Business Archives - Page 13 of 14

More Businesses Checking Their Climate Footprint

July 21, 2016

With carbon taxes looming, knowing one's climate footprint is important these days — *Photo by CC user wheatfields on Flickr*

In a world today where so much attention is focused on protecting the climate, more and more businesses are stepping up to do their part.

Whether it is doing more recycling around the office, purchasing and using office supplies that can then be recycled, getting involved in community cleanup activities, the list can go on and on.

That said what is your company doing to leave a positive footprint or two on the planet?

In the event you have been stymied as to how you can go about doing your part as a business owner or even an employee for that matter, don’t feel defeated.

As you will discover with just a little research, there are myriad of ways to contribute to helping the environment.

With that being the case, will your business be checking its climate footprint anytime soon?

Be Proactive and Creative

So that your business can be like Las Vegas Sands Corporation and others out there helping preserve the environment, remember these pointers:

Research – First and foremost, work together with your employees to come up with ways your brand can contribute. While some ideas might pop into your head in a moment’s notice, others may take a little more doing. Hold occasional office meetings on this very topic, giving the entire staff a chance to knock heads together and come up with smart ideas. Given that many workplace meetings can be downright dull and unproductive, make these “climate” meetings fun. You can come up with ways (see more below) to encourage participation out of even the most reserved of employees;

Contests – What employee doesn’t like a little contest every now and then? To help contribute to saving the environment, your brand can have the occasional contest, having various departments compete against one another in a friendly meeting of the minds. Most importantly, remind employees that these efforts are all for a good cause. You could have such contests as which department can manage to total the most cans, bottles, or even papers recycled. For something different during the week, give employees the option of working a half day on the weekends for a workplace recycling or community cleanup project. In return for participating, employees can have a half day off during a workday. Another option is to have your employees (those who reside not too far from the office and within a safe riding distance) bike to work one day a week, thereby giving their vehicles a rest. In doing so, they keep emissions lowered (at least one day a week). Getting away from driving also reduces the chances for an accident, though it is important that any employees cycling to and from the office do so in a safe manner. The employee who ends up cycling the most miles to work would win a prize, perhaps a gift certificate or even a day off. As you can see, there are many different options to consider, so get your thinking caps on;

Promotions – It is also a good idea to promote any and all activities your business is doing to lessen its climatic footprint on the globe. Start an online newsletter going around the office, one that highlights all the various activities employees are doing to help the environment. Not only does this make the employees feel good about their efforts, but it encourages those who may not be participating just yet to give it a second thought. While you should never pressure or even force any worker into such a project, he or she may be more inclined to do it once they see the results and quite frankly fun others are having.

Businesses willing to check their climate footprints certainly do score some points with consumers in general.

As a result, they not only get their brands out in front of consumers, but they give them more reason to want to become a customer sooner rather than later.

If your business has been a little slow to helping the environment out up to now, change that moving forward.

As a company, your employees will feel better about their overall workplace efforts, while your brand will certainly receive some positive public relations in the process.

Picture a Better World of Marketing with Video

Business

May 19, 2016

Photo by CC user Pattymooney via wikimedia commons

Is your brand getting the best marketing possible?

For many companies, the answer to that question unfortunately is no.

Whether businesses opt for email marketing, digital marketing, mobile marketing, social media usage, the list goes on and on.

One thing too many companies drop the ball with is opting for video promotion.

When you stop to think about it, video promotions can open up doors you probably never even thought about.

With that being the case, picture a better world of marketing with video.

Let the Professionals Give Your Brand Positive Light

If you’re thinking video promotions can help your business, the next question is then do you shoot the videos yourself or call the professionals?

Yes, you may be a bit of a whiz behind the camera, but there is much more to shooting a sound brand promotion than just the camera itself.

Keep in mind that you need to decide who will be in front of the camera, what the brand’s message will be, what the setting should be, how long the shoot should be and much more. When all is said and done, that is a lot of planning and detail to think about.

