Nibletz Staff - 39/87 - Serious Startups

Keep Your Business Secure For Success

Many new startups fail for a myriad of reasons. One of these is that they did not give enough thought to the security of their business before going ahead and setting up. Security is a huge aspect that all businesses need to think about especially in this day and age. If you want your business to succeed then you make it secure, so that no one wishing it harm can come near to it at all. There are various ways to do this, and although you may have given it some thought these points could give you further ideas regarding your business.

Establish A Perimeter

If there is a form of perimeter then potential thieves and vandals may have trouble getting in. This is a must if you run some kind of fleet based company like a taxi firm or fleet of trucks. Normal shops have walls, this is a perimeter. You need one too. It can be an internal perimeter, such as a fence within a location to keep people out of high risk areas where you store items of significant worth. Your best bet is to hire commercial fence contractors. If you have a physical barrier then they can’t do much and only the most determined of thieves can get in. If you think things are bad consider hiring a night watchman, or even dogs who can protect your property.

CCTV

You need it. These days it comes quite cheap too. You can use CCTV that is motion activated, so that you don’t waste electric and power, meaning it will only be activated when something trips the sensor. Having this on hand is a great way to keep your assets safe, first because it acts as a put off for anyone who wanted to steal but also because if it captures the thieves it can aid in their capture, meaning you may get your stuff back anyway. You can even get the footage beamed straight to your smartphone, so you can have peace of mind knowing everything is okay unless the sensor trips.

Computer Security

Physical threats aren’t the only issue these days. You also need to worry about hackers and people who will maliciously send you things that could ruin your systems and client data. First, educate your workforce. They need to know that opening things like unsolicited email attachments can cause serious viruses that may ruin your setup. Then, you need to invest in quality business virus protection. There are all kinds available so search for what you think will benefit you most. Think about ditching the server altogether and using cloud computing which has strode forward in recent years. It means you are safe from physical attack like vandalism and also fire and the like whilst also being much harder to hack because you are based on the cloud. It also means you can access key business data from wherever you are, meaning workforce productivity shoots up dramatically. No more carrying irksome hard drives or USB sticks around.

Don’t Be A Cowboy Builder

Running a construction business is difficult. Not because of the industry, as construction work is always needed somewhere, but because the challenge of making a worthwhile name for your business is hard to overcome. Small mistakes can completely tarnish the reputation of any building company, as people are nervous when they entrust such a big project with a business; they’d rather trust the company with no blemishes against its name, rather than the business which make a costly error on their last job.

Whilst you may have honest intentions when entering the construction industry, not every “cowboy builder” intentionally earns that title. As your company grows, you’ll need to work harder and harder to ensure that every project you undertake is completed to the same high quality as the last. When you let standards slip, you put your business’ name at risk. Fail to plan, and you plan to fail. If you want to avoid your construction company becoming known as a gang of cowboy builders, then here are some pieces of advice to avoid earning that title.

Train your workers.

This is perhaps the most important piece of advice any construction business can be given. If you want to avoid mistakes and botched jobs, ensure that the people you employ have the same values and standards of quality in terms of completing a construction project that you do. Your employees reflect on the company, and you should ensure they’re well-trained, along with having the correct qualifications, before you let them conduct any sort of work on-site. One botched-up piece of work means a botched-up reputation for your construction business as a whole, which can be tough to recover in such a competitive industry. Future clients might find it hard to trust you if you employ dodgy builders.

Check machinery and materials.

Even the most experienced team of workers can be let down by the machines or the equipment with which they’re working. If you do an excellent by-the-book job, but your materials are shabby or the gear you’re using is starting to wear out a little, then you might be putting the entire project at risk. It’s vital that you regularly and consistently ensure everything your construction business uses on site is well-maintained. You could look into an electric hoist company to ensure your hoist and crane machinery is all up to scratch. Whether we’re talking about a huge piece of machinery which could put the build or workers’ lives at risk if it’s faulty, or simply a shabby piece of wood which might do a poor job at providing structure to a household in the future, maintaining a high standard across all aspects of a build is so important.

Complete jobs on time.

