How to Plan a Wedding While Running a Business

If you are running a growing empire, you might have placed your wedding plans on the backburner. However, a little research and delegation could make planning your dream day a breeze.

If you want to say “I do” to your other half soon, don’t allow your professional ambitions to stand in the way of your relationship. Read these top tips on how to plan a wedding while running a business.

Improve Your Time Management Skills

Do you not have time to visit various venues and attend cake tastings? Improving your time management skills could help you to plan a wedding without compromising on your career. For example, you could start work a little earlier or finish later, which will allow you to take a morning or afternoon off to browse ceremony locations or attend a wedding dress fitting.

Make Big Day Plans on Your Lunch Break

There’s no reason you can’t call a vendor or organize a wedding table plan on your lunch break. Rather than wasting your spare time browsing social media or reading the news online, use your time productively to book a venue viewing or order wedding favors online. Each call you make and product you buy will push you one step closer towards your dream day.

Simplify the Planning Process

Believe it or not, you don’t need to spend hours upon hours attending cake tastings or watching different wedding entertainment acts. Instead, browse the market for reputable companies to make an informed choice at the click of a button. For example, a dependable entertainment company will often feature footage of their wedding bands, pianists, harpists, caricaturists, and DJs to help you choose your tastes and wedding style. Visit https://www.alivenetwork.com/wedding-entertainment to find out more. Adding to this is planning for the wedding decorations. If you want to be trendy, add or display your wedding hashtags. And if you aren't sure about the perfect wedding hashtag that you are going to choose, definitely a free wedding hashtag generator is the best tool that you can lean on this with a lot of options you choose from.

Get Organized

As a business owner, you likely possess exceptional organization skills that you can transfer to wedding planning. Remove some of the stress by writing a list of various important dates and deadlines, and then aim to tick them off your checklist on schedule.

Similar to your professional life, keep a binder to store important contracts and information, which you can turn to when needed. Plus, you could launch a Trello board or Google Drive folder that you can share with loved ones, a wedding planner, or vendors. Don’t forget to add key dates to your smartphone calendar to remind you of important actions or appointments you won’t want to miss.

Assemble a Wedding Team

Your delegation skills could serve you well when planning your special day with your other half. Make the process a breeze by recruiting relatives, friends, and/or professional planners to help you create a perfect wedding. For example, you could ask a loved one to pick up your wedding cake, post save the date invitations, or for their opinion when picking wedding entertainment or a dress.

A busy career shouldn’t stand in the way of your wedding day. Follow the above advice to simplify the planning process while running your growing business.

10 Ways To Take Your Business Into The Modern Day

Businesses have the opportunity to adapt or fall at the waste side when it comes to modern-day. It’s cutthroat in a lot of industries and thanks to the introduction of the internet, there’s so much opportunity out there for any business to really succeed and grow to a global scale if they wanted to. If you’re looking at your business now and wondering what you could be doing better, then it’s worth utilizing the tips you’re about to go through in this article. Here are ten ways to take your business into the modern-day. 

Invest In Technology

Technology is the future, and you can’t deny that. It’s something that’s constantly being developed and made better, whether it’s our mobile phones to our kitchen appliances. There are so many ways to incorporate technology into our life that so much of our existence revolves around it. It’s important that as a business, you’re always looking at ways to explore how technology can benefit your company, and it should be something that you’re investing in as much as you possibly can.

Not only does it benefit your business in terms of improving productivity, but it also keeps your staff happy. It helps to provide consistency in their objectives and that they won’t have to deal with technical issues every other day due to old software or machinery. The more that you can invest in your technology, the better your business will be and benefit from it.

It’s a good idea to look at your current budget and to ask yourself, what you could perhaps cut in other departments in order to assign that budget to better technology?

Utilize Social Media

Social media is a great way of promoting your business. Pretty much everyone around the world has a digital footprint, and if you don’t, then you’re in the minority of people who have managed to avoid the internet altogether. By having a social media channel or two, you can make it more personal to connect with your followers and to potentially gain more followers both on a local, national, and international scale. When it comes to building your social media profile, the opportunities are limitless, and so it’s important to try and find ways that social media can directly benefit your brand.

When it comes to using social media, make sure you’re on a platform that suits your brand. Then it’s all about posting consistently and posting high-quality content that you know your audience is going to like and want to engage with. You also want to think about engaging more on other people’s profiles and spending some time liking and commenting on other profile’s posts. The more you can do it, the better and quicker your following will start to rise. 

Create An App

Apps have been developing over time, and now it’s the ‘in’ trend to have an app that is linked to your website. Whether it’s an app that helps better layout your actual website or it’s an add-on that gives your customer an easier way of engaging with your brand, it’s ideal to have. When creating an app, you could get a company to do it for you, or you could look at Infragistics design to code and do it yourself. There are benefits to having an app, and one is that you’re giving your business the opportunity to draw in a younger demographic because most young adults and children are using their phones constantly. It’s a way of drawing in new customers and interest, which is great if you have a versatile product or service that suits all ages.

