How You Can Maximize The Security In Any Business

Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. One of the most important parts of any business is it’s security. Maximizing the security of your business will insure that can continue doing what it’s supposed to do, and that’s to make money. The following contributed post is entitled, How You Can Maximize The Security In Any Business.

* * *

https://unsplash.com/photos/bBavss4ZQcA

In order to ensure that all the work you’ve put in reaps all of the rewards it deserves, you need to be able to get over the line safely. You can put in all of the effort, and get all of the formalities sorted, but you never know who or what might get in the way of your prosperity. That’s why you need to have all kinds of security. Keeping everything safe and away from trouble is key, and every successful business has all kinds of measures in place.

If you’ve started up a new venture, and you feel as though you lack in terms of some fortification, then you should probably look at what you can do to shore things up a little. For now, though, here are five additions you could introduce to your business:

Guards

If you’ve got some pretty valuable items or your workplace requires a lot of privacy, then bringing in some big guns to stand guard might be a great idea. Whenever people see a place with a large individual stood outside it, they immediately think twice before misbehaving. Even those that aren’t scared of guards, stewards, or bouncers still back away because they don’t want to cause a scene. There will be heaps of security firms out there that will have trained and experienced guards readily available. Make sure you choose a guard that’s appropriate to the size of your business and the assets that you have inside your premises, as you may need some kind of armed guards if your facility contains more sensitive, expensive or dangerous stock that needs extra protection. Check that they have the necessary equipment like a level 3 plate carrier and subsequent self protection so that they can keep your business as safe and secure as can be.

Cybersecurity

You’re probably going to be spending an awful lot of time on your computer or laptop during your working hours, so you’re going to need to make sure everything is safe and sound digitally. IT companies can help you out with all of that stuff with what’s called ‘managed IT support.’ They’ll oversee everything that your computer systems do and feel. They’ll be able to detect any threats, and put out fires before they’ve even thought about starting. You can also get many Data Backup Solutions from lots of IT companies – they’ll basically store all of your valuable files and data, and keep everything secure on their end.

Cameras And Alarms

Nowadays, we have lots of great technology that can deter criminals from causing any trouble. CCTV cameras work wonders for companies trying to protect themselves. Again, people will see the piece of high-tech equipment and think twice and commit anything stupid. If they do, in fact, go through with it, then they’ll be caught. Alarms will also help out – if any ne’er-do-wells decided to break in, then everyone will be alerted to their presence. Make sure you choose an alarm that’s reputable and known for its reliability, as you want to be able to leave your business knowing that your assets are safe and sound. Check a few reviews left by other businesses before you invest in an alarm.

Fences, Gates, And Locks

You’ve probably got some locks for all of your doors, windows, safes, and everything else, but you could always do with more. The more puzzles in the way; the more problems criminals are going to have. If you want to take things one step further, consider added extras such as anti-climb paint that makes it very difficult (and very dirty) for someone to scale your walls or fenced or install barbed wire – always notify people using a clear sign when using barbed wire to cover yourself legally.

Finally, literally adding a few more pieces to fortify your premise would be a good idea. People won’t be able to reach you if you have genuine obstacles in the way. Have some extra fences or gates build around the perimeter if you’re able to do so.

4 Innovative Marketing Solutions To Grow Your Business

Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. Arguably the most important part of your business is it’s marketing. Figuring out how to properly market your business can be the difference to outlasting your competition and further propelling you forward. The following contributed post is entitled, 4 Innovative Marketing Solutions To Grow Your Business.

* * *

How do you grow your business? It starts with finding more customers, making more sales, and generating a larger revenue. The more you earn, the wider your profit margins become. As a result, you have extra money to invest back into your company, allowing you to expand.

Business growth is centered around your marketing strategy. By marketing and advertising your company, you make everyone more aware of it. You reach consumers that may have never heard of you before, and you can generate a lot of new leads, which convert into sales.

