Category: business coach

How To Make Remote Working Work For Your Business

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Remote working is something that is definitely worth doing when it comes to your business. There might be times where staff need to work from home, including yourself, and not having the resources available to do so can make things difficult. Here are some tips to make remote working work for your business.

Get The Right Outsourced IT Help

Outsourcing can be a fantastic way of helping your business improve your IT services overall. A lot of companies have difficulty in their organizations due to the IT services they have been slow in their response to help employees, and that can put a business behind in terms of ongoing projects or simply getting work done efficiently. With that in mind, remote working needs to have a strong IT support behind it in order to work properly. So outsourcing your needs with strategic technology consulting might be needed. The right IT assistance is definitely going to help to make sure that everything continues to tick along as normal and hopefully, with as little disruption as possible. Outsourcing is also a great way to save money when you’re a small business, and your funds are perhaps limited to what you can afford when it comes to staffing.

Provide Staff With Quality Laptops

When it comes to working from home, you can’t expect your staff to work on crap laptops or electronic devices that are slow to load and continue to be a nuisance. If you allow that to happen, then you’re likely to see a lot less productivity as a result of that. For remote working, make sure you have a budget whereby you can invest your money into some good, quality laptops, rather than ones that are just cheap at the time and don’t last as long. That’s only going to waste your money as a business, and that’s not something you want.

Make Sure Security Is Tight

Security is part and parcel of working from home because your staff’s security in terms of it’s WIFI, might not be as strong as the protection you have in your workplace. Therefore, it’s important to have a good security software actually installed on the laptop or device itself in order to protect it. If you don’t, then that could create risks to your computer but also any data and files that this particular staff member might have access too. So it’s good to make sure that even if they’re working remotely, they’re still secure when it comes to security.

Roll It On A Trial Basis For Selected Few

Remote working doesn’t need to be given to everyone, especially if you’ve not done it before. Look at which staff members would benefit from it and start rolling it out as and when you can. By trialing it, you know whether this is something that will work for your business or not.

Doing remote working can be highly beneficial, so use these tips to help introduce remote working so that it works for your business.

How To Design The Ideal Office Premises For Your Business

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The premises your business can occupy come in all shapes and sizes – from historic buildings to modern glass skyscrapers and everything in between.It’s a fact that the environment that we work in definitely influences our behavior, productivity, mental and physical wellbeing and your mood, so good office design is something which needs to be carefully considered. You pay a lot in leasing costs, so it’s important to ensure that the space suits your needs and enhances your capabilities. Each square foot needs to work hard to deliver what you need. So what factors do you really need to consider when it comes to designing an office space which delivers?

Fostering Concentration

You and your team need to be able to focus in order to get the job done, but this need is also balanced with other requirements – such as space to be creative, work as a team or to relax in between tasks. It can be a hard call to get all these elements working in harmony, so looking at some office interior solutions which enable these different working modes can help. Whether it’s including sound proof pods where people can take confidential or noisy calls, or providing modular seating which can be reconfigured easily to suit different working groups and meetings, there are ways to design a space which is flexible enough to suit all your needs. It has been shown in a study that up to 28% of each employee’s working day can be lost to needless interruptions, so using good design can help to minimize this and get everyone back on track.

Enabling Communication

Just as important is ensuring that your ways of working are supported by your office environment. So if you go in for scrums, pretzel meetings and sprint reviews, you’re going to need the right space to accommodate that. Designated areas for discussion can include helpful things such as videoconferencing stations, interactive whiteboards and tables and seating which can be moved around to accommodate different group sizes.

Recharging And Relaxation

It may seem counter-productive to consider this amongst wanting people to maintain productivity, but enabling appropriate relaxation and screen breaks is actually the best way to keep your company on track. When people have a separate area where they can properly relax, they are able to decompress and refocus their minds on the next task at hand, and overall they will perform far better. So think about providing a breakout room with space to eat, rest and discuss away from desks. Including some real plants also helps to mentally promote a state of comfort by making people feel close to nature, and also filters the air in a natural way. You should also consider providing some little touches such as a lending library or complimentary fresh fruit  – anything which is geared towards the health and wellbeing of your employees is worth some consideration. If people are happier and healthier then your employee retention rates increase and there are less sick days, so it benefits everyone.

