Author: Nibletz Staff

Businesses, throughout their life, can experience a lot of misdirection. Misdirection can stem from a deluded owner; it can come from a bad decision. However, misdirection does not have to come from a bad place – some ideas might seem bright and smart at face value, but through the timeline of their existence they can sink a business and cause financial ruin. Misdirection and the amount of avenues open to business owners in terms of choices and decisions means that businesses are open to bad decisions as much as they are good decisions. A business can fail as a result of misdirection. A business and the culture in the company is more often than not a total reflection of the owner. If the owner is driven, the business will focus on goals. If the owner is creative, a business and the employees within the business will put creativity first. If the owner is scared of the internet, the business might not innovate because of that. If the owner cannot get their heads around technology, the business might avoid using tech – to massive cost. A business will mirror the traits of its owners and leaders, for better or for worse.

Businesses in the modern day need to use computers. Of course, there are a whole bunch of niche businesses that can get away without using much technology (usually smaller boutiques), but still – most companies will rely on computers for some aspect of business work – whether it is administration tasks, creativity or production. For the most part, computers will be a cornerstone of any business activity. It simply has to be that way. Nearly 99.9 percent of businesses in this day and age will rely on digital technology for something, be it cash collection, production or promotion. Think about it; what good business does not have a web presence? That web presence comes directly from digital technology. If you are a business owner, manager or leader who fears technology and the advances of the digital world, it could be handicapping your beloved business. Of course, it isn’t always this way – you might have employees who are computer friendly, others who can show you the ropes. But for some businesses, a fear of technology will be enough to scupper the ship, or at least bring a visit from our old friend, misdirection. As we stated, misdirection can sink the business ship, meaning we want to avoid any sort of misdirection. Pushing away from technology and the help it can offer a business is enough to push you business away from success. Why is avoiding technology bad? Well – it’s because business owners who avoid tech will normally go out of their way to not implement the use of tech in the workplace – they don’t trust it. Technology offers opportunities. Business owners who avoid this are walking away from opportunities and taking a much harder path.

Why do owners avoid technology? Well – mainly because of the fear. People will always be scared of the unknown and for many businesses with owners born ‘recently,’ they will find the use of technology more natural. Older (and some younger) owners might turn away from technology simply because they do not understand it. This is bad! However, people fear the things they do not know. The counter? It is use and education. Through the use and understanding of technology and the applications of digital tech, computing, and software – business owners can become more familiar with a world that they do not understand and find uses for technology in their companies and places of work. Even then – the modern day has gifted business owners aid in the form of developers, agencies, help with microservices, software developers, and hardware manufacturers. Help is always on hand, so no business needs to fail because it cannot get to grips with tech.

Even then, businesses with everything in place can falter because it refuses to modernize or use software the right way. It can be very hard for a business to get to grips with computer hardware. Connections, monitors, displays, power and other things can frustrate many business owners. This hardware needs to be in place so that the computers can perform and if it isn’t the business does not have a foundation for its workload and productivity. Without a hardware setup, a business hasn’t got what it needs to get down and get to work. Hardware isn’t everything though.

It isn’t enough to have monitors connected to computer towers and towers connected to the mains and the computers linked to each other in an intranet network as well as connection to the outside world of the internet. Hardware gives you the platform, but a business needs to use software, and use it well, to do anything with computers. Hardware is the power – it is the raw muscle and organs powering through. Software? It’s the brains and the motions. It is the part of the computer that actually does something. Think about it, if you need to produce an invoice, do you simply sit down at your desk, turn your computer and monitor on and wait? Even the most sophisticated invoicing software requires input – you need to work with software and tell the computer what to do. Software is your tool and your route to manipulating the computer blinking before you. The applications of software in business are endless. Internet browsers allow us to cruise the highways and high-streets of the internet – learning, communicating and shopping as we go. Some software will perform accounting tasks for us based on our input of data. Other pieces of software will record customer service queries and construct case files for complaints. Software can do anything we dream up in business and if a piece of software doesn’t exist in an area you need it to, it’s not like it can’t be dreamt up and produced by a developer with your backing.

If a business avoids technology, or any single aspect of digital tech, it could stand a risk of falling apart. If you’re worried about this – get hands on with tech and seek the aid that will help you get your business on the right track.

Startups often fail, but yours hasn’t. In fact, your business is starting to take off, and you’re enjoying a regular influx of orders. So how can you now start to develop your company and help it evolve toward even greater things? ‘Middle-aged’ businesses have seen the good times, the tough times, and the weird times. Not only are they established, but they’re the epitome of how it should be done. They have business owners that have battled through a variety of challenges and still prospered. Are you ready to join their ranks?

Of course, it takes years to get there. A lot of changes will be made over the years so that you and your company can both adapt to environmental, political, and market changes. But if you know this is your path, and you’re not going to lose sight of it, you need to start making those changes now. Experience and wisdom take time to acquire. You can begin to learn from others’ experiences now, though.

As a new company, you are likely to be the most active and the most important asset your business has. To improve your function, you might consider undertaking more qualifications and learning. Opportunities to take an Operations Management degree online could offer you a greater insight to how other companies and managers have succeeded over the years. By boosting your own knowledge and skillset, you should be able to take your company even further. Most importantly you’ll have the information and training you need to boost production, increase sales, and enter new markets.