Naturally, there are various marketing ideas you can try out. But, it helps to be a little bit creative. Keeping that in mind, here are some innovative marketing solutions that will grow your business:

Pexels – CC0 License

Create an affiliate program

Affiliate programs are basically a way for you to create a little marketing team. The idea is simple; you let people sign up for the program, and they promote your business for you. In return, they get a commission on any sales that occur through their promotion. If you have a look here, you can see some actionable steps to create an effective affiliate marketing program. It’s an innovative idea because you’ve come up with a low-cost way of, essentially, paying people to promote your business. The benefit of this is that it only costs you money in commissions, which will only occur when sales are made. So, you’ll be making money as well; perfect!

Get taxi drivers to advertise for you

Taxi drivers, or private car hire drivers, represent a unique marketing opportunity for your company. Think about how many people will get in a taxi during one day. A single driver has multiple clients, and this continues throughout the week, month, and year. Imagine if you had a way of advertising your business to all of their clients – you’d tap into a massive market. Well, you can – and it’s all thanks to promotional air fresheners. You can click here for more info, but the idea is that you create air fresheners with your brand on them. Hand them out to taxi drivers for free, and they can hang them from their rear-view mirror. Now, all their clients will see your logo and might be intrigued. Add some contact details on there as well, so people can get in touch with you. The drivers won’t object as they get a nice smelling car and don’t have to do anything or pay you a penny!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by MarketingManthan (@marketingmanthan) on Sep 26, 2019 at 1:43am PDT

Guerilla marketing

Guerilla marketing is a modern way of marketing your business out in public. Essentially, the aim is to take people by surprise and make a big statement. Typically, guerilla marketing happens outside and uses the existing surroundings to promote your business. For example, some companies have created artistic graffiti displays on walls or the pavement. Others will create props and station them in areas with heavy foot traffic. Even a pop-up stall or event is a form of guerilla marketing. There are plenty of examples out there, and it’s a proven way to make people stop and take notice. Often, you’re applauded for your creativity, which makes people respect your business and think you’re different from the rest.

zoom in on the syrup pic.twitter.com/omRBupjrXq— Denny’s (@DennysDiner) March 1, 2017

Take advantage of memes on social media

For those that aren’t aware, a meme is anything that’s become incredibly popular and is spread and shared far and wide across social media. Usually, they’re videos or images, and they can be manipulated for various uses. Now, social media marketing is one of the fundamentals of running a business, but using memes can take your campaign to new heights. The benefit of doing this is that you can increase your engagement because people are already aware of the memes. It shows your business is current and up-to-date as well, and people will have a laugh too. So, this creates a positive perception of your business, which can increase your follower count and have a knock-on effect with lead generation and conversion. You’ll also see more engagement on your posts as well – just look at the example above where Denny’s used a popular meme to their advantage.

By all means, continue using more mainstream marketing ideas as well. But, if you’re looking for a way to give your company a boost and encourage more growth, then be innovative. These four ideas are a little bit different, which makes them stand out. Also, they’re all cost-effective too. None of these ideas will break your marketing budget, so you avoid overspending and causing a loss of revenue.

Three Undeniable Benefits of Adopting AI-Powered Business Technology

Three of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money, Business/Entrepreneurship and Technology. The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is steadily growing. Numerous businesses are incorporating it as it has the potential to make operations more efficient and profitable. The following contributed post is entitled, Three Undeniable Benefits of Adopting AI-Powered Business Technology.

* * *

Whether your startup is the new kid on the block or you’re already a fully-fledged business, staying informed of the latest advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology is crucial if you wish to remain viable within your competitive industry and the ever-changing market as a whole.

Of course, embracing the latest technology in our lives does come at a cost. That said, there are tremendous benefits on offer, especially in the world of business, as long as we understand how to use technology without becoming dependent on it. Leveraging new developments in AI technology for business is a great way to streamline laborious processes and boost the productivity of your growing operation. Adopting new AI technology is also one of the primary ways to announce to the market at large that your business embraces innovation and change.

If you’re on the fence about adopting emerging technologies in the world of AI, this list of benefits for implementing the latest AI innovations could encourage you build AI into your business processes.