Improve Your Website 

When improving your website, there’s a lot that can be done to help modernize it and make it look more professional. With website designs, they can be quick to go out of style, especially as internet providers are constantly improving their own visual designs and interfaces. With that being said, you might want to give your website an update on design and also do any necessary SEO work that could directly benefit your website’s presence on the internet. 

Try to make the changes needed to help improve the website’s functionality and to make it generally an enticing place to go onto. The more you can do to keep your reader on the website for longer, the better it can be for your search engine ranking.

Have Live Chat For Customer Service

Customers are essential for your business, and with that being said, you want to do everything possible to keep them on your team and not on your competition. One of the ways that you can help modernize how you do business is by implementing a live chat service for your customers to interact with. It might not be something you can man around the clock, but you can certainly have an in-house team or outsource it to help your customers throughout the working day. Not everyone likes speaking to a stranger on the phone so a live chat is a quicker version to email and you’re still speaking to a human being, rather than an automated robot. 

Go Paperless

Modernizing your business isn’t just about the positive changes you make to your business but also the positive changes you make to the environment. Going paperless can be a great way of helping to save your company money where possible and to help you become more eco-friendly in the process. So much paper is used, and the cost of supplies to print and scan can also add up. Just think how much you use on an annual basis and then imagine the impact that has when every other business out there is using the same amount, if not more than you. By going paperless, it means your company operates digitally, and that can help speed up work processes. It can make your data and confidential information more secure, so it definitely has it’s perks. 

Train Your Staff

Your staff are integral to your business, and they are your number one priority. You need to be able to support them and give them the opportunity to grow if you want that same thing to happen for your business. Many companies are now looking at what they can do to invest in their staff, rather than simply being a number and hiring new staff members for roles that current members of staff could get promoted into. It’s worth looking at training your staff and thinking about what is possible for certain employees. Ask them what they would like to achieve whilst with the company and try to offer them as much as you can to help them achieve it. 

Embrace Remote Working

Remote working is useful in situations where life gets in the way for your employees. Not only that, but it’s good to have the ability for your staff to work from home, should anything ever happen that results in them not being able to get into the office itself. Consider what your current remote working setup is like for the organization and perhaps invest in the setup or the improvement of it. There are lots of opportunities for remote working, and if you’re able to offer it to your staff, then you might as well provide it where possible.

Identify New Opportunities

There are always opportunities for growth when it comes to your business, and when it comes to bringing it to the modern-day, it’s important to spot those chances to thrive. Look at what your competition is doing and regularly think outside the box about what might be possible for your business. Start networking and collaborating with other businesses in new and innovative ways that will get you and your collaborators, the attention you both need to succeed. It’s not as simple as playing it safe anymore, and in order to stay relevant, you need to keep one step ahead all the time. And especially ahead of your competition.

Look At The Data

And finally, when it comes to crunching the numbers in regards to sales and customers, always look at the data that you have available. Before the internet, being able to access the success of a campaign or advertisement was difficult. Of course, there were ways of getting data but not as accurate as is possible now. It’s important to look at how you can access the data you have available to you and put that to good use when it comes to tailoring future products, services, and marketing strategies. Data is a powerful thing, so don’t underestimate how beneficial it can be for you as a business. Pull data from sales reports, your customer’s previous purchases, and website data. The more you have, the more you’ll end up knowing about your customer and what they want. 

Taking your business into the modern day is essential, so use these tips to take them there. There are so many opportunities waiting for you, so stop leaving your business in the past.

Why Is Communication So Important In Business In 2020?

Communication is indeed part of our nature and our lives, with companies incorporating it from the outset into their strategic tools because they promised alternative ways of approaching the public over the familiar and commonplace. In today’s world, following the devastating effects of COVID-19, communication is more important than ever.

 It keeps us up to date with changes, keeps us doing our jobs, and keeps staff happy. This is just the start of what it can do for businesses. Secondly, its bigger objectives include the cultivation of human relations, the creation of an organizational climate and corporate culture, the regulation and control of employee behaviors and also being able to inform and understand. It’s all about being a focused entrepreneur. 

Important criteria that shape this communication and determine the means that will be used on a case by case basis are the size of the organization/company, the characteristics of the team to be communicated (such as size, hierarchy, level of training), the content of the objectives of this communication, the corporate culture and of course the cost. One thing remains the same regardless, however, is great commercial systems. If you don’t have this, then companies are likely to face some issues. Communication problems come in many forms, such as: 

• Serious and well-known companies give an image of mediocrity in telephone communication with customers and suppliers.

• Executives with significant studies and professional skills fail to stand out in the business environment due to reduced ability to communicate and manage unavoidable work conflicts.

• The inability to implement organizational changes in companies, like the vision, goals and relevant messages of the Management are transmitted in the wrong way. 

