Kickstarting Your Biz The Right Way

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Starting a new business can not only be exciting, but it can also be quite overwhelming. There is just so much to add to your plate as a business owner. You have to think about initial start up costs, the manufacturing if applicable, the relevant services to offer, the advertising and marketing, all while ensuring that you don’t fall into a pit with some of the common issues every startup business can face. Sounds fun, right? The truth is, it is, but you need to ensure that you kickstart your business the right way. I thought I would share with you what some of those things are.

Social media will become your best friend

Social media is one of the easiest ways to get your business heard, so it will become your best friend, your sidekick, and your main way of getting your business message out there. However, not everyone uses it to its full advantage. The main key elements to remember is to ensure that your platforms and profiles are consistent. That you add content frequently, but what you share isn’t just always about a sales pitch. People should want to follow you, find your business and information useful and informative, and to buy in to you as a brand. Many people use social media to humanise their business and this can be very effective.

Ensure that you manage your business effectively

The next thing to consider would be the management of your business. There is much to think about in terms of finances, people you employ and even the likes of your stock and inventory. Make things easier on yourself by incorporating ways to keep track such as inventory management software, timelines and even spreadsheets to help you keep on track. There are many plates to spin, so whatever you can do to save time and make things easier to manage will ensure that you do the best job possible.

Manage cash flow effectively

The next thing to think about would be the cash flow element of your business. This can be something that can easily get out of control. Invoices that need paying, but yet still waiting for invoices to be paid to you can be one of the biggest hurdles you need to overcome. Looking at ways to maximise the amount of cash you keep in your business at any given time while still ensuring your business runs smoothly will become one of the priorities of your business. However, employing an accounts team for it or even outsourcing it could save you time and hassle.

Remember your own attitude and ambitions

Finally, throughout all of the start up and first year of trading, you need to be accountable for your attitude and your own ambitions. The truth is, you have made the business and brought it to life, and so your attitude plays a key part on how you move your business forward, while still ensuring that you take into account your own ambitions and goals for yourself and for this business.

I hope that these tips help you to kickstart your business in the right way.

Driving Traffic To Your Ecommerce Site

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When you have a physical store gaining footfall is a huge influence on your advertising and how you design your store. And all of that is still valid with an ecommerce site. The only differences lie in the fact that you aren’t aiming to grab the attention of someone walking by, but to target your audience when they are browsing the internet – whether or not they are searching for you. An ecommerce site has so many advantages, as does a physical store, but it gives you the ability to reach so many more people than a fixed location does. You just have to know how to go about getting that attention in the right way. The saying ‘any press is good press’ is 100% wrong; you need to strive to have a good reputation while using the right tools and software to attract and retain your customers.

Design

The first thing to consider is the base of your operations; your website. An ecommerce site doesn’t need to be overly complicated. In fact, you can easily start one with a DIY web building platform. But making sure that it can be easily navigated by anyone is key. Keep things simple and uncluttered, with drop menus and different categories clearly found and all key contact information on both a contact page and at the bottom of each page. And make sure that you stay true to your style – if you are selling custom skateboards you need to stick to the cultural designs surrounding that to attract your main audience base.

Research

Do the research before and after you have launched your ecommerce site. You need to know who is searching for what you’re selling, what demographics are visiting your page and who is sticking around long enough to buy something. Look at Google Analytics to get you started, and look into applying applications and advice from Veon Consulting to increase your ecommerce statistics. The right software and tools are key here, and never think that doing the job once means completing the task.

SEO

Search Engine Optimisation are key words and phrases that increase your standing on a search engine results page. Use them well by wisely – Google do block pages that appear to dump a lot of phrases together in the hope of being first on that list. Keep it relevant- use Google AdWords to figure out the right phrases for you and check in regularly. As trends change as will the most commonly searched phrases. Integrating SEO phrases comes naturally to a content writer, so maybe you should look into hiring one for your web content, or you can give it a go yourself.

Deals

Just like a giant SALE banner in a window catches the eye, does a good deal encourage clicking. Use social media to advertise any deals or promotions you have going on. You can use cookies to target the right audience, but it can also help to interest people who otherwise wouldn’t think about visiting your ecommerce store.

Work, Rest, Sleep – Does It Ever End

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It is nice once in a while to remember the good old days when I was a kid.

Nothing too much was expected of me, except to be cheerful, happy and get a good night’s sleep. Years went by and all the stress started to build up. School and college were still the fun part of my past.