Clean Office Space, Clean Mind

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Running a business from your home can be challenging. Working at home often means you’re tackling a lot of distractions, so you need to make sure your home office is as distraction-free as possible. For many people, a clean office space can help you to focus more. A clean workspace makes for a clean mind. Here’s how you can do it.

Keep It Clean and Ventilated

Keeping the home office clean is a good way to concentrate. A dirty office can lower the air quality in the room, and breathing in poor quality air can cause you to lose your ability to concentrate. Clean your office regularly. If it needs a deep clean, a floor scrubber can help. Keep the space well ventilated too to get in fresh air to help you focus. Open a window, or buy a fan to keep stale air moving and the air quality high. 

Clear Your Desk

Keep your desk clutter-free so you don’t get distracted by visual mess or trying to rearrange your desk. Get a set of desk drawers so you can put things away but keep them close by for when you need them. Only keep things you need out on your desk. A desk tidy is a useful place to keep pens and other bits of stationery, like post-it notes and paperclips. Get in the habit of tidying your desk at the end of the day to reset it and get it back to a clear space ready for work in the morning. 

Make It Relaxing

Working at home can make it hard to unwind and disconnect from work at the end of the workday. For that reason, it’s important to practice self-care to keep your stress levels under control. Make your office somewhere that is relaxing to be to help you stay calm. Decorating the office in relaxing colors, like blues, can really help. Add some plants to the room. Succulents are good for on your desk, as they’re easy to keep alive with minimal care. Plants release oxygen into the room which can help you to relax and feel more focussed. 

Other tricks to make the space more relaxing is to take advantage of having an office at home, rather than a traditional office. Bring in relaxing elements you couldn’t have in a normal office, like scented candles. Play soft music that you find focussing, as this can aid concentration and block out noise from elsewhere in the house. 

Make your home office a place that you like being and a place where you can concentrate and focus easily and avoid distractions. With the right workspace, you will be better able to work, making your home business more successful, with less pressure on you. Working at home can be a challenge, but is also a privilege as you have lots more options to personalize your space in a way that helps you to work to the best of your ability, in a space you love.

6 Upgrades Your Hotel Business Needs Right Now

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The hotel industry is a competitive circuit that inspires you to be the biggest and the best in the area. Believe it or not, there are a number of things that you might be missing from your business right now; you could be losing precious clients because you’re overlooking these important elements. Whether you’ve recently opted for a change in career or you have been running your hotel business for a long time, there are a number of ways you can upgrade your current premises. Consider the following six upgrades your hotel business needs right now and make some much needed changes.

1. Excellent Entertainment

Often hotel entertainment is the last thing that owners think about. They assume that guests who are coming to stay over already have grand plans in place. In fact, a lot of people staying in hotels are on business trips and are searching for light relief after a busy day. Whether you look into slot machine manufacturers or professional singers to do a nightly gig, there are so many ways to provide excellent entertainment for your guests. This is the type of thing that will make a client choose your establishment over a competitor.

2. Top Quality Food

When the food in a hotel is bad, it’s likely that the client won’t be back anytime soon. Make sure your menus cater for all diets and they vary throughout the seasons.

3. Attractive Amenities

Whether you open up a pool, spa or private members bar there are so many attractive amenities that your hotel could offer. Think about what’s missing right now and aim to open up at least one new amazing amenity in the next year.

4. Friendly Staff

Hotel staff always need to be polite and friendly, even if they’re dealing with a tricky customer. Train your employees in customer service and make sure they feel confident in dealing with every possible scenario.

5. Comfortable Bed

A comfortable bed in a hotel is a must if you want to have repeat customers. Do some research into the best quality mattresses and pillows; don’t be afraid to invest a little extra money into this as it will be worth it in the long run.

