Two focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. If you’re running a business, you always want to think about ways to help you business function at the highest level possible. Doing so will assure your business’s survival and may even mean stifling your competition. The following contributed post is entitled, 4 Important Ideas to Help Your Business Function at the Top Level.
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You have plenty to think about as a modern business owner, and it is important for you to do as much as possible to work on this moving forward. Try to come up with some of the best ways of being able to make the most of this right now, and there are a lot of elements that play a role here. Try to think about what it takes to make the most of this right now, and there are a lot of ways of being able to improve this right now.
Make sure you are focused on doing as much as possible to come up with great ways of helping your business function at the top level as much as possible. There are a lot of things to keep in mind when it comes to improving this right now. Think about using these 4 points to try to help you with this, and get the best possible outcome for your business right now.
1. Rebrand
Rebranding is one of the most important things you can do as a business these days, and this is why you need to make sure you focus on rebranding the company in the right kind of way. It is essential for the brand to stay relevant and up to date as much as possible, and this is something that you can achieve by rebranding more effectively. So do as much as possible to come up with ideas that are going to help you here.
2. Make Your Business More Secure
Trying to make your business more secure is one of the key things that you should be looking to accomplish if you are hoping to take things to the next level. There are so many factors that play a part in helping to make your company as secure as possible, and this is something you are going to have to work on as much as possible, and there are a lot of elements that can play a role in this as much as possible.
3. Use the Right Software
There are a lot of things that play a part in helping you with this, and it is something that you need to play a role in right now. Try to consider the best ways of being able to use the perfect software in order to improve the functionality and productivity of the business. This is why it is important to make sure you use software like Aspera to help you improve things as much as possible when you are trying to run a business.
4. Improve Your Marketing
Make sure you have a strong and diverse marketing strategy that you can use to continue attracting interest in your business, as well as boosting your marketing right now. There are a lot of options to consider here, and it is important that you do what you can to make the most of this right now, and you need to experiment with different types of business marketing right now.
Keeping your company functioning at the top level as often as possible is so important for developing the best possible future for your business. This is something you need to look into right now, and there are a lot of things you can do to try to accomplish this.
“I personally recommend having a year’s worth of savings in the bank!”
Note. Like my Net Worth piece, the subject matter of this blog post is not new. It has been known for years by those who’ve learned about it in their families, learned about its concepts in business school, or have discovered it on their own. It’s a discussion from my personal perspective which I think is worth visiting. Also, while this is a ‘money’ topic, I’m discussing it from a ‘scholarly’ perspective. I’m not rendering financial advice where I’m telling readers what they should do. In the spirit of the first principle of my blog, Creating Ecosystems of Success, I’m simply introducing a concept and discussing why it’s important for the lay person; so they can make their own life choices.
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Reflecting on my youth, both of my parents were savers and they showed that in their own unique ways. As described in my piece regarding budgeting, my Auntie Adele was quite the budgeter and she was always outspoken (and vigilant) about that. All of the pieces were there in my mental periphery, though it wouldn’t be until my adult years that I’d figure out how every piece in terms of one’s personal finances ‘fit together’ as I’ll describe later. I’ve learned that you can hear about something, but it’s not until doing it yourself that you actually understand it. This is why Rich Dad Poor Dad author, Robert Kiyosaki, frequently referenced the “Cone of Learning” in his books.
Though I intuitively knew what ‘emergency funds’ were before taking Dave Ramsey’s “Financial Peace University (FPU)“, I got a much clearer picture of what they were and why they’re important. I’ve covered many other important aspects of personal finance here on my blogging platform, but after a potential collaborator emailed me recently about linking their online resources to some of my content, I realized that I never covered emergency funds. It’s a topic that is timeless in terms of importance and is especially relevant with my recently purchasing a new car. As such, I think I’ll use that a jumping off point for this piece.
If you don’t know, I’m a YouTube content creator now and have four channels. My original Big Discussions76 channel now covers several topics, financial literacy/money being chief among them. I recently shot a video discussing my decision to acquire a vehicle after going without one for eight years. You can watch that video in the link below. If you do, please kindly give a like, share it in your network and subscribe to my channel.
