Improving Your Business Payments in Three Simple Steps

Improving Your Business Payments in Three Simple Steps

Making money for your business and getting a big sale is pretty exciting. It is something that you will have set up the business for, and is what will help you to get it to where you want it to be. However, getting paid as a small business can be tricky. There can be late payments, meaning you need to chase missing invoices, as well as having to spend time and money and effort getting in contact with people who still owe you. You could even not get paid at all, and cash flow problems are one of the reasons why a number of businesses actually fail. 

If you use a B2B model in your business, then the chances are that your customers are going to have particular payment terms. So before you start out doing any selling, it is a must to have some clear policies so that you can ensure payment, promptly and on-time. It can be hard to walk away from a sale, but you need to look after the potential of your business. So here are some things to think about, to ensure swift payments and better cash flow for your business. 

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Create policies

It is a must to have some defined policies right from the start. What kind of credit collections will be in place if payments aren’t made? You need to know all of this before you offer credit or allow people to pay you after the service has been completed. You should also think about how much credit you can give without it impacting your cash flow, as well as putting into place the payment terms that you want to set for anything that is overdue.

Automation

When it comes to getting paid, and getting paid by a certain date, you need to make sure that you are getting your invoices out on time. This can be difficult when you’re doing it yourselves, as there are a number of other things that can take up your time as you run a business. Automation in any business, but particularly for something like invoicing, can be a great idea. When the invoices will just get sent out on a certain date, using something like OnPay Solutions, you don’t have to worry about them not being done on time. Then you are more likely to be paid on time, and it will carry on like that.

Communicate your policies

When you get a new customer or a new business looking to use your services, then you need to lay out a clear statement with all of your business payment terms and conditions. This is something that should be clear on all invoices, as well as any contracts that you have with customers or clients. The things to state are penalties for late payments, as well as making sure that follow through with the charges if it comes to it. They can’t complain about it if they have had the policies and fees communicated clearly to them. 

Four Ways To Protect Your Patient’s Privacy

Four Ways To Protect Your Patient’s Privacy

Running your own medical clinic is hard, but when you are dealing with a breach of data and your patient’s details have been exposed, that’s when things get really rough. Data security is so important for patients in a medical setting that there is even a specific act that protects everyone: The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Also known as HIPAA, this act protects the rights of everyone receiving medical care by binding healthcare providers in confidence. 

If you are running your own clinic, then you should know that data security is one of the most important things in which you can invest. You can add a measure of safety by restricting the access that people have to your data. So, within your organization, ensuring only certain trusted parties should have full access to confidential records and adding extra password protection to it will also help. Patient safeguards have always existed, and you need to avoid a lawsuit by protecting your patients the best way that you can. Along with good ERP software for enterprise, you can use these four following points to protect the privacy of your patients. Let’s take a close look at what you can do:

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People Over Data

You are a business, yes, but you are also supposed to be compassionate in what you do. If you ensure that you are thinking about the people who are able to access the restricted information, you’re going to do better for your patients. There are over 100 million patient records exposed every year, but you can avoid it if you limit how many people in your business have access to that data in the first place. 

Get Everyone In On Security

It’s so easy to forget that your data is more than just the electronic records. We need to think about software for protection and data analysis, sure, but we need to think about the other way that patients could be exposed. Their physical details on paperwork and files can be at as much risk as the electronic records. You need to promote a security culture in your business, and you can do it by implementing proper training on data security.

Let Patients Have Their Own Access

Patients may want to see their own records, and so should they – it’s their information after all! You can make sure that they have the access they want by providing them with a secure app to access their information, or you can allow them their own password and username to log in from home.

Make HIPAA The Norm

You need to remember that it’s people you are dealing with. HIPAA is not something to tick off as “done”, it should be the center of yoru clinic and your policies. Provide training on it and raise better awareness – it’s the best thing that you can do for your patients, and you can create a culture of safety.

People want to feel safe and with the tips above, you can do exactly that.

Spread The Word About Your Brand

Spread The Word About Your Brand

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The most important features of every day operations as a successful brand are marketing and advertising campaigns, as you must do all you can to spread the word about your business to develop a buzz of interest and attention. Figuring out the best ways to do this can often seem difficult, however there are a few simple ideas and concepts that your brand can utilise to increase your reach in no time at all. So, if you would like to find out more, then read on to uncover some of the best top tips and tricks that you can make the most of today!

Utilise Social Media

One of the best things that you can do to improve your reach and influence as a brand is to utilise social media platforms. There are so many different ways to advertise your products, services and business on these websites, from the simple sharing of pictures and other content to targeted marketing campaigns that land on the homepage of relevant, interested users. It doesn’t take long to set up your own social media pages on the most popular of platforms, as you need nothing more than an email address to get started. You can develop a mass of followers by sharing interesting and inspiring posts that entice users in, whether this is through style, quality or even comedic value. It’s more than possible for you to become a real hit on social media, as several brands and businesses have found themselves ‘going viral’. Making the most of dedicated social media advertising is almost guaranteed to boost your sales, as the use of cookies and other tracking data allows these platforms to send your campaign specifically to users who may show a keen interest in the topic, saving money and time by cutting through the millions of other profiles to find the most likely potential customers. 