Image Source: Pexels CC0 Licence

AI-powered Cyber Security

If your startup isn’t investing in advanced cyber security, your data is exposed to threat. This not only risks your customers’ safety, but also puts the reputation of your business on the line. (These days, there’s nothing as bad for business as a data breach!) One of the biggest growth areas for AI is in cyber security, with market-leading technologies like Darktrace leading the pack. One of the main advantages that AI has over human beings is that robots never sleep—they don’t get tired, either. Cyber security is an area that has made great use of this feature, enabling 24/7 monitoring with the constant vigilance that is required to protect complex systems from ever-evolving threats.

Streamline Business Processes

Robots are not the only form of AI that have captured the imaginations of business leaders all over the globe. The variety of AI applications has gone way beyond science-fiction and become totally integrated into the day-to-day of modern business operations. As AI becomes more popular, the world’s top business leaders have started to leverage the most advanced forms of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to radically change the way—and the rate at which—some of the most essential business tasks are done. For example, AI has helped to reduce the role of human error by reducing the need for human involvement in repetitive manual tasks and processes. It has also helped to streamline procedures that were previously wasteful and time-consuming.

Image Source: Pexels CC0 Licence

Make Your Team More Productive

Harnessing the power of AI in your startup operations could significantly free up the hardworking members of your team so that they can accomplish more of the tasks that demand creativity and imagination—for example, design or strategy—which will help your business grow. AI-powered business technology covers an impressive range of business procedures, from HR to manufacturing and everything in between. If you’re wondering how AI could help your business, start by identifying what tasks are the most draining for your team. Whether you get an AI-powered Payroll system or invest in a virtual assistant, harnessing AI solutions is a great way to clear your schedule of repetitive tasks and make your team more productive.

Whether you’ve just burst onto the scene or your business is ticking away steadily, AI-powered technology could help supercharge your team’s productivity, improve your security, and streamline your operation.

The Fundamentals Of Running A Successful Business

“Running any business is hard enough nowadays, running a successful business, on the other hand, poses new challenges every single day.”

Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. If you’re going to start and stay in business, there are some fundamentals you must understand and implement. The following contributed post is entitled, The Fundamentals Of Running A Successful Business.

* * *

Running any business is hard enough nowadays, running a successful business, on the other hand, poses new challenges every single day.

Owning and running a business in today’s saturated world involves more than just luck. You must have a certain attitude, and you must follow a specific path to success. This path to success has many points; today, we are going to examine just a few of them.

Image Credit – Pexels – CC0 Licence

Automation

When running a business, one of the most important things to appreciate is the vast amount of technology that surrounds us. Technology has advanced so far that using it correctly can help when it comes to running our business.

The number one use of technology is when it comes to your company should always be automation. Automation can not only save us tons of money; it can see your business become far more streamlined overnight.

If you sit down and analyze just how many tasks in your business could be taken from a member of staff and automated, you may be in for quite a shock. The majority of companies that turn to automation have found that staff productivity climbed to an all-time high.

If you have a member of staff distributing emails 3 hours per day, 5 days per week, you are losing 15 valuable staffing hours, and you are possibly not utilizing a staff member to the best of their ability either.

Outsourcing

Another vital thing to recognize is the value of outsourcing. Outsourcing is taking tasks out of your working environment and assigning them to external contractors or companies.

When used correctly, outsourcing can save time and a large amount of money for your business. Many companies have taken to outsourcing their accounting and even their IT departments nowadays.

The joy behind having outsourced teams like this is a bespoke service you get, and generally for half the price of paying a yearly salary.

Advertising

Getting advertising right is also vital. Using the power of video is just one of the ways to get your advertising right and making it free.

When using the power of Youtube for your business, having a subtle way of advertising is critical. Remember, YouTube won’t cost you anything is you are putting out a series of how-to videos.

With these how-to videos, just a casual name drop here and there can work wonders.

One of the most important things to consider when advertising is your marketing strategy. If you want to know some in-depth stuff about marketing strategies you can check this out https://jacksondean.com.au/. Of course, you should also never underestimate the power of social media. Social media can be a completely free tool when it comes to advertising.