I also wrote two pieces discussing why I decided to go without car ownership. In those pieces and in my YouTube video, I communicate that one of the checked boxes for rejoining the car ownership club was having a fully funded emergency fund. In FPU, Dave Ramsey describes a fully funded emergency fund as one that contains three to six months of savings based upon the critical items on your personal budget. That’s actually a little more on the liberal side. Some people, like one of my mentors, are more conservative and believe that one (or a couple) should have a year’s worth of savings in the bank! If your personal finances are highly leveraged credit-wise and you’re living paycheck to paycheck, this may all sound like a gargantuan task, but from personal experience, I can assure you that it can be done.
I can’t lie though, in that it does take a great deal of determination, grit, and delayed gratification to create a fully funded emergency fund. Spiritual folks would also say that it takes a great deal prayer. In either case, you must know what your ‘why’ is, or your motivation. That will help keep you going even when things feel lonely or even get hard. What was my motivation for creating an emergency fund? Let us go back to car ownership.
“Cars are built to breakdown,” said Mr. Cholley Gray of the former Gray’s Auto in my hometown of Buffalo, NY. In my trips back to Buffalo from Charlotte, NC, Mr. Gray performed most of the repairs on my first car, a white 1990 Subaru Legacy which was passed down from my mother to my brother, and then to me. Having been through seven long years of Buffalo winters, I inherited the car right around the time when rust started taking hold of many of its parts and wear and tear had set in. I went through numerous transaxles when I owned that car. Each was $150-$200 each time.
The biggest and probably the costliest repair was the “rack and pinion” which went out on me down in Charlotte, NC. For those unfamiliar with the inner workings of automobiles, the rack and pinion is a part of the power steering system. When the piping rusted out that fateful day, the car became extremely difficult to steer and it made what I would call a howling or a screeching sound like a saw cutting through wood. One of my professors and I investigated the systems of the car in his driveway and saw that it was literally bleeding the pink power steering fluid. It was a fixable repair, which came at a price of $850. As an undergraduate I was mortified by the price in addition to the sound the car was making. Fortunately, my father was there to send me the money, just as he was there to purchase the car for me from my brother and pay for my insurance.
My burgundy 1996 Saturn SL2, which I purchased in Ann Arbor, Michigan while in graduate school, had two costly repairs within the final six months of grad school. This led me to bow out of the car ownership club in the summer of 2012. One night near my job, one of the front wheels rusted out completely. That is the entire support stabilizing the wheel needed to be replaced. That costed $1,200 at Meineke which was my entire federal income tax return that year. Only months later, the cable attached to the manual transmission broke while I was driving. Fortunately, I wasn’t on the expressway and was able to pull off onto a side street without being harmed. That repair also came out at $1,200 which was the final straw for me. Mentally, I’d already prepared for getting rid of the car, like a loved one on life support.
Probably the most painful repair though, was around 2010 when the radiator cracked in the scorching Northern Virginia summer heat. Not only was that repair $500, but the mechanic, an Asian guy named Steve, bitched at me and jeered me about getting a new car when I picked it up. The nerve of that guy, right? After all, I paid him for his service. My girlfriend at that time pretty much agreed with him on the spot, making a bitter afternoon more bitter. At that time, I was temporarily living with her while closing on my condo unit. I planned to give her something for that month towards the rent, but because of the transmission going out, I couldn’t pay her, which she secretly held against me and sprung it on me during one of our many future arguments.
If it sounds petty for me to tell this side story about my ex, rest assured knowing that there’s a grander purpose. Sometimes in life we set out with good intentions and unexpected things happen affecting the entire mosaic. If we’re not prepared, domino effects can result making situations exponentially worse. I’m saying all of this to say that life is so much better when you have an emergency fund, a stash of money saved just in case something goes bad. It literally gives you peace of mind. Everything is just different because you’re not constantly worrying about something going wrong or breaking. When something does break, wears out, or needs to be replaced, you’re not scrambling for money or to take out loans. It’s truly a different way of living. “Murphy leaves you alone,” as Dave Ramsey jokingly says.
