Tag: global pandemic

Look After Yourself When Working From Home

Scott Asai1 Comment

Collaborative post – may contain affiliate links

Working from home can be hard and cause stress in a place you don’t want to be stressed in. For a lot of people, work is left when they leave the office but now people are working at home, it can be tempting to work longer hours in order to get more done, but at the detriment of your own wellbeing. It is important that even when working at home, you try and have a good work life balance in order to not stress yourself and burn yourself out. Below are four ways to work at home efficiently.

Make A Room Your Work Room 

Depending on how big your property is, this may be easier for some people, more than others. When working at home, it is important to be able to differentiate what is your work room and what is your leisure room. If you can try and make a specific room the place you work. That way when you are done working, you can take yourself out of that room and reduce the stress that you may be experiencing at work. If you have to work in your living room, then try to pack everything away once you are done, instead of leaving it out for the next day. Yes this may seem like a bit more effort, but it will help you to stop thinking about work when you are then watching tv in the same room. 

Set Work Hours 

When working from home it is important you set certain hours for work and certain hours for relaxing, just like an office. If your office working hours are 9 to 5, then make sure you stick to those hours and don’t continue to work because you are at home. Of course, sometimes you have to work late to get an important task done, but it is also important that you have some time and relax. You may enjoy the flexibility of being able to choose your hours but as just mentioned make sure you stick to the hours you are contracted to. If it’s a 7 hour day, then make sure you do 7 hour whether that be 7am to 3pm, 8am to 4pm or the standard 9am to 5pm. 

Take a Lunch Break 

When you work in an office it’s important you take a lunch break and it’s still important you do when working from home. A lunch break helps give you an hour to wind down and refresh yourself. As you are working at home you can take it at whatever time suits (as long as you don’t have any meetings that it will clash with). Try to leave your property on your lunch break and go for a 30 minutes walk, maybe walk to your local park or just a lap around the block. Walking is not only good for your mental health but also your physical health. If your job allows you to be really flexible you could plan your lunch break around a certain activity you enjoy, like fishing – if you have a new rod like a Daiwa saltiga then this would be the perfect time to try it out. 

Set Boundaries 

Chances are it won’t just be you working from home. Due to the pandemic, a lot of households are working from home at the same time. With this, it is important you set boundaries between each other. This way you can all work and not get distracted and stressed that you haven’t done enough work that day. If you have children, rotate your time so that you both get to spend time with them and both get to work.

Top Ways to Earn Money Online

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Collaborative post – may contain affiliate links

With the global pandemic in full swing, many people will be wondering how to cover their expensive socially-distanced Christmas presents this year. If this sounds like you, then fear-not; below, we have some ways you can start earning money online from the safety of your home. Whether you have an entrepreneurial spirit, a creative drive, or some specialist knowledge from a once-thriving industry, there is something on the list to keep you occupied and in the green this winter season. 

Ecommerce Business

An ecommerce business is an online store that uses a variety of ways to sell products to relevant consumers. You can use warehouse shipping, dropshipping, or even stock products in your home. Most ecommerce businesses use affiliate marketing.

Ecommerce is widely considered to be a realistic and profitable way to earn money online. You don’t have to be an expert entrepreneur either; you can profit from ecommerce as an amateur learning the ropes as you go. If you need some extra income this winter, you could do a lot worse than set up a brand. 

To be successful with this income stream, you need to know a few tricks of the trade. Firstly, you need to identify a profitable niche – this is one on an upwards trend without much market competition. Secondly, find a product that sells at a high price, so there’s plenty of profit left for your revenue. 

Self Publish a Book 

Traditionally, writers had to create books and reach their audience through a publisher. This was tricky. Not only did the publisher need to accept the book, but they also took a large cut of your royalty money. With the internet, this has all changed. 

Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) from Amazon allows authors to take full control of publishing their book and allows them to keep the majority of the royalties. If you’ve written a book or have an idea for one, sign up to KDP and start earning money from your efforts right away. 

Remember, it’s not enough to simply publish the book and expect the dales to start rolling in. You have to be a publisher too, and market your book. The first week is especially important, but some best practices ensure you get the best results. 

Learn Facebook Advertising 

Facebook Advertising is much like Google Advertising but specifically for the social media giant. The Facebook Digital Agency actually copied Google’s model because it has proved so successful, but not everyone knows about Facebook’s version.