No company reached ‘middle age’ with just one product in its portfolio. Products were tweaked for improvement and relaunched. A budget line or luxury line of that same product might have been released to reach a new type of customer. Over time, these companies found more markets and more product ideas to develop that could reach them. From cash cows to dogs and back again – every successful ‘middle-aged’ company has seen products right through the product life cycle.

Your business is just getting started. You’re about to boost volumes so you can take advantage of new distribution channels and market opportunities. But you’re going to need more. You too will need to introduce more products and innovations into your range. Where do you plan to take your product portfolio, and how do you personally plan to make sure you can achieve it?

From advanced degrees to keeping abreast of trade news – you will need to be on top of every new development to stay fresh and innovative. Over time, you will start to hand over parts of your business to trusted colleagues so you can focus your energy on these new developments. How do you plan to train your staff to keep your company and product line on track? Will they too need to further their training and education to help you boost production further?

‘Middle-age’ for your company may still be a couple of decades away. As with our lives, we need to prepare for it and ensure we’re as fit and healthy as we can be when we get there. Make your plans now and take action for a prosperous future.   

You need to make an impact. Whatever other advice your business has applied to its objectives and general mode of operations, this is one of the most important. You’re a small business entering a competitive and constantly over-populated industry; the only way to gain customers is to stand out from the crowd. The consumer has all the power in the modern world of business, as they have endless options.

That’s the key to success. Your business needs to convince potential customers that they should choose you over bigger brands or brands to which they’ve been loyal for years. The only way to do this is to make an impact on the consumer that they can’t ignore. You need to be different, bold and, above all else, exciting. Here are some ways in which your business can adopt those personality traits.

Individuality.

Much the same as the requirements for standing out in your personal life amongst a group of friends, family members or even strangers and new acquaintances, the key to making a splash in business is to be different, as explained here. Consumers have seen the same products or services within your industry a thousand times before unless you’ve invented a brand new item. Obviously, for the majority of businesses, the key to success isn’t inventing something wholly new but reinventing something successful.

Reinvention might entail improving an existing product on the market, or it might mean undercutting your competition by offering the same quality service as them for a lower price or quicker deadlines. Even the iPhone (or the smartphone in general) was essentially a reinvention of older models of mobile phones. The point is that you’re not reinventing the wheel; to be different from the swarm of similar businesses in the market, your business needs to simply do something differently. A new service which benefits the customer better than other companies will draw attention to your brand because you should always be creating solutions for the consumer.

Digital marketing.

When it comes to carving a spot for your business in the realm of industry success, online marketing is definitely the answer to your prayers. Your company isn’t going to make a splash if it isn’t properly targeting its audience of potential customers on the platforms they use most frequently. Billboards and flyers are fine, but the internet is slowly crushing those traditional methods of marketing. This is all with good reason because the average person uses the internet in the modern day for everything.

However, the solution isn’t to simply throw adverts into an online environment instead. Making an impact is about making the right kind of impact; you don’t want to become that brand with annoying adverts littering every site people visit. You want the right customers to find you. You could check out sites such as https://outsidecommunications.com for help with preparing your website to attract more customers. They’re already browsing for goods and services they want on a daily basis, and search engine optimization could help transform your business’ site to rank more highly on Google and Bing result pages. This will ensure that potential customers find your business before any others.

Offers.

The key to broadening your client-base is to really impress your existing customers. Your business will spread by word of mouth if you go above and beyond to satisfy the customers you’re already getting. For example, as mentioned over at https://blog.kissmetrics.com, offering special deals as part of a loyalty program shows that you value continued, long-term customer support. You could even put on a reward program to encourage customers to spread word of your business for better deals.

While some people might dismiss young entrepreneurs, they can often go on to make a success of their business. After all, they are young and brimming with ideas. In fact, some of the most successful companies in the world were started by someone in their younger years. Just look at Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg who came up with the idea of Facebook when he was in his dorm at college. And now he’s worth billions of dollars. And he’s not the only one to go on to make a business before leaving college. Steve Huffman and Alexis Ohanian founded Reddit while at the University of Virginia, and Def Jam Records began while Rick Rubin was in his dorm. But a lot of people who think of a killer idea they want to start after college have no clue on how to get their business started. After all, they believe it might be a pipeline dream which will never make reality. But it might just be that your idea could actually take the world by storm. Therefore, here is how you can go from student to entrepreneur.

Work on identifying your brand

One of the first things you need to do to kick start your business is get your brand up to scratch. After all, you want people to identify your company and know exactly what you do. And you want to build brand familiarity so that they come back to you time and time again. Therefore, work out exactly what you want the brand name to be and how it should look. Play around with different names and think of a tag line too. You might be able to find a friend who is doing a design course to help you come up with a good logo. In fact, they might do it for free for you as experience so it won’t cost you an arm and a leg. And they can even help you to make flyers and business cards so that you can get your business off to a good start. And if you need some help identifying your brand, it’s worth sitting down and working out what makes your business idea unique. Think about the USP (unique selling point) that makes your brand exactly what is it. And with that in mind, you should be able to make a well-rounded business which you can take places after your course.