Having an emergency fund also allows you to potentially help those around you. Going back to the girlfriend described above, there was another instance where she needed to get new tires on her car to pass the state inspection. By the way, she was educated and had a career of her own. That said, I was still expected to take care of her in certain ways. This is a prevalent expectation and I’m not disputing it as I understand the psychology of it more now. It’s just something for some men reading this to be cognizant of. There is more I could say about it, but that’s a separate discussion.
At that time, I didn’t have a fully funded emergency fund and was unable to safely pull the $300-$400 out of my savings to pay for her new tires. I’ve often wondered if she would have been more ‘human’ to me throughout that relationship if I could have done more for her financially. Based upon what I know now, the answer is yes.
Going back to when I discussed ‘safely’ pulling the money out of my savings, let me unpack that a little bit more. A decision you must make when someone comes to you for help, or announces that they’re in distress, is whether or not you can afford to help them. Put another way, will you potentially later need the money said person is asking you for? If so, you may not be able to help them because if you do, you may be stuck asking someone else for help later on yourself, another domino effect.
The other thing is that after being both the lender and lendee, I agree wholeheartedly with Dave Ramsey in terms of loaning money. I don’t believe in loaning money anymore. If someone comes to me these days for help, I assess whether or not I have the money to give. If I can’t give the full amount, I give what I can and don’t expect anything back, as loans put a mutual strain on personal relationships. From a spiritual standpoint, Proverbs 22:7 reads, “The rich rule over the poor and the borrower is slave to the lender.” It’s something for everyone to ponder, especially with friends and relatives.
I’m going to close with two more points. The first of which is that while I discussed emergency funds in the context of automobile ownership in this piece, it reaches into many other areas. In the last five years, I’ve lost a cell phone, I’ve had to replace my refrigerator, and the toilet in my home.
I’ve also refinanced my mortgage a couple of times. While not an emergency per se, these have involved me using some of my savings to help the transactions go through. Speaking of savings and mortgages, if you can’t purchase your home outright with cash, one of the key things lenders will be looking for when deciding to qualify you for a mortgage, is your history of saving money. Likewise, the more you have saved, the better the loan terms you’ll get if you qualify. I’ll also jokingly state here that me and the ex-girlfriend discussed above got into a standoff over this point one night. My father and I had also talked about this before. I was factually right, but sometimes being right in relationships just causes more drama and resentment.
My final point involves retirements savings. Some individuals have started saving in their retirement accounts which is absolutely the right thing to do as employees. Unfortunately, when adverse events occur, some people must use credit cards, loans or raid their retirement savings because they don’t have any other ‘liquid’ cash available. Raiding your retirement savings involves a tax penalty and unplugs the money from ‘compounding’. An emergency fund thus provides a layer of protection for your retirement nest egg, and that’s an important though not widely understood reality about retirement savings.
With all of this being said, a fully funded emergency fund, while an important piece of your financial health, isn’t an ultimate layer of protection. There may be bigger adverse financial events looming and that’s what your insurances are for (health, car, homeowner, renters, etc.). That’s a separate topic all in itself, but one that everyone should also consider.
• They improve your overall peace of mind, health and quality of life just by relieving financial stress. • They allow you to absorb and recover from negative financial events (but also remember that insurances are important). • They protect your other savings and investments and allow you to easily navigate transactions like home purchases and refinances. • They allow you help those around you (if you can afford to).
In closing, keep in mind that your emergency fund is not meant to be the investment of the century, just a layer of protection against life, and it acts as insurance in a way. Though it may be sitting in a savings account not making much interest, you want to be able to get to it quickly in case of an emergency (not for frivolous spending). There are savings accounts that can earn more money for you such as a money market account, but again that is not the main point of all this. The point is to protect you and your investments.
Thank you for taking the time to read this post. As of now I’ve written several financial pieces on my blogging platform and many of them are listed on the bottom of the Big Word Blog Site’s home page. I’ve also published numerous shorter money and business-related pieces with guests and contributing writers. You can find those by simply searching my categories menu on the home page or by typing “money”, “finance” or “business” into the search box at the bottom of the home page. If you read something you like, please leave a comment and share in your network via email or in your preferred social media space.