Completing a job well is one thing, but completing a job within the deadline is quite another. If you’re building a house for a family or a new office block for a small company, the deadline you give them is vitally important. They might be counting on the exact date of completion that they’ve been given. If it’s a home construction, leaving people without anywhere to live for longer than they expected could be costly and frustrating for them. Keep up the good image of your company, and don’t exceed deadlines.

Impress From The First Address

First impressions are crucial in your business model. You may not realise this but a client or customers has decided whether they are going to use your business or service within a few minutes of meeting you. As such, you need to make sure that they are getting your A game straight away. Otherwise, you have only yourself to blame for a lost sale and lower level of profit. So, how do we get things on track and impress the customer straight out the gate?

Here’s My Card

Everything about your business presentation must be on point from the first time you meet that new client. For instance, you might not meet them in a business setting at all. Lawyers, for instance, head down for happy hour after work. It’s here that they find potential clients down in the dumps, in search of a helping hand. With a quick nod of the head, shake of the hand and a passing of a business card, they’ve created a new lead. It’s the card that’s important here. It needs to be professionally designed and look like it’s being given out by a pro-business man or woman. You can’t afford for customers to think, even for a second that you are not genuine. Or worse, that you’re not successful.

Don’t Keep Them Waiting

If you want to win over customers, you need them to feel special, important and taken care of. This means that customers shouldn’t be left on hold for long because this will essentially mean that they don’t feel like they are worth your time. You also shouldn’t leave them waiting in reception for long periods, anxious for a meeting with you. You might think this is a way of showing them that you don’t need their business but you also showing that you don’t care. That’s a dangerous balancing act you’re trying to pull off. It’s far better to make them feel as though they are number one rather than that you’re so busy you don’t have time for them.

Styled To Stun

We do need to think about how your business looks to new clients. Does it seem like a place that has a lot of money to burn and does it look like it’s run by people who care about the little details? If it is, there will be reception furniture that is both elegant and luxurious. It should look as though it’s been ripped straight out of a five-star hotel entrance hall. Details like this will guarantee that your clients are genuinely impressed and excited to see more of your company.

Better Than The Rest

Last but certainly not least you need to think about who you have working for your business. The key players in your company need to be dressed to impress and ready to make clients swoon for your company. As such, you should pick members of your team very carefully.

Good luck with making the best impression with your company. If you take our advice, we guarantee your customers won’t look back once they have entered your office.

Avoiding The Biggest Causes Of Manufacturing Downtime

There are few words that make a manufacturing business owner cringe in pain quite as bad as ‘downtime’ does. The idea that no work is being done, no progress is being made towards goals. The bottlenecks that develop, the return on investment lost. It just can’t be abided. So, it’s time to identify the greatest causes of downtime and what you can do to eliminate it.

Those crucial skills are gone

It might be due to illness, it might be because of personal leave, or that someone has quit. If you haven’t prepared for how the business continues when certain skillsets aren’t there, temporarily or permanently, it can put down a real barrier to productivity. You should always have the means to replace someone’s skills at short notice. Whether that’s hiring temps or cross-training, you can’t allow any one person to become indispensable to the business.

When machines fail

Overall equipment effectiveness is a model that makes the goal of the manufacturer to have every piece of equipment on the floor running at all times. The more time any one machine has problems, the further you get from that goal. Reaching that goal needs a multipronged strategy. It needs a close relationship with parts suppliers like Pirtek, not only to make use of emergency repair services but to stay stocked in the essential parts that are most likely to need replacing. It also needs the operators to be involved in routine maintenance of the machines as often as possible. Any planned downtime should be spent optimizing the equipment the business relies on.

The health and safety crises

An accident in the workplace is going to shut down productivity in all kinds of ways. You have someone who needs time off to take care of themselves, for one. But you also have the investigations into either the machinery or the work practices that led to the accident themselves. All in all, it takes way too much focus away from the business of manufacturing. That’s why regular risk assessments, training, and looking after your employees is so essential. Accidents will happen, but the less, the better. You can even incentivize immaculate safety records with annual financial rewards. People are already concerned with their own safety, but using the carrot instead of the stick can make them doubly careful.

