Startup Tips

If you have a great idea for creating, and running, your own business then it can be quite difficult working for someone else – whether that be a small company or a big corporation. You have probably looked at the structure of everything in the place you work now: from opening hours to social media policy to the employee safety handbook to the recruitment policy, and thought, “I can do my own thing much better than this, I feel like I’m wasting my time here.” When you have that mindset in a professional capacity, it can have a serious detrimental effect on your mentality. You may find yourself not doing your job as well as you used to, feel obliged to speak to colleagues (when before you actually wanted to speak to them) and simply struggle getting up in the morning, knowing you’ll spend another day at a job you do not want to be in.

Lots of people have been, or even are, in the same situation as you. There are those who go and do something about and those who remain – unhappily – in their jobs because they aren’t focused enough or determined enough to make their own business idea work. If you do decide to go ahead with your dream, and leave your job, and start up your own business then do it with caution. Ensure you have enough money set aside for when you need it (you most definitely will be thankful for savings), do a lot of research into what creating a business entails in legal requirements, financial investment and business growth, and start small and build your business up bit by bit.

Whether your business idea is to start up a retail design company, a marketing business, a coffee shop or even an advertising agency, all business require a lot of nurturing, growth opportunity and initiative. A lot of people have false hopes – thinking as soon as they start their business they will be able to move into a shiny new office, with lots of employees under them. But, that simply is not the truth and rarely happens like that. Entrepreneurs spend time working from home in an office space they have cultivated for themselves: the kitchen table, the space under the stairs, the attic, as it can be far too expensive to move into office right away.

It is always a good idea to look into how you plan to invest in your business; this could be your own savings, a loan, or seeking the backing of a group of investors.

So, if you are unhappy in your current job, and have a business idea which you are positive will work out for the best, then seek out research on what starting up a business entails in journals, magazines and online. You could also talk to people who have been there and achieved their dream. It will be a lot of hard work, but if you put the effort in, it will definitely be worth it in the end.

Not many people realise the importance of hygiene and cleanliness at the office. Not only can employees come into work with illnesses that are contagious if they don’t practice proper hygiene, but if there’s too much clutter in your office you might not be able to find important documents, supplies and you might even trip over and hurt yourself. Even worse, one of your employees could trip a wire or cause damage to hardware because there was too much clutter around to move, and the last thing you want is for an employee to file a lawsuit against your company for your lack of health and safety precautions.

We’re approaching that time of year when we give our offices a good spring clean, so here are a couple of tips to make that a little easier for you.

Remove Clutter

Keeping your office tidy is not only a good way to prevent accidents from happening, but it’s also a good way to help your office work more efficiently. It’s common for people to lose things due to too much clutter and you might not find some hardware devices or documents that you need. More space on your desk and in your office also helps you work more productively. For starters, more desk space means that you have more room to work in and having a clean environment makes your office feel more open and comforting to look at.

Disinfectant is Important

When employees come into work, you have no idea where their hands have been. Perhaps they have been sick over the past few days or maybe they touched something during their commute and they have germs on their hand. It’s not expensive to have a packet of disinfectant wipes at the entrance or one of those squeezable containers that dispenses disinfectant gel. Many infectious diseases and illnesses are transmitted via touch, so it makes sense to keep your hands clean and your office hygienic.

Hire Professionals

If your office is in a terrible state, then you might want to consider hiring a professional to help you clean up the place. Cleanworks is such example. They’ll help you steam your carpets, remove clutter, clean out the toilets and you can hire them on a one-off basis or you can request regular visits to keep your business looking fresh and clean throughout the year.

Empty the Bins

Depending on what your employees do at work, your bins could be completely filled with junk, rubbish, drinks and other nasty things that can attract bugs and horrid smells. Make sure that you are clearing out your bins as often as possible (preferably once per night) so that these smells don’t have a chance to build up and that there’s less chance of lies or rats coming in and infesting the office.