To receive all of the most up to date content from the Big Words Blog Site, subscribe using the subscription box in the right-hand column in this post and throughout the site, or by adding the link to my RSS feed to your feedreader. Please check out any of my four Big Discussions76 YouTube channels. Lastly, follow me on Twitter at @BWArePowerful, on Instagram at @anwaryusef76, and at the Big Words Blog Site Facebook page. While my main areas of focus are Education, STEM and Financial Literacy, there are other blogs/sites I endorse which can be found on that particular page of my site.
Three focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money, Business/Entrepreneurship and Technology. If you’re in business, a key aspect of your marketing strategy today has to involve social media as so many people are now plugged into it. The following contributed post is entitled, How To Nail Your Social Media Branding.
Building a brand for your business is one thing, but ensuring that your brand is relevant and carries over to your social media is another. Effective social media branding is an essential component of any digital marketing strategy and can be the difference between success and failure. If you’re unsure how to build your social media brand, then here are some tips that you may find useful.
Go back to basics and define your audience
Before you take a branding idea and run with it, it is crucial that you first take the time to thoroughly define your target audience. Defining your target audience on social media will allow you to create a brand identity that effectively resonates with the audience that you are trying to reach. When determining who your audience is, try not to cast your net too wide as this can make it difficult to refine your branding and does not automatically ensure that you will capture your target customers.
Don’t feel as though you need to be on every social media network
As you begin to define your target audience, it may start to become clear that your audience is not present on all social media platforms. Rather than wasting time, money, and energy on creating a brand presence on platforms your target customers do not use, start by focusing on one or two platforms that they use on a regular basis. Facebook and Twitter are usually a great platform to start with, as is LinkedIn if you are B2B, and Instagram for B2C content, but you may also want to consider trying TikTok, or YouTube who can help you to harness the power of video.
Create consistent valuable content
Your social media content is a direct reflection of your brand and should be written and designed to reflect your tone of voice and company values. Not all of the things you post need to have a sales angle, but it is essential that everything you post provides your followers with value. To make sure that your content is well thought out and is consistent, most businesses create a content strategy and try to build their content well in advance so that they can see how it sits together. As a general rule, for the maximum engagement, you should aim to make one Facebook post per day, 1-2 Instagram posts, 15 Tweets, 1 LinkedIn post and 1 TikTok per day,
Don’t be afraid to ask for help
Lastly, don’t be afraid to reach out for help from a professional branding or social media agency. Creating an effective social media brand and an efficient strategy is time-consuming and complex, which simply makes it unsustainable for many businesses to take on in-house. Do some research and get more information from some branding and social media agencies that cater to your sector to see if this is an avenue that is worth exploring.
So there you have it – a few simple tips to help you nail your social media branding. Is your business on social media? Which social media networks do you use?
“Regardless of what type of business you run, it’s always a good idea to think of ways to improve your security so that you can avoid potential business risks.”
Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. When you’re running a business, one of the things you want to do is make your operations as secure as possible. Ensuring your business’s security will likely ensure its profitability. The following contributed post is entitled, Preventing Security Risks In Your Business.
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Every now and then, you may decide to look at your security measures to see what you can do in order to improve it. For instance, you might feel like your doors are a little weak, you might be concerned about your office network or you might even find yourself hiring more security personnel.
Regardless of what type of business you run, it’s always a good idea to think of ways to improve your security so that you can avoid potential business risks. Unfortunately, not every business makes enough capital to warrant hiring a security service to help them out. With that said, you can still manage your own business security with relative ease as long as you approach it the right way.
A lot of people think that business security is something that requires a lot of time, effort and knowledge. However, the reality is that it’s more common sense than anything. Yes, there are certain aspects of business security that will require expertise and knowledge, but those situations are surprisingly few and far between. So without further ado, let’s take a look at how you can prevent potential security risks in your business.
Have a proper security system that you maintain on a regular basis
One of the issues with outdated security systems is that they tend to get in the way. Perhaps you’re still using big and bulky CCTV cameras or maybe you’re using old locks on your doors that can easily be broken or picked. Your security system involves basically everything in your business from your locks and doors to your firewall and antivirus software. If you want to protect your business, you need to have a complete security system that is maintained on a regular basis to detect flaws and exploits.
