’t need access to a set of files, they shouldn’t have access to it, as this helps to improve security by a huge degree. Likewise, when it comes to items which need to be physically protected, locks and safes can be very useful. It’s amazing what people will steal when they have the chance, even when they’re being paid by the victim they’re making.

Strict Policy: A lot of companies struggle to keep their employees in line because they simply don’t try hard enough. It will be easy for your team to be lazy with their work if there aren’t policies in place for targets, discipline, and reporting bad behaviour, making it crucial that you work to put them in place. To make sure that you can enforce this, a lot of companies use shift managers to keep people working as they should be.

Legal Support: As the last area to consider, it’s time to think about what could go really wrong for your business. When you hire someone, you take on a set of responsibilities which you have to fulfill. Failing to do so could result in being taken to court, forcing you to get help from a company like Ogletree Deakins to fight your corner for you. By following the rules and doing things by the books, you should be able to avoid this sort of issue, even if someone is hell bent on trying to take you for everything you’re worth.

With all of this in mind, you should be feeling ready to start putting protection in place for the inner workings of your business. A lot of people struggle with this sort of work, finding it hard to know exactly what they need to do when they want to keep their company safe and secure.

Where And When To Outsource Your Solutions

Two key focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. When running any business, it’s important to know what tasks you can effectively perform on your own, and when the need arises to outsource those tasks. The following contributed post is thus entitled; Where And When To Outsource Your Solutions.

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Outsourcing provides you with the option of giving some of the work that your business is responsible for to a third-party company. There are companies that can help you outsource all kinds of work, but it’s an option that needs to be used responsibly. It can help get rid of monotonous tasks and implement expert knowledge in the business but if it’s overused, it can cost a lot more than simply hiring someone. Here, we’re going to look at when it’s a good idea to outsource and some of the risks of doing it poorly.

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When you’re not ready for full-time employees
A common reason to outsource is that you have more work and duties than your current team can handle. Why wouldn’t you simply take on some employees? The biggest reason to go with outsourcing instead is that there isn’t quite enough suitable work to justify a full-time role in the business. In that case, the process of recruiting and training an employee so that they can spend most of their time doing nothing can be much less cost-effective than simply relying on a service that you can call on whenever you need it. Outsourcing is scalable to your needs, but a full-time employee might not have that flexibility.

When it makes your business more efficient
There are services that can help you work on the business from a bird’s eye perspective, creating the structure and tools that allows your team to become a lot more productive and efficient. Many business consultants do exactly that, helping business owners strategize certain teams, processes, and systems that the rest of the team uses. The most common form in today’s tech-fueled environment is IT consulting for businesses. You might not necessarily need a full internal IT team if your business isn’t big enough, but consultants can make sure that you have the right tech systems in place, as well as providing repair and maintenance when it’s needed.

When you need real expert insight
There are a lot of tasks you might not need to do quite as often, but when you do, you really need expert input on how to do it right. For instance, there is a lot you and your team can learn to handle in marketing, from content marketing to social media networking. When it comes to website design, however, you need someone with specific experience and expertise in that field. When it comes to parts of the business that have legal implications, it’s best not to go it alone, too. For instance, hiring a business accountant when the tax season rolls around, and you want to avoid getting audited as best as you possibly can. Outsourcing allows you to temporarily tap into a much broader network of expertise that you might not necessarily need on your team, but you definitely need on your side.

Outsourcing can really help you unlock the productivity of your team and benefit from reals experts that you might not have room for on your internal team. Make sure that you’re following the tips above to outsource in a way that promotes the growth of your business rather than stifling it.

Know This If You Plan To Keep Your Company Open Overnight

Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. Not all businesses are 9-5 operations and some are open for 24 hours. There are special considerations for these types of business. The following contributed post is thus entitled; Know This If You Plan To Keep Your Company Open Overnight.

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In modern retail, you need to live up to a variety of expectations from your customers. The typical ‘9-5’ workday isn’t enough in this field anymore. Instead, you need to aim for a business which is available to customers at all times. At the very least, this means operating an online shop. It’s also not unusual for retailers to now stay open overnight. The practicality of being able to pop to the shop at any time has become an expectation rather than an exception. So, you may well be wondering whether 24-hour opening is for you.

 

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In many ways, this seems like a sound business decision. More opening = more time for profit, right? In reality, though, there are a few things to consider before you take the leap. To help you decide, we’re going to look at the main realities you’ll face.

You’ll need to pay more

There is no federal law which says that you need to pay night workers more. But, sticking with day rates here will soon see your night staff deciding to quit. Why would they put up with the added risks and fatigue for no extra money? As a rule, then, pay at least an extra dollar or two for each night hour. Over an all-night shift, that can add up. With that in mind, consider whether this would make monetary sense.

