Author: Nibletz Staff

You’ve got a killer business idea. You’ve already found a bunch of amazing people to join your company. You’ve also found the perfect office space. What else does your startup need? Well, the office needs to be kitted out with the right equipment for starters. This means all the latest technology appliances, comfy furniture and state-of-the-art IT software. There are many different brands and models out on the market these days. Not sure what will help to turnover a tidy profit? Here is a list of five amazing tools every new office should have.

A Phone System

You will need more than a basic landline. As well as standard phones that can make and receive external calls, you will need to be able to make internal phone calls. Most phone plans often include external and internal calls together on the bill. Speak to your chosen company and see if they have any extras they can add. Some offer conference calling and data networks. Think about what you need from a phone system before signing on the dotted line for one.

A Water Cooler

Employees will love hanging around the water cooler having a gossip. It will also keep them refreshed. Water is great to help aid concentration and memory, therefore, helping them hit all their targets. It’s also a great idea to offer free healthy snacks, like fruits and yoghurt. This is another fab morale booster for the workforce while helping them stick to a healthy and nutritious diet.

Sufficient Filing

You’ll probably already have filing cabinets for all your paperwork and important documents. But is it sufficient for your needs? The more filling space you have, the better. This allows you to keep all your papers highly organised in an efficient manner. If you don’t have enough space, you will end up stuffing everything together and important documents could end up damaged or missing.

Comfy Office Chairs

A comfy office chair for every employee is very important. Not only does it make their day more comfortable, but it will also bring many health benefits. The right chair can help with posture and will prevent any back pain that can come with working on a computer all day. If your employees prefer, you could always get them a standing desk. These desks are designed to be used while standing.and not only improve blood circulation but prevent slouching as well.

Office Pet

Do you have a dog? Bring it to work! If you don’t, maybe one of your employees does. Lots of modern offices allow people to bring their dogs into work with them. It’s been shown that pets can help reduce stress levels and depression. Having a pet around will help boost the morale in your office. Happy workers mean productive workers! Not only that, but it also means the dog won’t be home alone all day while their owner is at work.

With all these great additions to your office, you’ll really notice an improvement in the efficiency and mood of your workforce!

You can not afford to forget about the safety of employees in your business. On this post, we’re going to be focusing on dangers in factories and industrial businesses. But it’s important that you realise safety is important for every company. Whether you work in an office or own a factory floor, you have to protect your employees.

An example of an incident in a business office could be RSI. Repetitive strain injury is caused by consistently typing while sitting in a poor position. If you have people typing in your office you should be making sure that they take five minute breaks every hour. If they don’t they could develop RSI. You should under no circumstances order them or encourage them to work without breaking. If you do this, you could be sued for legal damages after they suffer from an injury like this that could have been prevented.

This is perhaps the main reason why you need to think about the safety of your employees. Forget about the ethical or moral obligations for the moment. If you don’t protect your employees you could be sued when they suffer an accident. Firstly, when you own a business and have employees, you have a duty of care. That means it’s your responsibility to keep them safe when they are working for you. Secondly, premises liability states that anyone who owns a property is responsible for any injuries. This will be true even if you are renting your office or factory. Landlords will shift premises liability to the business owner through contractual agreements.

Of course, you also have to think about bad press. If you want the best employees working for your business, you can’t be known for running a place where accidents happen. Here are some of the ways typical accidents can be prevented.

Check Your Machinery

If you’re  running a factory, it’s crucial that you make sure the machinery is safe for use, regularly. It may have been safe for use when you bought it. But machinery does have a life expectancy like anything else. A lot of wear and tear could cause damage to the equipment, making it unsafe. If this occurs and an employee suffers an injury, you will be held accountable. Puwer inspections can be arranged to check machinery is still in good working order.

Hire Safety Officers

You should have safety officers appointed on your staff. These people will be responsible for regularly checking your place of work is in good order. They will look for any hazards that could cause an accident and make sure they are resolved. Or noted so that you can be aware of the danger. Health and safety officers will allow this issue to be shifted to someone other than yourself. But you do need to make sure you hire the best people for the job.

