How A Quality Management System Can Help Your Business

Two focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. As your business grows and evolves, it’s needs will change, especially if it expands and scales upwards. The following contributed post is entitled, How A Quality Management System Can Help Your Business.

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A Quality Management System (QMS) is a collection of workflows and documents that outline how you achieve quality in your business. The main goal of a QMS is to achieve high levels of customer satisfaction and continually achieve and improve upon quality standards throughout your business processes.

What constitutes ‘quality’ is determined by the needs of your customers. A QMS helps to document current customer requirements and outline how your business goals will help achieve those needs. It also helps you identify how customer needs evolve and continually adapt your business at the same time.

This article will look at how a QMS can help your business.

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QMS Certifications Add Credibility To Your Business

Quality is the process of consistently achieving high standards, and a QMS certification acts as proof you can achieve quality. The international standard for a QMS is defined through ISO 9001 guidelines. These guidelines outline a high quality QMS as one which has a strong customer focus, process documentation, continuous improvement, and the ability to involve and engage high ranking management.

The ISO 9001 is set out by the International Standards for Organization (ISO), but is awarded by certified national bodies. As an example, the AS/NZS ISO 9001:2016 is a form of the ISO 9001 awarded by the Australian Standards agency. Each government or agency may have their own ISO 9001 accreditation, but the agency must be certified themselves by the ISO.

Of course, not all businesses rely on QMS certification. But you can use similar services such as leadership training, teacher coaching, or professional onboarding tactics to enhance the overall employee and management strategy and processes at your private business.

A QMS Allows You To Replicate Quality Time And Time Again

A series of documents outlining your processes will allow you to achieve quality time and time again. Documenting a successful workflow will help you consistently achieve high customer satisfaction again and again. Once you’ve documented your processes, it’s also easier to note where workflows can be improved upon in future. A QMS will help you streamline your workflows and make quality a standard part of your business. Your company will be more streamlined over time as efficiency improves.

A QMS Can Help You Save Money

A QMS can help you identify redundancy in the workflows, ultimately saving you money. Are there parts of the process that can be better automated with new systems? Does a certain task simply not add value to the customer? Studies as early as 2008 show that simply following ISO 9001 advice resulted in increases to employee wages and an overall decrease in errors and injuries. A QMS can help to avoid costly mistakes and ultimately even benefit the employees that work for the company.

A QMS Can Increase Employee Engagement

As well as a QMS increasing efficiency and potentially even wages, a QMS can also increase employee engagement. An employee that understands their role in achieving quality will be more engaged and ultimately more productive at work. If an employee has a detailed understanding of how they are involved in company success, they will ultimately be more motivated to help achieve company goals.

Be More Likely To Win Clients With A QMS

Some customers may require you to have a QMS before you’re even invited to bid on a project. For other clients, it might give you an edge over other businesses, especially if you’re competing against other SMEs. In some sectors, like healthcare, a QMS might be a mandatory requirement for your business to grow. In others it will help your business stand out from the crowd as a USP.

A QMS Makes Your Business More Scalable

During times when a business is rapidly expanding, a QMS can help you achieve improvement through having your existing processes documented. If you have a rapidly growing or changing business, without a QMS there are no documented workflows or ways to achieve scalability. A QMS means that all your processes are accessible to new and existing employees. This will also help achieve cohesion between teams, as each individual will be aware of their part in the workflow and overall company structure. As your teams grow, a QMS will act as a foundation for capturing your process and allowing for continuous improvements over time.

Conclusion

A QMS is a great way to document your processes for achieving high standards. It allows you to make your business more efficient in terms of time and financial savings. It also acts as a badge of credibility for new and existing clients, to help your client-base grow. Employees may benefit from increased understanding of their role and even higher salaries, which will boost their morale and productivity. Ultimately a QMS is a vital step in growing and maintaining success during times of business expansion and change.

Startup: How To Start Your Own Bakery

Two focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. A potentially lucrative business is starting you own bakery. The following contributed post is entitled, Startup: How To Start Your Own Bakery.

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Starting a bakery business from home can be a fun, rewarding, and profitable experience – but it can also be challenging.