You don’t have what you need

It’s not as serious as a health and safety failure, but running out of stock can definitely be a panic-ridden time for a manufacturing business. The key is to manage both the relationship with suppliers as well as your own expectations. Getting to know your sales cycle and performing accurate demand estimations is essential. But sometimes the issue isn’t that you don’t bring enough in to deal with demand, but that suppliers cannot provide enough. This is why in-depth communication with suppliers, getting to know the risks to their own supply, is crucial. You need to know when you need to have a backup prepared.

There’s always going to be some risk of downtime and some loss of productivity. However, besides reducing the risk, by preparing for it, you make it easier to spot workarounds and backups, as well as recovery plans. In preventing and tackling the issue, you have to be prepared for it from every angle.

Hungry For Success? Tasty Tips For Starting A Food Business

Globalization has meant a growth in the food business like never before. The rise of travel and immigration have brought people closer together, and they have brought their native dishes with them. Not only this, people are a lot more adventurous these days and are willing to try new things. Entrepreneurs often see creating a new snack or sauce as a quick way to make vast sums of money quickly, but it’s rarely going to be easy. Firstly, you need a great idea coupled with the drive and enthusiasm required to make any business a success.

If you are thinking of starting your own food business, here are a few things you need to get started.

An Innovative Food Product

If you are starting a food business, it may seem that an innovative product is an obvious one! But if you are offering something that other companies are already doing, you are much less likely to get that valuable bit of shelf space at the supermarket. Instead, you need to experiment in the kitchen. If you have some inside knowledge or an old family recipe you are trying to mass produce, all the better.

A Gap in the Market

As with anything else in business, it’s about finding that crucial gap in the market. Head down to your local supermarket and look at the categories you know most about. Think about exactly where your product would fit in. People are increasingly time poor these days and are looking for a product that can solve meal preparation problems. Or else they are looking for a new tasty type of snack. Ask yourself what unique qualities your product has to offer.

Set Realistic Goals

Of course, you will have some hugely ambitious long term goals, but you need to make sure that you don’t set your sights too high, too quickly. Aim for step by step growth by getting your product into some smaller independent stores before trying to get it into the big name supermarkets.

Large Scale Production

Obviously, you will want to scale up your production over time. You may well start off in your own kitchen, but you then need to scale up your recipes, testing everything for shelf life and safety. Large scale food production is likely to require a relatively high amount of capital investment, and you will need certain pieces of equipment that can be found from the likes of eclipseseal.com. Ultimately, it is likely that you will need to start securing some big order and scale your production up over time.

Packaging is Key

Even if you have a world class product, if the packaging isn’t right it’s simply not going to sell. Enlist the help of professionals who can guide you, and don’t rush into anything too quickly. Conduct extensive market research before leaping in head first. People will often buy products based on the strength of the packaging and brand name alone, so their importance simply cannot be overstated.

Important tips start-ups need to keep in mind

yourstory_QuickTipsForStartups_FeatureImage

One of the main problems a great deal of startups tend to face is the fact that getting funding at the initial stage is no easy feat. The first deal with an investor almost feels like the birth of a grand new plan that is bound to work out eventually.

Now with a good flow of investment coming, you may just be fooled into thinking the hard part of your journey is over. Well, sorry to burst your bubble but this is just the beginning. Not only have you raised the bar as far as expectations from others are concerned, but there is also the pressure of pushing your company to greater heights.

On that note, here are a few vital points to keep in mind during the journey :-

Make a proper plan for all your expenses: Once that first bit of investment comes your way, it is extremely easy to go head over heels about it and spend most of it without even realising. No matter what the scenario might be, you will certainly need to keep a beady eye on each and every one of your expenses, however small or big.

Just remember that it all adds up in the end. If you plan to gear your startup for the eventual long haul of becoming a recognized company in the future, there’s just no way you can afford to be lax about your spending.
Keep an eye out on ROI: This is something that you will have to keep a constant track of. ROI is the key to the growth of your startup from its very beginning to the time where it is able to break even. Whether it is product development, marketing or hiring, you will certainly need to calculate your ROI.

Another fact is that investors do keep ROI in mind and will have a lot of expectations from your startup based on your ROI to boot. Having a good ROI will pretty much guarantee future funding as well.
Thorough goal setting: This is one of the few and sure shot ways that you can gain the much needed confidence of your respective investors. Just think about it. After all, your main aim should be to get as much done as possible in the first 2-3 months time period.