Go and get some experience

When you have just finished a course, it’s easy for you to struggle to be taken seriously as an entrepreneur. After all, potential clients will just think you are another keen youngster who wants to make their mark in the business world. And then they can easily brush you and your idea off. Therefore, to ensure you can make the transition well from student to entrepreneur, it might be worth getting some experience behind you. Find a job in the industry in which you want to move forward with your own business. Not only will it help you to pick up some skills, but it will help you to make a name for yourself in that industry. And experience is always something that looks good when it comes to meeting clients. You can still work on your company while you are working at another business. But getting some experience behind you will help you to impress clients. And it can give you vital tips that will help you to go on and make your own company a success.

Use your course to your advantage

The last couple of years you have spent doing a course on a particular subject. And now is the time to use this new found knowledge to your advantage. After all, your business is much more likely to succeed if it’s using your skills in a certain area. For example, if you have completed a Health Care Administration degree, you could use this to go on to make a business selling health care supplies, or even to start your own clinic. And this knowledge you have learned during your degree can help you to make a success of the business. You will know exactly what clients are after. And you will have a wealth of students you can ask when you are doing your market research for your company! At the end of the day, you are much more likely to fail if you go for something which you are clueless about. In fact, you might find that you will struggle if you have to go up against competitors who have education and experience in the field. Therefore, use your new skills to your advantage to make sure your business goes on to be a success.

Now is the time to get support

You might struggle to get your business off the ground if you have just finished college. Firstly, you are likely to be stuck for funds as you have spent all you had on the course. So you might not have the finances to get your business up and running. And you might not have the skills that are needed to launch a business. Therefore, if you still want to make a go of being an entrepreneur, it’s time to get some support. It might be that you require some financial support. Therefore, look into hunting down an investor who will invest funds in your business. They might be able to help you get in the right direction as well as giving you money to get your business started. Or you could even go to your mom and dad to ask for a helping hand. If they think you have a fantastic idea, they might fund you so you can move forward with your business. As for support in making your business a success, it might be that you look for a partner to work alongside you. After all, with two of you, it will be much easier to make a go of the company. And there will be less pressure on you if you get a business partner with experience!

And remember to do as much research and planning as you can while finishing your degree. That way, you will be well on your wall to starting your business once your course is complete.

One of the most important things that startups need to get right straight off the bat is their logistics and delivery services. Without these working properly you won’t have the supplies you need to make your products or be able to shift them once they are sold. But what are the golden rules of logistics for a start-up firm? Read on to find out.

Don’t break the supply chain

The first rule that you need to consider in your startup is that you want the supply chain to remain unbroken. That means if you need materials, packing or other elements from a supplier they need to be there in the correct numbers, at the time that you need them. Otherwise, it is impossible to continue on with your production.

But how is this attainable? Well in part it’s dependent on you suppliers, and their delivery services. So ensure you pick one that is honest about their stock levels as well as fair about their process.

However, it also related to your own ability to keep house and stock take the items that you have and will need shortly. To do this effectively consider using a digitized stock system so you can get an instant overview of what your levels are.

How to deliver?

It’s not just the incoming items that you need to be on top of but also you outgoing stock, and here where it can get a little tricky. Do you choose to deliver the products yourself, or use a delivery company to help you?

Well, first of all, consider your business model. Are you shipping individual products to individual clients, or are you freight shipping pallets of products to a single client for redistribution? This is important because it makes a difference on the type of logistics that you will need.

Freight

For example, if you are shipping pallet loads of stuff to one location then it likely that freight delivery is your best option. However, freight services can be expensive to run, especially if you are struggling with finance at the beginning of your startup journey.

Luckily there is firm that can help you with this specific problem. They supply freight bill factoring. Which is finance especially for large truck rigs. There are even lists of companies like the one from Factoring Directory that offer comparisons of the available financial services online. You can read more about Factoring Directory here. So even if the prohibitive cost is a problem, you can get help to make this side of your business work.

Private address deliveries

However, if you are looking to deliver to people’s homes then freight probably isn’t going to be the option for you. After all, it’s not very cost or time efficient to have a massive truck roll up outside someone’s house unless you hate to deliver a very large item. That is why it may be better for you startup to use a delivery company.

You send the deliveries to them, and then they get sorted in a collection centre and redistributed through the company’s network to be delivered to individual locations.

Of course, it’s worth doing homework here too, as there are good and bad delivery companies just like any other service that you pay for.

The simple fact is that many people rarely use their computers to surf the web anymore. They might only use them for work, but they save casual surfing for their mobile devices. So, there are loads of people out there that could be using their phones and missing out on all your efforts to lure in customers on the regular internet platforms.

Bearing this in mind, here are three ways you can tap into the mobile market and start enjoying a better business:

Mobile Advertising

Possibly the best way to tap into this market is to advertise specifically for it. There are different forms of mobile advertising, and they’re all very effective. Mainly, you have mobile adverts that are shown when people are surfing the web on their mobile device. You need to bid on lots of PPC mobile ads to get your business seen by this ever growing market. But, the second thing you should do is pay for your adverts to be shown in other people’s apps. This means that when consumers are using apps on their phone, they could see an advert for your business. It’s a super effective way of bringing in new customers.