• Despite the obvious desire of many managements to create an environment of friendliness and increased satisfaction and motivation of the staff, the result in some cases is moderate to negative, due to the lack of proper communication tactics resulting in a low level of staff satisfaction. 

Communication on the road is also vital and with issues from cell phones on the road, it may just be that this hinders your business. If you try WilsonPro for cell signal problems you may be able to eliminate this and keep the business ticking over; especially when your employees are on the road or communicating from their vehicles on the road.

If we visit the websites of large companies, we notice that they all dedicate a special space to inform everyone interested in the variety of media they use to achieve and continuously improve internal communication, which - as they inform us - they consider a top strategic priority. 

Why is communication online important? 

If you keep in mind the Inbound Marketing methodology, then you will know that consumers now have more control over the content they consume, more choices, and higher expectations. Modern consumers demand direct communication and human contact when it comes to their service. When they want to meet a need, they start their research online, contact the company directly via chat or social media, in order to solve any questions, may choose telephone communication as the last alternative but this does not mean that some companies do not still use this as a big method. Of course, people do not hesitate to share their experience online also, so ensuring that you have a great telephone manner and excellent communication will keep your business in good shape. 

Satisfied customers are an opportunity for any type of business

To get happy customers, you need to do two things: focus on your customers and offer them the ultimate service experience. You should be constantly looking for ways to save time and resources in order to focus your efforts on increasing your company's revenue. These are the types of boxes you should look at, for any SME business in 2020: 

• Quick response to consumer demands

• Improve the productivity of the customer service team

• Meeting the needs of the company's customers

• Conversion of customers into promoters

Lead generation and happy customers will increase sales. This path is followed by the increase of your sales: The marketing strategy in the company's channels stimulates the interest of your customers and also brings them to your site more frequently. Your visitors express their interest in a service or a product of yours and those who take action, that is, show interest, are known as leads. Having completed this step, tailor-made campaigns for leads through marketing automation will follow, and so, once the targeting is done specifically for the audience, the leads will come closer to becoming your customers. 

The most effective solution is marketing automation

Once upon a time, lead generation could be done by filling out a printed form on the spot in a store. However, with the rise of the internet and digital marketing, the way users interact with the process of buying a service or product has also changed. This means that a user can now operate autonomously and the purchase steps may not be clear and they may not be able to turn a contact into a lead, making the collection of customer data even more complicated.

Fortunately, marketing automation has already developed strategic leads retrieval applications, and the companies that use it make a profit by increasing their customer base. Now, marketing actions are not general, massive and impersonal, but aim to appear to the right buyers and develop strong relationships between company and customers - and in 2020, customers need to feel more trust than ever before. 

Better budget management

In addition to increasing revenue through the trust relationship, companies can make a significant profit in managing advertising costs, as the actions are aimed at an audience that is already in the first stage of attraction. This audience is also already to some extent familiar with the company and its services and is in the process of thinking about the final market. This makes marketing automation actions even more effective. If you have decided to implement lead generation actions in your company, it is good to choose the right partner who can bring results using all the means of your corporate communication, balancing the marketing strategy and increasing sales. 

Shake things up in 2020! 

So, you will see what topics you need to cover in the first phase. Keep a record of all the content you have published in the last year and study recurring topics. It is advisable to divide your content into the following categories:

• Type of content

• Audience category

• Campaign/goal it serves

• Date of creation

Based on this list you will see which content serves your goals and which holds you back. Also, if an article or page has a lot of traffic, but its content is outdated, you can update and republish it. This is a very good practice, especially when you feel that you have said it all!

Make sure you promote your company in the right place at the right time! Now more than ever, you need to rethink strategies to focus on what is important. It’s also vital that your content appears in search results or even appears in the right place at the right time so people can reach you. So, your audience will treat you as a reliable source of knowledge and information and of course will advertise you to their friends. Do not forget the success of influencer marketing in recent years or the old fashioned "word of mouth"! Again, all down to excellent communication. 

For a successful Content Marketing strategy, you need:

• To know who you are addressing

• To organize your content wisely

• To create a content calendar to better organize your content

The content you create is the only "tool" you have in your hands to bring the audience to your website and increase traffic, leads, and your customers. Give it the importance it needs! 

How else to communicate?

Utilize your internet to the best of its ability. Infographics simplify any large amount of information with a creative aesthetic, which is why they are always interesting - statistics, surveys, and information on any field are presented in a way that is easy to share, more understandable, and more attractive too. As a matter of fact, an infographic is shared three times more often on social media than other types of content according to online research which is why you need to start designing this year!

Designing an infographic is an art form, so many elements must be taken into account in its design and maybe even hiring someone to assist you with it could be beneficial. For example, the use of white space is considered necessary to give a sense of simplicity and organization. In many, the content is also divided into color sections, so that the categories are clear. Each category should have its own title and use a clean font. Once you find new ways to connect, including email, you can reconnect with your client base and change things up to communicate more effectively following COVID-19 and counteract the destruction of the economy. 