When you start taking your security seriously, you’ll find that you often have to replace things to ensure that it’s functioning correctly and able to protect you against all kinds of threats. A good example of this would be with antivirus software. Since there are new viruses and threats being created every day, it’s important to update your software and systems to ensure it can detect these new viruses.
Partner with local services to get the most out of your security
You should always be looking for local services to work with when it comes to security. Not only are local services more affordable, but you also build relationships with them much more quickly. This means you’ll be offered a better service, affordable prices and immediate service since they’re physically close to you. This can also be a great way to look for niché security services.
For example, you can find an affordable locksmith to help with any master key issues you’re having, or you could hire local security personnel if you want to protect your store from thieves. These people will have a better understanding of the local market and they’ll also be able to respond at a moment’s notice since they’re local. This is perfect if you’re worried about someone breaking into your business at night and not having anyone to rush to stop the thieves in the middle of the night.
Furthermore, you can work with experts to ensure everyone you hire is suitable for the role. If you work with sensitive information and data, a security clearance attorney can ensure that your business is protected while also giving your existing employees the ability to continue their careers.
Train your staff to protect your business from various threats
Criminals tend to exploit your members of staff because they’re usually out of the loop when it comes to security concerns and protocols. In fact, one of the most common ways for a hacker to break into your systems is actually through social engineering. They could trick one of your employees into giving them a password or remote access to your computers. They’ll then cause havoc and make things difficult for your entire business.
Make sure you train your staff to avoid things like accidentally clicking on keyloggers, scam websites or falling victim to social engineering. The more well-trained your team is regarding security, the less likely they’ll be exploited.
Private security guard agency
A private security guard agency will keep you and your family safe. The best private security guard agencies will have a team of highly trained and experienced security guards who are able to provide you with the protection you need. They will also have a comprehensive security system in place so that you can be sure that your family is safe at all times.
When choosing a private security guard agency, it is important to choose one that is reputable and has a good track record. You should also make sure that the agency has a good customer service record so that you can be sure that they will be there for you if you ever need them.
If you are looking for a private security guard agency, then there are a few things that you should keep in mind. First, you should make sure that the agency is reputable and has a good track record. You should also make sure that they have a good customer service record so that you can be sure that they will be there for you if you ever need them. Finally, you should make sure that the agency has a comprehensive security system in place so that you can be sure that your family is safe at all times.
Improving the security of your business is a major consideration that needs to be taken seriously. Protecting your business means less time spent worrying about data breaches or thieves breaking in. Those scenarios can cost your business a lot of money, ruining your chances of becoming a successful business and setting you back financially and also in terms of reputation.
This is why it’s vital that you prevent security risks in your business by taking the right countermeasures first. We hope that this article has given you some useful information to get started with your business security or to improve it drastically.
Three focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money, Business/Entrepreneurship and Organizational and Management Discussions. In order to keep your business running, it should have a level of organization and there are a few principles to keep in mind. The following contributed post is entitled, 5 Key Principles For Business Organization.
Running a business can be a challenge. However, when you’re someone that has always wanted to do their own thing, you are going to find that you really love it. And you won’t be alone. Some people are born entrepreneurs. And when that’s the case, you’re more than happy to put the work in to achieve the goals you set for yourself. Yet, what happens when you’re not so sure about what you can do to find success? Is it all about sales and growth, or is there more to it than that?
One of the things that you will find really helps you to get to where you want to be business-wise, is organization. When your business is organized, there’s little you can’t do! From creating the best products to boosting your bottom line, let’s take a look at the five business organization principles that can help you.
1. Have Systems
To start off with, you need systems. You know what sort of tasks you need to get done in your business, right? So, do you have set ways of doing them? If not, then it’s time for you to make a change and get organized here so processes can be streamlined.
2. Automate What You Can
From here, you’re then going to want to make sure that you automate what you can. Now, this isn’t always possible – but anything that ca be automated, should be. From stock checks to accounts payments, see what you can put in place to make things run smoothly.