So that your video promotion catches the eyes and ears of consumers, your effort to find a Tampa Video production company or one closer to home should include the following:

History – Your search should begin with how long each video production company has been in the business. Do they have the long-term knowledge of the community that your business resides in? If no, can they quickly learn about the demographics you are trying to reach out to with your video aspirations? While there is nothing wrong going with a younger company in terms of experience in the business, finding one that has the video and local history behind it certainly does help;

Customer service – As great as their video productions may be, your company of choice also needs to provide unparalleled customer service. In today’s fast-paced world, customer service sometimes seems almost like a lost art. You want a video production company that has not forgotten the fact that the customer always comes first. While many companies earn stellar customer service marks through word-of-mouth, you can also turn to the Internet to get to know something about a company. Along with going to the company’s website, look on social media to see if there is a buzz about the business. Are customers (current or former) talking about the video production company you might be thinking of using? If so, are the comments positive or negative? Remember that some consumers use social media to lash out at bad experiences they’ve had with products and/or companies, so take that into consideration with any questionable comments. Then again, positive comments could definitely lead you to the right company sooner rather than later.

Once you have narrowed down your choices, ultimately deciding on the one company that best suits your needs, the actual video promotion comes next.

Here is another area where it is important to remember just how fast-paced today’s world truly is.

Many of today’s consumers can barely take time to eat breakfast in the morning, let alone sit down and watch a 30-second or longer video. As a result, your video has to deliver a message that makes your brand stand out in their minds.

Once again, this is why letting the professionals shoot your video is so key.

With the knowledge not only behind the camera, but also with how best to present your brand in front of the camera, video professionals can mean the difference between a product or service that gets so-so attention and one people can’t stop talking about.

Since you want your brand to be the latter of those two choices, having professionals on your side is typically the best way to go.

Yes, you could try and muster up the equipment and know-how to shoot your own productions, but there are many question marks involved as to how well it will come out.

By turning to professionals with experience and dedication to the video production industry, you can all but be assured of picturing more business.

Are You Growing Your Small Business Too Quickly?

Business

May 19, 2016

Photo by CC user Виталий Смолыгин on http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/

If your small business is taking in lots of new customers (along with retaining many of your older ones), you are likely feeling pretty good about things.

So, is there anything to truly worry about as you look out over the financial landscape?

Unfortunately, there can be storm clouds out there, specifically in growing your small business too quickly.

As great as growth is for a business, it must be managed properly. Otherwise, one can find themselves with too much work and not enough time and/or resources to complete that work. They can also discover that they do not have all of the financial resources they need to handle the demands.

Take Baby Steps Early on

So that you can grow your small business at the proper rate, remember these tips:

Big picture – What is your brand’s big picture? Are you planning to stay local or would you like to take things nationally at some point and time? Can you manage your small business all on your own or will you have to seek help in the form of full-time or part-time workers? Lastly, do you have the means to get fast cash for your business if needed? There may very well come a time when you need a fast capital infusion to keep your business moving forward, perhaps even to save it from going under. Recognizing the signs of when one or both could be occurring is important;

Never forget your customers – One of the most (if not the most) important tips in successfully running a small business; never forgetting who got you to the business world in the first place. Yes, those people you call customers, they can never be forgotten and/or taken for granted. Just as people look to maintain healthy relationships in their personal lives, relationships in the business world are equally if not more critical. One of the dangers of growing too quickly is losing touch with what got you to where you are in the first place. Yes, growth is certainly good, but do it at a managed pace;

Where to turn for financial assistance – If more financial capital is required to let your small business truly take off, where are you going to get it from? Some business owners may have just enough extra capital on hand to do it all on their own. Others, meantime, may turn to family or friends, perhaps with the idea of encouraging one or more of them to invest in the small business. Still others will seek to do business with financial loan companies, banks etc. No matter who you turn to for the financial push you need to move your brand forward, make sure you understand each and every word of the contract drawn up between parties. It is especially important that if you so choose to seek financial assistance inward (family, friends etc.), a contract is put together. Some may think that dealing with people close to them doesn’t require an official contract, but not having one can be the death of a relationship should things go sour;

Need help or don’t need help? – Your last big decision in determining if it is time to grow your small business is seeking employees. Some small business owners are perfectly comfortable being in charge of all aspects of their companies, meaning no help apply. Others, however, know that moving the business forward will require additional hands on deck. One of the dangers in moving too quickly with your business is bringing on employees, which translates into paying them. Some business owners will look to cut down on expenses (salaries, health insurance etc.) by hiring people for less than 30 hours a week, including using independent contractors. Once again, this is where your business smarts come into play. If you grow too quickly, you may end up finding worker salaries and other benefits will eat into your profits. By the same token, not acquiring the assistance you might very well need could end up in too much work at once for you, potentially leading to burnout.