Mobile-Friendly Websites

An easy way your business can tap into the mobile market is by creating mobile-friendly websites. What is a mobile-friendly site? Well, as an example, look at places like Red Spot Design’s websites, and you’ll see they’re designed responsively, so the desktop site changes to fit a mobile device. This is the whole point of a mobile-friendly site, to look and function better on mobile devices. Not only does this enhance the user experience and mean there’s more chance of consumers staying on your site when on their mobile device, but it also helps you gain more customers. You see, Google has an algorithm in its mobile search results that gives priority to mobile-friendly sites. So, when people use their phone to search for businesses like yours, your site won’t appear high up if it isn’t mobile-friendly. Tap into this market, design a website that’s specifically meant for mobile use.

Mobile Apps

Another fantastic way to tap into the mobile market is by developing mobile apps. We’ve already spoken about how you can use other people’s apps as a way of marketing your business through adverts. But, if you design your own app then you open up a whole world of possibilities. With a mobile app, you’ve produced something for the mobile market. Consumers download it, and you have part of your business on their phone. They can use your app whenever they like, and it improves the interaction and experience they have with your business. Generally speaking, mobile apps make life easier for consumers, and this is a great thing for your company. An app literally lets you connect with the mobile market and brings your business into the pockets of people you might have been missing out on before.

You see, tapping into the mobile market is easier than you think. So, there’s no excuse, ensure your business is mobile today!

Lots of people make a killing from smart investments every single year. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need a top degree or any experience. In most instances, you just have to use your head and apply some common sense. However, there are many ways in which you could lose your money if you’re not careful. With that in mind, some tips on this page should help anyone get the best results. If you follow this advice, you stand a decent chance of seeing a healthy return on your investments. Don’t worry if you’ve never considered anything like this before. We’ll keep things as simple as possible to avoid any confusion.

Researching the markets

Before you do anything else, you’ll have to choose a few different investment avenues. You can then use the internet to research each of them as much as possible. With a bit of luck, you’ll notice that some opportunities are better than others with your current situation in mind. Once you’ve found as much information as possible, you can make a shortlist of potential investments. Maybe you like the idea of putting your money in property? Perhaps you see a future in oil or gas? The final decisions are down to you. Just ensure you understand the markets inside out before moving forward.

Selecting your niche

While you don’t want to put all your eggs in one basket, it’s wise to focus on one investment niche. You can spread the risk by following the next step on this page. However, right now you need to look for the best opportunities within your chosen avenue. As we have already said, the internet is your friend when it comes to that task. Also, there are many books available written by successful entrepreneurs in that marketplace. It’s sensible for you to read them because you might stumble on some handy tips.

Diversifying your portfolio

While you want to concentrate on one area, you should also spread the risk by diversifying your portfolio. You can do that manually but putting different amounts of money in various commodities. However, you can also use a specialist investment platform. Experts from www.teramusu.com say that’s often the best strategy. Indeed, they advise their clients to use platforms of that nature because they help to save time and money. They also make it easier to identify the best opportunities with the highest chance of making a profit.

Using a broker

Sometimes you need professional assistance when you’re just starting out. Some people work in the industry who could help you see a healthy return on your investments. There are a lot of misconceptions about brokers since the Wolf of Wall Street movie hit our screens. An article at www.bbfc.co.uk explains the story if you haven’t seen it. However, most people in that profession are not trying to steal your money. They make a commission on any profits created for you. So, it’s in their interests for your investments to work out as they should.

Keeping a rainy day fund

The last thing you want is for an investment to turn sour. That could mean you lose all your money and have to go back to square one. With that in mind, it’s vital that you only risk cash you can afford to lose. You should also keep a rainy day fund in case you need some extra capital after a mistake. The alternative could mean the bank repossesses your home or worse. So, do yourself a favor and keep at least 10% of your starting capital aside. That way, you can always begin again if things don’t go according to plan.

Consider long-term investments

Long term investments are always a good idea. In most instances, they’re a little more reliable than the alternatives. The best opportunities of that nature often lie in the precious metals markets. Prices nearly always rise over a long enough period. So, you will make a profit if you can leave your investment alone for at least ten years. You could double or even triple your money during that time. Think of it as a way to plan for your future. If you’re trying to create a nest egg for your retirement, you’ve found the right idea.

We hope you’ve benefited from that advice, and that it will assist you in making the best moves this year. At the end of the day, investments are a little like gambling. The difference is that you can tip the odds in your favor if you have the right information at your fingertips. So, ensure you always research different opportunities, and never rush into any deals. Good luck!

Look, we know, there is a lot to think about when starting a business and that can mean that a lot of things fall through the gaps. It’s kind of like wedding planning in that sense. You’re focusing so hard on getting the location right, and table plan, and the photographer and all of that sort of stuff, you forget to have a rain plan in place. That can be seriously costly to your big day, in the same way not having the right insurance in place can be immensely costly for your big startup.

The tricky thing is, there are loads of different types of insurance to consider. Don’t worry, though, below is a list of the top 5; the coverage you are most likely going to need.

Protecting Your Company’s Assets

If your company’s assets are your backer’s main concern, then next time you have a meeting with them, appease their concerns by telling them you have secured Comprehensive General Liability insurance. The great thing about this form of cover is that it requires your insurance company to pay for your legal defense anytime a claim is brought forward. It doesn’t matter if it is third-party bodily injury, personal or advertising injury or even property damage; they’ll cover the costs.