Train Your Workers

Lastly, it’s important to be aware that most business accidents can be prevented by the employee. They just need to be trained to know what to do when they see a hazard. If you have the best trained employees working for you, you will limit the chances of an accident on your property.

Have you started a new business that’s managing to corner the US market? Does the idea of expanding and making more cash seem appealing? Then you should spend some times looking at your options. Trading overseas if often an excellent way of ensuring your business continues down a profitable path. Still not convinced? Let’s take a look at some of the benefits you just can’t ignore.

Increased profit potential

It stands to reason that increasing your potential customer base by a few billion is going to make a difference to sales levels. In turn, that should also mean your profit margins increase, and you boost turnover significantly. Just make sure you understand all the export and import charges before rushing ahead.

Higher competitive advantage

All company owners should look for new and innovative ways to beat the competition. Making your products or services available to the entire planet is an advantage that could remove all competitors from the market. Thier brands will seem insignificant compared to yours on the global scene. It would be like comparing “Dave’s Big Warehouse” to names like “Amazon.”

More business opportunities

People involved in the business world will understand how important networking has become. One thing is for certain; you’re going to meet lots of new and influential people if you trade abroad. That could mean you become exposed to excellent business opportunities not open to your competitors.
That information should help to explain why trading overseas is a good idea. Will you take a leap of faith and try it this year? Take a look at the infographic before making that decision because it’s important you understand the scale of the concept.

Infographic Produced By Parcel Monkey

Communicating effectively is essential in the modern world of business. It’s not something that you can afford to ignore if you want your business to succeed. So, here are 5 top ways to improve the way your business communicates.

1. Ditch the Jargon

Nobody wants to listen to a load of waffle that they don’t really understand. That’s why when you’re talking to customers, you should ditch the jargon. It’s all about making sure that you are speaking to customers in a language they understand. How you go about doing this will depend on your business. If you are talking to clients who understand that jargon, then you won’t need to dumb it down. But if you are trying to sell something to someone who doesn’t know what you’re talking about, deliver it in a way they can appreciate.

2. Use VoIP

There are so many ways in which the internet is changing the face of communications in the business world. Most offices should already have stopped using traditional phone systems. It is much more sensible to use a VoIP phone system. These work by using the internet. It is completely free to call other VoIP phones from these systems. And it’s very cheap to call dial-up phones as well. You can save so much money by making this one simple change, so make it!

3. Use the Best Software

There are so many computer programs out there that can make communicating easier than ever before. For a start, you need to get the basics right. That means getting a hosted exchange server up and running so that you can unify your email and contacts in one place. This will make your life much easier when you are looking for someone’s contact details, and you want to get in touch with them fast. Keep the software you use up to date at all times as well. It’s the only way to stay ahead of the game.

4. Converse with Customers on Social Media

Communicating directly with customers is something that is expected of all businesses nowadays. You have to be out there interacting with the people who you want to sell to. It’s no longer good enough to simply sit in your ivory tower and maintain a distance between you and the customers. So, make sure that you have numerous social media accounts that you can make use of. And don’t just use them as advertising platforms. Instead, converse with people and show your business’s human side.

5. Boost Internal Communication

Internal communication is just as important as external communications though. You shouldn’t forget to improve the way in which your office communication systems operate. If the people who work for your business are not able to talk to one another and share ideas, your business will suffer. Find new ways to improve how people who work in different departments can communicate. This will improve the overall flow of work in the office, and jobs will be taken care of quicker.

So, you’ve got a great product? That’s the easy part. The hard part is getting the message out. Here are some pro tips for making yourself heard.

Effective Social Media Engagement

Having a good social media marketing strategy can mean the difference between getting your message heard and not. Traditional social media marketing means getting a company to generate likes on your social media accounts. It might also mean using another company to generate content for your blog and so on. All of it is designed to drive traffic to your website and your product.

But what if the social media guys aren’t talking to the blogging guys. That can be a problem. The whole purpose of the blogging guys is to create interesting content that your users will want to read. But if the social media guys aren’t linked up with the blogging guys, they’re less likely to advertise the blogs. That means less traffic to your site. And if there’s less traffic to your site it makes you wonder why you went with an external marketing company in the first place.

