3 Ways to Secure the Property You Want

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StrategyDriven Starting Your Business Article |Buying Property|3 Ways to Secure the Property You WantRunning a business can be incredibly rewarding, and your success can bring a number of positives to your life, not just extra income. Success often comes with challenges, and as your business grows and succeeds you will soon find yourself running out of space in wherever your business began.

If you started in your garden shed or garage, or are working from a small industrial unit, with your business’s success will come a demand for expansion. Operating from premises that are more appropriate to your company’s needs will also increase productivity and efficiency, giving you a firm base to further grow your business.

Getting the property that you want and that your successful company deserves can seem difficult at first, but there are a few avenues every executive should explore when they are looking for a property to satisfy the increasing demands of their successful business. Here are three ways to secure the property you want.

Speak to Your Current Landlord or Developer

If you are already operating from a commercial property, it is always worth talking with your existing landlord or commercial letting agency to see if they have any other, more suitable properties in their portfolio.

They may also be interested in expanding your existing site, working with you to develop their property with you as a long-term tenant.

Arrange Financing to Help the Business Expand

Property is a fantastic asset for a business to have, and investing in property is often seen as a safe place to invest large sums and receive a long-term return. This makes a new property a great place to invest the financial rewards from your success.

If business is booming, arranging finance for a commercial property will be simple and quick to do, especially with sites like https://alternativebridging.co.uk/ that help broker the right financial package to help your business buy an existing property or even build its own tailor-made facility.

Work with Local Authorities and Development Partnerships

A number of councils across the country, and business development corporations, are building commercial business parks, some with large units available if you need manufacturing space.

Business parks like these often come with a number of amenities that only add to your business’s efficiency and productivity. They are often situated close to major road networks and motorways for convenience, often so close that you can see the units offered as you drive by on the motorway.

You may be surprised at the government initiatives that are available in your area to help businesses grow and create more jobs. They will often have schemes available for local businesses to expand, especially if property and an increase in employees is a part of the expansion. Local governments can help small businesses guarantee finance or receive tax breaks for increasing their number of employees.

Taking the next step and expanding your business with a new property is easier than you think, and can increase your productivity and your profits. Why not build on your business’s success with a new building?

Take The Weight Off Your Shoulders With A Web Design Agency

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StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article |Website Design|Take The Weight Off Your Shoulders With A Web Design AgencyNowadays literally everything has moved to an online platform. People do their grocery shopping on the internet. People pay their gas and electricity bills online. They book their holidays, apply for bank loans, reschedule their post deliveries, buy clothes, send birthday cards and take out insurance policies, all via the World Wide Web.
The need to have an effective and dominant online presence has never been so important. For a business to survive, let alone take great leaps forward, they need to ensure that they are reaching customers via the use of the internet. Any business which does not do so is simply falling further and further behind their competitors with each and every day which passes by.

There a whole host of components which go into securing an effective online presence. Nevertheless, a company’s online debut always begins with a website. A place to showcase what the business is all about, explain what they can offer the potential customer and also offer the goods and services to buy within the click of a mere button.

A lot of people attempt to set up their own website. Some people manage to do so effectively, however, for many, this is not the case. The design of a website is absolutely crucial. A lot of people make the mistake of thinking that it is simply the case of developing a website which is pleasing on the eye and then the job is done. 99.9% of these people sit there wondering why nobody is visiting their website.

The truth is; there is a lot of thought and consideration which goes into a vast number of factors and components which eventually makes up a website. In order for a website to be an effective and successful one it is thus highly important that individuals seek the aid of a web design agency. There are a whole host of reasons as to why this is the case.

A lot of people deter from using a web design agency because they simply see it as more money being spent. Nevertheless, the awards will certainly be reaped in the end when more people are visiting the company’s website and more customers are taking advantage of the goods or services on offer. Quite frankly, the money spent will be made back in no time.

Furthermore, time is of the essence. Every day wasted without an online presence is another day which is lost to rival businesses. Designing a website on your own takes an extremely long period of time. Taking advantage of the services professionals have to offer is much quicker, convenient and effective.

Finally, and most importantly, web design agencies have invaluable knowledge. There is a lot more to creating and designing a website then meets the eye. The following is just a taster of what needs to be considered; how user friendly the website is, what colour scheme is most effective for the type of business in question, how to use search engine optimization to climb up the search engine pages and how to structure the site in the most convenient way.