Startup Success: Take Note Of These Realistic Tips

Starting and growing a business in today’s highly competitive market is tough and takes perseverance but it doesn’t have to be a huge undertaking that overtakes your life. You only need to be equipped with the right knowledge and expertise. We outline what you need to know about making your small business or startup a success from the start.

The process of starting and growing your own business is never going to be simple; that’s a fact. You might be extremely keen to build and grow a business that has the potential of being hugely successful, but that doesn't mean making a success of your venture will be any easier and faster to achieve. The fact is that building a successful startup from the group up is hard work. In order to achieve success, you need to understand that you need time to build traction and momentum and even more time to maintain it.

You also need to have a fundamental knowledge of positioning your business for success. If you want to see your venture succeed and thrive over the long-term, then you need to constantly grow your business. Planning and growing a successful business isn’t just about finding a concept and launching a company around it--it’s also about learning to make smart decisions quickly and effectively and always be able to think on your feet. 

Wondering what it takes to see startup success in today’s overly saturated market?

Below are a few useful tips that it might be worth taking note of when it comes to building a profitable and prosperous business.

Create a Plan and Start with Taking Small Incremental Steps towards Achieving Your First Goals

Every strong company starts out with a solid plan of action. If you are going to ensure that you put your business on the map, then you need to have a clear set-out plan to follow. The concept of creating a business plan may be daunting, or you may feel that it’s unnecessary and a waste of time but having one in place is crucial to your success. The plan doesn’t have to be hundreds of pages long, but it does need to include the following sections:

·       Executive Summary

·       Owner Bio(s)

·       Company Description and Management

·       SWOT and Competitive Analysis

·       Target Market

·       Marketing Strategies

·       Market History and Growth

·       Product/Service Lines

·       Sales Strategies

·       Request for Funding (if you’re looking for investors)

·       Financials  

Writing a business plan doesn’t have to be an overwhelming task, as it’s just a case of mapping out each aspect of your business and determining how you’re going to best utilize each of these sections. That’s it - it’s simple really. 

As an aside, whenever I write a business plan for any of my own ventures, I keep it to four pages and include all of the sections above (but the request for funding) because all of our funding is done internally. 

Make Networking a Priority (Both in Person and Virtually) for Your Small Business 

If you want consumers to know about your business, networking (both in-person and virtually) with other industry professionals and consumers is key to your success. Business is all about the connections that you build and nurture. If you are going to take it to the next level, you need to take advantage of every networking opportunity to expand your circle of professionals. Whether that’s networking in person at networking events or it’s networking via platforms like LinkedIn or industry conferences that are now virtual, it’s essential that you are making it a priority.

Optimize all of Your Operations for Efficiency and Sustainability

As your small business or startup grows, it becomes increasingly important to streamline operations and ensure that every process is as efficient as possible. This not only helps in cutting costs but also in reducing your carbon footprint, making your business more sustainable in the long run. 

Start by evaluating your supply chain and looking for ways to make it more eco-friendly and efficient. For example, partnering with a national pallet company known for their sustainable practices and excellent quality can help your business to maintain effective and efficient logistics operations. 

Moreover, adopting green technologies and practices in your workplace, like energy-efficient lighting and recycling programs, can significantly contribute to your sustainability goals. Additionally, consider implementing project management tools and systems that enable your team to work more collaboratively and productively, regardless of their physical location. 

By focusing on efficiency and sustainability, you save money and build a positive brand image that resonates with today's environmentally conscious consumers.

Focus on Productivity to Maximize Output During Launching and Scaling Your Small Business or Startup

One of the most important steps to take as a business owner is to make being productive your focus. You can spend all day sitting in your office, but if you’re not working in a productive way that’s generating revenue, then it’s a waste of time, isn’t it? 

When it comes to how you run your business, take steps to ensure that productivity is always at the forefront of your mind. If you’re the CEO or founder, then focus on the tasks that actually generate revenue and outsource the tasks that don’t generate any income.

For instance, instead of waiting until an IT issue occurs, source IT services that are able to offer business support, so that when you need help, help is close at hand. Similarly, instead of sending out invoices or bills, hire a virtual bookkeeper to manage that aspect of your business. If you don’t have the resources to hire or outsource to a virtual assistant, then use a free software program such as Wave Apps or a paid low-cost program such as QuickBooks to automate your invoicing and accounts receivables. You’ll be amazed at how much time these tech tools help save over the course of a week. You can do the same with social media marketing with tools such as Later, TailWindApp, or HootSuite.com.

The truth is that running a successful business is hard and it takes a lot of patience and grit; and it also takes a lot of time and effort to build a venture that has the potential to be successful. However, by taking note of the tips and advice above, you can make the process of running a successful startup, a little easier for yourself.