6. Strong Wi-Fi

Offering free wifi to your guests is a fundamental thing to do these days. As mentioned before, a lot of people will be on a business trip and in need of excellent internet. You can keep the connection password protected in order to maintain strong security, which is another thing that is very important to your guests too.

As a hotel business, you always need to stay one step ahead of the game. Do some research into the competitors in your area and see how you can go above and beyond what they’re already doing. Although some of the ideas above might seem obvious, it is so important to give your clients the best of the best. By implementing the ideas mentioned above, you are set to have a thriving hotel business that people come flocking to on a daily basis!

Compliance And Regulations: Learning To Do Business “By The Book”

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We can certainly demand a lot from our company. We need our employees to be working effectively and we need to understand that in order to do business properly, everything needs to slot into place. But you have to remember that your company needs things from you. You need to have the right attitude, you need to have the due diligence in place, but you also need to understand the importance of compliance and doing things by the book. It’s natural that being law-abiding and correct in an ethical sense is natural. But compliance can be a hot topic. So when companies are under pressure to define these values we’ve got to remember that performing business “by the book” is about following a certain set of rules. Let’s show you the substantial components.

The Goals Associated With Compliance

In an obvious sense, it’s crucial to avoid criminal proceedings. From the business’ perspective, being committed to compliance is about having the right strategy in place. While there’s numerous legislation associated with complying you have to remember the importance of making the effort within the company framework. It’s always a good idea to have a business law attorney on your side to consult should you be unaware of the appropriate legislation. If you don’t make the effort to comply with associated regulations you could be punished with sanctions such as financial penalties or even be put in prison. In order to be compliant you’ve got to identify and minimize criminal behavior and react accordingly. This will help to reduce any risk from the business, especially in terms of economics and liability.

It’s also important to consider the social responsibilities. There are so many ethical components associated with compliance that they may not be given the same level of importance as following the rules and regulations. In terms of ethical components, we’ve got to consider our stakeholders such as employees and customers but we’ve also got to make sure that we adhere to moral values. Moral values are set out in many regulatory codes and bodies, especially in industries that are dealing with sensitive materials. But in any business, it’s crucial to have a clearly outlined approach to morals and ethics. While we have to be seen to be compliant in a legal sense due to the numerous penalties we have to remember the complying in an ethical sense is crucial to everybody’s human rights. It’s unfair to show preferential treatment and we have got to remember that each employee demands equal attention. And while it is greatly discussed in certain circles, when it comes to smaller businesses it can be brushed under the carpet somewhat which is not a good approach. But this is why we’ve got to start implementing certain components to benefit the business and the employees…

Implementing Compliance Within A Company

Compliance has to be in force but it also has to be monitored. This is where a CMS (Compliance Management System) can be used to implement appropriate rules and regulations within the company. The purpose of a CMS is to put this in place but also to make sure that compliance is part of the culture. This is one approach that needs maintaining, especially if you don’t operate with a transparent approach to business. We have to remember that compliance covers so many different areas and topics that developing a CMS is not so easy. This is why we’ve got to work on individual requirements. And this can prove to be a seismic challenge but there are ways around it. 

Creating Compliance Policies

Compliance policies are numerous online but rather than taking a general template and filling in the blanks it’s best to use a compliance policy but adapt it to the individual’s needs within the workplace. Generally speaking, compliance policies will cover many bases but you’ve got to give consideration to what your company needs. It’s not just in regards to the general approach to conduct but it’s also about making sure that each employee is aware of the sanctions process, as well as identifying specific issues that contravene the policies. Once you apply these, they need to be communicated openly throughout the business. While you can do this by sending messages or newsletters, incorporating training sessions and having it written into the contract are two other approaches that can be essential.

Should You Incorporate A Compliance Team?