But, after that I became a grown up. Now that’s a completely different thing.

From grownups just a few things are expected and in a nutshell it is in fact just 1 thing – work.

A word we all know too well. Work is the basics of everything we know. It pays our bills and rent. It brings food on the table. Working pays for those nice vacations and trips I like to take once or twice a year.

It seems the cycle of working and resting is a whirlpool! That’s how I see it. Just as every day we witness sunrise and sunset, we also go to work and rest.

And this goes on forever. Or it goes on at least until the weekend – then after 2 short days, back to the old routine.

Why is work such a crucial factor in our lives?

I said it already and you surely know it too. Unless I’m a celebrity or a royal heir that gets money for basically not doing much or anything, I’ll be silent and go to work daily.

Still, it is not as tragic as it seems. Maybe sometimes the media brainwashes people?

Until recently I thought work is a terrible thing to do, a horrible experience.

Well, I could be a bit wrong. Working developed me as a grownup person. Now I know the meaning of obligations. I follow a schedule and set priorities first. Not only that I saw interesting post on https://restrightmattress.com/ and they mentioned that our work energy can be effected by not sleeping on the right type of mattress.

I am aware that getting up for work will make me smile at the end of the month when I get my paycheck. I am independent and don’t ask for money. I make the money myself.

That first snooze on the alarm clock I hear doesn’t bother me that much anymore. I can walk to the kitchen blindfolded and make myself some coffee. Get dressed, wash up and go out the door.

It is a never-ending process, but a weirdly pleasant one. After some time, you’ll understand it too.

It will become a nice daily habit.

Look on the bright side – when ‘life gives you lemons’ you can always work harder to forget about the problems and get a raise at least! Grind and succeed!

You can always change something and make things easier for you

Most of us think we chose the wrong education or wrong jobs. It is somewhat true. But this shouldn’t limit you or your potentials.

At first I had a totally boring job, but it was my first job so I wanted to see how paychecks are made. I was curious to know how adults get by.

I finally understood the challenge all adults had – making ends meet with a job they dislike.

To make it even worse, those same adults surely hate their first morning coffee. They complain on sleepless nights. Then they come back home, take a nap and complain about their office hours until nighttime!

Exactly this negativity is the never-ending tragic process. If you change the thinking perspective, it is way much better – trust me!

I sip my coffee with joy, because I have it at my own home before I go to work. In the background I play my favorite music as I get dressed. At least this is 1-2 hours less negativity for the whole day right?

If you think you are so stuck in some job you dislike and don’t want that negative loop until you get old – change something!

Look for a new job. If you can’t be picky, choose the next job that seems better than the one you have.

And for once, please try to go to bed earlier. Just go ‘off grid’ with the Facebook, Twitter, Netflix or whatever.

Lack of sleep is another thing that makes all days seem gloomy and depressive. If you have sleep problems as I did, educate yourself more on sleep from sites like https://www.sleepingguide.org/.

Your worth is different and you feel useful not just for you

This cycle of work, resting and sleeping goes on and on. And it will keep going that way.

But, people think different of you. You are responsible. You work hard for your money. And because you do that, you can and must feel proud.

I have never met a person that is proud to be lazy and do nothing. You know what’s ‘cool’? Saying to everyone you know that you’re the one that makes the money. Boasting a little bit about what you do and how hard you work for it.

All of these things are not just about you – that’s the point. If you work and feel useful and independent, you also contribute to society. Others will benefit from what you do or will get inspired and motivated.

That’s the reason why elderly people always find something to do when retired. Look up to them. the life cycle of working and resting that goes on forever is not such a bad thing!

Tips for Employee Appreciation

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All employees like to feel appreciated but not all managers know how to show gratitude. When employees feel valued, their levels of productivity and happiness increase. Here are some tips that will help you to appreciate your employees:

Notice Daily Contributions

You should not wait for the annual general meeting to tell your staff how much you appreciate their contributions. You can make them feel your gratitude on every day of the week. If possible, you should say thank you to each person that works for you daily.

If this is not possible, you can hold a weekly meeting and thank your employees at the end of it. Staff members can also raise their hands to shout out the coworkers who helped them. Love is contagious and fostering it at your workplace will create a better working environment.

You can even give out small, non-monetary rewards, that reflect team-spirit, hard work, endurance and persistence. Description sounds familiar? Well, the army has already found a very sentimental way to express this gratification using challenge coins. You can find more information about them here.