One solution is to have one company comprehensively manage your online presence. Having your social media marketing carried out by a single provider means that they’re better able to integrate all your activity.  

SEO

SEO or Search Engine Optimisation is the process of getting search engines to like and highly rank your content. Of course, your ranking is related to your social media marketing efforts. But there are many other considerations you need to take into account.

The first is to make sure that each of your pages is optimised for the precise search terms that people use when searching for your product. It’s essential that you don’t guess what they search for when including keywords for your web pages. You need to find out what they’re actually searching for, and then incorporate that into your site.

Also, if you’re a local business, your SEO needs to be optimised for local searches. If you’re located in Iowa, for example, and you don’t ship out of state, then make sure that it’s clear to the search engine.

If you do decide to get somebody else to optimise your ranking, choose an honest company. If a company promises to get you to the top of Google search results in two months, they’re fibbing.

Make Your Website Mobile Friendly

Many people have already switched away from using personal computers to access online content. Now the market is increasingly going mobile. That means that it’s increasingly important for your site to be optimized for mobile.

Google have recently introduced a policy of penalising websites in their search results that are not mobile-ready. So make sure that you or your website designer has mobile in mind when designing your site.

Plus the benefits of mobile are becoming clearer with each passing year. Back in 2014, a study from Neustar Localeze found that nearly 80 percent of local searches ended in a purchase. In other words, when somebody wanted a product locally, they more often than not bought something on the mobile platform.

The Merchant Services industry isn’t exactly known for its honesty and integrity. The industry is crammed full of players, some far less scrupulous than others. This is why it is so important to make sure that you get your merchant services right.

When you think about it, the cost of merchant services is actually a large one. It might seem like it’s only a few percent being creamed off each transaction. But when you think about how your profit margin is itself often only a few percent, the price of merchant services hits home. Often, if a business is large enough, merchant services can cost as much as employing a full-time member of staff, and sometimes more.

Be Represented

The cost and complexity of merchants services is why it is so important to make sure that you are represented in the space by somebody that you trust. Thanks to a deluge of slick salesmen in the industry many people end up with bad deals. Make sure you find a proper representative in your area. Somebody you can trust.

This can be somebody you know that knows the industry, but it can also be your business bank manager. They will know a bad deal when they see it and may be able to advise the best course of action.

Understand The Pricing Structure

You are probably already familiar with one particular pricing structure. Companies like Paypal use the flat-rate structure to meet their costs. They cream off a percentage of each transaction you make.

If you’re currently operating a small operation, this might be the way to go. But with anything larger, it’s likely that there are better deals available. Interchange Plus, for example, gives you access to the wholesale prices charged by Visa, MasterCard and Amex.

The wholesale prices are essentially a base price, and then your business pays a premium on top of this depending on what type of business you have. It means, for example, that you could end up paying as little as 2 percent on transactions.

Choose The Right Equipment

To get the most out of your merchant banking experience you need to make sure that you have the right equipment. Remember, more and more payments are going online and contactless. Sites like MerchantServicesUK.co.uk detail all the benefits of using the latest payment technologies. New payment methods allow you to give your customers a better experience when they come to check out.  

Keep Searching For The Best Deal

Don’t just stick with the first merchant service you come across. They’re unlikely to be the best. Plus, they may be engaging in practices that make their services unnecessarily expensive.

One common tactic is to charge you a yearly fee, or a monthly penalty or a minimum term contract. You should get these fees waived or move onto another supplier. If you’re looking for a guide on the right questions to ask any merchant services providers, hop on over to entrepreneur.com. They have a list of important questions you should ask before doing business with any service provider.

Trying to make a success of your startup is a huge challenge. And many entrepreneurs fail at it. So, if you want to make a success of your startup, you need to get to grips with SEO. You can’t succeed until you succeed at this.

Optimize Your Website

The most important asset you have as a new startup is your website. This is the first thing that people will come into contact with regarding your business. So, it needs to be good, and it needs to be easy to find for as many people as possible. First of all, use a domain name that includes the brand name and it makes it relatively clear what your business actually does. You should also add plenty of keywords to your website and its content. If you can do this, you will find that your website is easier to find. If you have any further issues, use SEO software for your small business.