The best way to create a compliance team would be to get experts from every department of the business. This way, you are able to cover every possible eventuality. If necessary, you can get external expertise. You could go to management consultants or lawyers but you could also go to the SBA and liaise with them to acquire more information. A compliance team, even in a small business, can be a godsend because you don’t need to keep track of every single thing. This could be the responsibility of the team.

Putting Compliance Into Operation

The responsibility sits firmly on the manager but you can delegate this to one single person to act as a chief compliance officer. You could also work with a compliance solutions company if you are looking to outsource. Once this is in place the tasks are varied but crucial. From implementing the CMS to monitoring quality control, as well as adapting to various changes within the working environment are all components that need addressing. This means that because it is such a complex approach to improving the business that it requires the right sort of person. It’s not necessarily about hiring a manager type, but it’s about having someone who is able to work with the right mindset.

Learning to do business by the book is about the whole approach to compliance and this means that when we begin to implement compliance and following the rules and regulations, we’ve got a solid structure to build our business upon. Rules and regulations aren’t the most interesting of subjects but they have to be incorporated. It’s far better to incorporate them on a cultural level rather than where everybody needs to follow the rules. If you’re embedding it on a cultural level it’s going to give you improved results across the board.

Finding Disruption In The Fashion Market

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The fashion industry is one of constantly revolving trends and styles and, as such, it offers a lot of room for new startups to find their place while also being amongst the most competitive markets out there. To really make waves, one must learn how to disrupt markets, but what are some of the ways you might be able to do that?

Embrace the online-only world

The digital age has already done a lot to disrupt the fashion industry, but it’s not done reshaping it just yet. There are a lot of fashion brands establishing an eCommerce presence but they can’t do with the flexibility and dedicated approach that a start-up can when going online only. You can cut the costs of starting your fashion business by a huge degree, for one. Investing in a fantastic, responsive website with even a portion of the investment you would have had to put into a store can see great results.

Bespoke is taking over

Giving your customers the ability to personalize their orders might be a more lucrative idea that you might imagine. Personalized goods are becoming a lot more popular, especially among higher-end customers. This applies not only to monogramming bathrobes and having t-shirts with names printed on them, but other aspects of design. Bespoke goes beyond designing clothes, too, customizing the customer experience by having a website that responds to data collected on their preferences is becoming a major trend in all online retail industries, as well.

Going green to earn green

Sustainability and eco-friendliness continue to be a topic that dominates the conversation across industries and is becoming increasingly popular in fashion. This includes changes in supply chains, packaging, and even the material that the clothes themselves are made from. Modal fabric is a super soft fiber made from beech trees. Its eco-friendly growth and the ability to simply decompose it instead of throwing it in a landfill make it a good example of one fabric that’s changing the fashion industry into a more environmentally friendly place. Customers have proven that many of them are willing to spend more for a product and brand that aligns with their values, so its a lucrative opportunity worth considering.

Get smart with your technology

Aside from going online-only, you can benefit from making use of AI-driven technologies that increase customer satisfaction with the online shopping experience. Chatbots are AIs that respond to customer queries based on data collected from their usage of the website. They can help address a range of questions, offer support resources, and even direct the customer to products they might be interested in based on not just how the customer answers them, but also any data you might have collected on their website use.

The examples above will hopefully give you some direction to take your clothing or fashion company that elevates it over the playing field. At the very least, it should give you some inspiration on how to disrupt the market to make some room for yourself.

Moving Your Business Into a Building? Here’s What You Need to Know

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If you’re a small business owner and you’ve started to see continual growth, that’s something you should be proud of! Small businesses are currently playing a huge role in overall economic growth in the U.S, and they have been for a while. The first three quarters of 2014 alone saw small businesses add 1.4 million jobs. 

With business growth, however, often comes the issue of “outgrowing” your current workspace. Whether you started your business from home or you’ve always had a small office, it’s never a bad thing to upgrade – especially if you’re adding more employees to your operation. 