Photo by Serghei Savchiuc on Unsplash

Here Are Some Tips To Help You Get Started:

Do Your Research

Before you start your bakery business, make sure you do your research and understand the industry. Learn about the different types of bakeries, what products they sell, what kind of equipment you need, and how much money you can expect to make. This information will help you make informed decisions about starting your own bakery.

Start Small

When starting a bakery business from home, it’s important to start small and grow your business gradually. This will allow you to test the waters and figure out what works and what doesn’t. It will also help you avoid any potential financial disasters in the early stages of your business.

Choose a Niche

In order to be successful, it’s important to choose a niche for your bakery business. This means specializing in a certain type of baked good, such as cupcakes, cookies, or loaves of bread. When you specialize in a particular type of baking, you can become an expert in that area and develop a following among consumers.

Invest In Quality Equipment

In order to run a successful bakery business from home, you need quality baking equipment. This includes ovens, mixers, dough sheeters, and other appliances necessary for baking. When choosing equipment, make sure to invest in quality brands that will last you for years.

Choose Your Recipes Wisely

Not all recipes are suited for baking in a home oven. Make sure to choose recipes that are feasible for baking at home, and test them out before rolling them out to your customers.

Build a Strong Team

In order to run a successful bakery, you’ll need a great team of employees. So take the time to find qualified bakers and pastry chefs who share your passion for baking.

Market Your Bakery

In order for people to know about your bakery, you need to market it effectively. This means creating a website, using social media platforms to advertise your business, and distributing flyers and brochures in local businesses and neighborhoods.

Offer Great Customer Service

One of the most important things you can do to make your bakery successful is to offer great customer service. This means greeting customers when they walk in, offering them samples of your products, and providing excellent service every time they visit your store.

Stay Organized

Running a bakery business from home can be chaotic if you’re not organized. Make sure you have a system for tracking orders, recording inventory, organizing your workspace, and ordering your custom plastic packaging. This will help you stay on top of everything and avoid any confusion or delays in shipping orders.

Be Patient

Starting a bakery business from home takes time and patience – don’t expect to become a millionaire overnight. It may take a few years for your business to become profitable, so be patient and keep working hard to promote your bakery.

Have Fun!

Running a bakery is a lot of work, but it can also be a lot of fun. Make sure you enjoy what you’re doing and take the time to celebrate your successes. With a little hard work and luck, your bakery business will be successful!

Your Business Needs To Stand Out In Order To Succeed

Two focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. When you’re in business, you don’t want your operations to simply blend in with the crowd. You have to think of ways for to stand out. The following contributed post is entitled, Your Business Needs To Stand Out In Order To Succeed.

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Your business needs to stand out from all the others if you want to succeed on the market. There is no way around this as there are so many companies right now that it is always a difficult choice for potential customers. They have to look at a number of different factors to help them decide which route they should go down, and which business they should take a chance on. In this article, we’re going to be taking a look at some of the ways that you can make your business stand out and attract more customers. Keep reading down below if you would like to find out more.

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Fantastic Customer Service

First, you are going to need fantastic customer service. There are so many different ways to improve your customer service, starting with the way that your employees talk to your customers. They are people, not inconveniences, and if they have a problem, it is the job of your employees to fix it. We know that sometimes you get people complaining about things that are not your fault, and we know that some people can be rude and aggressive, but your staff need to maintain a professional tone throughout. Having said this, they do not have to deal with abuse, and it is okay to hang up and refuse to help someone who is behaving this way.

To elevate your customer service, you can do things like adding a live chat to your list of contact options, and having a number of languages available. For some people, English isn’t their first language, so they might find it easier to type their query where they can take their time, or speak in their own language.

Excellent Website

A second point that we would like to make is that you need an excellent website. If you notice, a lot of company websites are cookie cutters, meaning that they all look extremely similar. You don’t want this as it makes your business unmemorable which is the very last thing that you want to be. If you need some inspiration, you can look at some beautiful website designs that have been done fantastically and helped to bring in more conversions.

Of course, unless you have experience with website design, then you are going to need to hire a professional to help you. Choose someone who has experience in the field, and who can show you a track record of their work so that you can check they are right for you.

Up To Date Social Media

Have you even thought about social media? Living in the age of technology makes social media an absolute must. You aren’t going to be able to get through business life without utilizing social media for your business. To do this, you need to ensure that it is being updated regularly with enticing, engaging and informative content. This can include using polls to get answers and drive engagement on posts, or it can include using videos, photos and so much more in order to avoid it being boring blocks of text all the time.