Invest in Them

You can acknowledge outstanding work by giving your employees a bonus or raise. On the other hand, if you want to recognize a specific contribution, you should give spot bonuses. Moreover, you can reward the staff by offering development opportunities. This refers to opportunities for learning new skills, presenting their work at large team meetings, or taking the lead on big projects.

If you pick employees as a way of acknowledging their contributions, you should tell them why you chose them. This will help them to reinforce what they are doing and increase the efficiency at your workplace.

Be Specific

It is important that you give recognition to your employees in a way that is clear and significant about why it matters to the company. Instead of telling an employee that you like his work, you should consider delving deeper into what you liked about his work. When you are specific about what you like, you will encourage them to keep doing the right thing instead of leaving them wondering.

Ask What They Prefer

Managers usually make the mistake of showing appreciation in the way that they would like to be appreciated. If you do the same, you will have a recipe for disaster on your hands. Instead of making assumptions about people, you should ask them how they want you to be shown appreciation.

Giving shout outs during a company meeting might work for some employees but others might find it embarrassing. Some people prefer text messages to verbal thank yous or small bonuses to vacation days. Each person is different, which means that making assumptions is not right.

Offer Flexibility

You should make it obvious that you want to keep your top employees by giving them the best job arrangements. For instance, if you want to appreciate an employee who is also a mom, you can help her to find the right daycare or giving her a flexible work schedule that works for her. If possible, you should consider allowing your best employees to work remotely for several days a week.

If you track their time using software such as Clockspot, you will know how to assign extra time for rest and relaxation.

Surprise Them

You can choose to surprise your employees with a shortened workday or unexpected treats. You should also opt for activities that benefit the company and its employees: team building activities and fully paid education courses.

Encourage Their Feedback

You should give your employees a survey that allows them to provide anonymous feedback. Ask questions about teamwork, career growth, and leadership to measure movement on all directions.

Appreciating your employees goes a long way towards fostering a good working environment. Moreover, you will notice an improvement in the levels of productivity at your company.

Tips For Managing Retail Staff Effectively

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If you are a retail manager or store owner, then you’re probably already aware of the difficulties in managing staff. However, business success is dependent on doing it properly. Now you don’t need to read up on the latest management techniques. By getting the basics sorted, you will be more prepared to deal with any problems that arise.

Maintain A Professional Attitude At All Times

Everyone is human and powerful emotions can crop up during the workday. When you’re stressed out or just plain annoyed, it’s important to remember that a professional attitude is key. Losing your composure in front of team members (and even worse, customers) can make tense situations worse and lower morale.

If you are required to mediate a dispute between two staff members, then aim to be considerate of their feelings while also adding a touch of authority. Doing so will allow you to resolve the issue quickly and prevent it from cropping up again in the future.

Keep Track Of Staff Information With Excel

The simplest way to keep track of your team is to use an Excel spreadsheet. You should make sure all their information is documented accurately. Remember people’s phone numbers, availability, and other info routinely changes, so make sure you update records when necessary.

Excel is also handy for recording staff holidays and sick leave. If one of your team hasn’t shown up for duty, then you can quickly assess whether they are sick, on holiday, or are, in fact, mysteriously absent.

If your Excel knowledge is a bit dated and you can’t remember an Excel text function, then it may be time to brush up on your skills.

Watch Out For The Common Flu

During winter, the dreaded flu can strike and quickly work its way from staff member to staff member. It is that time of year when you must be prepared for a sudden overload of absences.

To minimize the spread of the virus, try and send home any staff that are showing symptoms. You don’t want your entire workforce getting sick.

Be Doubly Prepared For Christmas

Although Christmas is far away, all business owners should understand that over the holiday period, there will be, of course, increased illness.Your standard team won’t be enough to deal with this influx of customers. Be prepared to bring on new recruits and offer overtime hours to your current staff.

Christmas is the time of year when late staff and unexplained absences can cause chaos. Make it clear to your team that this is the key time to perform.

You should also tell staff to schedule leave for a different time of the year (this may be easier said than done).

Final Thoughts

Retail managers get put under a lot of pressure, and the job isn’t for everyone. However, many people can succeed in this chosen career by being organized, respectful, and determined. Remember, by paying attention to the basics, you will be able to make life easier for yourself and the staff under you. So consider incorporating some of these tips into your professional life.