Open-mindedness

Being open-minded can also help steer your business toward success. This is because it means that you’ll remain humble, and open to new ideas, opinions and external help – all of which can help you to overcome barriers quickly and without fuss. After all, it would be unwise to assume you know everything there is to know already, especially if this is your first time running a business.

One way in which you can ensure you’re being open-minded is by acknowledging when you need help and support. For example, if you run a financial services company, but don’t have a clue where to begin when designing a website, you could learn a lot by working alongside skilled designers such as Cullen Fischel.

Getting some advice from somebody who is extremely social media savvy can see your business maintain its success for many years to come.

These were just a few of the fundamentals when it comes to running your business successfully, taking these into account when running your business can see great things happen.

3 Top Tips For Seeing Steady Growth In Your Business

Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. It’s great to have a good quarter or a good year, but how will you grow your business steadily over a series of years. The following contributed post discusses tips for steadily growing your business and is entitled, 3 Top Tips For Seeing Steady Growth In Your Business.

* * *

The world of business truly is a competitive one; getting things right is essential in the key to succeeding. There are some fundamental building blocks when it comes to business that must have a place in your company should you want to see steady growth.

Today we are going to look closely at these three building blocks and why you should implement them into your company.

Image Credit – Pexels – CC0 Licence

Marketing

The first of the three building blocks we are going to look at today is marketing. Getting your marketing department just right is going to be the first key to steady growth.

Marketing and advertising to most, just means getting flyers and emails out to as many people as possible. This form of advertising did used to work for businesses, but in today’s market, it just won’t cut it.

Marketing today, requires skill and precision. A good marketing team, designs a specific plan with the help of the sales team. Having these two departments work as single synergetic unit is essential in the marketing teams success.

The sales team will know what they want to sell, and who they want to sell it too. They pass this information on to the marketing team. Once the marketing team are armed with this information, they will then proceed to target the specific audience.

The Buyer Process

The buyer process is often referred to as the B2B or C2B buyer process is a vitrally underused system with a lot of business.

Effectively, the buyer process is how you interact and nurture a potential customer before they are even a customer. Using the buyer process correctly involves a lot of fingers, in a lot of pies.

Utilising tools like Social Growth Media and the correct use of blog posts and ebooks is essential. Video marketing and your website all play a huge part in the buyer process.

Out of these, the website possibly plays the largest part. It is said that your website need to impact the potential customer within the first 10 second. The initial impact must show the customer what you do, and tell them that you offer what they need.

Order Management Process

The order management process is the beating heart of every single business in existence. This process is basically the process from an order being placed, to that order arriving with the customer.

Getting this process right can really be amazing when it comes to the growth of a business. The order management process when used correctly, can introduce automation and a customer care that will be unrivalled by your competitors.

The order management process should always be partnered with an order management system (OMS) the OMS, helps to manage a customer and ensure that they are receiving the best possible service from ordering to receiving their order.

The OMS is updated by every person in the business and will successfully work in unison with any other system you have in place. Getting this right is the most important step in seeing constant growth with your business.

Essential Tips For A Smooth Office Relocation

Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. At some point, most businesses have to relocate. The key is executing the move in the best possible way for your operations. The following contributed post is entitled, Essential Tips For A Smooth Office Relocation.

* * *

Picture – CC0 License

Running a business can be stressful, even at the best of times. Although the job is exciting, as well as extremely rewarding, there are many challenges you must face. Among the most difficult you will encounter is relocating the business. Moving to a new office is even more complicated than moving to a new house. After all, you have an entire team of employees to consider, rather than just your family. There is also very little time to get everything done, especially if you want to avoid downtime. With that in mind, here are ten essential tips for a smooth office relocation.

Pick The Right Time
Although you can certainly try, there is no way to avoid disruption when relocating the business. All you can do is attempt to lessen it. This is done by picking your moving date with care. Every industry has busy periods, with every company within that industry having peak trading days and hours. Picking a day that conflicts with those times will mean the business losing a significant amount of money. When planning your moving timeline, make sure you plan for potential delays.