If you really want to move forward with your business, you’ll need the right space to do so. But, moving to a new location for the first time can feel overwhelming. With that in mind, let’s look at a few tips you can use to make the transition to a new space easier on you and your employees, so you can continue to grow and achieve success.

Set a Budget

As you start looking at new spaces, it’s important to have a set budget in mind. While you consider the cost of the building itself (or the monthly rent), don’t forget about other fees and hidden costs you might face. 

Additionally, it’s important to think about any upgrades or renovations you might want to do and include those in the cost. Things like upgrading appliances, putting in new carpet, using roof coating, or even just painting and remodeling can all cost money, so include renovation factors into your budget before you make a final space decision. 

Research the Right Locations

You might think you’ve found the dream location for your business, but there are many things to consider aside from the size and functionality of the building. 

Will it be easy for people to get to, including your employees, suppliers, clients, etc.? What is the crime rate in the surrounding neighborhood? Are there any other businesses nearby? When you move into a building, you want to become a part of your community as quickly as possible, just like when you move into a new home. If the area around that building feels like a ghost town, it might not be the best place for you. 

Give Yourself Plenty of Time

Moving is stressful, no matter what. Even if you have everything perfectly organized and you have a timeline in place, it’s not easy. So, give yourself plenty of time to transition from one building to another. 

You might even consider a “staggered” move so operations can continue in your current business space while you slowly integrate more employees and equipment into the new space. It can make the move easier for everyone and won’t feel as overwhelming. Staggering your move will also have less of an impact on workflow, so you’ll still be able to meet deadlines and work directly with your clients without feeling disrupted. 

Congratulations on outgrowing your initial business space. Keep these tips in mind to make your growth easier, so you can focus on an upward momentum, instead of getting tied up in the details of a building.

What Does Your Company Need From You Right Now?

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At different times throughout the year, or even different years throughout the lifespan of your business, it will require different things from you. Every business grows in its own way. And as the market chances and trends come and go, it’s safe so that those needs are ever evolving. And that’s fantastic. But the most important thing is that you know what your company needs from you at any given point. And then, you are able to ensure that you are working on that. So, do you know what your company needs from you right now? What you should be putting your time and attention on? If not, let’s look at a few ideas that could be relevant.

A Big Sales Push

First of all, you may find that what your company really needs from you right now is a good old-fashioned sales push. If you know that you’ve just been coasting along, it’s time to make a change there. Instead of just seeing what happens, take action. It’s so important for you to think about what you can do to grow. Setting goals will help then creating an action plan is definitely the way forward.

Security

The next thing to think about is security. And this will mean something different to everyone. Maybe it’s your physical security you’re concerned about? Or is it the security of your staff and equipment while at work? Maybe a CCTV system on the premises and fleet dash cam systems are what you need? It could even be cyber security that you’re concerned about. If so, you’ll want to consult with a specialist company to get that in place.

Organization

Or, it could just be that you need to be a lot more organized right now. When that’s the case, you’re likely to find that you need to bring more systems and procedures in place. Don’t know where your files are? Create a system. No plan for marketing? Create a plan. Not sure how best to approach a taste? Put a procedure in place. Being a lot more organized can often really transform your business.

More Staff

It could even be that you know you need more staff. When this is the case, it’s time to start hiring. So, ask yourself – who do you need right now? What kind of support will help you to grow? Make sure that you’re bringing on people that will add value to what you’re doing and will help you to reach the business goals.

A Better Marketing Effort

Or maybe you know that you need to put a lot more focus on your marketing? When that’s the case, you’ll really want to ensure that you are connecting with your customers a lot more, then maybe it’s marketing you need to focus on right now? It can be fun to pull together a marketing plan for your company, and to decide exactly what you’re going to work on to help the business to grow.

How To Connect With Your Customers On A Personal Level

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Connecting with your customers is essential because it can impact just how successful your company has the ability to be if it puts in the extra effort. Each and every customer that you have as a business is valuable, and the more you make into regular and loyal customers, the better. Here are some tips to connect with your customers on a personal level.