Someone should be running the social media accounts, and that should be their job. This is a big job to manage as it has got to be done well, so it might even be wise to hire two people to manage this.

Traditional Marketing

Just because we live in the age of technology, does not mean that traditional marketing is dead, because it absolutely isn’t. There are still plenty of opportunities for this, and it’s still widely practiced because while it might be hard to believe, not everyone is on social media. This can include things like handing out leaflets, using billboards, looking at TV advertisements and so much more.

Speak to your marketing team about traditional marketing methods and which they think will benefit your business the most. Then, get to work implementing them to hopefully bring some more customers to your business! It might seem super simple and too good to be true, but we’re sure that you will see results.

We hope that you have found this article helpful, and now see some of the things that your business needs to do in order to stand out. This is going to be necessary if you want your business to be a success on the market like we know you do. As such, take the advice above, and we’re sure that you will be able to give your business the boost it needs to stick out sooner rather than later.

Running A Tight Ship Will Get You Everywhere In Business

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“Things get done when they are supposed to be done, people don’t question you when you tell them to do something and so much more. Running a tight ship will get you everywhere in business, rather than letting everyone loose to do their own thing.”

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Two focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. Despite what many think, running a business is not all fun and games. There are aspects of it that have to be closely watched. The following contributed post is entitled, Running A Tight Ship Will Get You Everywhere In Business.

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Have you ever heard of the expression ‘running a tight ship’? We’re sure that you have as it is a very common saying, and what it means is that you are managing it well. Things get done when they are supposed to be done, people don’t question you when you tell them to do something and so much more. Running a tight ship will get you everywhere in business, rather than letting everyone loose to do their own thing. In this article, we’re going to be taking a look at some of the things that you can do to run a tight ship, so keep reading down below if you would like to find out more.

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Always Know What’s Going On

You should always know what is going on in every area of your business. You should have your fingers in all of the pies so to speak, because if something goes wrong, you need to know where and why. You can only do this if you have an understanding of what has been happening up until this point in some capacity. Who knows, you may even be able to shut down a disaster in the making before it gets this far if you know what’s going on.

This is especially important if you are a fleet owner. You need to know where your vehicles are, what they are doing, and all other important information pertaining to the success of the job.

Control Risks

Controlling risks is another element of running a tight ship. You need to ensure that you’re not exposing yourself to the unsustainable end of the distribution. If you don’t, you’ll eventually lose and your company might have to be sold or go into liquidation.

How can you control risks? Going back to the fleet example, let’s suppose that you have a lot of vehicles that you need to run to keep your operations going. The best way to reduce your risk is to use truck insurance, ensuring that it covers you adequately.

Another example might be your professional risks. Adding things like disclaimers and non-liability claims is handy. Posting these everywhere you can may offer some legal protection.

Random Performance Reviews

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If you want to run a tight ship and ensure that everyone is always going what they should be, you should announce random performance reviews. If nobody knows when they are going to be called in for a review, then they should always be working hard. Studies have shown in the past that if someone feel as though they are constantly being watched, whether they are or not, they are always going to behave as if they are. In this case, it means they will perform better and provide the business results that you need.

Sticking To Your Budget

When you set a budget, you didn’t do this for fun. You did it because your business needs to stick to some kind of budget in order to continue to be viable on the market. As such, your department heads need to be submitting you with what the money has been spent on, and any overspending has to be approved by you prior to ordering. This will help to keep the budget firmly in place.

Hopefully, you have found this article helpful, and now see some of the things that you should be doing to run a tight ship when it comes to your business. It’s important that you know what is going on in your business at all times, and that you are aware of all the things you need to be in order for your business to be a success. We wish you the very best of luck, and hope that you end up seeing success in your business.

How To Maintain Your Office Building

Two focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. If you’re running a business that involves an office setting, one of your considerations should be maintaining your office building. The following contributed post is entitled, How To Maintain Your Office Building.