Keeping this in mind, you also need to be careful and not bite off more than you can chew. This includes setting goals that are ultimately impossible to fulfill. Be crystal clear about what exactly you want to achieve, do things slowly and systematically and then move forward. Most importantly know what factors exactly to outsource. For example you should definitely outsource the concept of payroll service providers as only they would be able to provide that particular point of view which differs from yours.

When all’s said and done, It would be worthwhile to remember that at the end of the day, you are still a startup. Just a small drop in the ocean and there is still a long way to go. As a company that has just started out, you will need to do whatever it takes to stand out from the rest of the faceless competition. Knowing what to outsource and what not to is one of the first steps in the right direction.

How to Increase Your Brand’s Visibility

There’s more ways than ever to get your company noticed, but unfortunately, everyone else is trying to get their business noticed too. That makes it something of a saturated marketplace, and it takes a little bit extra than simply having a great product or service to make yourself stand out from the crowd. While many people rely on the tried and tested ways to get their name out there – traditional advertising, etc – there are other methods too. Here’s a few ways to increase your brand’s visibility without breaking the bank.

Become a Commentator

There’s plenty of great content that people love out there. Have you seen what’s trending? My oh my, is that stuff gold. You might not be able to come up with something as good as that, but don’t worry – you don’t have to! You can piggyback on the back of others, providing you give credit where it’s due. On Twitter, you can re-tweet the latest and best content related to your ‘image’. Note that we didn’t just say ‘your industry’: your image. Cool and hip? Plenty of content for that. Pro-environment? Same!

Branding

Have you ever noticed how people walk around with shopping bags with the names of the shop on the side? You probably haven’t, but you definitely know the names of the stores. They’re visible in plain site! Put your company name and logo on the name of anything and you’ll have walking, breathing adverts spreading your name far and wide. A custom USB drive, pens, hats, and other goods are good ideas. And if you have a shop, then it goes without saying that your name should be on the side of your packaging. It’s affordable and can also be clever: who won’t take a free USB drive off you?

Talking with Others

You know what your marketing budget is and how far it’ll get you. Now what if that budget could be doubled, tripled, or quadrupled: how far would that take you? There’s no reason to think of yourself as an island, swimming in an ocean of competitiveness all on your own. Talk with companies who match your ethos (but which offer different products/services) and team up together. You’ll both benefit from a project that is mutually beneficial, you’ll get new ideas, and you’ll also make your money go much further than it would if you were on your own. Remember, a problem shared is a problem halved…

Do a Good Deed

Now before you think we’re all cynical by telling you to partner with a charity just for the exposure, let us say: the benefits for your company should be a secondary thought. Your primary motivation should be to do a good deed because it’s a good deed. Still, making your business charitable can have a good impact on its success, too. If you pick a charity that you genuinely care about, then get involved and see how you can help. You’ll be helping them improve while also getting your name out there!

Simple Reasons Why Your Website Visitors Are Leaving In Droves

So, you’ve built a website for your business, filled it with content and product descriptions, and invested a whole bunch of banknotes with a local SEO expert to drive traffic to your site. But, while the number of people visiting your site is impressive, your analytics is telling you that no one is sticking around. And your sales figures are showing you that no one is buying a single thing. What’s going on?

The good news is, you are likely to be making some simple, schoolboy errors. And with a bit of work, you should be able to pull things around. Don’t panic, because your website is not a write-off – yet. Try these ideas, and you might see a dramatic improvement in your performance.

Your design is appalling

Online consumers are pretty tuned in to what looks good regarding websites these days. And that means that design has to be a real focus when you have an online presence. Yes, free templates and cheap developers from foreign countries are available, but if they don’t help you keep people on site, they will end up costing you in the end. Invest a little more by hiring a reputable, skilled web designer with strong UX experience, and you will see improvements within a few days.

You chose the wrong web host

There are plenty of web hosting solutions out there on the market. Some are good, some are bad – and some are absolutely terrible. And the problem with a terrible web host is that it will, ultimately scare people away. Slow loading times are a genuine pain that most consumers have no patience for, these days. And, as www.wizzhosting.co.uk point out, you need to look at things like uptime when you are choosing the right web host to use for your site.