You’ll need to increase security

It’s also worth noting that you’ll need to improve security during those night shifts. In the day, other customers provide a deterrent for thieves. But, if the shop is empty with only your staff inside, thieves may be more willing to take a risk. Hence why you need to consider everything from panic buttons to security cameras. It may even be worth investing in systems like those offered by Athena Security, which have gun detection. That way, your cameras can call the police when they witness the extraction of a gun. Many would argue this is the only way to keep your night team safe.

You’ll need to work night shifts too

Don’t think, either, that you can hand every night shift over to someone else. Like anything in business, you need to show willing with whatever you expect your team to do. At least once a week, then, you’ll need to tackle that overnight shift yourself. If team members are off sick or can’t work on set nights, you may even find yourself alone. Make sure to consider that before making a choice here.

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Do all these pointers mean that 24-hour opening wouldn’t work for you? Not at all. If you stayed busy through the night, you could easily cover that extra pay and security cost. If you don’t mind working through the early hours, it won’t bother you at all that you have to step up to this mark. But, by considering these things, you can ensure you’re 100% certain about taking the late-night plunge. All the better for avoiding unpleasant surprises in the dark!

How to Make Your Clients Happier All the Time

Two of the key focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. A key aspect of business is keeping your customers and clients happy and maintaining your relationships with them. The following contributed post is thus entitled; How to Make Your Clients Happier All the Time.

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It is said that it costs five times as much to find a new client that will buy from you, or use your service than it does to get an existing one to give you repeat business. It has to make economical sense to spend some of your marketing budget on letting your existing clients know of any new products you have on offer, or of any special deals that are available. Of course, new customers are important, but if you want your business to be strong you have to foster loyalty from the ones you already have.

Keep In Touch With Them

You should not make a sale and then ignore your customer. An occasional call or email will be appreciated by most of them especially if they are not always promotional. Keeping in touch with your customers lets them know that they matter to you and that you are always there to help them if they need assistance.

Simple things such as a handwritten Christmas card can make a big difference to how your business is viewed, and a personal touch such as this can keep the customer loyalty flowing.

Keep Your Premises Presentable

Not all businesses are online. If you have a store, warehouse, offices or anywhere else that your customers venture, they need to be kept presentable and safe all the time.

Make sure they do not get cluttered, particularly in walkways, as someone could be injured if they trip over an item. Keep them clean, as nothing is more off putting than dirty premises. You should use commercial cleaning services so that you can be certain that your store, offices or warehouse are spotless. All areas should be clean and safe for workers and customers alike.

Know Your Industry Well

Make sure you know all the ins and outs of your industry or profession. Customers who feel they are dealing with an expert will trust your business more and are likely to stay loyal to you. If you can solve a problem for them, this will ensure that they never go elsewhere.

Keep up to date with the latest trends in your line, and make sure that you are aware of any new laws and regulations that affect it. Your customers are relying on you and if you let them down because a law has changed that you and they were unaware of, they will soon find someone to give their business to.

Listen To Feedback From Customers

Feedback from your customers can be invaluable, regardless of whether it is good or bad. Good feedback will let you know that you are getting things right. If they are complaining you should thank them for getting in touch with you. Them letting you know there is a problem means you can put it right before the same issue arises with another client, and that could prevent you from losing more customers. Research leads us to the conclusion that customer loyalty is built on how complaints are responded to and dealt with, so ensure that you and your employees always handle them in a positive way.

In fact, some businesses send questionnaires or surveys to find the thoughts of their clients, as they consider them to be so important.

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Be Confident In All Your Dealings

Customers use your services or buy your products because they trust you, and you need to stay confident to maintain that trust. Always be decisive and positive and avoid words like ‘if’ or ‘maybe’ in your correspondence with them. If you think they might ask you something you are unsure about, do some research before you take their call or reply to their email.

If you really do not know the answer to a question, be honest and tell them that. Also, let them know that you will find the information they need and get back to them without delay. Once again, this will help to keep the trust you have built, but a quick response will also make them feel they matter.

Keep Your Promises

Be realistic about the delivery dates of products, or deadlines you can meet with a service. It is always better to be early than for goods to turn up late or for the deadline you have set yourself to be missed. You have to remember that if a customer has a bad experience because of unrealistic promises you made, they will tell everyone within earshot what an unreliable business you are.

They do not tend to tell so many people when their experience has been good, but if they only mention it to 4 or 5 people, that is getting your brand name around. Then some of those people may become customers too, and hopefully, they will be treated well enough to recommend your business as well.

Have Valuable Content On Your Website

If you are an online business, it is your website that people will go to view your products and services. Make sure the content on there is relevant and useful to the consumers that are likely to buy from you. It does not need to be all written content, as images and videos can sometimes be more appealing. It seems that these days, consumers are more likely to watch a video about products rather than read written text about them.

Use the feedback clients have given you in a question and answer section, as this can show others how often people come back to you. Let the customers know that you are using their comments, as that will make them feel a bit special that you consider what they think to be important enough to repeat.