Cover Your Own Backs A Bit More

Employment Liability Insurance is definitely a must-have for startup companies, in which the insurer will provide and pay for any defense required. One of the big bonus’ on this front is that it can be bought in a package deal, allowing you to cover yourself from all angles. According to the professionals at ShreveportLawyer.com, the big one here is discrimination claims, which are common, expensive and complex. Claims like these can end a startup company’s dreams right there and then. What makes a startup so susceptible to these kinds of claims is a startup’s needs for highly skilled employees.

Hacking Hits Small Businesses Hard

It seems like there is another high-profile hacking case every week in the press, which is proof enough that you need cyber insurance. The tricky thing with this area of insurance is, well, there is no standard cyber insurance policy, although www.computerweekly.com does give you a good introduction to it. As such, what your startup needs to do, is talk to your legal advisors and ensure that you take all precautionary measures when it comes to cyber security and enact best practices. By doing this you are protecting yourself from cyber insurers that try to claim you have not instituted industry-standard cyber security programs. So cover yourself and you’ll be covered should something happen.

Protect The Big Wigs

As a startup company wanting to grow, you’ll want – and need – to attract some well-known individuals onto your board. The only thing is, they will insist they are protected from anything regarding their business decisions. To give them this peace of mind you’ll need to get yourself Directors and Officers Liability Insurance, also known as D&O coverage. This will protect your board members from any claims of wrongful acts, which is basically a legal term for making decisions that had a harmful effect on the company. That’s what they want to be protected from.

So you’ve decided to increase your website’s page views and domain authority by adding a blog section to it. You’ve had the section created by a web designer and are pretty pleased with the results, and can’t wait to start utilizing this new part of your website. However, there’s just one problem; you don’t have anyone to create the content for you. With that in mind, you may be considering doing it yourself.

The thing that you should consider is whether creating your own content could be a business blunder that you don’t want to have to deal with. Or, whether there are ways that you can create your own content and still ensure that the posts on your business’s blog are up to scratch. To help you determine whether you have what it takes to create your own blog content, below we’ve delved into the ins and outs of content creation.

Are you a skilled writer?

It’s not just a question of whether or no you’re able to write content – pretty much anyone can – it’s a question of how well you can write. If you are going to be producing content for a blog associated with your business, you need to ensure that the content is well written, is grammatically correct, and is professional. If you’re a keen writer, then this shouldn’t be an issue. However, if you’re not someone who has written content before or knows where to start, it could be worth outsourcing the task.

Do you have the imagination and creativity needed?

The next question to ask yourself is whether you have the imagination and creativity needed to produce blog posts. Blogging isn’t just about sharing the facts; it’s about creating a post from a unique angle in a voice that no other blogs use. So if you are going to create your own content, you need to have the imagination needed to be unique enough to stand out.

Do you understand how SEO works and why it’s important?

A vital part of creating content for your website’s blog is getting the SEO spot on. SEO is crucial because it’s the use of this that helps people to find your website and blog posts and improves your search engine ranking. If you aren’t sure how SEO works, the good news is that you can use an SEO blog to find out more about it. Or, if it sounds too complex, you can always opt to outsource the task to a qualified content creator.

Can you spare the time?

The last thing to consider is whether you have the time required to create blog posts for your website on a regular basis. This is important as for a blog to be effective it needs to be regularly updated. So if you’re already short of time, it may not be a good idea to commit yourself to creating the content for your business’s blog.

Sure, creating your own blog content can be a great way to save money, but if you don’t know what you’re doing it can turn into a major blunder.

Whether your startup company is in its early days or has been running for a while, it is important to stay organized to maximize efficiency, for yourself and your staff. From organizing your workspace, managing your team, and ensuring time is well spent, there are ways you can make your business more productive while reducing your stress as you try and hold everything together.

Consider the following ways to help manage your startup and ensure its efficiency.

Organize your workspace

There is an old saying, a tidy house is a tidy mind, which makes perfect sense in the workplace. To be able to focus and perform your duties efficiently, you need to get rid of anything you don’t need and have at hand those things you do. For example, take a look at your desk space. Remove any scraps of paper, used coffee cups and stale sandwiches from your desk to make it look clean and ready for use.

There is another famous saying, a place for everything and everything in its place. Whatever loose items you have lying around, from pens to paper clips, have separate pots to put them in.

Go through your filing cabinets and get rid of any out of date or useless paperwork. If something is important, scan it and save to your computer. If something isn’t important, shred it! If you do need paperwork at hand, then have a desk tray or a labeled drawer for it. In these environmentally conscious times, we all need to do our bit, so if you can work electronically, the trees, if they could talk, would surely thank you for it.

Chances are your computer screen may need cleaning up too. Gone are the days when you need to save every file to your hard drive. Cloud services such as Google Drive and Dropbox means you can easily upload and save your work without the need to have multitudes of folders littered across your computer screen.

Another area to tidy up is your email inbox. Delete anything that is irrelevant and partition valuable emails into separate folders, such as client accounts or project ideas.

It is good practice at the end of every working day, no matter how tired you may be, to have a tidy up of everything mentioned above. Returning the next day to a clean working environment will do wonders for your mental state.

Team Management

No longer do you need to be in the same building as your team as it is possible for each of you to work at home or on the go. This can cut down on office expenses and room hiring bills, and may even add to the productivity of your workforce if they can work in comfort and with their personal equipment.