Growing your small business at just the right pace can oftentimes be a tricky call.

When you need some financial help along the way to grow as the business climate dictates, knowing where to go for it might be the biggest call you ever make.

Does Your Business Truly Know Its Customers?

Business

May 12, 2016

Photo by CC user geralt on pixabay

In order for your business to achieve customer satisfaction and solid revenue stream year after year, you truly have to know what your customers want.

While there are different ways to go about discovering such details, too many brands don’t make for the needed time and effort to learn the necessary data. As a result, they can end up missing out on growing their brands, leaving the competition to pick up the pieces.

That said your business can and should regularly review its data capturing methods, seeing what has been effective and what needs retooling.

With that being the case, does your business truly know its customers?

Gathering the Vital Data

So that your brand can truly decipher the mix of data vs. information vs. insight, remember these tips:

Demographics – First and foremost, knowing who you are trying to market to (and ultimately sell to) means having as much data as possible on people. When you understand factors such as gender, age, income, you have a much better feel as how best to undertake marketing campaigns, campaigns you hope lead to sales. You can use a number of tactics to better gather the demographics, notably through surveys, polls etc. If some customers are hesitant to respond and/or give you their time, provide them with an incentive or two to fill out an online survey or answer a few questions in-person or over the phone;
Priorities – In marketing to customers, you sometimes have to set priorities, especially if you’re a smaller business on a budget. While the larger brands typically have more money and manpower for marketing and advertising needs, the smaller guys are oftentimes limited. That said set priorities in which products/services you offer get the top marketing. Some companies pull out all the stops especially during the holiday season, others will look to ring-up big-time sales during the summer months;
Mobility – If you’ve been asleep at the wheel when it comes to mobile marketing, change that moving forward as soon as possible. With more and more consumers all but demanding mobile marketing, your brand can’t just pass on these opportunities to connect with consumers on their various mobile devices. If you’re a startup business, mobile marketing should be one of the first tasks you undertake. If you’ve been around for a number of years, you’ve hopefully been able to see in recent years how mobile marketing has blossomed;
Competition – Even though you should never duplicate your competitor’s efforts, watching (even analyzing) what they are doing is important. Seeing how they communicate with consumers, what they offer consumers, and their success or failure results, should all be of interest to you and your brand. One of the ways to monitor the competition is via social media (see more below). You can look at their actions on sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and more. The feedback they receive from consumers can actually benefit you, especially as to how you do your marketing campaigns moving forward;
Socializing – When it comes to your social media efforts, they should be one of your company’s top priorities. As mentioned earlier, engaging with customers (the ones you have now and the ones you hope to have soon) is an important part of analyzing your success and failure ratios, especially as they pertain to your marketing and advertising campaigns. No matter which of the popular social networking sites you are active on, regularly monitor and analyze them, looking for the latest trends. You can truly learn a great amount of details about consumers by listening to what they say on social media. Remember, consumers in the past (before the Internet’s arrival) would typically comment to business owners via in-person visits, phone, regular mail etc. With millions of consumers on social media, they can post comments in seconds or minutes, giving business owners lots to think about. Lastly, any engagement you have with consumers on social networking venues always needs to be positive. Even if a consumer or more than one rips your brand, avoid firing back a nasty response. It makes both you and your brand look silly. Finally, as a great tool as social media can be, never let it replace the one-on-one contact you have with consumers in person.

So, can you say that your business truly knows its customers?

Is your company taking credit for a smooth business operation?

Business

April 21, 2016

Photo by CC user rahulrodriguez on Flickr

In order to run your business down the path of success and not failure, you need to make sure you are giving customers everything they want and then some.

With that being the case, what exactly are you doing to make sure consumers have all the options needed to make their browsing and buying from you as smooth as possible?