Don’t Eat at the Computer

And lastly, remind your employees to never eat at their desk. The stains and grime from food can easily get caked into keyboards, on people’s hands and all over the desks and work. Not only is it a risk to the cleanliness of your office, it’s also a risk to your hardware and documents if they make it a habit of bringing drinks and food to their computers.

If you are just starting out in the restaurant business, then there is plenty to consider which you might not have thought of yet. This is a type of business which tends to attract many different kinds of people the world over, and there are some very good reasons for that. Once you get set up and running, there is nothing particularly stopping you from becoming a major success – so long as you know what you are doing and you follow some basic rules along the way. In this article, we are going to help you by taking a look at four of the main things that your customers want to see from you. Knowing these, you can make your restaurant more successful right from the start.

Varied Menu

It goes without saying that the food is one of the most important aspects of the whole experience. In all likelihood, you will be setting up a restaurant with a particular theme, or food from a certain place of the world. This alone should give you a strong idea of how to create your menu, but another thing worth mentioning is that people tend to want some decent variety in their menus when they go to restaurants. So make sure that you are offering a good range of different foods; this is one of the quickest and surest ways to please your customers.

Home Deliveries & Takeaways

One of the reasons that customers tend to want variety in the menu is because they desire a lot of choice. Generally, the more choice you give them in any other aspects of the experience, the better. It’s for this same reason that your customers are likely to be pleased if you offer a decent home delivery and takeaway service. You might not have considered this for your restaurant, but it does have the real benefit of drawing in more customers than you might otherwise get. Make sure you use software that allows you to provide Online Ordering for Restaurants, and you should be ready to go.

Competitive Pricing

It goes without saying that customers don’t want to pay through the nose, but there is something of a balance to be found here. Basically, you want the price to suit the meal, and this is something which can take a lot of trial and error to get right. As long as you start off at the lower end of the price range, you should be able to get enough customers in at the start in order to be able to figure out pricing better. This is an essential part of the whole experience,and really can’t be overlooked.

Polite Staff

Finally, remember that the actual customer service itself is more important with restaurants than probably any other type of business in similar industries. So make sure you only hire the best and ensure that they are as polite and friendly to your customers as possible. This alone should make a huge difference to the experience your customers ultimately have at your restaurant.

Mom and pop restaurants might be fading away, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t popular anymore—it just means that the majority of these restaurants don’t have the means to survive because they aren’t keeping up with the times! Mom and pop restaurants are incredibly popular because they serve food that is close to our hearts. Comfort foods such as mac and cheese, spaghetti and burgers are foods that we will never get tired of because they remind us of our childhood, and nothing hits closer to home than a blast of nostalgia in the foods we eat.

Unlike larger restaurants, diners are much more homely and are suited for families as well as professionals. You wouldn’t see a ragged family waltzing into a high-class restaurant, but you will see important-looking businessmen walk into a diner for a coffee and a burger. There’s no discrimination in a diner, and that’s what makes it so special.

But how do you turn your basic diner into something special for everyone to remember? Here are just a couple of tips.

Be Friendly

When you work at a small diner, it’s not always the food or the prices that attract people—it’s you! The friendly atmosphere is one of the most important components when you want to create a great diner, and the only way to do that is to get involved with your staff and be friendly. Greet everyone as they come in, let them sit where they like, and introduce yourself so that they refer to you on a first-name basis instead of saying “excuse me!”. This advice completely contradicts what professional waiting staff will tell you, but they work at fancy restaurants, not diners!

Embrace Technology

As mentioned before, mom and pop restaurants family because they don’t keep up with the times. The only ones that survive are situated in prime locations that get a lot of foot traffic and have a lot of history. However, if you start one up and you’re in an unknown location, then don’t expect to get a lot of customers. You should embrace technology, such as a restaurant pos system to speed up transactions, and a website so that you can advertise yourself on social media. Mom and pop restaurants are popular because of the comfort food, so you want to advertise your strengths and be yourself—don’t act like a fancy restaurant because you aren’t one!