Start Your Planning Early
A project as large as a relocation will take a while to plan. If you leave doing so until the last minute, you are likely to make mistakes that result in costly delays. Because of this, it does help to pick a moving date well in advance. Make sure you give yourself at least a few months, but you’ll benefit from having longer. Begin the planning process by listing the moving tasks that need completing. With that list, you can write an office move timeline for the entire company to follow.

Talk To The Team
The decision to move premises doesn’t affect just you. Although you’re the one in charge, your employees are the backbone of the business, so relocating impacts them too. This is why you must keep your team in the loop. As soon as you have a plan, you have to share it with your staff. Letting them know about the move early will give them a chance to ask questions and think things through. It will also allow them to make plans of their own if they’re unable to move too.

Delegate Tasks To Staff
Relocation is a huge undertaking, which means it’s one you shouldn’t tackle alone. Rather than attempt to do so, you should delegate tasks to your team. Perhaps a few of them could pack boxes, for example, while others clean empty rooms. Make sure you also give your staff time to pack away any personal items they keep in their desks. While the office is chaotic, it can help to ask some employees to work from home. This means the company won’t come to a standstill.

Bring In The Experts
Even with employees to lend a hand, moving is a difficult process. For this reason, you must ensure you have the assistance of professionals. Instead of carrying boxes and furniture yourself, you should call in a removalist. Make sure you also have an IT company to change over any technology and equipment. Without this help, you may not be able to get back online, which would cause huge issues. When picking your experts, remember to shop around.

Picture – CC0 License

Put Someone In Charge
Most entrepreneurs are in charge of all aspects of their company. However, a relocation is one you may want to step back from. With so much pressure already on your shoulders, you don’t want to add a move to the mix. Instead, you should put somebody you trust in charge. This could be a trusted member of your workforce or a professional project planner. Either way, this person will oversee the entire move and be the person all others involved in the relocation report back to.

Update Your Contact Details
The little things often matter much more than you realize with a project like an office relocation. While changing the address of the business probably isn’t at the top of your to-do list, it’s a task you can’t afford to forget. Unless you update the address, customers might try to contact you at the previous one. Getting no response could cause them to take their business elsewhere. To spread the news of your move, you should write about it on social media and speak to the press.

Clear Out Any Clutter
Just like moving house, you shouldn’t take everything from one office to the other. Depending on how long you’ve been in your building, you will have accumulated a lot of clutter. Attempting to move all of this will complicate the process, as well as result in additional costs. From outdated equipment to old documents, there are many things you can throw away. Make sure that you shred those old documents first so that sensitive data doesn’t get into the wrong hands.

Move Non-Essentials First
The less stuff you have to relocate on moving day, the easier it will be. For this reason, you should begin moving non-essential things over as soon as you can. This might include plants, office supplies, and artwork. While these items have use, they aren’t necessary for the day to day running of your business. This means they won’t be missed for a few days. Getting them set up in the new office early will take the pressure off when moving day rolls around.

Picture – CC0 License

Work On A Budget
Funds are limited for every company, especially small businesses. This means you can only spend so much on your relocation. Rather than risk running out of money, you should create a moving budget. Make sure that you consider all expenses involved in the move and add a cash cushion for any unexpected ones. It also helps to secure credit before you move. After all, most lending companies are less willing to hand over money to businesses when they need them.

Relocating your business will never be an easy process, but with the advice above, it can be a smoother one.

7 Ways To Reach Your Full Entrepreneurial Potential

Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. When you become an entrepreneur, it will become very important to hit on all cylinders so that your maximizing your full potential. The following contributed post is entitled, 7 Ways To Reach Your Full Entrepreneurial Potential.

* * *

Reaching our real potential life is a sore spot for most people. Each and every one of us can do something great in our lives. However, whether or not that capacity is reached depends on us! Beyond excuses, setbacks, and struggles, taking the initiative to begin reaching your full potential takes hard work. If you’re wondering how you can achieve your full potential as an entrepreneur, here are 7 points to think about.