If you’re not sure, take the time now to put a winning game-plan in place to ensure smooth business operation.

Technology is a necessity for smooth business operation

Start the process by looking at what level of technology you are provider customers with.

If it is great, then you don’t need to make any major changes. On the other hand, brands with average to poor technology offerings for their customers are the companies looking for trouble.

In order to best determine what level of technology service you are providing customers, look at the following and see where you’re at:

Website – Face it; your website is your company’s greatest selling point. Without a formidable website, your brand will have trouble reaching countless consumers, many of whom could be your next customers. Review your site regularly to make sure it is firing on all cylinders. If your site offers an Ecommerce store, it is imperative that it is running properly 24/7/365. With more and more shoppers doing their browsing and buying online these days, it is imperative that your Ecommerce store (if you have one) works flawlessly. This is especially true when shoppers go to the “checkout” phase of a purchase. Nothing frustrates customers more than taking the time to fill out all the needed information for a purchase, only to have the credit card processor fail. That’s why it’s important to use a reliable credit card processor. Even without an online store, always review your website, looking for any potential shortfalls that could have a negative impact on business;
Customer service – Put yourself in the shoes of customers for a moment. Don’t you get frustrated when you phone or email a business over an issue, only to essentially be ignored? It happens more times than not, leaving many customers disappointed, a disappointment that can lead to them changing businesses. Make stellar customer service a priority when it comes to your brand. Whenever a customer has an issue with your brand (online shopping, in-person matter etc.), always make their problem your problem. If you stop and think about it, bad customer service will become your problem sooner rather than later if you start losing business over it. Your website once again oftentimes plays a key role in this department. If customers are emailing you and/or reaching out on social media, make sure you do not keep them waiting when it comes to response time;
Consistency – Whether you have been in business for many years or just recently started up your company, consistency is something you should never overlook. How you treat your customers, how you promote your brand, even how you go about ordering supplies, all should show a degree of consistency. While there is nothing wrong with trying out some new initiatives (in fact, encourage this), most customers want to know that they can count on your business for efficiency and dependability. Unveiling some new tech initiatives, especially things such as mobile marketing (see more below), are great ways to increase the odds of landing new business;
Mobility – Speaking a moment ago about mobile marketing, how much of a role does it play in your present business affairs? If the answer is little or not at all, change that moving forward. As more customers turn to their mobile devices to browse and ultimately buy goods and services, you need to have a presence there whether you want to or not.

In today’s world, taking credit for running a smooth business operation is something you should be doing on a regular basis.

No, you’re not tooting your horn too much to say you’re on top of your game as a business owner.

What you are doing is reassuring consumers that you are a brand they can trust.

When you do that, your business stands to reap the public relations and financial benefits for all to see.

How to Avoid Startup Failure

Business

April 6, 2016

Despite the growing popularity of startups, small companies and independent businesses fail each and every year. While some companies fail due to product errors, a dip in the market, or, unfortunately, a particularly bad idea, many companies actually have the skills, product (or service), and passion to build a financially stable company.

However, there are key mistakes many startup owners make, unknowingly sealing their business’s fate. Before quitting your current job and opening the doors to your new business, make sure you have researched the venture adequately, and know to avoid these specific mistakes:

Hiring In-House for All Positions

Small businesses should avoid hiring in-house employees for all positions. When building a business, the beginning financial stages tend to fluctuate dramatically, and hiring too many employees on can lead to an unstable financial structure. Moreover, in today’s economic business age, many businesses are downsizing marginally, using third party companies to outsource certain business tasks to, such as accounting, payroll, and other human resource positions.

Companies like National PEO work to provide small and large companies alike the ability to delegate tasks and work more efficiently by outsourcing. This is a smart business practice, as you are not only confident in the ability of the company, rather than relying on an employee, it also saves you a great deal of money.

Being Unprepared

Starting your own business will turn your life upside-down temporarily. First-time business owners are often not prepared for the upset running a company brings to their accustomed lifestyle, as they find themselves working more hours for less pay. This unexpected change can leave business owners feeling drained and overwhelmed, thus it is important to ensure that if you are going to start a business, you are prepared for the changes.