With the use of cloud services, it is possible to collaborate on documents you or your team members have uploaded. Whether working on a computer, tablet or smartphone, there is the opportunity to share and edit pieces of work. You can also communicate directly on the cloud by making notes on the document, cutting down the need to make expensive phone calls.

Your team needs to feel included in some of the company decisions. You may be the boss, but that doesn’t mean you know everything. Whether you meet face to face with your team or use a video conferencing service on something like Skype, make time to share ideas across the team. By brainstorming project ideas and listening to their ideas, your staff will truly feel part of the business you are developing.

It is important to utilize your team effectively, so get to know them and understand their strengths and weaknesses. It is no good asking somebody to design a web page when they are more skilled at writing content. However, if you need them to complete work out of their comfort zone then teach them new skills or organize training to aid their development.

Another effective way to manage a team is to hold meetings, daily if not weekly. This way you can delegate tasks to each and ensure everybody has work to do. Free online software, such as Trello, will enable you to allocate a daily schedule for each member of the team and keep everybody up to date on what each other is up to.

A happy team is a productive one.

Sorting your finances

Unless you have a member of staff who is a whizzkid at money matters, you may have to sort out business accounts yourself. Whether it’s sorting staff wages, recording expenses or invoicing clients, it can be stressful and confusing if numbers are not your forte. By using a special smartphone app, the process can be simplified for you. With a couple of button presses, you can send billing reminders to clients, send professional looking invoices and calculate your expenses on the go.

Use your time wisely

Gone are the days when you need to scribble down appointment times or notes on pieces of paper and pin them to a noticeboard. Using calendar booking software, you can keep tabs on your schedule and that of your team on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. Whether it’s keeping note of important appointments, booking a room, or allocating daily tasks, the information you need will be at your fingertips.

Effective time management is crucial, as some tasks will be more important and pressing than others. Make a list each day, with the most important things you need to do on top. Many of us have a habit of procrastinating on something because it appears stressful. By not doing it, however, you will likely become more stressed as it will always be there in the back of your mind. So confront it head on, whether it’s having a conversation with somebody you are struggling with or dealing with the accounts, get it done and reward yourself for it afterward.

In business, you are only as good as your reputation. In fact, if you are in the process of starting up your venture, having good feedback from customers can make or break you during such a delicate time. But what actually is customer satisfaction, and how can you harness this to ensure you have the happiest customers out there? Read on to find out more.

The goal of customer satisfaction

So what actually is customer satisfaction and what is the point of it? Well, the concept behind it is that as well as proving the products that you client requires, you also make the way that they deal with you run as smooth as possible.

Why is this necessary? Well, you may well have the best products on offer in the marketplace, but time is money, and if it takes too long to get the item they need, where they need it, your customer may decide that it’s not worth the trade off.

The same goes if they have to make an extra special effort to purchase the product or receive their delivery properly. Basically, you want to make the process on the customer’s side as easy as possible and provide a way of resolving this quickly if something does go wrong.

This is important because no matter how good your company is, in every department mistake do happen, so it would be naive to assume that they won’t. That means you have to have a system in place to deal with them quickly and efficiently when they do.

User-friendly website and systems

One of the most important aspects of customer satisfaction, especially in a start-up firm is using technology to enable them to have the easiest experience possible when dealing with you.

This may be in the form of a customized business phone system, that has clear options directing a user with a particular issue to the correct person the first time. Why risk frustrating already annoyed customers by passing them from pillar to post to get an issue resolved that is your mistake as the provider, in the first place?

Of course, along with an effective phone system, you will also need internal organization and communication that supports this. So everyone knows exactly who deals with what issues so they can direct the calls to the right person the first time.

Remember if someone is calling about an issue that they have they are probably already quite fired up, and annoyed, and you do not want to compound the situation by further incompetence in handling their call.

Another aspect to consider could be to do with the usability of your website. As many startups use their website as the first port of call, this is particularly important to get right. Luckily, all you need to do is take off your startup CEO hat and put on your customer one for a bit.

Then go through the steps on your website that you would if you were an actual customer.

For example, try searching for the product you need by keyword, is it bringing the right things up? Then try navigating to the product pages. Are they clear? Do they contain the right information, is it easy to see what product you can buy in what sizes?

If not, change these things because the lack of usability can easily cause the customer to become frustrated and this can lose you the sale.

Remember, folks don’t want to have to wade through a mass of issues to get to what they want. They want it to be clear, accessible, and easy to order, so make sure that your site reflects this.

Keeping promises

Essentially a sale agreement is a promise that your company will supply certain items for a set price. Keeping this promise is an essential aspect of providing good customer satisfaction. No one wants to find out halfway through the deal that the prices are increasing. Or the wait time is longer than expected.

That means it’s not only pivotal to keep the promises you make to your customers, but also that you manage their expectations throughout the whole process. To ensure that you are constantly meeting or exceeding them.

To do this, you may need to be conservative in production or delivery times. Or on the discount that you can negotiate for a bulk purchase. But remember, instead of promising high and delivering low, the other way around is much more likely to achieve a good level of customer satisfaction.

Delivering products

The next aspect of customer satisfaction that you need to ensure is working is keeping to the deliveries that you have to agree to.

