Running a business is never an easy feat. From the initial planning and organization to your regular day to day jobs, there’s always loads to do, and never enough time to get it done. Along with this, business growth is also a challenge. At some point, it’s likely that your busy will find itself with more work than it can handle, but not enough resources to get more workers involved. To solve this issue, there are a couple of routes you can go down. So, to help you out, this post will be going through some of them to help you choose.
Recruit
Add to Flipboard Magazine. Recruiting new employees is always incredibly expensive. To start, you’ll need to either pay for a recruitment company to help you or find a website which enables you to hire people yourself. From there, you’ll need to deal with the legal side of their employment, and any other admin which may come with it. This is before you consider the amount of money you have to pay the new employee. It’s best to reserve recruitment for entry-level jobs which don’t have to pay very much. Then, when you have more specialized work, you can find another method.
Learn
In a lot of small businesses, the owner will be handling a lot of administrative work. In most cases, this sort of work can be handled by your entry-level employees, though, leaving you with a chance to learn the harder stuff. By studying a BBA in accounting, HR, or another subject, you can start to handle some of the complex work in the business. This saves money hiring more expensive employees, but should only be done with jobs which need to be constantly done. If you have a one-time piece of work to do, it’s better to find another method.
Outsource
If you’ve been in business for a while, you’ve probably experienced your fair share of life-changing clients. Some jobs are big enough to propel your company much further than others, and these are often the hardest to complete. Of course, for a single job, it would take too much time and effort to hire someone full-time. Outsourcing is the best way to make a job like this work out. Instead of hiring a permanent staff member, you will pay someone for a one-time job. Websites like Freelancer are perfect to help you find all sorts of professionals.
Choosing
Each job you have to do will be different. You will need different skills, manpower, and types of employee for every job you do. Unfortunately, this can make it hard for people to choose how they hire employees. In most cases, it’s best to base this decision on the job itself, the future of your company, and your current position. With these in mind, it should be easy to find the most inexpensive route.
Hopefully, this post will inspire you to start looking at all of your options when you’re thinking about employing people for your business. Not a lot of companies put this sort of effort in, and will usually suffer the consequences. It doesn’t take much to solve your staffing issues. So, it’s worth taking your time.
When it comes to making sales in the modern day world, you need to focus on aesthetic. Image sells and the key to a successful business plan is often to create a visually attractive product and advertise it in its best light. Remember, we are living in the Instagram generation where 95 million images are uploaded to the web every single day. People spend more time on their laptops, tablets and smartphones and generally make the majority of their purchases with the intent of showing off their goods online in mind. Whether you are based in a brick and mortar store or operate entirely online, the same concept applies: people tend to buy with their eyes and you need to alter your brand and products to cater to this demand. So, where to start? Design of course! Here are a few tips and tricks to help you decide where to focus your time, energy and resources.
Creating a Brand Image
Add to Flipboard Magazine. To start, you need to become familiar with your target audience. It's time to work out the tastes and expectations of those you are planning on catering to! You can achieve this by carrying out effective market research. Market research can take the form of surveys and questionnaires, focus groups and question and answer sessions (online or in person). This will allow you to find out much more about your potential customers: you can find out your demographic’s age, interests, and general preferences down to seemingly trivial details such as their favoured colours. You will then be able to implement these details into the image that your brand puts across.
Logos, Colour Scheme and Typeface
The first place to focus your efforts is your brand image itself: your logo, typeface and colour scheme. These are the aspects of your design that consumers will begin to associate with your brand. Try to keep things simple. So many businesses attempt to cram too much information, colour or pattern into their logo and end up overwhelming consumers. Stick to two or three colours at most and a simple legible typeface. Engage with a professional graphic designer who will be able to advise you further and realize your ideas. Once you have settled on a design, copyright it. Protecting your intellectual property is key to preventing fraudulent products or services using your hard work to gain a profit for someone else.