Aim High

Picture by Carl Heyerdahl from Unsplash – CC0 Licence

The issue with aiming low as an entrepreneur is that you can either expect that what you’ll achieve your goal or less than this. Therefore, if you intend to only breakeven at the end of your first year in business. You can expect that your efforts will either help you to achieve your aspiration. Or worse, help you to accomplish less than this. To maximize your full potential, aim high with your business goals. This will prevent you from limiting your capabilities and stretch your comfort zone, enabling you to strive for better results. Stepping out of your safe zone is the only way you’ll ever know what you’re truly capable of achieving.

Practice Resilience

One thing you will never, ever avoid as an entrepreneur is setbacks and failure. It’s part and parcel with the occupation, and so it’s something you need to get used to. Although it may seem in the moment as though the prospect of running your new venture is crumbling, you must focus on the positives. Successful business people see issues as opportunities, failures as a chance to show themselves and the world what they’re made of. Until you start getting back up from your setbacks, you will never reach your full potential as an entrepreneur. Your resilience levels will remain the same, and your personal growth will suffer too.

Don’t Get Comfortable

This section ties in with aiming high. If you aim low to achieve a set goal, and you produce it, you may think its an opportunity to take your foot off the pedals and cruise for a while. After all, you’ve reached what you set out to achieve, so what more is there to do. Maintaining a small perspective of success will only stunt you from reaching your full potential. Don’t stop trying and working just because you’ve surpassed your competitors. Or because going further fills you with fear, or because you’re not sure about where to go next. Start carving a new path and new goal to accomplish, even if it seems impossible.

Invest In Your Biggest Asset

Picture by x ) from unsplash – CC0 Licence

You, as the entrepreneur, are the biggest asset and so you must grow and learn continuously. There is an abundance of resources out there at your fingertips. However, not many entrepreneurs are utilizing these and remain stuck in their old ways of thinking. With an ever-changing world and business sphere, you must change too. To bring innovative ideas and to find new ways of doing things and new ways of helping others through your business. If you stay stagnant in both knowledge and experience, you will not reach the potential of becoming a great business person.

Think About Your Values

It’s incredibly essential to inspire self-motivation, particularly when we’re feeling down or exhausted. A more efficient way of becoming motivated against the odds is to create a business that matters. This requires assessing your values and what matters most to you as an individual. For instance, Cynthia Telles invests some of her time and effort into Operation Splash, to help disadvantaged communities swim or learn how to become lifeguards for free. This is a project that allows poor communities to improve their skills, but also to save other people’s lives too. Another example of a venture with meaning is a property developer that seeks to create more than just housing developments. For instance, the intention behind the architecture they choose to sell to the working-class could be to create a visually pleasing and safer community. Once you know your values, you can create a purpose thread throughout your entrepreneurship. This will give you unrivlled motivation and perseverance through tough times as you attempt to pursue your purpose.

Develop A Routine

There are habits in your existing routine that you do on autopilot every day. Whether making breakfast or driving your car. After practicing these for so long, they become ingrained into your brain that you know longer have to really put any thought into them. To reach your full potential as an entrepreneur, you need to create consistent healthy and smart habits. From waking up early every morning to go to the gym and start work while the house is peaceful and the children are asleep. Or blocking out your working week, a week in advance, with networking events, sales calls, and segments for learning and development. Creating a routine is what will get rid of the worry anxiety of ‘what should I do now.’ Above all, it saves you wasting time and shall allow you to reach your full entrepreneurial potential.

Self Love

You are your company’s biggest asset. You’re the ideas and the leader that shall lead your concept to creation, and so nurturing you is essential. From what you eat, the amount of sleep you get, to socializing and connecting with loved ones, it’s vital to take care of your physical and mental health. In doing so, you will have the strength, creativity, and willingness to return to your business fighting fit each and every day. It can be as simple as scheduling routine exercising to keep active and endorphins flying. But also to prioritize healthy eating and plenty of water over eating takeaways. Failing to prioritize your mind and body, will eventually impact your entrepreneurship. So be the best you can be, and take care of yourself.

Reaching your full potential and as an entrepreneur doesn’t just happen. It takes a conscious effort to implement the above. To make sure you’re making the most out of each and every day. To make sure you are allowing yourself to grow as an individual, and to seek business opportunities that hold value.