3. Organize Your Assets
Next, you ‘re going to want to take a look at your assets. This may not be something that you immediately think about – but it matters. If you have no idea where anything is or how things are organized, it will be chaotic. Yet, when you bring in an organization system, using something such as asset labels, it’s going to help you to have a better grasp on what you have and where it is. This will then allow you to feel organized for success.
4. Define Roles
Another thing that you can do here, is to make sure that you’re looking at your staff and how they contribute to your business overall. If you want to be organized, it’s so important to look at how it’s run and how your processes work. Think about the roles and responsibilities of everyone in your business. If you want things to be efficient and successful, making sure that everyone is doing the best job is going to be a huge part of that.
5. Cut Out The Unnecessary
Finally, you are going to find that, no matter how organized you think you are, there will still be things that you do that are unnecessary. So this is the perfect time to sit down and take a look at the way you do things, the processes that you follow, and see what you can do to streamline them. There will always be steps that you do that are costing you money or taking up too much time. And this will then ultimately help you to be much more organized.
Three focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money, Business/Entrepreneurship and Technology. In today’s digital world, there are a myriad of ways to market your business. A powerful tool for doing so is video. The following contributed post is entitled, Business Marketing: The Power of Video.
Video marketing is an essential component of most small and large companies’ marketing programs. Over the years, creating a video has become much more accessible to SMEs. Allowing them to make use of what is one of the most attractive content marketing techniques available.
With 75 million Americans watching videos online every day, videos maintain a profound influence in attracting and engaging customers. To find out more about how video marketing could benefit your business. Whether you own a startup that’s focusing on breaking even, or a long-established company, seeking to modernize your current marketing strategies. Below you can find a few reasons why videos are crucial.
Higher Ranking On Search Engines
Search engines like Google favor platforms online that host videos. Videos are respected as a valuable form of content by search engines. Providing the video created is appropriately optimized, it can work wonders for lifting the ranking of your, for example, company website. To optimize a video correctly, while uploading the video online, you must fill in the metadata and include relevant keywords.
Influences Purchasing Decisions
People are much more likely to purchase a product if there is a video demonstrating its use. It gives a customer’s buyers confidence as they can witness a product in action. According to Social Media Today, 90% of customers stated a video is fundamental in their decision-making journey, on whether to buy something. A video demonstration provides the viewer with a better understanding and appreciation of its functions and benefits.
If you have a smartphone or video recorder, you may be tempted to create your own video. However, it’s advised you source and partner with a Video Production Company that can curate quality and professional moving pictures for your business instead. Reason being, suppose you create a video that is inferior in quality, featured in bad lighting, or there’s a problem with script continuity. It shall tarnish a customer’s opinion of your company and the advertised product or service. Thus seeking an experienced video production company is crucial to eliminate this risk.
Easy To Digest
The public prefers watching videos because they’re easier to digest compared to written content. The accessibility and engaging qualities of video make it a popular medium for businesses to use and consumers to view.
It allows companies to present and inform users about their products adequately. And, better yet, customers are more likely to remember a video over stand-alone content and graphics.
Simple To Share
A business video can be distributed more or less anywhere online. A company website, a Youtube channel, a blog, and on most social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Vimeo.
With video, you can extend the reach of your business online and increase brand awareness. While you work to upload and distribute your video across the web, once your target audience sees it, (providing it’s relevant to them, informative, engaging, and entertaining), consumers are likely to share it!
To unlock the power of video as a useful marketing tool for business, companies need to seek a production team with experience creating compelling motion pictures for enterprises.
Two key focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. When most people think about business, they think solely about making money and generating profit. A little-known secret is that if your business doesn’t align with your morals and personal mission, it will likely be hard to work in every day. The following contributed post is entitled, Making Sure Your Business Aligns With Your Morals.
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If you’re a business owner, and you want to be sure that the company you’re running is just as good as the morals you hold dear in your heart, it might be time to take a step back and look things over. After all, it’s easy to lose your way when you’re trying to be successful in the working world, and fitting yourself into the corporate machine can shave off any and all ethical practices you love to live by. However, it’s not impossible to turn things around, and make sure your company is more ethical, down to earth, and friendlier than ever.