Develop a Link Strategy

Linking is something that every startup should learn how to do properly. It’s all about developing a strategy that helps your business to succeed and improve its presence on search engine results pages. Links to other websites from yours offer a great chance to give your SEO a boost. You should focus on linking to the kinds of website that have something in common with your own. And they should also be considered strong websites with good reputations. Search engine algorithms love links to reliable and well-regarded websites. You should also focus on internal linking as this can increase the page hits you achieve.

Start Blogging and Link it to Social Media

Blogging is a great way to drive traffic to your website and improve your presence on search engine results pages. It simply creates more pages that can be seen by people who are searching Google or Bing. And this means that there will be more chance of higher numbers of people clicking those links and arriving at your site. When they have read the blog, they might then also explore what else is on your website. You should spread these links on your social media accounts as much as possible. If they get shared a lot, they could reach a huge amount of people.

Get Coverage

If you can get coverage from other websites, you will help your SEO efforts. Getting SEO right is not just about linking to other sites as I mentioned above. It’s also about getting links to your website from your other reputable website. When you have links to your website from reliable sources, this shows search engines that your website is reputable and reliable too. You can do this by building links with other blogs and news sources. If you can get a mention on a local news website that is widely read by people in your community, this can help you a lot. Also, look at ways to develop relationships with influential bloggers that might be able to give you some important coverage.

So, you’re checking out this article because you’re short on business ideas, aren’t you? And, you’re hoping I’m going to provide you with a few awesome ones? Well, you’re right, I’m going to do just that, right now:

App Development Business

One of the best industries to start a business in is the technology sector. Our world has become dominated by all things tech. The biggest thing of note is that everyone walks around with a mobile phone. People have smartphones in their pockets, which have apps on them. People download mobile apps every day; it’s a huge market. If you want an idea that caters to current trends, start an app development business. You’ll be able to create apps that people can download and buy. Even if you make them free to download, you can have in-app purchases to generate income. Plus, you’re able to put ads on your apps to get extra revenue too. There are loads of apps you can make, but the best thing to try and do is develop games. Mobile app games are hugely popular, and can make you millions. Certainly a business idea to consider if you’re a tech-minded person.

Home Health Care Businesses

The healthcare industry is a brilliant place to try your hand at making money. The main reason for this is that people are always going to be in need of care. And, we’re always going to have a shortage of health care professionals out there. One of the most profitable ideas is starting a home health care business. This is where your company provides care to those in need, from their homes. It’s very popular because people don’t want to have to leave their home to get care. Elderly people don’t want to live in a retirement home because it seems degrading. So, home care is the best option for them. This business idea is great because there’s a huge demand for companies like this. You can make a lot of money through this business venture, but you’re also helping those in need. It’s a business idea you can be proud of, and get a financial reward from.

Restaurant Business

We’ve looked at an idea in technology, and one in healthcare, so my final one is in the food industry. Starting a business in the food industry is a safe bet for any willing entrepreneur. There are loads of businesses you could start, but my suggestion is a restaurant. People will always be looking for places to go and eat. And, there’s one thing everyone adores; all you can eat buffets! Open one of these and you’re almost guaranteed success. Buffets are great because they provide value for money and ensure huge crowds of people turn up outside your doors. Business will be booming, and the cash will be flowing.

Business experts are suggesting that these three ideas could be winners in 2016. Thinking about giving one of them a go? Then don’t forget to come up with a business model and market your startup as best as you can. Prepare yourself thoroughly, and you’ll have a huge chance of success.

No matter what size of business you are, the factor that will most often give you the edge over your competitors is the kind of service you are known for. More than the fact that you’re actually a human being behind it all, they want to know that companies care. It’s vital that your customers feel like more than just a source of income to you. Businesses have been trying to convince customers they care for centuries now, but here are some of the ways you can actually show it.

The right blogging strategy

A blog’s an important part of any business’s strategy. Not only does it give you a chance to have your own space to keep people informed on developments and promotions. It’s also a great platform for getting in touch with the customer. Here you can field questions and ask for feedback. People like to be engaged and asked what they feel and think. So make your blog the space to do that.