Why Your Business Needs To Outsource IT

Three of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money, Business/Entrepreneurship and Technology. When in business, it’s important to understand which functions to retain in house and which ones to outsource. Many business outsource their Information Technology services (IT), and as out technology continues to rapidly evolve, this often makes the most sense. The following contributed post is entitled, Why Your Business Needs To Outsource IT.

* * *

Image Credit Pixabay.com License cc0

If you want a thriving business, you need to be in control. If you want success in everything that you do, you need to be innovative. If you’re going to beat your competition and lead the market, then you need to be a leader within your organization. But how productive are you really? How many of these areas are you slipping in because you’ve not got the time and resources free to do them? How much of your day is taken up with other areas such as dealing with IT problems, or managing administration, recruitment, and payroll?

If the answer is that you are not spending time on the core aspects of your business, then you need to start making some changes. You need to free yourself up, along with your other significant team members. You need to have the time on your hands to worry about the things that make you profit.

Yes, all of the areas mentioned are significant. Without payrolling, your staff would not come to work. Without recruitment, they would not exist. And importantly, without an IT system, your company would operate very slowly and fail to capture any business in this digital era.

But you can have all of those things, and not do them yourself. Employing teams of staff to handle these parts of your business can be very costly. However, there is a much easier option. Outsourcing your business support tasks can be a constructive way of freeing up your resources to allow you to become much more productive.

Outsourcing Your IT Needs

Whether you need support managing your Microsoft Office 365 accounts or your cloud-based systems, bringing in the services of an outside IT company could improve your business immensely. You may need someone to keep your network secure or to carry out regular audits to make sure you are fully compliant with data protection regulations. Handling your customer’s information is a big responsibility, so having experts to help you with this can relieve much of the burden.

Expert Support When You Need It Most

Having someone with the highest level of experience available to you at all times will no doubt take a great deal of the pressure of you. It will give you a huge peace of mind that your business is in safe hands. To employ a team of people with the experience needed to run your IT systems in the manner that you require would be a costly and timely undertaking. Having managed IT services will mean you get access to this skill level at a fracture of the cost.

Move With The Times

The times are always changing, and tomorrow’s significant innovations in the tech world will be making your competitor’s businesses even more successful before you know it. If you want success, you will need to be ahead of the game. Having the support of a leading tech support company will help you to learn about and incorporate innovations that may be of benefit to your organization before it is too late.

Take These Steps to Get The Best From Your Employees

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success. Two of its key focuses are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. One of the keys to success in business or any business is keeping your employees happy. Getting the best from your employees will bode well for your organization. The following contributed post is entitled, Take These Steps to Get The Best From Your Employees.

* * *

(Pixabay CC0)

When it comes to your workplace, we can guarantee two things are true.

1. You want your employees to work as hard as they possibly can.

And…

2. Your employees want to live up to their potential.

However, problems arise when your employees aren’t given the tools they need for the jobs they have to do. When they are underequipped to take on certain tasks, slowdown will occur. And the upshot of all this?

1. Feelings of frustration from yourself when your employees underperform.

And…

2. Feelings of frustration from your employees when they are prevented from being the best of themselves.

And the upshot of this?

You get annoyed with your employees, and your employees become disgruntled when you complain to them. They might then become less productive because of their inevitable low morale.

To alleviate the problem, you need to take the relevant steps.

Step 1: Provide your employees with the correct tools

It’s not just about giving them the obvious. If you run an office-based business, you know you need to give your employees a computer. Its also about giving your employees the tools they need to work efficiently. It’s about giving your employees the tools they need to make light work of any tasks they find complicated. With the correct tools, your employees will get work done, and they will then feel a sense of accomplishment. You will be happy; they will be happy.

So, think about the people you employ and provide them with the relevant tools and tech for the jobs they have to do. As examples, you might provide your sales team with CRM software, as used correctly, this will give your employees the ability to identify sales opportunities. They will then stand a better chance of meeting the targets you have set them. And you might simplify administrative processes in your HR department with HR management software. This is useful for your team, as the software will streamline their day and help them work in a more efficient way. They will then have the ability to get through their to-do lists without having to commit to overtime. The result of both of these examples? Happier employees, a happier you, and a better business.