During the interview process, be on the lookout for people who sound like you. People you know you can see a lot of good in, and people who sound like their hearts and minds are in the right place. Because this makes them a like mind.
A like mind is going to hold the same values as you do: open communication, collaboration, putting others first, etc. And because of this, they’re going to share the same morals, and promote them during their work. You’re going to have a much more productive working environment because of this, and it’s important to always encourage new and old hires alike to share in these qualities.
Stay Aware of Biases
Everyone has some bias they’re working through in their life, and often, it’s because of the way we’ve been raised. Some people may discriminate against someone based on a variety of factors, and in the workplace, both a person’s gender and their skin color are most commonly brought up as biased factors at tribunals.
So it’s important to examine your biases, especially the ones you’ve gained via your working experience. Once you have, you can really open up the floor to skilled workers from all over the world, regardless of who they are. Take an example from this piece on Christianity and Political Parties; always look for the good in people, and never be ruthless in trying to achieve success.
Get Stuck in Yourself
If you’re looking to keep your business in line with your morals as a person, it’s important to lead by example. Learn by doing, show your employees the ropes, and never let your team go out there alone. Make sure you’re at the helm of your operations, getting stuck into the work the same as everyone else, and try not to let anyone on your team feel less than.
When you create an environment of cohesion like this, you ensure you never come across as a hypocrite, especially in such an important and diverse situation. Not to mention, if you like to know that things have been done properly, you’ll always be there to oversee the directions your employees take!
Your business should align with your morals, and it’s easier to ensure this than you may think. Encourage your employees, look for similar people, and be a real leader.
Two focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. Most will argue that the most important part of business is not the the actual idea or service, but instead the marketing. Many entrepreneurs don’t focus on this aspect enough. The following contributed post is entitled, 5 Masterful Marketing Tips For Generating Local Leads.
We are living in a digital age, and many companies now focus their attention on trying to reach a wider audience. However, stretching your nets further afield isn’t the only way to increase leads and sales. Learning to maximize conversions from your local demographic can be equally beneficial.
It’s easy to forget about the value of the customers on your doorstep. Here’s how to get more out of them.
1) Focus On Local SEO
The only thing better than reaching out to clients is to have them reach out to you. Even before COVID-19, a growing number of Google searches were focused on local businesses. The popularity of “near me” searches underlines the need for you to place added emphasis on local SEO. Targeting geographic search terms is essential, but you must also consider the growth of voice searches. Finally, a strong Google My Business listing will send local visibility through the roof. Traffic will soar.
2) Use Offline Marketing
Digital marketing trends are an ideal way to grow an audience and increase interest levels. However, offline marketing has a key role to play too. Many businesses rightly worry about the proposed costs. Direct mail advertising that targets local leads that have a genuine possibility of conversion can solve this issue. The healthy leads and contacts can subsequently point them towards the sales funnel. This is where personalized interactions can take success to the next level as selling practices can be tailored to them.
Consumers don’t only judge companies based on their products. Brand image is an increasingly important feature for a socially-conscious generation. Therefore, you must do your bit for the local environment as well as the economy. Improved waste management should sit at the top of your agenda. Meanwhile, going green and supporting community causes will serve you well too. When potential leads can relate to the company and its brand message, they will be more likely to complete a purchase.
4) Be Accessible
While this step isn’t limited to local marketing, it has a telling impact on local audiences. Multichannel marketing can ignite interest in the business and its products. Sadly, it counts for very little if the leads cannot get hold of the sales staff. Social media channels can become a great portal for responding to questions. Meanwhile, call redirecting services facilitate great customer care even when you cannot afford to hire a team of agents. All contact details and information relating to your business opening hours should be clearly stated on your site too.
5) Join Forces
It’s very easy to fall into the trap of thinking gall other local businesses are your competition. But they’re not. For example, if you’ve started a PT business, it may be possible to work together with a local health food store. Your joint marketing efforts can double the visibility and professionalism. Crucially, you can share an audience without negatively impacting the sales of your partner. Marketing isn’t the only area where you can join forces. Joint orders on business services can also work wonders.