Are You Forgetting These Important Things In Your Business?

The sheer number of things that you need to think about when you're running a business is staggering. It's, by far, one of the most complex, difficult, and intense undertakings that you'll ever experience in your life. Now, don't think that this is some attempt to discourage any prospective business owners from attempting to follow their dream, but it is important to get a sense of perspective.

The worst thing that you can do is to go into business with rose-tinted glasses. It's pretty likely that you have a lot of great ambitions for what you want your business to be and how it's going to succeed. While this is fantastic and it's important to have something that you're constantly trying to strive for with your business, you can't let your focus rest on that stuff alone. There are so many elements to running a business that, if you're not careful, you could well end up feeling completely overwhelmed.

One of the most common reasons that many organizations end up failing is because they fail to predict the kinds of things that they will inevitably have to deal with. Far from trying to be discouraging, the point of this article is to help you understand what kinds of things you should expect to come up against when you set up your own business.

By knowing what you expect, you're that much better prepared to deal with any problems that happen to rear their heads. Don't assume that this only applies to new businesses either. Many well-established companies can end up getting themselves into trouble because of things that they fail to pay attention to. With that in mind, here are some of the things that even the most experienced businesses often neglect, and how to avoid letting them trip you up, no matter what stage you're at.

Efficiency

Let's face it, running a business is complicated. A business can be an extremely complex mechanism with a whole lot of moving parts.

Because of that, you want to be sure that you're running your business as efficiently as possible. If you don't you could well end up getting buried by everything involved in it. You want to be sure that any given task is something that you can achieve quickly and efficiently, whether you want to be able to generate a document or send out information to every member of staff, you don't want to end up having to waste time on every little thing. You might not think that the little things will have that much of an impact on your business as a whole but the truth is that these things can often add up to a whole lot of wasted time and energy.

Lead generation

There's a fairly good chance that you're pretty aware of just how important marketing is to your business. Companies spend huge amounts of money every year on crafting the most effective marketing strategies possible, and that simply wouldn't happen if it weren't such a crucial element of their success. However one of the things that even the most experienced businesses often forget about is the importance of lead generation.

Lead generation is essentially the process of identifying potential customers for your business, usually those who have expressed some form of interest in your business in the past. It truly cannot be underestimated just how important this is. If you don't know who your potential customers are, if you aren't aware of who is most likely to respond to your marketing, then you're never going to effectively reach the kinds of customers that your business really needs.

If you spend your time trying to reach out to people who have no interest whatsoever in your business, then you're going to end up wasting both your time and theirs. This is where things like cold calling end up coming from. No one likes to be disturbed by a company who they have never expressed any interest in and have no desire to engage with. But through lead generation, your company is far more likely to only interact with the kinds of people who are ready and willing to engage with it. It doesn't matter what kind of business you're running; lead generation is important across the board, whether you're a retail store finding customers or an insurance company looking for potential policyholders. 

Office security

Security is one of those things that often seems to be ignored for no other reason than the fact that there are plenty of other, much more exciting elements of a business that people would rather focus on. This might sound like a completely ridiculous reason, but it's surprisingly easy to get wrapped up in particular elements of your business once all of the wheels are turning. That's part of the reason why things like this are so crucial to pay attention to from the very start. Your office is the hub of your business. Even in the modern, internet-driven world, your business still needs somewhere to act as a sort of home base, and that is almost always going to be your office space. This means that you need to keep your premises safe and protected with the use of alarms and security cameras. Make sure that you're covering any potential blind spots that intruders could potentially exploit. Not only that but your cybersecurity needs to be a major priority as well. 

Clear communication

If you're not communicating effectively throughout your business, then there's no way it's ever going to run as efficiently as you might want it to. You can't create a business that is functioning properly if your right hand has no idea what your left hand is doing. Make sure that, even if they're divided into smaller teams, your employees are always communicating with each other. Nine times out of ten interdepartmental issues and problems could have been easily avoided simply by improving the level of communication between employees. It's not just internally where you will find that communication is absolutely crucial.

You should make sure that there are open lines of communication between your business and your customers at all times. This means that you need a great customer service team, ready to speak directly to customers, but you should also make sure to use social media and your website to keep customers informed as to new developments within the business itself. By doing this, you'll be able to create a far stronger bond between you and your customers than you ever would have been able to otherwise. No matter what it is that drives your business forward, strong and open lines of communication are always going to make things run more smoothly and efficiently.

Many of these things might seem very simple, and perhaps even a little insignificant, but do not underestimate the difference that they can make to your business. If well implemented, these kinds of things can take your business to the next level with ease. But if they are left ignored then you could very quickly find some serious issues cropping up in your business. Hopefully, this article, at the very least, gives you an idea of just how important it is to pay close attention to every last detail in your business and never to let anything fall by the wayside, no matter how small and unimportant it might seem. Your business is a vast, complex machine and if even one single gear falls out of place, then it could lead to the entire thing grinding to a halt, or worse, falling apart entirely. 