You need better content

The web is full of millions of articles that all say the same thing. And if you are just regurgitating the same old stories, advice, or guides, no one will stick around and read it. Take some time to create compelling, interesting information and present it in an attractive way. Hire a good blog writer if you have to, but be aware that if you are only prepared to pay 1p a word, you will, inevitably, get garbage in return. Great content costs money – and it will see a massive increase in the number of visitors to your site who stick around, and it will eventually give you a good return on your investment.

There is no clear vision

According to bdaily.co.uk/, your site needs to inform people who you are and what you do within a few seconds. Whether you are a business selling products, a service provider, or just a blogger, you have to get your message across in an instant.

People don’t know what to do next

Finally, every visitor to your website needs a nudge in the right direction. Make it easy for people to take the next step by including some compelling call to action buttons, or strong call out boxes that makes their decision for them. And while you are working on this little project, take a look at your checkout process. Again, make things as simple as possible for your customers – there is no need to make them fill out a myriad of forms when all they want to do is buy something.

Without The Green, Your Company Won’t Be Seen

The biggest roadblock for your company is always going to be the cost. In the early days of your business idea, you’re going to be looking at your model wondering how you’ll pay for it all. The answer is that you most likely won’t be able to. Businesses are expensive, and even if you are able to keep costs as low as possible, they’ll still be too high for what you probably have to spare in your bank account. However, don’t be mistaken into thinking you should just give up. That’s not what we’re saying at all. Rather, you need to start looking at the different options for financing your company. Without the green, your company won’t be seen.

Borrowing The Cash

One of the first options you can consider is borrowing the money. You can do this by looking at the many, many online business lenders. There are plenty of companies that are willing, nay eager to give you the cash that will get your company off the ground. But you have to be careful about using them because some will be offering obscene levels of interest on any loan that they are willing to give. Others, will include hidden costs and many more will just be running a scam. Make sure if you borrow you use a reputable company that you can trust. Otherwise, things are going to go downhill rather quickly.

Don’t forget if you’re borrowing money you don’t have to use a private lender. You can borrow straight from the government. However, loans will only be granted from the government if they think your startup has a great chance at success. As such, you need to think more than just a couple years ahead. Plan for the next five years and make sure you layout where your company has been and where it could be in the future.

Relying On Support

Your business idea might already have a strong following online. This might be the case if you know how to use social media effectively and have gained some interest from potential customers. If that’s the case, you can look at alternate financing options such as crowdfunding. Through crowdfunding, potential customers pay to get your business off the ground. However, to do this, your business does need to be commercially viable. You need to be able to market it in a way that makes it seem attractive and exciting. If you don’t do this, your business crowdfunding campaign will be completely lost in the ocean of others eager to find support.

Working From Home

Or, if you’re serious about not borrowing any money to start up your business, you may want to think about running a home company as a solopreneur. By doing this, you can cut out all the costs and establish a business model that is dirt cheap. At least it will be for the first few months. The trick is to build up the business, and the costs as the interest grows for your company. That way you won’t be limiting the potential your company has on the market.

4 Taxes Every Small Business MUST Know

‘The taxman’s taken all my dough, and left me in this stately home, lazing on a sunny afternoon.’ Fifty-one years later, and The Kinks aren’t the only people getting screwed by the taxman. Yep, even in 2017 the taxman is still having his way and taxing small businesses for a ride. As an SME, you would love to reduce your bill to almost zero, but it’s almost impossible. You can lower your contributions and save money, but you have to know tax inside out first. With that in mind, here are the most important taxes and how you can push back.

Income Tax

Income tax is an individual tax that the government takes from your wage. As the boss, you are bound to take a wage, so this is a very important tax. In the US, the threshold for income tax is $9275, which is pretty low. On this amount, you will have to pay ten percent income tax, and the percentage increases depending on how much you earn. The trick to lowering your income tax is to pay yourself without triggering the tax. If you structure your business correctly, you can, legally, lower your contributions. Anyone that doesn’t understand business structures should look at this guide.