Thinking Your Product Is Your Business

Many people have a brilliant idea for a product or service, but they have absolutely no idea how to run a business. More often than not, they attempt to build their business around the product, but, unfortunately, that often leads to quick success but longterm failure.

While a product does solve a problem, providing customers with an answer to a need, it is not a stable foundation for a business, as it does not bring customers back to a business. There needs to be something deeper within the business than a product.

Ignoring the Market Research

Many people who believe they have a great idea often ignore the market research, especially if the research is telling them they need to change their business plan. Most first-time entrepreneurs are guilty of holding onto their idea and being resistant to change, as they are adamant that their idea will work.

There is nothing wrong with hanging onto an idea that you believe in, as it is critical to be passionate about your business if you want to be successful; however, when the market and experts are educating you on tweaking your idea, it is a wise idea to heed their advice. The results are usually astounding, as their expertise can provide you with the link you were missing before.

Expecting Overnight Success

Unfortunately, all businesses take a great deal of time to pick up momentum. Many new owners underestimate the amount of time it will actually take to sell a product, find clients, or, generally speaking, turn a profit. It can be easy to attribute the competition you are facing to getting lucky or having overnight success, but building a solid business takes time and dedication. Most overnight success stories are filled with financial woes, sleepless nights, and plenty of almost-failures, but they managed to overcome the problems and build a stable business. Thus, when starting a company, do not be surprised at the amount of time it takes for you to grow. Keep your head down, work hard, and visualize the future success.

Believing Money Solves All Problems

Many business owners are guilty of thinking that if they could just turn a profit, find financing, or make another sale, all their problems would be solved. While all of those thoughts might be helpful to the business, it will not solve all of the businesses problems. Throwing money at problems will never solve them, thus you need to fix the holes in your business model first.

These tips can help you avoid devastating mistakes that could lead to ultimate failure.

The important role of the quality control supervisor

Business

April 1, 2016

The quality control supervisor, often referred to as just QC, is the person tasked with monitoring production on an assembly line, and coordinating the activities of workers whose job it is to inspect materials and products to ensure they meet the standards set out by the company. Quality Control is an essential aspect of all manufacturing industries, be it clothing, electronics, food, fabricated plastic products, glassware, molded components, pharmaceuticals etc.

The QC supervisor’s exact duties vary from industry to industry, and from company to company, but usually include creating sketches of product prototypes and the standards required. They also include creating inspection procedures for new products, identifying the devices needed to complete these tasks, and supervision of workers. Once a sketch of a new product prototype is completed, it’s then distributed to the necessary departments, such as engineering, inspection workstations and production control.

Quality control will carry out inspections of products at each stage of the manufacturing process. To carry this out, QC supervisors will need to use various devices such as shadow compartors and gauges to measure the quality of each product tested. If defects are found, the product will be examined more closely to see if it can be rectified. If no remedy is available, the particular batch of products may be scrapped. In the case of prototype products, these will be scrutinized even more closely to ensure they meet the company’s standards.

One crucial, yet not always obvious, aspect of the QC supervisor’s job is customer service skills. QC supervisors are often tasked with satisfying customer’s needs or resolving their complaints, while at the same time maintaining good relations with them. In addition, QC supervisors often have to work closely with suppliers and subcontractors to ensure the materials, parts and outsourced work are received to the company’s satisfaction.

The minimum qualification for a quality control supervisor is a high school diploma in most countries. However, certain companies that have more stringent standard requirements may demand a higher education from their candidates. In particular, companies usually look for employees with strong communication and math skills. Other necessary skills include an extensive knowledge of assembly lines, machinery and the industry itself. In addition, QC supervisors must also be trained in the use of specific tools, computers and gauges that are required to test the company’s products and materials. Finally, quality control supervisors need to have a solid understanding of the company’s production processes, needs and requirements, health and safety standards, and also the products being manufactured.

In our perspective, production companies must always try to find ways to make systems easier. This is not to make the company more cost-efficient necessarily, but to keep their workers happy. If tasks are too physically and mentally strenuous, people will leave their jobs. ITO has more than 55 years in the industry making companies more streamlined, profitable, efficient, and most of all, people happy.

Come Home to Assisting Others in the Community

Business

March 23, 2016

Running a home business keeps many men and women busy for more hours than they might like at times.