Taking Your Business To A New Level: The Options To Consider

When it comes to your business, you want to do all that you can to try and take things to the next level of financial and operational success. Right now, you may have had to make some different decisions when it comes to your business, as you navigate these unprecedented times and find a new normal against an invisible enemy. But, the show must go on as they say, and your business still needs to succeed and thrive, so how can you do that? Here are some of the things to think about.   

Sell your business and start again

Sometimes you have to accept that you got to a stage with your business where you can’t do anything more with it. You may be burnt out due to working tirelessly or it may be time to consider launching something new because you lost interest. On the other hand, the business may have grown to bigger levels and in a direction that you don’t feel confident in, or perhaps you want to venture into an area or industry that’s completely different.

Whether you have a thriving online business or a healthcare business like a dental practice where websites like https://professionaltransition.com/ could provide some useful information, selling your business could be the way to go. Think long and hard about whether you can continue to steer the reigns or whether your priorities have changed and are now focusing your time, attention, and money on other areas of your life and new business ventures.  While selling a business takes a lot of patience, energy, and resources, it will be worth it in the end when you negotiate on favorable terms.

Diversify your business

Maybe you have come out of this pandemic having diversified your business and are now heading in new directions you wouldn’t have thought of previously. With many businesses, there comes a time when you can branch out in new areas but the Covid-19 outbreak has presented businesses with that chance. After all, you may not have been able to operate as you would have normally, such as in a shop or restaurant. Many have moved their businesses into more online-focused ventures, or diversified their shops, premises or products and offered things like delivery, postal options, or take away. It might mean that you now have a new focus for your business and fresh motivation to improve on lockdown success. The pandemic has definitely forced the majority of retail and foodservice businesses to rethink their positioning and offerings, and therefore, innovate more effectively.

Where and when to expand?

Many business owners want their businesses to expand and change in a different direction, and so it may be time to start looking at when and where to expand for your business.

Could the time have come to expand in terms of stock and storage? Providing a new place at home to store stock or to consider storage units to keep things separated. Maybe it is time to expand globally and offer international portages? Perhaps your business is perfect to be franchised or even offer drop-ship opportunities. Think outside of the box and don’t be afraid of researching new expansion opportunities. While times are uncertain, there is still a need for all sorts of products and services, but just perhaps done differently. 

Having faith in your business and its future is critical to success now more than ever, so don’t be afraid to take steps to improve, optimize, diversify, change, and expand your business in any way that presents itself to you. Be open to new experiences and opportunities. There are a few suggestions above, but the options are endless. Let’s hope this has given you fresh motivation to continue moving your business forward now that the pandemic is at the tail-end. 

Leveling Up Your Small Business

Running a small business is notoriously challenging. It takes commitment and a lot of hard work to get off the ground, and from there, the difficulties multiply. For most small enterprises, finding their feet in the middle-ground of the marketplace is a significant achievement, especially when we consider the statistics. 

Failure rates for small businesses are staggering:

• 20% fail in their first year.

• 30% fail in their second year.

• 50% fail within five years.

• 70% fail within ten years.

These failures are down to a myriad of reasons. Many become owner dependent, leading to a poor delegation of tasks or burn out. Other businesses fail to budget efficiently and go bust. The list of challenges facing small businesses is endless, and so, failure is common.

It’s important to note that amongst the failures, there are even more successes. Small businesses can thrive. Adaptability is critical, and stagnation should be avoided at all costs. Small business owners can’t afford to get comfortable and should frequently consider the possibility of pushing their company to the next level. 

With this in mind, here are 10 ways of leveling up your small business.

Expand your client base

Many small businesses fall into the trap of relying on a small core customer base. Although these clients should be valued, they shouldn’t be relied on. A more extensive customer base is the first step in leveling up a business. More customers mean more sales, reach, recognition, and opportunity for growth. 

Establish your target market and reach them through your marketing channels.

Get analytical

Analytics can be used to spot strengths, weaknesses, problems, and opportunities in businesses. Data should be at the forefront of all decision making, whether it’s to do with social media posting or major investment. 

If your business is ignoring the data, you’re in danger of falling behind. Use analytics when and where possible. 

Install cybersecurity

More and more of our data and information is stored on computer programs, mobile apps, and the cloud. This makes them highly vulnerable to cyber theft.

Small business owners may not be aware that they are potential targets of cybercriminals. Fortunately, there is reliable technology available that helps prevent cyber theft. Protect yourself, your businesses, and your customers by taking responsibility for your company’s cybersecurity.

Use social media the right way

Social media has come a long way in business. It is a crucial marketing tool and an essential communication vessel. All companies should have a content calendar that is well organized and managed. Quality content is a must. Posts should be varied, and hard selling should be avoided.