Ask About New ideas

Keeping your existing customers is all about making them feel you care. If you have an idea for a new product or an addition to your services, send an email to all your existing customers asking their opinions. Firstly, this could bring invaluable advice before you move forward, and secondly, they will be impressed that you cared enough to ask the question.

Keeping your existing customers happy will give you a client base that is loyal, and most time, this is the best basis any business can have.

The Circus Behind Small Business Ownership

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystem of Success and a key focus is Business/Entrepreneurship. Starting a business is one of the most challenging and potentially rewarding things one can do. It often causes individuals to do things they’ve never had to do, and use ‘muscles’ they never though they had. The following contributed post is thus entitled; The Circus Behind Small Business Ownership.

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There is one thing that no business owners will come clean about when it comes to starting a business, and that’s The Circus. When you think of the circus, you likely think about acrobats and elephants and clowns. But the one missing piece is you – the Juggler. As a business owner, you juggle everything from your staff to balancing the books, and when you are starting out especially, this is the biggest job around. The clients and customers that you serve on a daily basis in your small business will only ever see the smooth swan on the surface of your company – which is exactly what they should see. You can’t impress people with your business acumen if you’re showing the frantic paddling under the surface to stay above water. Your professionalism is going to dictate your success and if you are showing people the hidden circus of owning your business, you’re not going to survive.

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Your new business may well have been born from a passion that you’ve had your whole life, so you’ve spent time turning your passion into a business idea that could make you a profit. Whether you are looking at baking for a living or you want to build a construction company from scratch, your hobby is now your business and it’s one that you’re passionate about. The problem? Small business dealings are not small. There is nothing small about becoming The Juggler – the person who is managing the finances and the invoicing and customer services and sales. There are just too many ‘and’s’ in that sentence, isn’t there? Owning your own business is tough, and while you’re juggling baking cupcakes and tarts, you need to make sure that you are managing staff and their development and developing the business at the same time.

Here’s the thing about joining the business circus: you learn skills. If you finally step into the shoes of the Juggler, you’re going to learn how to manage things flying at you from all directions, keeping them up in the air and never losing sight of their direction. Once you learn how to juggle, you never forget how to do it. The other thing you should know, is that you don’t have to do it if you don’t want to. The good thing about the world that we live in today is the fact that we have access to resources to make sure that we aren’t too stretched and stressed. We bring in office cleaners to keep the premises looking fantastic. We hire virtual assistants to manage the baggage of paperwork so that we can concentrate on the tasks that we actually enjoy. You could find an IT company to manage your server for you, taking the stress out of having to check up on your systems. You could hire a marketing company to build your business website. The point is that you could be in the circus and take the role of the Juggler, or you could be a Ringmaster. Really, it’s going to be up to you. Should you choose the role of Juggler while you build up your business, you will need to know these seven things.

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    ●  Practice Makes Perfect
In business, practice has to be persistent for it to make sense. Don’t choose random things to juggle in your business; everything you do has to have intent behind it. Staying patient while you juggle everything going isn’t going to work, but that’s where strategy comes into the equation.
●   See The End Result
A part of your juggling process is going to be you, visualizing your end result while you feel like you’re drowning. You’re not drowning. You need to relax while your business is building so that you can keep your eye on the prize. Take the time to write down what each of your strategies will mean for your business. Staying focused on what you want to happen is going to help you plough through the days where you don’t feel like you can anymore.
●   You’re Going To Drop The Ball – It’s Okay
You are running a business and this is a messy job. Sometimes, you’re going to drop the ball on a task – and this is where you know it’s time to ask for outside help. It’s a normal part of the process to drop the occasional ball, but if you are learning from those mistakes and able to move forward with outsourced assistance, your business is going to be built stronger for it.
●   Crawl Before You Walk
When you are starting up as a new business, there are going to be skills that you’re going to need to learn. Taking classes at night to teach you how to network and negotiate isn’t a weakness; it’s a strength that you recognise you can’t just run when you start up – you need to crawl first. Start simply and hone your craft, taking your time to do it. The only way you’re going to make yourself a success is to go slowly and take your time.
●   Consistency Is Key
As a Juggler, you’re going to need to know which direction every ball is going at all times. Skillful execution is what ensures a successful outcome. If you understand this early on, you’re going to have far more success with your business strategies. Throw carefully, catch meaningfully and you’re less likely to drop the ball.
●   Pause
Seeing as all this juggling is entirely metaphorical, you need time to rest. The brain is not capable to sustain a performance under pressure for a long time, which means that you need to step back and breathe on occasion. Take a moment to relax and you will have a renewed effort for the next task.
●   Let Go Sometimes
If you want to innovate as a business, you need to learn to let go on occasion. Holding onto a task too tightly will lead to you choking the fun out of it. Let go, and you’ll be able to let your plans develop.