Store Design
Store design is a complex process, but will create the perfect tangible space to engage with customers face to face. Any commercial property can speak volumes about your brand: upon entering your store space, your customers should get an immediate taste of your company’s services, ethics and general atmosphere. So choose every aspect of the design wisely. You could call in the help of an interior designer if you are lacking inspiration, but if you know what you want, you may well be perfectly capable of sourcing the goods to fill the space yourself. Try to stick to a neutral colour scheme for your walls so that they can act as a blank canvas to showcase your stock on. From here on out, the rest of the design is up to you. Use effective lighting to highlight pieces of stock that you want customers to pay particular attention to. Furniture can also play a huge role, not only for storage and presentation purposes, but to create a continuous brand aesthetic throughout your entire store.
E-commerce is one of the most rapidly expanding areas of commercial profit, so invest wisely in your online setup. It will likely be much cheaper than setting up a physical store, but requires just as much dedication. Remember, small businesses have unique web design needs, so don’t just opt for the first platform, theme or layout that presents itself to you. Employ the services of professional web designers or managed web design services. This puts you into contact with a specialist team who can cater to all of your needs, crafting every single aspect of your web page on your behalf. If the results aren’t exactly as you wished immediately, don’t be afraid to work further on it. Much of the process will be trial and error before everything falls perfectly into place.
By being smart with your design, you can attract the interest of your target customers and associate your brand with style and good taste. People are more likely to trust that what you are selling them will be brilliant for their aesthetic and something that will be completely worth their investment.
Computers are incredibly helpful, but sometimes they can give rise to problematic situations in our lives. Because of this, it’s no surprise that everyone with a computer uses software; roughly 2 billion worldwide. Its also no surprise that software is one of the most targetable sectors on the planet. We can’t stop the distribution and use of software in the tech industry, after all, it’s necessary to nearly every business and personal computer on the planet. Whether you’re a browser or developer, we wouldn’t want to lose software use, so by highlighting the main concerns behind software vulnerability, hopefully both its creation and use can be made safer. Here are some cyber-security tips: Add to Flipboard Magazine.
This is a branch term referring to any malicious attacks on software. In 2016, hacker phishing attacks rose by 38% on the previous year, which shows the rising danger of the digital age, this is particularly true among senior citizens. Seniors’ online safety should be part of the strategies to counter cyber attacks. As more and more people become comfortable with and trained in technological developments, keeping your guard up and ensuring software parameters are properly installed is an integral part of the development process.
Although it can be a bit pricey, to decrease chances of downloading software with a nasty bug inside buy straight from well known brands that have plenty of previous use. When using less well known brands, look around on web boards for user testimonials or to compare the best software. This works well for editing and creative programs such as photoshop and its alternatives.
Increase in data protection measures
We can learn how to navigate 2017 when online by looking at statistics of previous years. In 2016, there was over a 50% increase in use of detection tools for the personal and business industries. Using detection software is incredibly important as it allows a user to monitor and scan for any malware on a PC or company system.
Many data protection sources are available online and in the shops, offering trial runs and contracts of usually 1 month, 6 months, or 12 months. This will allow you to find out which firewall is most customisable and suits your needs.
The rising need to protect software branding
With the move into the digital for both creating products and access to them, many programs exist for the same purpose. If you’re a creator, and you’re worried about missing opportunities due to being seen as malware, it’s a good idea to get trademark protection for software. This keeps a brand name for the sole use of its creator, and doesn’t allow potential hackers to publish under your name to ruin your reputation. Using a trademark will also often put off anyone wishing to imitate the software’s application. However, a trademark on a brand will not stop the functionality idea being imitated in another independent program. Having a trademark on a software brand will give it a seal of trustworthiness.
Overall, the most important takeaway is not to be afraid of using the web. By employing some of the tips included above, you’re less likely to be targeted.