Don’t ignore the phone

In the social media age, people are ignoring a useful phone-based marketing avenue - phone calls, SMS messaging, and voicemails. These are direct marketing tools that have a high rate of engagement. However, this straightforward approach must be made professionally.

Services like Call Cowboy Business Dialing Platform provide packages that help streamline direct communication systems like calls, messaging, and voicemails in a professional and organized way.

Time management

Many small businesses are run by one or two people. With heavy workloads, they tend to focus on the areas where they are most proficient. Being more diligent with time management can help to get on top of all aspects of the business. 

The 60/20/20 principle recommends allocating 60% of your time to core tasks, 20% to planning, and 20% to strategizing. This forces your hand to look beyond the everyday struggle and allows for future thinking.

Delegate

A trait of a good leader is that they trust in their subordinates and delegate specific tasks to them. Many businesses over-rely on owners or managers, spreading them too thin. This is detrimental to an organization. Owners or managers should consider delegating responsibility to other employees. 

If there aren’t enough employees, perhaps it’s time to take on some new ones.

Get customer feedback

Nothing can help you level up your business, like getting feedback from your customers. Remember that 100 percent of your sales are to your customers, so their opinion is important. Create an online survey, an e-mail campaign, or simply ask for their two cents. Take their views on board and consider acting on them.

Set bigger goals

Something that holds many small businesses back is a tendency to settle for where they are. If your goals are small and don’t involve growth, then a lack of growth is inevitable. 

Ask for help

Running a small business is challenging enough; don’t make it harder by taking all decisions on your own. Join a local business network, reach out to friends and family, seek advice from consultants, or approach companies that inspire you. There are experts out there who are happy to talk and give you advice for free. You might be surprised at who’s willing to talk to you.

Making Money During COVID-19

A lot of people are struggling financially during the current COVID-19 crisis. There are many people who are unable to work because of lockdown rules. There are then those who have lost their jobs because of the situation. With that in mind, we have put together some tips and ideas on how to make money during COVID-19.

Check what help you’re entitled to

The first thing that you need to do is find out what sort of help you are going to be entitled to. There are lots of questions people have regarding this. Can I still get help if my partner is earning? Will retired seniors get a stimulus check? How long will it take for me to receive funds? There have been a lot of websites set up, answering everything you could possibly need to know. So, this is where you need to begin! 

Try trading with binary options signals robots

Trading is a way to make money while you’re not at work. We’re going to look at one specific kind. Binary options signals robots are a relatively recent piece of software that makes life easier for those wishing to trade in binary options. There can be many pieces of conflicting advice about whether robots are a good or a bad thing. Ultimately, the decision on whether to use one is down to you.

A binary options robot can be your new best friend. If you’re just starting to invest and want the best tools to help you, choosing the right binary options robot can be the most beneficial to your new trade career. However, it can also put you off trading permanently if you select the wrong one. Other reasons people choose to utilize automated robots instead of simply relying on binary options signals to act on themselves is a simple case of time management. If you use a robot to manage the simpler aspects of your trading account, the more complex aspects can be managed by you personally. 

Binary option robots can be alternatives or additions to your trading experience with binary options signals. They can assist you in making more money than you currently are or they can point you in the right direction if you’re not making as much profit as you expected to be in a certain area. They are also useful for those people who are interested in technology and wish to try out the latest technological advances in binary options trading. Whatever your reason for choosing binary options robots, ensure that you only utilize robots from reputable companies who don’t make any financial gain from your losses. 

Sell your jewelry

Last but not least, if you need some quick cash, you may want to consider selling your jewelry, or any other items of value that you may have. This is one of the best ways to get your hands on funds immediately if you are struggling to pay your rent or you have outstanding bills and you’re becoming concerned.

How Can You Support The Battle Against Coronavirus?

If you’ve been following the news, you are probably feeling helpless about the coronavirus pandemic. Unfortunately, as long as there is no vaccine available, there is little you can do to end the crisis. However, it doesn’t mean that you can’t provide any support in the battle against COVID-19. Indeed, the time is for togetherness and community efforts. Everyone can play a role to help save lives and keep their neighbors safe. Whether you are a doctor or an enthusiastic blogger, you’d be surprised to know that you can join the fight against COVID-19. Even former patients who are recovered from the virus can play a significant role in the battle. 

As helpless as you might feel right now in self-isolation, there is a lot you can do. Here is a brief and non-exhaustive list on how to use your unique skill set during the pandemic. Whether you are running a fashion business or finishing your studies as a financial advisor, seize the opportunity to reach out to those in need and make a difference. 

Pixabay - CC0 License 

Medical students: By boosting your knowledge

If you are a student with a high school diploma, you could consider taking advantage of online nursing aide programs to help to bridge the gap between patients and practitioners. Unlike doctors or nurses, you don’t need extensive medical knowledge. Your role is to support patients on a day-to-day basis with simple tasks such as washing, dressing, and planning treatment. While this might not sound like much, you need to consider how the pandemic is affecting medical resources. Doctors and nurses are struggling to cope with large volumes of patients. Ensuring you can free up resources by caring for patients can help doctors face the increasing demand. Additionally, you can also reassure people who are staying in hospitals through communication. 