Extra tip: The linked software is also good for analyzing employee performance, so use this tool to ensure you are able to get the best from them. This might include an adherance to the suggestions in this article.

Step 2: Ensure your employees work to their skillset

When your employees are taking parts in jobs they are skilled to manage; you can guarantee better staff morale and greater productivity. The opposite is true if you give them tasks they are ill-equipped to handle, as they will work at a slower pace, make mistakes, and consequently, feel dissatisfied in their roles. You will feel dissatisfied too when work doesn’t isn’t completed on time and to a quality level.

So, ensure your employees work to their skill set. Don’t give them tasks that are far removed from the responsibilities you set out on their job descriptions. With a view to the advice we gave you in this article, outsource those tasks that aren’t able to be completed successfully in-house, or if you have the budget to do so, employ new people onto your team with the additional skills that are needed. Your employees will then experience greater job satisfaction when they are allowed to get on with the jobs they are proficient in, and there will then be an upturn in staff morale when you then praise rather than complain to them about the work they have turned in. Consequently, they will have the motivation to give your business the best of themselves because you have given them the opportunity to be the best of themselves!

Finally

It only takes a couple of simple steps to get the best from your employees, so follow our suggestions, and relate them to your business. Then, as your employees experience success, so will you when your business grows as a result of their improved efforts at work.

Thanks for reading.

Securing A Regular & Repeatable Customer Experience Every Time

Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. One of the keys to being successful in business is assuring a quality experience for your customer base every time. Doing so will increase the likelihood of their repeat business and drawing new customers. The following contributed post is entitled, Securing A Regular & Repeatable Customer Experience Every Time.

* * *

Pexels – CC0 License

There are many ‘R’s’ in business life. Respectability, restraint, results, restructuring, but perhaps chief among them all is the term ‘reliability.’ As a firm, more than the highest-quality products, the cheapest offering, the most prestigious reputation, you should value reliability. Now, this must be viewed in a positive light of course. To be reliably awful or reliably underdeliver is not a solid way to success, but again, it is reliable in how it will lead to those results.

As a firm, reliability in a positive sense is everything. You need the tenth time a customer opens your product to be as worthwhile as the first time. You need to ensure that your safety standards are exceptional to the point where they can be relied upon time and time again. For this and more, it is important to understand how to integrate worthwhile systems into your manufacturing process, to ensure that your customer experience is a reliably positive one every single time. Let us consider how that might be achieved, and with the following advice, better your development:]

Consider Every Step Of The Customer Experience

Considering every single step of the customer experience is vital if you are to make the best decisions going forward. For example, how is the item packaged? How might it be delivered to the customer? How will they unveil the package, or how are they greeted when they come into the store? Are the prices consistent between your online presence and your in-store goods? Do your service professionals offer a refreshment every time in business meetings that are applicable? When you consider each step of the customer experience, you are much more likely to find smaller inconsistencies and consider if they are welcome or not.

Utilize Great Suppliers

You’d be surprised how a learned customer can detect changes in your supply. For example, if a restaurant switches from fresh to frozen calamari, almost everyone will notice it, despite how much money the head chef could be saving at that point. This is why excellent providers that give a completely professional service, such as Mobile Paint, can make the true difference over time. It’s more than just a simple game or a means of placating the most discerning of your customers. It’s something within which you depend on, and additionally, the better suppliers can help you curate your protect to only upgrade, never downgrade your offering if making changes.

Keep Investing In Your Support

The hallmark of any great business is how effective they are at providing their customer support. Securing a regular and repeatable customer experience every time is indicative of staff that are well trained, hold times that are acceptable, and solutions that are always necessary and compromising in their output. This requires investment. It also requires careful manage of your metrics, such as considering how many support tickets were resolved successfully in a given year, and using that information to inform your future changes.

With this advice, you will become that reliable firm you hope to be.