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As a business owner, one of the most important things that you can do for both yourself and your employees is to maintain your office building. Even if you only rent the space and you don’t own the space outright, you need to make sure that it’s safe, comfortable, and a worthy environment in which to work. Would you want to see a broken, rundown office with no outdoor space to go to? Of course, you wouldn’t! A poorly maintained commercial building doesn’t offer much in the way of confidence about your business. This is especially true if you own the building itself. You want to be able to invest your time and efforts in your business, but you can only do that if you feel comfortable in the first place. You can’t expect your employees to feel comfortable if you don’t, either!

We are not just going to talk about how to maintain the actual office building in this article. We are going to talk about how you can maintain the grounds, too. Companies like McConnell and Associates are there to help you when it comes to ground surfacing and the ground work outside, and if you are looking to create an outdoor eating area or an outdoor social space, this is one of the best things that you could do for the morale of your employees. You want to make sure that they feel comfortable in every area of the office. Below, we’ve got some of the best tips that you need to maintain your office building and the surrounding area so customers, clients, employees and yourself want to be there.

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● Don’t wait around on office repairs. If you care about maintenance in your office building, then you should care about making sure that property damage is not a long-term thing. Even the smallest damaged area in your building can cause a range of problems, and your employees will never feel at ease inside a building that looks unsafe. Clients would also judge you on face value, and if you want to make a good impression, fix it up now.
● Keep an eye out for leaks. One of the best ways to maintain your office building is to ensure that there are no leaks in your plumbing. If you notice any leaking going on, you have to get it fixed as soon as you notice it. If everybody who works with you is trying to look out for these kinds of things, there are lots of issues that could be nipped in the bud before they become too big. Sure, you would call a plumber to come and actually fix things for you, but you should make sure that you are on top of these issues that happen as they occur.
● Hire the right people. When it comes to office maintenance, you don’t have to do it yourself. It is perfectly reasonable to outsource the maintenance and cleaning and care of your office. The building on the inside needs security, a janitor to maintain the flooring, a cleaner to maintain all the fixtures and fittings – there are many people that make up the team that will help you to maintain your office building. On the outside, you’ll need the right contractors and plumbers, electricians and carpenters on speed dial to come and make any changes or repairs as they are needed. Proper building maintenance ensures that your building doesn’t feel old and rundown too quickly. Let’s not forget this will be quite a lot of footfall traffic in and out of the building, so you want to make sure that the building looks great.
● Keep on top of upgrades. An office building that was bought 10 years ago, will need some upgrades to keep it looking as good as it did at the start. A dollar earned is a dollar saved or so they say, but it doesn’t hold true when it comes to property maintenance. You don’t want to cut too many corners here – your property relies on you to keep it going. Any foundation issues, cracks in the plaster of the walls, cracks in the car park outside because the ground has been used so much by different cars – all of these need to be looked into. Keep on top of the upgrades, and you create a comfortable working environment for all.

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● Make sure that you hire a good security team. A big part of maintaining your office building is going to be keeping it secure. From the security you’re going to need at the perimeter, to the security that you need at the front desk, you need to make sure that the access points to the building are secure. If you have a lot of employees, or clients going in and out of the building, it makes sense to have the right measures in place to keep intruders or people without an appointment away. It may feel like you’re going overboard from time to time, but knowing who is going in and out of the building is a safety issue. What if you have guests in the building and the fire alarm goes off? What if there are clients coming up the stairs, but there has been a security breach inside? Safety is important, and maintaining your office building is much easier when you know you have eyes on the ground while you’re busy running your business.
● Perform regular HVAC and boiler maintenance. Whether you have a boiler, an air conditioning system, a heating system or integrated elevators of your building, all of these things need to be maintained to keep your office building working well. It stands to reason that when you have a lot of people in the building you need that elevator working, and you need to make sure that people are at the right temperature. When you perform regular maintenance on these items, you can ensure optimal working conditions at all times. Nobody wants to work somewhere where the management of the building doesn’t care about comfort and safety. Not only will you make sure that there are no issues with your elevators or your HVAC, you’re not going to have to worry about your employees being disgruntled at the way you’re handling things.
● Get some good reviews on cleaners. Maintaining your office building includes the internal cleaning of the building. This means that you need to hear about the cleaning companies local to you and about their reputations. The people occupying the building don’t extend just to your employees. You have visitors and clients coming in and out, too. People leave rubbish behind and that’s unavoidable but it does mean that you need to address this every single day. The only appropriate and correct solution for this is to hire a good cleaning company who will be able to maintain a clean working environment for your building and given that we’ve just come through a pandemic – and are still going through it – you want to know that the building itself is somewhere clean and hygienic for people to work. An uncluttered and organized office space is somewhere that people will want to spend time, and while you can definitely offer a hybrid working environment, a good cleaning company will help.