Learn More About Them

There’s so much to learn about your customers, but a lot of businesses don’t put in enough time and effort to do the background research. Think about what might be limiting your ability to know more and start looking at analytics of your content and your social media platforms to discover who your audience are and what they’re interested in. Being able to figure out who they are and what they like will help you to create more content, products, and services that directly benefit your target audience, and that ultimately will want to buy it. There is already likely a lot of data that is going un-touched or unseen by yourself as a business, so start paying attention where it’s needed. Ebecs and other software to help collate data is essential.

Focus On What They Enjoy In Terms Of Content

Content can be a very powerful thing for businesses if they get it right. When it comes to your customers, they are the ones that are directly engaging in it, and it’s important that they enjoy the content that you’re churning out and if not, then it’s likely going to stop your business from progressing any further than it is so far. Try to tailor your content more to suit your audience’s needs and wants. You should be able to see from previous engagement, what your customers like to see more of and what probably didn’t appeal to their interests.

Don’t Use A One Size Fits All

A one size fits all approach isn’t going to buy you a better relationship with every customer. Each customer, although similar in the target audience your business receives, is going to have a whole host of differences to another customer. You should be thinking about how you can appeal to each person and make it a more versatile approach. That means treating each engagement and interaction with your customer as something that’s unique, and that’s tailored to suit them. Consider what products they’ve purchased and tailor the emails they receive to suit what they like to buy.

Keep It Personal, Not About The Transaction

Seeing your customers as transactions is going to kill any hopes of having a good relationship with your customers. Keep it personal, from personalized names on email newsletters to addressing them by first name or account on social media. These simple changes that you make in approaching them is going to certainly help.

Connecting with your customers is going to take effort on your side, so use these tips to help you connect with those customers on a more personal level.

Manufacturing Your Own Products: Yay or Nay?

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When you’re going to be manufacturing products, it requires you to have an understanding of the design, materials, and budget; it’s a massive undertaking for any business and something to think about carefully. These are some of the things you need to know before starting up your own factory. 

Market research

Before doing anything else, be sure to conduct thorough market research. This is so important, the last thing you want is to be producing products that no one wants. Look at the competitors you have in your industry and work out how your product provides additional value to your customers. Always build and test a prototype before sending any product into mass production; you need to know that you’re 100% happy with how it’s going to turn out. 

The logistics

Think about whether manufacturing your own products will be a possibility, it will mainly depend on what you want to make and what your budget is. If for example you want to make very complex items which require a lot of technology and specialist materials, it could be worth outsourcing to a company since they will already have everything they need in place, from wire forming equipment to injection moulding, high powered machines and much more. If your business makes products that are easier to manufacture such as clothes or other textiles creating products yourself could be in reach, you’d need to just invest in some commercial sewing machines.  

Costs

Creating a factory to produce products isn’t just about the equipment and machinery; there are so many other things to think about, and all of these costs can add up in a big way. You will need to consider the premises (usually factories need large premises which cost more money, not to mention warehousing space for raw materials and the end product to be stored. You’ll need to think about hiring staff; these people need to be trained and experienced in the types of machines you want to run. Then there’s transportation, maintenance and repairs and more. You’ll need to find companies you can make regular purchases of materials and raw goods from, make sure you work out exactly how much you will need to spend to get started to see if it’s doable.

Health and Safety

There are risks involved in any workplace, but when it comes to manufacturing, there are even more health and safety considerations to bear in mind. Just look at the statistics, over the past 5 years, each year an average of 22 workers died in workplace accidents in the manufacturing industry. There were over three thousands reports of major injuries and over four thousand reports of injuries that kept workers away from work for seven days or more too, so even if you’re careful, things can still go wrong. Power tools, machines, vehicles, high heat, and chemicals all might be used, which makes for a more dangerous workplace. Make sure you have the correct insurances, and that staff is adequately trained. Follow health and safety rules to the letter to avoid mistakes being made that could harm employees and put you at risk of lawsuits.