There are many companies and brands who haven’t yet thought about the benefits of Facebook Advertising; as a result, there is a valuable market of possibilities for those willing to step in and do the spadework. It’s not hard to learn Facebook Advertising, so why not fill the market gap? 

Once you’re familiar with the process of writing and publishing Facebook Ads, you can market your services to companies and brands you think might benefit from a small campaign. The results should be positive and more work will follow. 

Design an App

Smartphone technology has boomed in the last decade, so much so that 3.5 billion people globally now operate a smartphone daily. This means apps are being used frequently for almost every service. 

Any business serious about reaching customers is now using an app as well as a website. Furthermore, apps are being developed for almost everything you can imagine. Now is an excellent time to develop your coding skills and earn money online making apps. 

To be successful at this, you will need creativity, imagination, and some coding skills that can be learned online through a short course. There are even apps that teach you coding. With so much possibility, why not get started this winter. 

Create a Digital Product

Due to the global pandemic, many people have experienced reduced or lost incomes. It can be difficult to find new work, too, if you don’t have the skills or experience for a new online or digital pursuit. Luckily there are excellent ways you can build on what you know already. 

If you have some specialist industry knowledge, then you are valuable to an online audience. There will be people interested in your area of work that the skills and experience you have to offer. You could become a freelance consultant or develop a digital product. 

Digital products, like online courses, are very popular these days. Everything from Masterclass to Udemya are helping people to achieve their goals and aspirations. An online course can provide you with some very good possible income – just don’t forget to advertise.

Realigning With The Pandemic – Business Signage Tips To Help

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The coronavirus pandemic has literally jolted the world and the after-effects are likely to stay even after it is gone. Experts predict that the way of life will continue to evolve and so will the way businesses will operate. While remote working is the new normal for many domains, you cannot expect it to happen in ones like retail, travel, and hospitality. Gradually, they will have to re-open, though you can expect to have certain hygiene measures and distancing norms in place. Apart from these measures, there will also be a change in how you communicate with customers and promote your brand, products, and services. Business signage will play a crucial role in these contexts. Let us explain how you can leverage it to realign your brand with the ongoing and after-effects of the pandemic.

Tell everyone that you are back in business  

After months of lockdowns, governments are now taking initiatives to revive businesses. Still, the timing of the reopening is uncertain because it will happen gradually and in a phased manner. Some industries and neighborhoods will open sooner than others and confusion still prevails. Telling your customers that you are back in business becomes really important to regain your foot traffic and get revenues coming in. This is where signage like exterior banners and flags can help. You can have eye-catching ones displayed on the streets and outside your location, just to inform people about your opening schedules. It is a good idea to put up yard signs throughout the neighborhood to create awareness among the drivers and pedestrians as well. You end up spreading the word without spending a fortune.

Show your commitment to hygiene

Another good way to leverage business signage for promotional purposes is by showing your brand’s commitment to hygiene. This is an impactful and relevant message for customers right now and they would be happier to deal with the companies that go the extra mile to ensure the safety of the buyers and employees. Fortunately, Custom Graphix has vinyl banners that you can get customized according to the message you want to convey. Consider ideas like germ prevention signage which promotes the value hand washing and other best practices to keep the infection at bay. You will also need signage to mark hand sanitizer stations for the employees and visitors in the facility.

Encourage social distancing with an effective floor plan

Even if governments are able to flatten the curves, social distancing is apparently here to stay for an extended period of time. Obviously, you will have to ensure that your business is prepared for the initiative. The best thing you can do is to have a social distancing signage floor plan that provides clear instructions for the employees and visitors. Invest in floor decals that mark the six feet boundaries while you can also have way finding signs and arrow graphics to regulate the foot traffic and ensure safe distance at all times.

No matter what the impact of the pandemic is, businesses need to be ready to realign. A great signage plan can go a long way in getting your company ready for the new normal.

4 Things For Small Businesses To Remember in Times of Crisis

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As businesses of all shapes and sizes dust themselves down and take stock of how they’ve been affected by the pandemic, it’s fair to say that for most the struggle is not yet over. The notion of putting their entire operation on hold, or making drastic changes to the way they operate probably didn’t strike them as even possible, much less likely. Indeed, for those who were thinking about going into themselves prior to the crisis, the whole thing probably looks like a huge cautionary tale. Why would any right-minded person choose the path of entrepreneurship when it seems beset on all sides with hurdles, pitfalls and the occasional bear trap.