Don’t Get Fancy

A diner is a diner. You shouldn’t act like you are something more and you shouldn’t act like you are something less. Focus on your strengths and cook up delicious homemade recipes and comfort foods. Don’t try to encroach on other business territories and don’t challenge others. If people want fried chicken, they’ll go to a fast food location. If they want fancy Italian pasta, they’ll go to an Italian place. What you should be serving is simple homecooked pasta and chicken meals that are reminiscent of your childhood, not a fancy restaurant. Keep it simple, stick to your strengths, and don’t overdo it.

For any startup business, creating a website that captures the attention of potential clients and customers will be a top priority. With hundreds of millions out there to compete with, you’ll be entering a highly competitive marketplace and will want to make sure everything is just right from the moment it is launched.

Hold Their Attention From the Start

Many people spend only a few seconds on a site before making a snap judgement about the business so you really need to make that time count. In recent months, it has become increasingly popular to fill your site with big, bold statements that get across exactly what you are trying to do in just a few words.

Many websites have fallen into the trap of becoming too cluttered by filling their pages with animations, pop ups and other distractions. In a world where everyone is constantly bombarded by content from all sides, there is something to be said for a site that is simple and easy to navigate. Just because it is minimalist doesn’t mean that it has to be boring, so you can choose a bold colour scheme that grabs the attention of the user. There are plenty of Low Cost Website Design services out there that will create a site that is just right for you.

Keep Your Content Fresh

You will obviously have some core content on your site that stays fairly consistent, and you need to make sure everything is just right before your site goes live. It is worth consulting an SEO expert to ensure that your content helps drive your site up the rankings on search engines.

Another factor that will influence your SEO is keeping your content updated on a regular basis. A news or blog page is a great way to add content that will interest your potential clients and keep them coming back time and time again. It will also have a comments page that will allow you to have instant interaction with them. However, make sure you are committed to keeping this page regularly updated as it simply gives off a bad impression if you don’t.

Add Bespoke Photography and Videos

So many websites fall into the trap of using stock photography that doesn’t give a unique impression of what your business is offering. Try using your own photos to add a personal touch, or even get some photos professionally taken. If you are starting the business on your own, it’s a good idea to have some good quality photos of yourself as this gives your company a sense of personality.

Video content is also extremely important for a huge number of websites these days. People are willing to watch videos while they may not be willing to read huge amounts of written content. A short video on your homepage that gives a clear overview of your business can go a long way in telling your story, and exactly why clients should use your services above your competitors.

Freebies are used quite a bit in the modern business world. For those that don’t know, the term ‘freebie’ refers to anything you give someone that costs no money. Businesses hand out all manner of free things to consumers in a big to help themselves grow.

But, what effects do freebies have on a small business? It may surprise you to hear that there are plenty of positive effects they can have on a company. Take a look at the three biggest ways freebies benefit your business:

Increase Customer Base

One of the main reasons people hand out freebies is to increase their customer base. If you give someone something for free, the chances are they’ll come back for more – particularly if they enjoy what you gave them. Some new startups will hand out free samples of products to the public, in the hope of enticing them to their business. It’s a very clever tactic, what better way of showing consumers how good your products are than by handing them out for free? It draws people in, and they become compelled to purchase more, meaning you boost your sales and get an influx of new customers. Plus, the act of handing out something for free seems very generous. Consumers will like this, and it makes them think more highly of your business. As a consequence, they’re much more likely to choose you over any of your rivals that aren’t handing out freebies.

Promote Your Business

Freebies are brilliant for promoting your business to consumers. Think about it, you can create promotional products and hand them out to people at events or on the street. These products will all be designed in your brand colors and with your logo on. Essentially, you’ve passing out a piece of your business to everyone that accepts a freebie. You could give them free mugs or pens that will sit at their desks and be seen by lots of other people. The smartest companies will create t-shirts or hoodies that people can wear to promote their brand. Naturally, you need to be subtle with these products, if you’ve got an ugly sweater with your huge logo on it, then people might not wear it. The bottom line is freebies aid promotion in a very effective way.