That said having your own business out of your residence doesn’t mean you can’t reach out to help others as many small and larger companies do on a regular basis. While the latter oftentimes have more resources to help individuals and families both locally and nationally, those working out of their homes with a business can do many good things for people in need.

While you may think that you don’t have enough resources in place to assist others, there are myriad of ways you can do just that. It oftentimes just comes down to a little time and effort on your part.

So, are you ready to reach out to your community as a business leader and give a helping hand to others?

Put Your Business to Good Use

In order to do good things for those in your community, try these ideas as a home business owner:

Community – There are likely many fund-raising type events going on in your local community on a regular basis, so get active in them if you are not already. You can work with other business owners, the local chamber of commerce and so on to make good things happen for others. It is not uncommon for home business owners in communities to network with one another, so this is another avenue of outreach. Get together with other home business owners and do some brainstorming as to how you and others can assist individuals and families locally. If there are local fairs and other such events going on, make sure you register to attend. Not only are you showing others in the community that you are there to help, it is also good public relations for your home business;
Nationally – Many of the bigger-named brands are regularly active in doing good things for others on both a local and national level. Las Vegas Sands Corporation is a good example of a business that has done a number of outreach efforts for those in the communities it is present in and elsewhere for that matter. From a Las Vegas reading week – that is going into some local elementary schools to read to children and provide books for the kids – to embracing International Mentoring Day through a UNLV Partnership – the company has been an active player. While you likely do not have the resources of a brand like this or others that are active both nationally and worldwide, you can learn from their activities. Take a look and see how you can do likewise on a smaller and more local level;
Socializing – If you’re not already using social media to promote your home business brand, what are you waiting for? Social media is a great tool to use for your home business, one that can certainly be used when you want to do good things for others in your community. Look to blog posts or create your own that discuss fund-raisers, reading events, special runs and walks etc. on a local level. You can also turn to forums on local websites and even in your area newspaper/s or magazine/s that discuss events to help raise funds for others. Social sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram etc. are also good avenues to travel down. If you have a business Facebook page, put a post on there about a fund-raising event that your home business would like to sponsor and/or participate in. Share the post with as many people locally as possible. In a short amount of time, that post will hopefully circulate among others in your area, allowing it to get maximum exposure. Also look for similar posts that others running businesses in your community have posted, providing them with ideas and your participation in if you so choose.

While it will of course take up some of your time, helping others in need is a very rewarding thing that one can do in life.

In the end, it may also help drive some business your way, something every home business owner is sure to appreciate.

Organizing Your Office for Business Success

Business

March 19, 2016

Learning how to organize your business office can help you achieve long-term business success. The more organized an business is, the more productive it is, as organized businesses are efficient businesses.

When an office or business is disorganized, important documents can be lost, deadlines can be missed, and the whole business can slowly start to get behind, leading to loss of profits, dissatisfied customers, and potentially a business failure.

For those who are not naturally organized, or are feeling overwhelmed with the state of their office, here are a few simple organizational tips to help get things back in order:

Go Digital

Many small businesses do not use the technology available to their advantage. Whether the investment seems too hefty a price for a small business to make, or they simply do not realize the tools they need to help their business become more efficient, not going digital can be a huge mistake.

When it comes to keeping track of records, other important documents, and project files, store them digitally through a cloud storage system, such as Google Drive, Dropbox, or other similar systems. The benefit is that not only are all the documents in one accessible location, they will also never be lost. Moreover, they can be viewed from any location and from multiple accounts, making it easy to keep employees informed and do business on-the-go.

Lastly, depending upon your business, consider investing in the right software programs, such as salon software if you are a spa or salon business. These types of software programs help keep your business running efficiently, such as providing your business with the tools and help it needs to be successful and productive.

Paper Files

For the paper documents you do have, take some time to go through them and get rid of anything that is no longer relevant or out of date. Not only will these alleviate some of the clutter, it can also help you recall where certain files are when you need to find them.

A great way to free up space is to scan them, turning them into digital files that you can store in your cloud system. Paper invoices, bills, receipts, and other statements can be scanned as a record, allowing you the ability to throw away the paper files and free up space in your office.