There are many reasons why you might be thinking about extending your home. Perhaps you have a growing family, and you need extra rooms to cater for new arrivals. You might want to sell your house in the future and are looking for ways to add value to your home. Or maybe you need a change, and giving your home a makeover will create new opportunities in your living space. Whatever the reason, there are some essential do’s and don’ts you need to consider before you get to work. Follow our simple guide to get you on the right track.
Do
1. Ensure you are legally entitled to do so. You may need a building and planning permit before you begin, so contact your local government office for further advice about the application procedure. 2. Know your budget and set yourself realistic targets. You don’t want to get half way through the renovation project and run out of money. 3. Set up a contingency fund. There may be unexpected costs, such as having to make structural repairs or hiring extra builders, so put some money aside for emergencies. 4. Consult with an architect. There may be reasons why your extension is impractical for your property, so seek advice to avoid your home falling down around you. 5. Get a quotation from your building firm rather than an estimate. A quotation is the exact price you will be paying; an estimate is only a guide and is less specific. Go for a fixed price contract, so you aren’t faced with any nasty surprises from the building firm. Add to Flipboard Magazine.
6. Use the right people for the job. Shop around online, and ask friends for recommendations. Trusted firms such as DLL commercial plasterers are better than a company you may never have heard of before. 7. Use an extension cost calculator, so you have an idea of the expense you are likely to incur. Use this as part of your planning process when you are considering room sizes, etc.
Don’t
1. Go it alone. You may be good at changing a light bulb, and your skills with a paintbrush may be second to none. However, safety must come first, so hire the professionals. 2. Pay for work in advance. You don’t want to be left out of pocket if the building firm fails to live up to their end of the bargain, and you are left with something unlivable. 3. Change your mind halfway through the project. You will need to spend more money trying to put things right, and you will cause inconvenience to your workers. 4. Go for the lowest quote. Often you get what you pay for, so don’t cut costs when hiring other people. 5. Assume your extension will raise the value of your home. Do your research, and find out what buyers are looking for in a new property. Final words We hope our advice helped, but remember to seek the guidance of qualified professionals before you undertake your exciting project.
Want to make a difference in a developing country, but not sure how? There are lots of ways that we can help those less fortunate around the world, most of which are much easier than we may think. Here are just a few ways that you can lend a helping hand.
Travel to less developed countries
One simple way to make a difference is to travel to less developed countries. By paying for accommodation, buying local food and purchasing souvenirs, you’ll be putting money into the pockets of everyday folk and making a difference whilst experiencing the thrill of travelling. For many less developed countries, tourism is becoming an essential part of their growth. Say no to the popular first world travel destinations and try somewhere off the beaten path.
Volunteer abroad
You can go one step further than travelling by volunteer abroad. This may include teaching English to those less fortunate or helping with a manual labour task such as building a well. Such volunteer tasks don’t require any skills or qualifications – you’ll most likely be teaching English to kids that already have a basic grasp and any manual labour job will be very basic. However, by offering that extra helping hand you’ll be making a big difference whilst still getting the experience of travelling. There are companies such as Global Cross Road that specialise in such volunteer programmes.
Give to a specialist charity
There are plenty of charities that you can give to in order to make a difference. Consider a cause that means a lot to you. There are charities that are catered to specific causes such as the National Endowment for Democracy that helps to increase the democratic rights of developing countries. You may even find a specific project such as the construction of an orphanage or helping someone ill to get medical treatment they wouldn’t otherwise be able to get. These specific causes may be far better for your sense of fulfilment than giving to a general charity or government in which you may not necessarily know where your money is going.
Spread awareness
The simplest way that you can help is by spreading awareness of foreign issues. By sharing things on social media and discussing causes with your friends you may influence others to make a difference too. You may be able to notify a company or figure with more influence and wealth than yourself to help out. Obviously, it’s far better if you can donate or help out on top of spreading awareness. However, that isn’t to say that you shouldn’t spread awareness of issues that you yourself can do nothing to help – there may be someone else out there that can make an impact, especially in the case of legal cases and curing the sick.
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