Maintaining your office building helps you to maintain your reputation as a provider and business that cares about employees. Have a little pride – make sure that your workspace reflects your brand values!

The Need For Speed In Your Business Transactions

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“With consumer attention spans now believed to be at an all-time low of eight seconds, marketers face more challenges in both gaining and retaining interest than ever before.”

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Two focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. When you’re running a business, you want to your transaction speeds to be both efficient and fast. The following contributed post is entitled, The Need For Speed In Your Business Transactions.

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With consumer attention spans now believed to be at an all-time low of eight seconds, marketers face more challenges in both gaining and retaining interest than ever before. This has facilitated major company focuses on everything from website load times to the speed of customer service. However, one area that doesn’t receive half as much attention is the need for increasingly fast payment processing.

Admittedly, while they might not appear in many how-to guides, fast transactions aren’t an altogether new business focus. In fact, a focus on speeding up the payment process at both ends is a driving force for various new and emerging technologies and is playing a major role in the impact of blockchain on businesses, and even the introduction of recent updates like same-day ACH. That said, with many companies continuing to overlook the benefits on offer, faster transaction times are too often falling under the radar, leaving consumers frustrate and keeping businesses from feeling a range of benefits, the most pressing of which we’ll discuss here.

#1 – Simplified consumer journeys

Complications in everything from payment methods to completion processes are a driving cause of shopping cart abandonment, and complex payment processing times can also cost significant custom. This is especially true as more companies invest in immediate solutions, and can lead to both lost custom, and time frames that provide far too much scope for changed minds. Competitively-led, real-time payment methods close that gap for doubt with immediately processed payments, or at least payments that can clear in less than the standard 3-5 working days. This can significantly increase both a company’s chances at successful sales, and the trust created through increased satisfaction/results that consumers can immediately rely on.

#2 – Always-available payments

While most companies can now at least accept payments at any time of day or night, the need to wait for bank opening hours or the processing of invoicing during office hours can still limit 24/7 availability. This is inevitably frustrating for consumers who expect in-the-moment results and is something that institution-free transaction methods like blockchains can altogether eliminate. Instead, even late-night or early-morning shoppers will be able to get online, make a payment, and rest easy that their money will go straight out of their account. This ensures service as they need it, and financial management that largely takes care of itself.

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#3 – Increasing company understanding of cash flow

From a company-first perspective, faster transactions also provide real-time accounts that never have to make space for pending transactions which can too easily be forgotten. Instead, faster payments ensure up-to-date account balances at all times, making it easier to protect your financial future with the most accurate possible profit reports, as well as enabling the scheduling of payments that you can meet far more quickly than you would if you were continually waiting around for outstanding fees. For many growing companies, this means working with providers like Evolve Bank fintech, who can deliver the banking APIs and systems you need to process transactions instantly and provide accurate, real-time financial data.

There’s a need for speed in everything you do across your business right now, and you can rest assured that payments will increasingly fall within that expectation.

Better Ways To Secure Your Business

Two focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. One of the key aspects of your business is its security. You always want to think of ways to secure it. The following contributed post is entitled, Better Ways To Secure Your Business.

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There are many business risks your company can face. Whether it’s struggling to balance a budget or attract customers, there is always something you must do to keep things running smoothly. Another common business risk is security and safety. Without proper measures, your business exposes itself to hacks and breaches, as well as theft or even hazards that could impact your customers and employees. So, how do you secure your business to make sure none of these issues hinder your growth?

Protect Your Data

As almost everything is done online in the modern world, protecting your company and customer data is essential. The best-prepared businesses will have robust cybersecurity measures to ward off third-party threads and minimize the risk of a breach.

However, even the best cybersecurity is not always enough. Companies should also provide employee training to teach them how to recognize phishing scams that could put their information at risk. Establishing policies that encourage employees to change their passwords regularly (even if this is autogenerated) will also enhance your company’s cybersecurity.