Improve Public Perception

As mentioned in the first point, giving away things for free makes your company look very generous. What this does is improve the public perception of your brand. In short, you become a ‘good’ company. You’re not like one of the greedy corporations lining the high street, you’re a small business with a good soul and people like that. Public perception is everything as it can influence how well your business does. If you have a good reputation, then your customers are more likely to write positive reviews about you and recommend you to others. You build up a persona that’s very positive, and your business will grow accordingly.

As you can see, freebies are very beneficial for your business. They’re certainly recommended as a sneaky tactic to help drive your company towards success.

If you have decided to start your own business, you have taken a huge step into independence and adventure in your career. There are many exciting aspects of starting your own business venture, including the ability to set your own schedule, having no boss to answer to, and the ability to control the direction of your dream business. However, running your own business isn’t easy. There will be challenges that lie ahead that you will not anticipate, and you will have to overcome them on your own, if not by the help of your team beneath you. Here are a few of the skills that every small business owner needs to operate a high functioning business.

1. Leadership

You may or may not have any employees, but you still need to exercise leadership. If, for example, you sell services to your client that entail that you need to stay in touch with them, you must demonstrate leadership by being prompt with any questions, and keep them up to date on current information. You must also communicate effectively and confidently to your team, your clients, a supplier, and so on. Leadership demands assertiveness but also an ability to connect with people and bring them together. Earn the respect of your clients and colleagues by being a firm team leader. There are many resources out there if you would like to improve your leadership skills, including the critically acclaimed book, Lincoln on Leadership, by Donald T. Phillips.

2. Discipline

Discipline is a critical part of owning your own business. When you are your own boss, you have the freedom to create your own schedule, but you are also responsible for the success or failure of your venture. With that responsibility on your shoulders, you will have to stay on top of your schedule. In addition, you will still have to do many things you may not want to do. Nobody is going to discipline you if you do not do your job, but it is you alone who has to stay on top of any commitments to keep your business growing.

3. Creativity

Creative thinking is key—after all, it is probably what gave you the inspiration to start your own business to begin with. Bringing fresh ideas, either from yourself or from members of your team, will keep your business fresh. If you need some inspiration, consider reading Creativity, Inc., by author Ed Catmull. This book will guide you through how to bust through creative roadblocks to keep your business current.

4. Organization

As master of your own domain, you will need to keep account of all of your records. Be advised to keep all of your financial information carefully organized and in a safe place. This way, you will be prepared for tax season. Start your business on the right foot by filing appropriately to gain maximum returns and avoid financial pitfalls. If you are too busy to handle these duties yourself, make room in your budget to hire a professional. A tax professional such as an accountant will be able to help you with your finances all year long, or just around tax season.

5. Critical Thinking

Not every problem will be easy to solve. Many issues will require you to critically think about how to strategize, find the best and most efficient path, and execute that plan. In order to best equip yourself to move forward in any situation, you must be willing to learn. For example, if you know little about finances and tax law, it may be wise to take enrolled agent courses to discover the best ways to manage your business’s finances. If you’re looking to get better at managing your business and seeing products or processes from conception to completion, you may consider getting an online degree in project management. Learning these tools now will help you remain financially independent in the future and make the right financial decisions for your business.

6. Flexibility

When you are your own boss, you will realize that not everything will go your way. Unfortunately, even the most intricately laid out plans will sometimes have to change at the last minute. Deals will fall through, clients will pull out, and suppliers may not deliver. Hopefully, these issues will not happen to you, but it is likely that you will have to strategize around these obstacles at some point in your career. Effective bosses have the ability to keep a cool head under pressure so that he or she can find the best course of action. Many bosses will not rely on plan A—they will also have a plan B, C, and D.