Corporation Tax

Corporation tax is a tax on your profits. As soon as the business starts to make a profit, it will have to pay up. And, because there is no threshold, there is no cool down period. In regards to corporation tax, you can make a couple of bucks profit and still have to pay the government their due. Of course, you don’t have to pay if you don’t make any profit, which is a positive. Small businesses just need to focus on surviving, so making money a profit isn’t the most important thing. In your first year, breaking even is more important so you can worry about tax later.

Eco-Tax

Eco-tax is a new one because the world (apparently) is about to explode. There is no doubt the earth is getting warmer and global warming is real. And, there is no question that governments are laying the blame at the feet of businesses. As a result, a business has to pay tax on anything deemed dangerous to the environment. Thankfully, there is a way around this tax – don’t harm the environment. It sounds easy, and it is pretty easy. Haitham Alaini Yemen entrepreneur outlines how you can appease this tax with a vertical forest. Plenty of businesses, on the other hand, have lowered their output with green light bulbs. There is no need for a small business to pay an eco-tax.

Property Tax

Any business that operates from offices or retail premises has to pay tax on the building. The reason is simple – you have to pay rates on your home, so you have to pay rates on your business property, too. Thanks to the internet, there is no need to pay rates on your business for a very long time. Working from home, without any physical employees, means you will be exempt from this tax. Until you grow big enough to cope, you can work remotely and still grow.

Taxes are mandatory, but how much you pay isn’t mandatory.

Stay One Step Ahead Of The Industrial Competition

If you want to succeed in the industrial business sector, you need to stay ahead of the competition. There are going to be a lot of factories and firms trying to undercut you, steal your clients and essentially push your business out of the market. Indeed, it’s fair to say that the lifespan of business in the industrial market doesn’t always stretch for more than a few years. But it can if you take steps to get ahead of the biggest rivals to your company. Let’s look at some of the best ways that you can do this.

Cut The Costs And The Waste

Your first job is to eliminate extra spending and thus any waste from your business model. There are lots of ways industrial businesses waste money. One of the main problems is always going to be energy. Energy bills can rake up towards the high thousands for businesses like, and you have to be prepared for this. One of the best options is to think about using green technology and possibly even looking towards renewable sources of energy. By investing in solar panels, you will be able to cut your energy costs down to zero at certain points through the year which would be absolutely fantastic. You just have to be willing to make that first investment to get the ball rolling.

Commit To Innovation

You should also be looking at ways to make your business more innovative, fresh and unique. One of the possibilities you can look into is new technology. If you purchase something like Machitech plasma tables, you can cut metal faster, and the finished output can be a complete custom design. It’s one way to separate your products from all the others in your market, and it’s not the only type of innovation you can think about.

You might also want to look at automated tech. With automated technology, you can keep costs low and make your business a lot more efficient. Bring your factory forward into the future like never before by relying on software rather than staff. If it is probably possible to run your business factory with half the number of staff that you’re using right now. Imagine what that could do to your overheads.

Build Leads

Finally, you need to think about how to build up leads for your business. If you’re not looking for new leads for your company, it will stagnate on the market. You can do this by investing in the right marketing. Even an industrial business should be working to build up marketing online. This could be local or international. With the right marketing, you can attract business partners and investors who can take your company to the next level, and that’s exactly what you want.

For this to be effective, you need to be able to promote the right ideas for your company. You want to be able to build up the fact that your company is at the forefront of new ideas in your industry. That your business is ready to take the first steps towards the future. A skilled marketer can do this for you.

Lessons Learned From The Trenches: Entrepreneurs Share It All

It’s quite amazing: entrepreneurs are some of the most valuable people in society, coming up with new products and service which, in general, make our lives better and push humanity forward. Yet there’s practically no training either in school or college for people wanting to pursue that type of career. Training is all about fitting into the existing mold, rather than breaking out of it and doing something fundamentally new.

Entrepreneurs, therefore, have to feel their way to success. Along the way, they inevitably make mistakes, but the difference between a failed entrepreneur and a great one is in how those mistakes are handled. Those who are successful learn from their mistakes and don’t make them again in the future. Those who fail keep on making them until they eventually go out of business.