Logos, Taglines & More

Your brand logo, tagline, webpages and any other representations of your business are much more important than you may initially think. So many things can be done with these features, from personalised hats like those over at Cap America to help market your brand whilst out and about, to radio or television shows too. Whether your message is meant to be clear or subliminal, people will begin to remember and recognise your logo and catchphrase the more that they see it, and this will lead to a much greater reputation. Potential customers will feel as though they can trust and rely on your brand as they are now so familiar with the name, creating a win-win situation for all. 

Spreading the word about your brand has never been so simple when you are able to make the most of the amazing tried and tested top tricks and tips detailed above! Begin by developing a social media presence, creating several profiles on the popular platforms to get your message out there. Utilise your logo and tagline in lots of creative ways to get more attention for your brand name.

Moving Abroad: What to Consider

Moving Abroad: What to Consider

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Planning to move abroad is drastically different to visiting a destination as a tourist – it’s a big decision and one that shouldn’t be taken lightly. The preparation involved with moving abroad can often be stressful, so we’ve compiled a short guide to help simplify all of the vital considerations that you’ll need to make before finalising your decision. 

Visa and Residency

If you’re in the early stage of moving abroad, the first most important aspects that you’ll need to consider is your Visa or residency permit. Visas allow people into the country, for example tourists or those wishing to work, whereas residency permits are for when you plan to live in the country long term (not to be confused with citizenship). 

Your home country will have certain agreements with the country you are planning to move to in terms of the types of permits you will need to live, work, or study there. Make sure you thoroughly understand the intricacies and legalities of the process, for example what you will need and require to pass. If you are an immigrant who is planning to live and work in the US, you’ll need to ensure that you have a green card issued through USCIS processing before you move. 

Employment 

Understandably, you’ll need to have employment lined up in your chosen country in order to support yourself and your loved ones if necessary. Unless you are financially stable with savings or passive income, or you are married/in a civil partnership with someone from the country you are moving to, you will be required to provide proof of employment when applying for residency. This will usually be in the form of a work contract or other evidence that you earn income as a freelancer. 

Accommodation 

To avoid any financial issues while living abroad, ensure to be realistic in line with your budget, and take care to understand any accommodation contracts and check reviews online if necessary. If possible, view your accommodation in person or at least through a video tour, and never send funds to anyone before signing your contract. 

Health Insurance 

If you are an EU resident or an EU citizen, then you will most likely have an European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), which is issued by your home country. This entitles you to emergency health care in any of the other EU member countries, meaning you won’t be left in a vulnerable position if you need medical attention. Each country has its own unique regulations regarding entitlement to health care, so be sure to research this in depth. 

Transporting your Belongings 

Make a practical plan of what you are planning to take and decide how you will be transporting your important belongings. People moving abroad most commonly use the likes of sea freight as a cost-efficient way to transport their goods, while some prefer to use air freight. In terms of your new home, it’s worthwhile to outweigh the financial pros and cons of transporting furniture and household items or choosing to rent them in the new country. 

How To Save Money When Selling Your Home

How To Save Money When Selling Your Home

If you are looking to sell your home, you are obviously going to want to make sure that you get it right the first time. There is a lot that you might need to consider there, but one of the main things that most people want to do is to save a lot of money in the process. There are many places in the process that you find yourself having to pay out. Of course, you will always make it back with a good sale. But that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t want to try and reduce your costs in the meantime, so that you can make even more from the sale. Let’s look at how you might be able to do that.

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Hire The Right Listing Agent

Most people will automatically go to a standard real estate agent when they are selling their home. While that might seem like the obvious move to make, you should bear in mind that there are other options for listing your home, and going for the first local real estate agent you see is not necessarily always going to be the most economica, way of going about things. If you want to try and save money on commission, look for a listing agent who will carry out a flat fee listing for you. That way, you know that the fee is not going to rise over time.

Think Like A Buyer

Part of the problem that many people go through in this process is that it is hard to detach emotionally from the home and see it as what it truly is, which is a product that you are trying to sell. If you are not detaching emotionally from the house, then it can mean that you struggle to put yourself in the buyer’s shoes, which precludes you from presenting the property in the way that will produce the most interest. This apparently simple change is likely to make a huge difference to how much you can sell the home for, so it’s an important thing to consider.

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Do The Cleanup Yourself

An important part of the process of selling a home is when you have to clean up the property to get it ready for others to move in. This is clearly something you can’t avoid, but it is generally the kind of thing that most people like to outsource to a professional team. While there are benefits of doing that, it is obviously pricier than simply doing the cleaning yourself. If you don’t mind a bit of cleaning, you might want to think about taking it on board yourself. You could save some considerable cash that way.

As long as you consider these essentials, you should find that you can save some considerable amount of money on selling your home. That will make the whole venture much more profitable, and will mean that you are going to get a lot more out of it in general. Be sure to consider these options.

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