Owning a business isn’t an easy task, but with the right skillset, you can better ensure success.

When you are starting up a business, it’s all about your idea. You might do some market research, and begin to realize that your business model might just have a shot of success – so you get on with business, put your head down, and get that product or service out there.

But once you launch, if you still carry on thinking that your idea is going to clean up, you are, sadly, mistaken. Because if you want to enjoy success, you will need to start listening to your customers, not forge ahead with your own ideas, regardless of what anyone else thinks. Here are some ideas to ensure your business is listening – and acting on – your customer’s needs.

Acquire and retain

Finding new customers is difficult, time-consuming, and expensive. It makes more financial sense to start looking after your current clients, and stop leaking them to the competition. The average company loses around 10% of its clients every year, so if you can start thinking about beating that figure, you will go some way to ensuring a bright future. It’s also important to understand that if you can retain just 2% more of your current clients, it has the same impact as cutting 10% of your costs.

Be passionate about it

It’s no good just giving customer service lip service – you have to have a thorough understanding of it and also put your knowledge into action. Believe in the old adage that the client comes first, and you will retain them. See the world – and your product – through your customer’s eyes and you will understand what they need – and how to provide it to them.

Talk in their language

Once you understand your customer’s needs, talk to them in a way that helps them understand you have, or are, part of the solution. Your tone of voice is critical, here, and it is a vital part of the customer strategy you will need to form to achieve some success.

Develop relationships

It’s important to understand the impact of customer centric companies on their audience. If you can prove to your clients that you are solely focused on addressing their needs, you will find you start to build high levels of loyalty that can last for years. So, start using data and analytics to find out what your customers are asking you – and don’t be afraid to use surveys or after sales calls. The more information you can gather, the easier it will be to speak to your customers and provide a first-class experience.  

Develop your products and ideas

Finally, ensure you are tweaking, changing, or even ripping up products that your customers aren’t buying. Your original idea might have got you to the ball game, but unless you are adapting products and services to their needs, you won’t get to see any action. Commit to focusing on your customers, and provide them, wherever possible, with the services they want to see.

Do you have any tips for keeping your focus with customers? Feel free to leave them in the comments section below!

As a business owner, you want to get the best out of every member of your team. But how do you do this? If you feel like people could give you and the company more, here are some hints, which may enable you to eek out that extra bit of effort.

Respect is a two-way street

As the boss, you expect to be treated with respect, but this shouldn’t be a one-way street. As a manager, you must also show your employees the respect they deserve. This doesn’t just mean taking the time to talk to them if they approach you for advice. It also means ensuring that you provide them with the support they need, and the safe and inspirational working environment they need to succeed. Every employee has a right to go to work every day without worrying about coming home with an injury. It’s your duty to ensure that you comply with health and safety regulations and to enable your team to work safely and efficiently. If you run a warehouse, for example, no worker should be expected to lift items that are too heavy without the use of specialist lifting equipment. It’s also essential to provide the relevant training. As Work Active states, Manual Handling Training can help to increase productivity and reduce the risk of injuries.

Rewarding commitment to the cause

How would you feel if you worked day and night without any reward or recognition? When you put a lot of effort in, you expect to get something back. If you’re managing a team, and you want maximum effort from every person, they need to know that it’s going to be worth their while at the end. If you’re asking people to work extra hours or to increase their workload, reward them for their commitment to the cause. You don’t have to go crazy and hand out bonuses left, right, and center. But show that you’re grateful in some way. Treat your team to dinner out, or put some money behind the bar at the annual office party.