The ability to reflect on oneself is, therefore, essential. Entrepreneurs need that external “observing eye” – a tool that allows them to look at themselves and their company critically and objectively.

Admit You Made A Mistake

The reason entrepreneurs need insurance, like general liability insurance from CompleteMarkets, is because they make mistakes, according to Tori Utley, a seasoned entrepreneur writing in Forbes. But the best leaders don’t shy away from their errors: instead, they admit them up front and take ownership. Being open and honest about your limitations is an excellent way to get the rest of your team on board and outsource to them new ideas for how to solve problems, she says. Businesses that succeed, she argues, are those that take a more collegiate approach to problem-solving.

Recognize Leadership Is A Gift

Utley also points out that leadership is a gift, rather than something a person’s intrinsically deserves, separate from their actions. People don’t have to work with you: they can go off and find somebody else who treats them better or offers them more challenging and interesting work. As a leader, she says, she learnt that people had chosen to follow her out of their own free will, which dramatically changed how she thought about her position. She saw her aims, not so much to grow her company, but grow the people around her so that they could grow the company themselves.

Entrepreneurs Must Commit

Utley points out that one of the reasons why some startups ultimately fail to reach their potential is because their founders don’t commit. They’re full of ideas for the future, and yet the rubber isn’t hitting the road.

Top entrepreneurs lay out their plan and their vision for the future, and then create a series of measurable, practical steps to get there, based on time and financial constraints. By committing fully to an idea, Utley says that entrepreneurs will naturally bring their entire teams along with them for the ride. Personally investing in your own ideas is the best form of advertising for your investors and motivation for your staff to commit to the same degree that you have.

Finally, Utley says that humility is essential. Confidence and humility is a rare combination, but it is essential if an entrepreneur is to remain adaptable.

Surprising Signs That You Might Be An Entrepreneur

What makes an entrepreneur? There are the obvious things that everyone knows about, including resilience, self-belief, and being passionate about getting stuck in. You’ll need to be comfortable with networking, too.

But let’s face it, you can display all these qualities and still prefer working for an employer, or jumping aboard the corporate train. To work out whether you are suited to entrepreneurship, we need to scratch the surface a little deeper. Let’s take a look at some of the surprising signs that you might well be an entrepreneur.

You are a complete control freak

One of the biggest challenges all entrepreneurs go through is developing an ability to let go. And some never actually manage it – or, at the very least, ever feel comfortable with the idea, no matter how much they try. As it is part of your makeup, it is something that you might not be able to change, but you will need to address it. Micromanaging will end up causing tensions between you and the people you hire. It’s a big block for productivity levels, too – both for you and your employees. Being a control freak is often part and parcel of being an entrepreneur, but it’s how you deal with the issue that will determine your success.

You feel the need to launch new ventures

If you start a business, you might think you are an entrepreneur. But unless you start another, and then another (and often at the same time) then you can’t really call yourself that at all. Take the likes of Nicolas Livsit and many others as an example: people who start off in one industry and end up with other, entirely unrelated enterprises. In fact, if you can call yourself an entrepreneur, you have to start calling yourself a serial entrepreneur. Sure, it’s masochistic, and it means you are exposing yourself to a lot of risks. But in your mind, it’s all part of the thrill.

Money doesn’t drive you

Everyone likes money, of course. But if it is your single biggest driver, you are better off avoiding entrepreneurship and should consider getting a job and working for a big corporate company instead. Because it’s the thrill of the chase, and finding success in any field you take to that is the most important thing about why you are an entrepreneur.

The black sheep

Look at all the biggest entrepreneurial spirits in the world and they all, to an individual, are a little bit different to everyone else. Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Ray Kroc – all of them are people who didn’t have a traditional route to success and could be classed as black sheep – or even college dropouts. So, if you think of yourself as something of an outsider and one of those people who sees things differently than everyone else, there is every chance you could make it as an entrepreneur.

You know how to listen

Finally, there is a common assumption that to make it as an entrepreneur you need to be extroverted, loud, and bold., But the truth is that introverts sometimes make the best entrepreneurs, purely because they know how to listen. Mark Zuckerberg is a good example – as are Bill Gates and Google’ Larry Page. Loudness and boldness don’t mean anything, but if you have the ability to listen, entrepreneurship might be for you.