Reinforce The Office

If you still rely on an office, it must be reinforced, safe, and secure for anyone who spends time there. Many businesses still require a dedicated workplace to store files, or simply because employees cannot complete their tasks from home.

Safety elements are essential for keeping your business secure and protecting everyone in the building. Regular check and maintenance for elevators is a must, while commercial roofing contractors can also repair or upgrade your roof to prevent issues such as water or storm damage from impacting the workday.

Identify Risk Areas

Your business should also identify common risk areas that could impact your business. These risk factors can include everything from everyday office hazards, such as cables or wet floors. But, you should also consider dangers like aggressive customers or even aggressive employees.

Background checks can minimize the risk of hiring people who do not fit your company culture and put others at risk. In retail settings, you should also think about theft, especially during busy periods where your security team is stretched too thin. Understanding the primary risk areas will allow you to take proactive steps to prevent them from impacting your business.

Establish ID Cards

If your business deals with sensitive information, you must make sure that only authorized individuals can gain access to the property. Many companies use appointments to determine whether someone should be on the premises, but you can take this a step further, too.

An ID card system will only allow those with the relevant credentials to enter the building or at least sensitive areas of the building. As sensitive information is stored in administrative areas, supplying ID cards will ensure that others cannot gain access. Should anyone leave your organization, make sure you collect their ID card upon leaving to prevent them from returning.

Secured

A secure business will thrive in a variety of situations. As long as you remember to put protective measures in place across the board, you can make the progress you have always wanted for your company, whether establishing yourself or looking for growth opportunities.

The Power Of Obsessing Over Your Brand

Two focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. A major part of your business is its branding. Your branding can be the difference between your business flourishing or languishing. The following contributed post is entitled, The Power Of Obsessing Over Your Brand.

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The most successful people in the world are almost always the most obsessive. They don’t think about the money or the fame or their own superstardom. Instead, they just fixate on the task in front of them, whatever it is.

Take Kobe Bryant, for instance. He spent countless hours practicing in private, trying to improve his skills. It took years of dedication and commitment to the cause but, eventually, he got the hang of it.

The same is true of Elon Musk. The man hasn’t taken a break in more than two decades and, instead, is totally committed to what he does and loves.

Being obsessive about your branding isn’t a bad thing. In fact, it could be the very thing that saves you from going the way of 90 percent of businesses and failing within the first ten years.

Here’s why obsession matters:

It Gives You Courage

When you’re obsessed with something, courage comes quite naturally. It’s not that you don’t feel fear: that’s always there. Instead, it’s more that you can see the value in what you are doing and all the fear you experience is worth it.

It Encourages Innovation

Steve Jobs, James Dyson and Richard Branson all spent countless hours toying with concepts and creating brand ideas. In fact, issues to do with work and building a better world rarely left their minds.

The reason for this was obsession. They were able to innovate and come up with new things because they couldn’t take their minds off what they were doing. For them, it was imperative that they succeed in their quest and build a better world for themselves and everyone else.

It Harnesses Your Energy

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Trying to build a world-class business isn’t possible if you feel apathetic about it. You might be able to maintain a facade for a couple of weeks, but eventually your lack of interest will spread to other team members and the company will fail.

When you are obsessed, though, you begin to generate your own energy. All of a sudden, people want to work alongside you and everyone tries to get the job done. There’s a general belief that you can overcome any challenges that get in your way.

It Compels You To Get Help

When you’re obsessed over your brand, your ego is the last thing on your mind. Instead, all you care about is whether your baby succeeds. When you’re in this state, you’re much more likely to get the help you need.

Toni Marino, a marketing agency, gets businesses coming to them all the time looking for technical brand help and online outreach. Obsessed leaders understand their boundaries and when they need to go to professionals for the sake of their brand.

It Beats Talent

Lastly, securing talent in today’s labor market is a tremendous challenge. The best people are already hard at work in firms, or asking for ridiculously high salaries.

Obsession, though, is a way out of this. When people become utterly fixated on something, their natural genius comes to the fore.

How To Keep Your Business Premises Secure

Two focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. Once you get your business up and running, one of your primary concerns should be it’s security. Securing your operations will allow you to stay open conducting your business. The following contributed post is entitled, How To Keep Your Business Premises Secure.