Email

While email is digital, a cluttered inbox can be as chaotic as a cluttered file box. Many businesses and business owners receive hundreds of emails a day, and if they are not organized properly, it can be easy for an inbox to start overflowing, which can lead to emails getting buried in your inbox.

Letting your email get out of control can lead to important emails being lost in the hundreds of messages. This break down of communication can lead to a loss of profits, or a loss of customers, should a customer have a question or complaint that never gets answered. Moreover, be sure to regularly check your spam folder, as many legitimate emails get filtered as spam for one reason or another.

Finances

Being disorganized with your finances can leave your business in financial ruin. It is imperative that you are up-to-date with your books, bills, and other financial obligations. Many businesses, especially small businesses, do not keep track of their finances as well as they should, and find themselves in the red at the end of the year, or with money missing from their business.

Staying on top of your finances will allow you to see if a business never invoiced you, if a payment is missing, or if you missed a crucial payments and are accruing late fees. Additionally, keeping your finances in order allows you to be ready and organized for tax season. As a small business, it is critical you have all receipts, expenditures, income, and other business financial papers accessible for your taxes.

Before tax season arrives, check in with your tax advisor or accountant in order to make sure you have all pertinent information you need for your taxes.

Organization will help you be more productive in the office, allowing your business to run as efficiently as possible.

Image Source: https://pixabay.com/en/calculator-paperclip-pen-office-178127/

Trade Up for a Better Home Business

Business

March 19, 2016

If you sell products or services out of your home, what are you doing to make sure your customers get top-notch customer service each and every day?

For some home business owners, that task can be challenging given all they have to do as a one-person show. Others, however, are able to pull it off, knowing that their customers will always rank as the most important item on their to-do lists.

With that in mind, what are you doing as a home business owner to improve your brand?

More specifically, what are you not doing, and how can you correct that moving forward?

Give Consumers What They Want

Start out by reviewing your customer service procedures, including what information your website provides them before they might even have to talk to you by phone.

Look at your website to see if it covers the following:

Basic information – Your website should have basic company product and/or service information on it. Such things as what your brand offers, how long you have been in business, how to reach you etc. are all necessities your site needs. The information should be in areas on the site that are easy to find, meaning customers (current and potential) do not have to feel like they are surfing through a maze to find it;
Product or service instructions – If you sell a certain product, do you have information about it on your site? Products typically come with how-to manuals, giving customers the basic of how to put it together, how to operate it etc. Take an example from Trade Bit, who offers repair manual downloads on countless products. While you likely only sell one or a number of products, it is a good idea to download such manuals on your site, allowing customers access to them if they do not have the paper version handy. Doing so just makes for smart marketing tactics for your brand;
Error-free copy and links – There are many ways to make your home business website look professional, one of which is making sure it is free of errors and broken links. One of the more irritating things for customers (current and those you are hoping to convert) is coming onto sites where links do not work, copy is loaded with errors, and a simple search for this or that seems to take forever. As a home business owner, funds may be a little tight at times or seemingly all the time. That said it does not mean you shouldn’t be spending money where funds should be directed. Spending some extra money for a professionally-done website is certainly worth the investment;
Eye-catching imagery – Your home business website also needs to be appealing when it comes to imagery. If you have a dull site that is full of copy and very few images, it will more times than not bore viewers. This doesn’t mean go nuts on photos etc. but do have them strategically placed on the site for maximum exposure;
Social component – It shouldn’t come as a surprise that your website needs as much attention as you can possibly give it. One of the great ways to go about this is via social media. In the event you haven’t up to now, promote your site on social networking sites and allow consumers to do the same for you. For any web copy you have, leave icons at the top of the page so that visitors can tweet, share, pin etc. This will put your site and its offerings out in front of the eyes of countless others. Also be willing to share other’s copy, including those who you may invite to guest post on your blog. Once again, this sharing component presents you with more opportunities to market your brand.

Part of being a sound home business owner is being able to market your products or services to the general public without too much hassle and effort.

If your website has been on the backburner for some time now, take the time to get it up to speed.

Remember, your website is a key component of your overall marketing strategy, so make sure it is a fine representative of your brand.

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Category: Business

Technology is a necessity for smooth business operation