Business consultant: By offering support to medical teams

Business consultants can feel at a loss during the situation. However, your experience in managing demoralized staff and inefficient communication systems can be detrimental to the success of medical teams. Many doctors and nurses are faced with impossible choices around the world, such as deciding to let some patients die to save resources and equipment. It is for them a heartbreaking and soul-crushing situation. Still, unfortunately, lack of medical equipment has driven many hospitals to make tough choices they would have preferred not to make. As the situation continues, medical teams experience motivation issues, depression, and poor communication due to emotional challenges and fast-paced environments. You can offer your support to your local health care center to help them manage day after day. Video conferences, daily updates and tips, and a friendly and supportive presence can go a long way to relieve stress. 

Restaurant: By feeding our doctors

Restaurants have been forced to shut down. However, if you are offering takeaway options, you can find ways of reaching out to your customers. But have you also considered helping doctors and nurses with regular meals? Health care workers are working overtime to keep us as safe as possible. Many of them need to make do with whatever they can find in shops to feed themselves. Take inspiration from Pizzana, a Los Angeles-based restaurant that has asked its customers to support their initiative to feed doctors, nurses, and emergency medical workers. Crowd-funding campaigns enable restaurants to deliver healthy and cooked meals to their local health care staff. It might not seem like much, but don’t be fooled. Health care teams need all the help they can get to stay healthy and strong during these difficult times. 

Influencers: By helping people to stay safe

Social media influencers can be detrimental to public health. Indeed, influencers are individuals that the audience tends to trust. As such, you can use your reputation to help your readers and viewers stay safe. Chiara Ferragni, an Italian influencer, has taken over the Internet in Italy to help correct misinformation about the pandemic and become a public health advocate.

if you have a blog or a vlog, you could provide a similar service for your audience. Sharing information about the coronavirus outbreak could be a game-changer among young people. A lot of young adults and teens, for instance, fail to take the pandemic seriously. Many still organize parties and gatherings. Influencers can use their fame to share a message of caution.

Pixabay - CC0 License 

Web developers: By supporting game platforms and needs

What can a web developer do? It might surprise you, but you can help self-isolation. What do people do when they’re stuck at home? You only need to look at the temporary collapse of Xbox Live and Nintendo online networks to find the answer. People are turning their gaming consoles on. Those who don’t have any console are looking for online alternatives to keep them entertained. Web developers can help to make more games available across all gaming platforms – smartphones, consoles, and PC. Additionally, you can also help upgrade old games so that they are compatible with more recent interfaces. 

Fitness trainers: By encouraging people to stay fit

If you haven’t heard of Joe Wicks before, now you can’t miss his name. Joe Wicks is a British fitness advocate who shares his lifestyle and fitness tips in books, blogs, and on his Youtube channel. He now has a regular workout program for people who are staying at home. He’s also created a kid-friendly plan to help young ones stay active indoors.

If you are a fitness trainer, you can go online to share your workout tips, for instance. Besides, why not do a live class on Facebook or Youtube? You can keep your classes free – as your viewers are likely to find free resources to replace it, otherwise. But keeping people active can help boost their immune system and mental health, giving them a better chance against infections. 

Finance specialist: By offering essential advice to those affected

It’s a unique situation in which many individuals who had a job at the beginning of March find themselves unemployed and have no way of replacing their jobs. As such, a loss of income is unavoidable. Many households are worried about making ends meet and recovering from pandemic debts. If you’re a professional and certified financial advisor, you can put your knowledge and skills at their service – for free. You can provide budgeting tips and tricks. You can help them reach out to creditors to discuss special arrangements during the pandemic. You can also support families with a list of charities and help for food, energy bills, and other essentials. 

I don’t have any special skills!

You don’t need to have unique skills to support your community. You can help your most vulnerable neighbors by offering to deliver grocery shopping for them, for instance. Protecting seniors is important, as scammers will not hesitate to target them. Therefore, you can act as a person of contact for all suspicious demands in your community. You can also look after lonely individuals to ensure they are staying safe. If there are no seniors in your neighborhood, why not keep the local kids entertained with a game of I spy? This smart community has seen people decorating their windows and gardens to create a large scale I spy game. 

I am a survivor

If you have contracted coronavirus in the past and have recovered, you can help hospitals by donating your plasma. Indeed, your plasma contains essential antibodies that can help patients fight the virus. 

If there’s one thing the coronavirus pandemic has taught us, it’s that we’re much stronger together. Everybody can find a way of supporting their community, their local health care teams, and the infected patients. Something as simple as encouraging people to stay at home can make a huge difference. In short, put your skills and experience at the service of the fight against COVID-19.