Extend customer service to social media

Much like the above point, social media has become a vital key to online success in your business. Like blogging, it gives the chance for interaction with customers. However, the most useful point of social media is just how immediate that interaction can be. You should be using whatever platforms you’re used to answer questions live. Engage directly instead of redirecting customers in an attempt to appear professional. The advantage of this discourse being public is that it builds a reputation for good relations from the business.

Get in touch even when it’s not about business

Online correspondence is always a great idea (in moderation and taking consent into account). It’s a good way to remind customers your services exist as well as spreading the word about whatever promotion you might be running. However, you should consider taking the time to send messages that don’t come with something to sell. The goodwill of corporate ecards on holidays and birthdays, for example, can lead to a lot of customer loyalty.

Reward loyalty

You should be prepared to take a short-term loss in the hopes of making a long-term game. That is the entire game behind rewarding customer loyalty. You need to do it right. The rewards need to be substantial, even at a slight cost. If they’re not, the customer won’t care about them. A points system could work well, but a tier system gives extra incentive. Not only will they use your services to get rewards, but also to move up a tier and get even better rewards.

Use the handwritten touch

There’s nothing better for making a customer loyal than reaching out to them personally. No matter your business, the single best way of doing that is taking the time to handwrite a letter. Many businesses take a shortcut

by printing written letters. These are too easy to recognise and are more likely to foster ill-will for the lack of effort. A handwritten thank you note will get you into more than just their budget, it will get you in their hearts.

These days IT solutions are not secondary to your business success, they are your business. This applies across the spectrum, from bakers to investment bankers, we’re all dependent on IT to make our businesses work.

That’s why it’s now more important than ever to make sure that you get quality IT support as soon as your business is ready. And by ready, I mean within the first few months of trading. Below are some the essential features you’ll want to keep your business operating smoothly.

Security

Security threats are constantly evolving. The hackers and malicious coders produce a virus that gets past security. Then, the antivirus companies react to stop the hack. Then the hackers find another way in and so on.

An independent IT solution can offer support to prevent a malicious action from derailing your business. Firewalls and antivirus software are a must. But what about anti-spyware so that criminals can’t capture your data and passwords? What about protecting you IT systems from malware, which can hamper its performance and pose a data security risk? What about email and data encryption to prevent sensitive material from being captured b a third party?

Your IT support needs to take the time to discuss your unique situation. Does your business have a particular IT budget it must stick to? Is it essential that your business has a rapid response to any breach of data security?

Managed IT Services

Let’s say you’re a local business. Traditionally, businesses deal with an IT failure by phoning their local IT support. Their IT support will then read off a long and tiresome checklist of all the possible problems that might have caused the failure. Usually, the problem cannot be solved over the phone, so technicians must be sent to your site to physically resolve the problem.

This is no good. All the time you’ve waited for your system to be put back online is time you’re not able to do business. And that’s money down the toilet.

With a managed IT service, however, you can get your troubleshooting done remotely. IT Companies can help you recover faster when disaster strikes. Plus, a lot of the time a remote monitoring company will be able to resolve issues before you even notice something is wrong.

Host On The Cloud

Many startups are starting to recognise the benefits of hosting all their operations on the cloud. Not only does it spread the risk, it means that company IT infrastructure is accessible from all locations.

What’s more, hosted IT is easy to scale and more financially manageable. If you need an extra server or two, you don’t have to make a large single payment and then have the expense of installing and migrating to new servers. You just add a little bit to your monthly premium and the external IT company will do all the donkey work.

Virtualization

Getting the most out of your existing hardware is a good way of reducing costs. Virtualization allows you to run multiple operating systems on a single machine. It also lets you backup files more easily and reduces your electricity bill.

These are just a few reasons to enter the new millennium of technology, and we have barely touched the impact they can have on streamlining business processes. By successfully adopting the ever growing options available to us as entrepreneurs, you will be amazed at how your profit margins can increase, customer experience be magnified, and employee retention increased. Take the time to research the IT options available in your industry. It’s worth your time!