Take The Pressure Off: Simple Ways To Reduce The Stress Of Running A Business

Let’s not beat around the bush here; there’s no way anyone could deny that running a business is hard. In fact, there’s an argument to be made that it just might be one of the hardest things that a person could ever try to do. It involves huge amounts of work and a lot of difficult choices. Often the buck stops with you which can result in a great deal of pressure. In fact, a lot of business owners are shocked when they find out, perhaps too late, just how much pressure is placed upon their shoulders when it comes to running a business. This can cause huge amounts of stress to build up and creates a potentially toxic relationship between you and your business. Not only does too much pressure and stress cause you to feel a certain degree of negativity towards your business, but it also can result in mistakes getting made as well as certain elements of your business being neglected almost entirely. If you’re not taking care of every single aspect of your business equally then, there’s no chance that you’re going to be able to turn it into something truly successful. Fortunately, that kind of pressure simply doesn’t need to be a part of your business all of the time. Of course, there’s no way to take all of the work and difficulty out of running a business, but it is absolutely possible to stop it becoming so bad that it has a negative impact on your life as a whole. With that in mind, here are some of the best ways to take some of the stress out of running a business.

Outsourcing

The biggest problem that many business owners come up against is actually one that could easily qualify as self-made. That problem is that they simply take on too much. This is fairly understandable since part of the appeal of starting your own business is that you get to take responsibility and control over every aspect of it rather than having things dictated to you by someone else. But far too many people assume that this means that they have to take on every single element of their business without ever taking a break. This not only a terrible idea but it can also be potentially dangerous for your business. After all, if you’re trying to do everything yourself, not only is that going to be a cause of stress for you but it’s also going to result in things getting missed or left half-finished. However you might like to, there’s no way that you can deal with every problem by yourself. This is where outsourcing comes in. By handing over certain elements of your business to outside organizations then you’re going to be in a much better position to deal with the other parts of your business more effectively and thoroughly. It doesn’t matter what kind of business you’re running; there are always going to be people and companies that can assist you. Whether you’re a retail store that needs help creating a larger social media presence or a dental practice that needs help from a company like StraightSmile Solutions, there’s always someone out there to fit your needs. It can be hard to feel as though you’re giving parts of your business away but remember you still have final say over the way things are done and you can dictate to the company you’re working with exactly how you want them to treat your business.

Planning

There’s an old saying that goes “failing to plan is planning to fail.” As much as a total cliche as this might be, that doesn’t stop it from being very true indeed. A solid plan is crucial for any business, but many people assume that they only need one that covers the broad strokes. Now, this is definitely important, you should have a clear plan that outlines the more long-term elements of your business, but that doesn’t mean that you can afford to play everything else by ear. While it’s very important to be as flexible as possible on a day-to-day basis, you should also go into each work day with a clear plan of what it is that you want to achieve. Without a plan, you’ll find yourself being distracted and moving from task to task without any real sense of focus. This is a very easy way to end up with jobs that are, at best, finished with the bare minimum amount of effort.

Trust your employees

This comes from a similar place to the issues that many business owners have with outsourcing. It can be hard to see the business that is so important to you in the hands of someone else. But there are few things worse for the productivity of your employees than someone constantly looking over their shoulder, micromanaging every little aspect of the work that they’re doing. Remember that your employees are there for a reason and it’s important that you trust them. Creating this culture in your workforce starts with the recruitment process. Make sure that you’re only hiring people who you genuinely believe have the best interests of the business at heart. Then make sure that you’re giving them the level of trust that they need in order to do their job without you constantly hovering around them all day.

Learn to walk away

Sometimes the best thing you can do for your business is simply to walk away for a while and take some time for yourself. As counter-intuitive as it might seem, there are few things worse for your business than trying to dedicate all of your time to it. The only thing that can from doing that is that you end up burning out. At the very least it’s going to foster a pretty serious amount of resentment towards your business as in encroaches on more and more aspects of your personal life. Maintaining the best possible work/life balance is crucial to not only making your business work as productively as possible but also for ensuring you retain your own sanity.