6. Use local social media groups
In addition to using email marketing to target local customers, you can also use various local media social platforms. This is where a company joins local social media groups to access in-depth information regarding their customers’ wants and desires. It also allows you to target the right customers for your products. If you want to reach a specific niche, you can do so through local social media accounts such as Facebook, or a WhatsApp group.
One reason why you should use social media to master marketing is that it can help you create a positive brand image. Besides, it can increase your brand’s awareness since today’s generation relies heavily on social media information. And the best thing about it is that you can use different channels to target customers based on your marketing goal. For instance, to increase brand awareness, you can use accounts such as Facebook, while those that want to generate leads that can result in sales should consider LinkedIn. It would be best to also look out for what channels your competitors use to select one that suits your business.
Three focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money, Business/Entrepreneurship and Organizational and Management Discussions. Many businesses have to move locations at some point. A major key to doing so, is executing it so that operations don’t stop and profits aren’t lost. The following sponsored post is entitled, Moving Business Buildings.
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If you own a business, you may find that you are rather busy. There are issues that need your attention and things that must be taken care of. If your business is successful, you should regularly update or even consider getting a new office if need be. This can help many aspects of your company. Employees will love having an updated space to work in, and if you are looking to move you will want to try and stay local to keep your old clients. Here are a few things to look for in a new building.
Location
The location of a new building is important for the continuing success of your company. If you have outgrown your current building, then you are using a successful plan. Try to not deviate from it. If your location affects your customers or cost in a negative way, it may not be the right move for you. You want to choose a progressive path and not one that will hurt your company.
Space
If your previous building was small, look for something that is big enough now but has room to grow into. Keep in mind that your growth will be happening even as you move. When you have the extra space, you want to use it and fill it. You can get more office equipment Jackson MI, or you could make a storage room or nice break room if possible. Get the most use out of all the space as you possibly can.
Tech
When deciding whether or not to move office buildings, you need to consider your company’s technology. It can be a lot of work to move all of your equipment and reinstall it, and you’ll need to make sure you have the right infrastructure in place for it too. IT support services can help make your move a smooth one, making sure everything is set up correctly in your new location. Remember to factor in these costs as you make your decision.
Price
Have a budget when looking for new buildings. Do not go over the budget to sacrifice things that have made you successful as a company. You want to be able to have the building as a blessing and not a curse. If the building costs too much, it can cut into your profits and slow down growth.
Needing to expand as a business is a good problem to have. Be mindful to keep the same traits that made your company successful though, no matter what building you are in.
A key focus of my blog is Financial Literacy/Money. While your credit score isn’t necessarily the be all and end all for your personal financial health depending upon your own unique circumstances, it’s definitely better to have a good score versus a bad score. If you have a lower credit score and want to raise it, it’s absolutely doable. The following sponsored post is entitled, 3 Tips for Raising Your Credit Score.
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Your credit score is important as this number is often what qualifies you for the loans you need to make big purchases. Unfortunately, many people have subpar credit score due to having too much debt. It is never too late to work on improving your credit score so if you use these three tips, you can boost your score so you can qualify for large loans in the future.
Pay Off Debt
Paying off debt is the simplest way to improve your credit score but it can be difficult to do when you live paycheck to paycheck. Start by tracking your monthly expenses and creating a budget. Then make sure you have paid all of your bills and place any extra money you have on your lowest credit card bill. Paying more than the minimum payment will help you pay off the card more quickly.
Keep Lines of Credit Upon
One of the biggest factors for your credit score is the ratio of debt to available credit. The higher this ratio is, the lower your credit score will be. For this reason, it is a good idea to keep lines of credit open even after you have paid them off. Your credit score will increase as debt goes down and you have more available credit for each of your cards.
Monitor Your Accounts for Fraudulent Charges
While most credit card companies catch large fraudulent charges to your account, they may not notice small charges that add up over time. If you aren’t monitoring your accounts, you may find yourself paying for these charges without realizing it. Make it a habit to check each of your accounts regularly so you can initiate a charge review if you have any fraudulent charges.
Improving your credit is a lengthy process but it can be done. Use these three tips to get started.