Still, while this will (hopefully) be the last pandemic of its kind in living memory, crises go with the territory when running a business. A crisis certainly shouldn’t put anyone off starting a business, but it should certainly remind them of the importance of preparation.

Here are 4 things that all small businesses would do well to remember in times of crisis…

It’s okay to ask for help

When starting out in business, it’s common to be very particular when it comes to doing everything your way. After all, one thing that business mentors preach consistently is the importance of having a USP and filling a gap in the market that your competitors have left open. As such, you may not consider the value in Small Business IT Support Services or outsourcing your marketing to a Digital Agency. However, these measures can not only save you money in air weather but provide help, guidance and support when things go awry within your business, your industry or the global economy at large. 

Look after your team and they’ll look after you

Navigating your way through a crisis alone can feel damn near impossible. But when you run a small business, you’re never alone. You have intelligent, talented, passionate and dedicated people all around you. Look after them, and they’ll look after you.

Make sure that their working environment is safe, clean and conducive to restfulness, mindfulness and productivity. Invest in their training and development. Invest in employee recognition platforms that make them feel valued and give them confidence and motivation. 

Never underestimate the power of customer relationships

In times of economic crisis, consumers are undoubtedly wary. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t retain their loyalty. Invest time and effort into your relationship with them, respond to them promptly and professionally on social media. Show them that you value their custom and that you’re committed to delivering excellence. They’ll stick with you through thick and thin. 

Keep an eye on your metrics, but don’t lose sight of the one metric to rule them all!

Finally, in the age of big data, it’s easy to struggle to see the woods for the trees, especially when in panic mode. While there are lots of important metrics which should be tracked through the good times and bad, don’t neglect the one metric to rule them all… your margin. If you aren’t profitable, your business simply can’t function. Use this online tool to calculate your profit margin and adapt your strategy accordingly.

How Your Business Can Stay Ahead During This Pandemic

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Collaborative post – may contain affiliate links

As coronavirus continues to spread around the world, business owners and managers are preparing for a long period of recovery. With normal operations suspended or greatly reduced, the effects of COVID-19 will be felt throughout every industry. However, there are a variety of innovative ways you can safeguard your business against the long-term impacts of the pandemic…

  1. Adapt to different delivery methods

Businesses that already operate online will be well-primed to continue delivering services to customers. For companies that rely on face-to-face interactions or bricks and mortar stores, however, things will be trickier. To overcome the barriers your business faces, explore alternative delivery methods to ensure your customers can still access your products and services. 

Adaptability is a valuable trait, and, in these testing times, your business has a chance to show just how versatile it can be. Restaurants switching to subscription-style food deliveries, theatre groups hosting online performances and teachers delivering lessons in real-time via the internet are just a few examples of how you can adapt your operations to continue trading, despite the disruption to your business. 

  1. Diversify your product range

Coronavirus is affecting every sector but it’s having a varying impact. While some industries are effectively on hiatus, others are under immense pressure to increase their output to serve local, national and global communities. 

Depending on your set and facilities, you may be able to modify your processes to join in the effort to overcome COVID-19. If your company has its own production line, for example, the addition of sanitary tubing may enable you to start manufacturing products and equipment for the medical or food and drink industry. By diversifying your product range in this way, you can continue to operate and deliver extremely valuable support when it’s needed most. 

  1. Consider the long-lasting impact self-isolation has

As people are either encouraged or required to stay at home, the way we live, work and interact is changing. With an increasing reliance on technology, remote working facilities, at-home entertainment, and delivery services are in higher demand in ever before. However, don’t assume that things will ‘return to normal’ following the outbreak of coronavirus. 

Instead, take the time to consider how this period of self-isolation and ‘lockdown’ will change your customers’ behaviors. By doing so, you can get ahead of the curve and begin to tweak your business operations to satisfy your target audience in a post-coronavirus environment. 

Keep Your Company Operational Amidst Coronavirus Outbreak

Depending on your specific location and the nature of your business, you may be prevented from trading as normal while the coronavirus outbreak continues to wreak havoc. Many firms considered ‘non-essential’ are being asked or instructed to close until further notice, for example. 

If you’re prevented from trading as normal, this doesn’t prevent you from modifying your processes to continue operating. Furthermore, you can still safeguard your business by planning your return to standard trading. With a compassionate outlook, patient perseverance and creative solutions, your business can continue to serve its customers during these unprecedented and unpredictable times.