If you’re running a business in 2016, you can’t afford to make any mistakes. The business world is too competitive to trip or slip up. If you do, you’ll find the place you once held on the market is taken by your competition. This is particularly true when getting your marketing together. It’s got to be nothing short of spectacular, otherwise, you’re simply not going to get the interest that you need. Don’t worry, we know the pitfalls you need to avoid.

Forgetting To Separate Yourself From The Crowds

We’ve already mentioned that the business world is competitive. For start up owners, it’s absolutely crucial that you understand the level that we’re talking about. There are thousands of sites online that you have never heard of and never seen. Perhaps hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions. The reason that you’ve never heard of them is because they don’t appear in the SERPs. They don’t have the marketing to get the interest you need to survive online. The first issue you’ll have to think about is that. How can I separate my business from the rest, rising to the top of the SERPs?

There are two or three possible answers to consider here. The first is SEO. Using SEO it’s possible to get your business on page 1 of a search results. If you do this, you will certainly find an increase in interest for your business. There will be more customers flocking to your site, and you’ll get the attention you need. But to do this, you’ll need to find a professional marketer to help you. These can be hired online with marketing companies offering lots of different services related to SEO. Whether you need local services or international interest, this is the answer.

Alternatively, you may want to think about PPC. Unlike SEO PPC can guarantee your website is at the top of the results in the sponsored section. However only thirty percent of users click on these links, so there is a price to be paid. Or, you may want to consider an Adwords campaign. It’s a similar tactic which will put your business somewhere on page one of the SERPs.

Disregarding Offline Forms Of Marketing

There are many business owners; you might be one of them, who think that offline marketing is dead. It’s a useless, worthless form of promotion that can be completely dismissed. On the contrary, offline marketing is perhaps one of the strongest tools that you can use. Particularly, if you choose the right method and form. Successful businesses are currently using new forms of offline marketing like augmented reality. This type of marketing captures the customer’s imagination and once again, allows you to separate your business from the pack.

Furthermore, if you want evidence offline marketing still works, look at Hollywood. A new movie recently used offline marketing to connect with an online campaign. If you do this, you should expect huge success on the market.

We hope you avoid these mistakes and realize your business’s true potential.

Startup business owners are prone to making many common mistakes when launching their companies. Indeed, that is why around 50% of all new ventures will fail within the first twelve months. However, it’s possible to avoid those costly errors and get things right if you perform enough research. We’ve listed some of the biggest and most obvious mistakes on this page to help you make a start. Just make sure you read lots of different information before getting started. You need to source facts and ideas from multiple sources to ensure you gain an accurate perception.

Failing to create an accurate business plan

Lots of people decide to start companies without creating an accurate and attractive business plan. That often means they have no understanding of how much it will cost to get things up and running. It also means that gaining investment from the bank or private firms becomes impossible. So, do yourself a favor and make sure you have a realistic plan in place. There are specialists you can contact if you need help with that task. Just remember they are going to charge a lot of money for their services. That is why many new business people decide to use the free templates that are readily available online.

Failing to make use of cloud services

Document storage is of primary concern to most new entrepreneurs. You need to make it hard for hackers to break into your system and steal information. You also need to make it easy for employees to access your network outside of the office. So, take a look online and find a document management system you can trust. It’s easy to source reviews and testimonials from people who already use the solution. Make sure you read them carefully and tailor your decision accordingly. Ideally, you need a low-cost service that ensures your business is safe and secure at all times. However, only you can decide which system meets your requirements and standards.

Failing to expand at the right time

Your business plan should cover the basics of your growth plan. Even so, it’s sensible to create a more in-depth strategy when you’ve been on the market for a couple of months. Again, nothing is stopping you from using the free templates you’ll find online. Just make sure the plan is as accurate and thorough as possible. You should leave no stone unturned, and include all elements of your strategy for the best results. It should highlight when you will move to new premises. It should also give details of when you employ more workers and all other necessary details.

Presuming you don’t make any of those common mistakes, you should be on the road to success. Of course, many other things could go wrong during your first twelve months. That’s why it’s sensible to obtain more investment than you think you will need. Keeping cash in the bank will mean you can pay for any unexpected costs and keep things running smoothly. Remember, failure to prepare is the same as preparing to fail!