For example, if you say that you can deliver a product the next day, it’s not much good if it gets delayed. As then you have broken a promise to your customer.

It may not even be anything to do with your company. As it could be the delivery provider that you use being unable to fulfill the time specified. But that all reflects back on your company, and the customer will associate the failure with you.

That is why you must choose the shipping provider carefully, and base your choice not just on price, but also on their service record.

Allowing for complaint resolution

Obviously, it would be nice if everything went well all of the time. But that’s not real life. That means you will need to make provision for customers making complaints and a way to deal with them effectively.

In fact, a complaint situation can be a vital opportunity to turn a negative perception of your company round if its use in the right manner.

If you’re letting workplace hazards linger on in your building, then you’re running a huge amount of risk. You’re allowing your employees to work in a very unsafe environment – and if the problems can be seen and felt, then they’re going to feel very unhappy!

When there are building hazards at home, the need to deal with them is usually felt really quickly. But this isn’t always the case when it comes to modern workplaces such as offices. It doesn’t seem to be as urgent. But this is the wrong way to look at it. After all, an unsafe work environment could see you getting sued by employees without them being injured or made ill.

The problem, of course, is that there are obvious hazards and subtle hazards. If something gets spilled, for example, then that’s a clear hazard that can be dealt with pretty quickly. But modern workplaces often have a host of issues that don’t seem so severe or self-evident – not until something goes wrong.

Here are some of the common problem areas you should be paying attention to as an employer. If you’re an employee, there’s some advice for you towards the lower half of the article.

Moisture

Sorry – I know a lot of people hate that word, but it needs to be mentioned. Think about it: excess moisture is a common problem at home. So much of what you and your family do at home sends moisture into the air. Cleaning, cooking, washing, breathing… now imagine what’s happening to your air when you have dozens of employees in the same area. That moisture that gets created doesn’t just evaporate – it lingers within your building.

Let’s say it’s a cold day. The windows of your office are starting to fog up. You may think that’s just science doing its weird thing, but that condensation shouldn’t really be taking place. It’s a sign that there’s something wrong with your heating and ventilation. Don’t let moisture build up – it can create problems with damp and even mold.

Ventilation

Speaking of ventilation, it’s a must that your ventilation system is running at full capacity. Of course, this is more important for some workplaces than others. Let’s say you’re running a factory. Your average industrial process sends loads of toxins and other dangerous particles into the air. If your ventilation system doesn’t deal with it properly, then you’re putting your employees at risk.

This isn’t to say that you should only pay attention to your ventilation if you’re running a factory. After all, there are loads of toxins in the air of your average office, too. Cleaning products, dust, dirt, PC cleaner – this sort of stuff doesn’t exactly create a healthy environment. Remember that your employees need to stay in that office for hours every day and breathe in that air! Make sure your ventilation system is in top condition.

Electricity

When people imagine a modern business, they usually think of a place that consumes a lot of electricity. A factory, of course, needs to power all of its machines. Your average office probably has dozens of computers on at the same time. This should highlight the importance of making sure the electrical framework of your work building is fit for the task.

If you’ve ever had power outages or problems with inefficient voltage, then this can be the result of dodgy wiring in your building. But there’s also a chance that the electricity routing in your building simply hasn’t been done correctly. Overloaded plugs and loose wiring also create problems. This isn’t just an issues because of the increased risk of power outages. Where there are electrical hazards, there are also fire hazards. The most common cause of workplace fires is electrical faults, so consider getting your building checked out.

Roofing

When people think about workplace hazards and roofing, they tend to think of quite dramatic scenarios. They imagine a weak roof, attacked by wind and rain for so long, finally collapsing and injuring a bunch of the indoor employees. But the dangers of a broken roof are usually not as bombastic as that.

In many ways, problems with the roofing have a lot to do with electrical faults and fire hazards. After all, a broken roof usually means a leaky roof, and the introduction of water to the innards of your building is usually pretty dangerous due to all the electricity coursing through it. (This can also create the aforementioned problems with excess moisture and mold.) But your electrical framework doesn’t have to be faulty for a broken roof to risk electrical faults and fires. So the importance of getting your roof seen to by commercial roofing contractors if there’s a problem should be clear!

Temperature

Most people forget to consider the dangers of certain temperatures when it comes to the workplace. Of course, most people work in environments where this isn’t a particular concern. But even in an office, temperature problems are often underestimated. And this isn’t just because a temperature that’s too low or too high can affect productivity. These temperatures can also lead to illness and increased stress.

Workplaces that lean more towards the industrial are more obvious causes for concern here, especially with many machines and even rooms that are made to emit extremes of one temperature or the other. It’s worth doing more research into the safe and acceptable temperatures of a workplace. In general, if your employees are uncomfortable with the temperature – whether they’re working in a factory or an office – then you need to make some improvements to the building.

What can employees do?

Of course, a lot of what’s been mentioned here are things that only an employer or building manager can deal with. When an employee notices these sorts of problems, things become a bit more complex because they’re rarely in control. Remember: the bulk of these issues are violations of labor safety laws across the globe. If you report the issue to your employer or the business owner, then they’re legally obliged to do something about it as soon as possible. Ensure that you notify them via email, so that there’s a “paper trail” proving that you informed them.