Making work more fun

It’s well-documented that if you enjoy your job, you’re going to make more of an effort. If you dread every Monday morning or you spend your days watching the hands of the clock tick by at an alarmingly slow pace, it’s highly likely that you’re going to do the minimum to get by and claim your wages. If you can make the working day more fun, you’re going to get more out of your team, and the morale will be a lot higher. You don’t need to fit slides in the office or book a comedian to come and put on a show at lunchtime. However, making more of an effort will pay dividends. Try and organize social events and encourage group work. Make meetings more collaborative, or host themed days for charity.

If you’re managing a team, you don’t want them to do the bare minimum. It’s important that you value and respect your employees and make the workplace a safe and fun place to be.

You might think that marketing a business is easy. After all, it’s just a case of finding the customer and then selling them the product, right? Well, while this is technically true it’s a rather simplistic view of promotion. Let’s face it, there’s a lot more to take into consideration rather than just finding the customer and selling. As such, this is one of the first mistakes that business owners make. They make things too simple and in doing so miss out key details. For instance, imagine if you only understood the simplest version of SEO. In that case, that would be adding keywords and links to a website. We know that SEO involves a lot more than that and these two tools won’t get you very far at all. The same can be true for marketing. If you make things too simple, you will be limiting how much you could achieve.

Of course, the other possibility is that you over-complicate things. For instance, you might be working using social media. It’s important that any posts on networks like Twitter are simple, easy to follow and succinct. Obviously, Twitter actually helps you to do this due to the nature of the network. But, this should be your goal across every network. Remember, customers won’t spend that long looking at online content. They’ll move on quite quickly, and that’s true even if it doesn’t appeal to them. Let’s look at some of the other mistakes and errors business owners often make with marketing.

No Help Needed

Is it possible to DIY a marketing campaign for a business? Yes, it is, but that doesn’t mean it’s advisable. In fact, it’s likely that business owners will struggle to make any kind of impression if they run a campaign by themselves. For instance, you might think that you can complete your own content promotion. Fair enough, but for content to be successful and effective at boosting your reach, it needs to be constant. You need to be releasing content like clockwork through the day, paying particular attention to hotspot times. There will be certain points through the day when your target audience is going to be online. You need to focus your campaign during these points.

It’s not just content where you’ll need help and expertise either. It might be worth investing in SEO consulting. As we have already discussed, on the basic level, SEO is quite simple. But that’s not the whole picture. You need to think about potential penalties. A penalty for your business site could cripple your company. If you use an SEO consultant, you can make sure tactics are not being used that could result in a penalty like this.

No Branding

A brand is one of the most effective weapons in your arsenal. If you have a brand, you can even ease off on your level of marketing. You won’t need to constantly push marketing for a new product. The fact that it’s linked to an existing brand could mean that it sells without your input. That’s exactly what you want, but how can you achieve it? When marketing your company, you have to make sure that everything is consistent. For instance, you should have different tones on various profiles online. Instead, you need to make sure that it all feels like little pieces of a bigger puzzle. This will help customers recognize your business as one entity rather than multiple purchases. Do this, and you can make sure that your brand is strong enough to guarantee a sale.

If you want to boost your brand, you should invest in visual cues such as a logo. Customers will find it easier to remember a logo compared with a name. Particularly, if you spend time and money on making sure the design of that logo is memorable.

No Patience

Finally, it’s understandable that you want your business to reach a fantastic level of success as quickly as possible. But, it’s not a brilliant idea to try and rush the process of marketing. Indeed, it’s fair to say that if you do see high levels of success in marketing straight away, you have probably used the wrong solution. It could be that your business has been pushed forward by black hat marketing techniques. If that’s the case, your success will be short-lived. Instead, you should work with a company that builds up your business marketing gradually. It may take more time but the effects will be long lasting. This is exactly what you want for the future of your company.

In can be tough when you own your own business. The feeling to keep your hand in every aspect of it is overwhelming, and it is fair enough, you want your business to succeed and the worry about it failing in any of these areas can be enough to drive you mad. But the worst thing that can happen to your business is you burning out. If you get ill and need excessive down time then your business could fail. The best way to mitigate this is by letting people take over certain parts of the business so you can focus on the areas in which you excel.