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It is critical to ensure your business premises are as secure as possible at all times. This includes the building itself, everything and everyone inside it, and even your stored data, which, like everything else, is vulnerable to theft. If you’re not careful, you could be inviting anybody to come in and steal anything they want just by not keeping your business premises secure. Read on to find out what you can do to prevent this from happening.

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Conduct A Risk Assessment

When you want to improve security, the first step is to do a risk assessment on the building. To do this, you will need to go around the structure to discover any weak points via which someone might get inside. This might be a window that doesn’t quite close fully or a door that you keep jammed open to allow employees to come and go as they please. It could even be a damaged roof.

Next, look online. When it comes to your online presence, you should look at whether your website is secure and how you keep your clients’ information protected. Talk to your workers about anything they think would make things more secure as well.

Improve Your Entry Points

The entry points of your building will be the primary source of possible break-ins, and therefore you should concentrate your efforts here to ensure they are fully protected. Your doors have to be strong, and they need to lock properly; if the locks are old or weak, have a locksmith change them so you know they are as safe as possible. A keypad entry adds an extra degree of protection, as only those who have the code can get inside.

Your windows will also need to be kept secure. Some people like to install bars on them, but this can be a problem for your employees and customers – it looks unattractive. However, it is possible to install bars that can be pulled across at night, improving security. As for your roof, call in a professional commercial roofing company to repair any holes or weak spots and make it safer.

Alarms And Cameras

Installing a camera system is an excellent way to guarantee your site is as safe as possible, and it will also assist you if there is a break-in since you will have pictures and video proof of the incident. Giving this to the police will make it easier to locate the thieves and secure a conviction. Cameras also serve as a deterrent since it is much simpler for a would-be thief to break into a building that doesn’t have it than to risk getting caught by breaking into one that does.

Another effective deterrent is an alarm system. Again, if a criminal notices you have an alarm installed, they are much less likely to attempt a break-in, and if they do and the alarm goes off, the police (assuming it is programmed to notify them) will be on their way in minutes. Install the best alarm that your budget will allow as this really would be money well spent.

Gain More Foot Traffic By Boosting Your Curb Appeal

Two focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. If you own a “brick and mortar” business that’s reliant upon foot traffic, you want to optimize your curb appeal to pique the interest of potential customers. The following contributed post is entitled, Gain More Foot Traffic By Boosting Your Curb Appeal.

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If you are running a brick and mortar company, your business could live or die based on the level of foot traffic that it receives. As such, you need to make sure that you are taking the right steps to boost the levels of foot traffic for your company. The best way to do this is to focus on improving the curb appeal. Here are some of the possibilities that we recommend.

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Improve Your Parking Location

First, you should think about improving your parking location. More parking or improved parking will ensure that your business is more accessible to all different types of customers including those who will be coming from farther afield. One of the ways that you can improve your parking location would be by adding additional levels of security such as lighting. This is particularly useful if your business is open late. You can also use asphalt paving solutions to improve the ground of your parking location.

Use The Windows

Your windows are a fantastic asset for your business. They provide a huge surface space for marketing and promotion. Instead of leaving your business windows bare, you should think about adding different marketing materials on the inside. This can help ensure that your business building is more attractive and looks more interesting.

Another way that you can use the windows is with messages and deals for your business. This can show customers that you are providing additional levels of value and entice them to step through the doors of your business property, to gain the key benefits.

Add The Right Lighting

Next, you should think about adding the right lighting to your business property. We have already mentioned how lighting can improve your parking location. But it’s worth noting that it can also provide unique benefits for your business property as a whole. For instance, it can change the aesthetic of the building and ensure it stands out from the rest of the street. Certain types of lighting may also mean that you can send the right message about your business and ensure that it feels more welcoming overall. You can use green friendly lighting to ensure that this doesn’t cause your monthly bills to balloon.

Add Something Unique

Finally, you should think about adding something unique to the outside of your business property. This could be anything from a particular sculpture to a design that connects in some way to your business brand or what you can offer. A unique element added to the outside of the building will always ensure that you can catch the eye of people who would have otherwise walked straight past your property. As such, it can help you gain far more sales overall.

We hope this helps you understand some of the key strategies that you can use to boost the level of foot traffic to your business. In doing so, you can increase your number of sales and ensure that your business takes up a stronger position on the market overall.