If they’re not doing anything about it, then it’s time to take further measures. You can file a complaint to whatever authority oversees workplace safety in your country. In America, for example, that would be the Occupational Health and Safety Administration. Such complaints can generally be made in confidence.

Collecting evidence of the problem is a must if you want to escalate a complaint in such a way. If the problem is visible, then you should try to get photographs of it. You’ll also need to use the communications between you and your employer to prove that this is a problem about which your employer is aware, signifying that they’re doing nothing about it and, thus, putting their employees in danger.

A lot of employees are hesitant to take things this far simply because they’re afraid of antagonizing their bosses. But the health of you and your fellow employees is at risk. (Heck, the safety of your boss is at risk, too!) You are legally protected from any potential professional retaliation from a boss that doesn’t appreciate your telling OSHA or any other authority about the workplace safety violations, so don’t be afraid to take further action.

To the employers at whom most of this article was aimed: these last few paragraphs should help highlight just how vital it is that workplace hazards are resolved as soon as possible! Don’t be tempted to ignore them simply because of the cost in both time and money.

When you first start up your business, there is a certain amount of networking that needs to be done. It doesn’t matter how you go about it, just as long as you are doing it. Whether it’s writing blog articles on Medium and sharing them with other like-minded individuals, or talking to them in person at set events or meetings, it all counts towards what your startup will be thriving on – popularity.

Word of Mouth

There is nothing better for your business than good old fashioned word of mouth – but there is also nothing that can be more damning if you get on the wrong side of the people that you’re dealing with. Making sure that you have a great reputation starts with how you get yourself known to people, and you want to make sure that you’re doing this in the most positive way that you can. It means going above and beyond what people expect you to do to get rave reviews. Real time responses come from people experiencing emotions which are at either end of the spectrum, from anger to joy. You want to be able to hit the joy emotion every time, rather than getting the anger. Those who are fueled by anger are more likely to leave reviews either by online ratings or telling their friends. Bad news spreads quicker than good, so you’ll have to work harder to ensure that your customers are raving about you rather than ranting about you.

Internet Rankings

The higher that you can get yourself on search engine results, the better looking your business will be. Using an independent/freelance SEO consultant, such as Graeme Winchester for example, can be a great investment in terms of getting a good return for your startup. It is something else that you don’t have to think about and can pass the job on to those who know more about you and do so to your own benefit. There’s not much more that can be argued with that; it’s a simple solution to a growing problem of learning how to get yourself out there online. The internet is a big place and you definitely need to make your dent on it somewhere.

Roadshows

Depending on what your startup is, there are certain shows that will be available for you to attend to be able to network with those wanting to either invest in or buy what you’ve got to sell. Even if you are selling services rather than a physical product, this is something that you’ve got to be able to present to people in person to get them to believe in what you’re offering. If you don’t believe in what you’ve got to put out there, there is little chance that others will believe in what you have to got to give them. If you cannot be the face of your business, i.e. you are too shy or stumble on your words, consider hiring somebody who can be at the forefront with you hovering in the background for security and assurance.

So you launched a business a while ago, but despite your best efforts to make a go of it, you failed. For one reason or another, you just couldn’t make a success of your venture, and so, you decided to call it quits for a while.

Perhaps you had some setbacks? Maybe you ran out of funds? Whatever the reason for taking a break from your venture it doesn’t matter, what matters is that you’re ready to get back in the saddle and relaunch your business. The question is, of course, how should you go about doing that?

The last thing you want is to put more money into your business only for it to fail again. So you need to ensure that you know what you’re doing and can make a proper go of things this time. Otherwise, it’s just not worth it, is it?

Keen to get your venture up and running again? Here’s what you need to do to succeed:

Learn from your mistakes

The chances are that last time around you made some mistakes, mistakes that may have cost you your business. Whether you didn’t dedicate enough time to your brand, weren’t good with managing your finances, or struggled with marketing, you need to learn from your mistakes. Don’t make the same mistakes again, learn from last time around and approach your venture differently.

Ensure your website wows

If your old website was well designed, then you may want to make some tweaks to it and reuse it. Or, if you’ve decided to opt for a name change – a lot of businesses do this when relaunching – then you will need a new website, complete with a new domain name and hosting. Whether you’re sticking with your old site of having another one built by a specialist company like iPage, it’s crucial that your website wows. This means opting for a professional design, ensuring content is well written, it’s easy to use and navigate, and the site has something that encourages users to return again and again, such as a blog section.

Get in touch with your old customers

Hopefully, you still have the contact details of your old customers. If you do, it’s worthwhile getting in touch with them again to let them know that you are relaunching. The best way to do this is to send out an email that notifies them of this – not just a text email, one containing visuals and a link to your website. For this, using a service like Mailchimp is ideal as it allows you to create customized email layouts that are smart, professional, and most importantly, eye-catching.

Get your marketing spot on

The key to success when launching a brand is marketing. You want to ensure that the world and his wife knows that your business is being relaunched. One of the best budget-friendly ways to do this is via social media. As well as putting a plan in place for once you have relaunched, you want to build the hype around the launch itself, increasing your chances of success. Think a countdown to the big day, competitions, images – basically, anything that’s interesting and eye-catching. The more excitement you can build about your brand’s relaunch, the better.

There you have it, all the vital information you need to successfully relaunch your brand.