Stop Answering The Phone

Answering your phone takes huge chunks of times out of your usual tasks, and if these tasks are critical to your business then you are hampering its success. Sure, the calls may be booking in new clients which is of an equal importance, but you don’t need to be doing it. Have one of your employees trained up to do this, hire a receptionist or use a virtual receptionist such as ruby receptionist. Having someone else answer the calls mean you avoid the unnecessary and are only bothered by things you really need to have a hand in. It gives your business a professional feel and you can divert the time into other needed areas of your business.

Don’t Overwork

Overworking is a step to downfall. Sure, you can do it for a short while, but then it will soon become untenable as you realise you’re gradually becoming less productive. The decision to employ someone shouldn’t be taken lightly, however it is a sign of expansion so you shouldn’t shy away from it. You may be nervous about recruiting someone, and that’s fair because you are essentially trusting someone else with something you have spent years trying to build. Train them up, and keep an eye on them. Having someone else work with you means the load is significantly reduced. Make sure you know how to employ someone and do it legally, you don’t want to run into trouble down the line. Recruitment also means expansion, you can only do so much, and having an additional body or two means you can take on more clients and grow.

Accounting

Accounting, and everything that goes with it can take huge amounts of time and is usually something the business owner does at home after work. This is a huge mistake. That time should be viciously protected. Sure, you might want to make sure it is all done properly or even not want to pay for help, but the truth of the matter is, you can’t do as good a job as a trained accountant. They can sort it all out for you, leaving you with more time to devote to business and family. You can even get accountancy software to help you do it properly if you really want to do it yourself, but for the best results hire someone. You’ll benefit from their expertise and your accounts will be in great shape.

By now, you should have carefully planned out your company’s marketing strategies and campaigns for the whole of the common year. However, one thing that you should be careful of is that you don’t make any of the same mistakes that you did back in 2016. There is nothing wrong with making a mistake, but you need to use it as a learning curve. Repeating a mistake is a lot worse than making one in the first place! So, which marketing mistakes should you have left well behind in 2016? Here are some of the main ones to watch out for.

Not Including Bing

So far, lots of companies have been completely focused on trying to get their website up to the top of Google’s search results. By doing so, they will then be found by lots more potential customers who use Google. There are various ways of improving your business’s presence on Google, including sponsored ads and PPC. However, paid adverts and PPC in 2017 are all about looking at search engines other than Google. In fact, Bing is now quickly sneaking up behind Google, so many companies are now trying to target its users to further widen their business’s online presence.

Not Going Mobile

Did you know that mobile devices are now more widely used than laptops and desktops? These days the majority of Internet users are now viewing web pages on smaller screens, which means that companies now need to ensure that their site is mobile ready. This isn’t too difficult to do and, more often than not, just requires the design and layout of the site adjusted so that it is all visible on a small mobile screen. If you fail to do this, you will quickly lose potential customers, as they might not be able to view or navigate around your website.

Not Tracking Results

Everything that you try in your marketing campaigns and strategies will have some kind of impact on your business. And there are plenty of results that you can use to analyze all these impacts. However, even though this is an excellent way to find out what does and doesn’t work for your business, there are still lots of small businesses out there who don’t track their results. By looking at your website’s analytics, you can see where the most traffic is coming from. That lets you focus in on these areas to try and increase the traffic even further.

Not Watching Competitors

Another great way to find out what works and what doesn’t in the world of small business marketing is to look at the things your competitors are doing. What is working well for them? Once you find out, you should take inspiration and ideas from this, and try to utilize them in your company. Not only that, though, but you will also be able to learn from the mistakes that they make.

So don’t repeat 2016’s marking mistakes, and keep these well and truly buried in the past!

When you are setting up a business, there is a lot to consider in one go. One of the major things that most business owners are looking for is a quick branding that effectively sets the business up in a good position right from the start. As long as your business can be said to be promoting itself in the right way straight away, then you know you are off to the right start. One of the most important elements in getting that right is the website. Don’t go thinking that you can start up a business and not give it a website; today, all businesses need websites to help sell what they are doing. And you need to make sure that those websites are doing everything they can to sell the business upfront. With that in mind, let’s discuss what your website needs to make sure that it puts forward the right image of your business.

Tagline

This is something that you really can’t do without, as having a tagline ensures that your business is taken much more seriously by the likes of customers, clients and other businesses, both rival and potential partners. Your tagline should be strung alongside the title at the top of the browser, as well as being displayed somewhere prominent on the front page. Spend some time thinking up the best tagline you can, as you might be surprised at what a difference it really can make. The right tagline can completely give your business an overhaul in terms of its popularity and how it is received, so think of a good one.

Smooth Design

The design of a website says a lot about the business itself. If you think about it, this makes perfect sense. A website which is designed sloppily is unlikely to bode well for the business behind it, and on the other hand one with a strong, sleek design says great things about the business behind it. Use a professional firm like Geeks Chicago and ensure that your web design is as flawless as possible. It really does make a world of difference to how people receive your business and your brand.

Interesting Content

It is helpful if your website actually provides some purpose, rather than just existing as a front page for the business. One of the best things you can do in this regard is to have a blog on there which you frequently update with fascinating material. If you can get your website to the point where it is positively received by many visitors, then you should find that it acts as a much more effective marketing tool for the business. With any luck, you will draw in genuine customers this way – all without having to pay a penny, if you don’t want to. There is nothing better for a growing business than free commerce, so make the most of your website and your business should be very happy indeed.

Whether it’s a long-time investor that has believed in your business for a long time and helped you from when you were a startup or a new business client that could potentially lift your company to a global stage, there are plenty of reasons to treat your clients to a spectacular service to make them feel comfortable, welcome and respected.

So let’s discuss a few ways to pamper your important business clients to make your deals go smoother and to make your business thrive.

Make Their Experience Stress-Free

If you have a business client flying in from another location, then offer to prepare everything for them. For example, find a hotel within driving distance of your business and make sure the services are top-notch. Don’t book your client a room within walking distance that doesn’t have at least five stars. If they are as important as you think, then the small investment you pay to treat them to a great service will go a long way.

Make sure that you book their travel as well, and make sure it’s stylish. A private jet is relatively standard if you are a wealthy company, but a modern limousine service is just as good if you plan to travel on the road. You can get an online instant quote & reservation at most limousine services, and you’ll be surprised at how affordable it is compared to the potential profits you’ll make with a new business client on board with your business.

Plan some entertainment as well, such as a business dinner, a crawl through different clubs, or even a relaxing day of golfing while you talk about your business deals. Whatever it is, make sure your client isn’t too distracted and that the entertainment suits them.

Prepare Your Office

Much of your negotiations will take place in your board meeting room and other similar rooms. Ensure that your employees are on their best behavior and give your office a spring clean with the help of a cleaning service. You want your business premises looking spotless if you want to impress new potential clients, so spare no expense and ensure that your boardroom and reception areas are spotless, modern and well-presented to impress your new clients.

Ensure that all of your computer systems are ready when you showcase your product or start your slideshow, and prepare all of your materials beforehand. Ensure that your presentation is solid and that you’ve reviewed it several times, and practice your speech and how you’ll pitch your ideas so that you don’t fumble and get stage fright. You never want to screw up a very expensive deal with an influential client, so make sure you’re looking smart, confident and you have the will to succeed.

Summary

For the small investment you put into pampering a business client, you need to remember that everything you pay for will go a long way if the client enjoyed your hospitality and accepts your deal. Not only will your deal be good for your business, but you’ll also get plenty of good comments from your business client and, with some luck, they’ll also recommend your company to their friends and family members who are most likely equally as influential.