Web design is highly important to any company and thus it is vital to put it in professional hands.

Guide To Employee Name Badges

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StrategyDriven Tactical Execution Article |Name Badges|Guide To Employee Name BadgesYou would be surprised to discover the monumental number of choices you have at your disposal when it comes to purchasing professional name badges for your company. You need to determine the type of badges you want to buy, how many badges you are going to buy, the size of the badges, the style of them, the colors used, and so on and so forth. These decisions are a lot more important than you may imagine. After all, you want your name badges to be unique and impressive. They are a representation of your company and thus they need to be a good representation.

There are several different types of name badges available. In general, name tags are separated into two categories; permanent and reusable. Deciding between the two options is the first decision you should make and it is a very important decision at that. The latter option – a reusable name badge – is very much recommended. Nevertheless, as is the case with all products, there are pros and cons and these qualities need to be assessed.

Essentially with a reusable name badge, you will have name badges created which acts as a shell. You can then pop in a piece of cardboard that will have the name of the person who is going to wear the badge on it. This means that when someone leaves your company and another person comes in all you need to do is change the piece of card. This means you do not need to spend any more money on having more name badges created. This highlights an obvious benefit; cost-efficiency. You can ensure your costs are kept low and that once you have made your initial investment on name badges it is unlikely that any more money will need to be spent. Keeping costs down is highly important in any business and thus this is a crucial advantage.

A lot of people deterred from buying reusable name badges because they deemed them to be less professional with regards to image. Nevertheless, with the advancements in technology and design, this is a notion that is largely no longer shared. The way in which most of the reusable badges operate is via a clear plastic seal and thus if well designed it is often impossible to tell that the name of the employee is merely printed on a bit of cardboard.

Aside from the fact that a reusable name badge is absent of any permanent name printed on it, the design process is pretty much identical. You can incorporate any colors you like, you can have any shaped name badge you like, and you can add your company’s logo or the name of your company, and so on and so forth. Therefore you will not be compromised in any other areas of the design process or style outcome.

There are lots of benefits to be had by opting for reusable name badges for your company. You can keep your costs low and ensure that no new products need to be ordered, whilst also benefiting from an effective and stylish badge.

Choosing the right supplier

When ordering business products it is of the utmost importance that you purchase from a company offering quality and affordability. After all, you need to ensure that the products you receive are perfect for your business. It is inefficient to have to order more products, and thus spend more money. Moreover, every decision you make effects the successfulness of your business, and therefore every purchase you make has heightened importance. This is something that certainly applies to buying name badges as well. You need to ensure that you buy tags that are clear, long-lasting, innovative, effective and affordable. Therefore, finding a top company to purchase these badges from is essential.

When seeking a company providing name badges you need to find a company who offers you a free sample or at least allows you to order one badge without needing to buy in bulk. This allows you to be certain that you are happy with the badges you are spending your money on. There are a lot of companies out there who do not offer either of these options. This means that you have to spend your cash on a bulk order of name badges and this is something that can be very damaging if the badges are not what you were expecting in the end.

In addition to this, you should make sure that the company offers a vast selection of different identification badge designs, as well as other products, like corporate medals. After all, you do not want to have the exact same name badges as the rest of the country. You want your company’s badges to stand out from the crowd and be recognizable. After all, badges offer you the opportunity to strengthen your brand identity and image. In fact, there are a lot of companies nowadays which offer badge templates and then you have the opportunity to build on these and make them more unique and thus you play the designer role. This is a great way of making sure that you put your company’s stamp on the name badges.

It is also recommended that you take a read of the business’s testimonial page. A lot of individuals overlook the importance of these pages. However, those who have written a review were in the exact same position as you at one point and thus they will provide you with the information that you truly want to know. This is instead of the information that the company wants you to know. If a business does not have a testimonial page then this is a worry because there is no verification of the value of their products.

Finally, make sure you get in touch with the company. You should give them a call or drop them an email. Ask the professionals for their opinion regarding the name tags they believe will be best for your business specifically. Not only is this important in giving you an added opinion and thus the ability to make a better decision. But it is also important because it gives you an indication as to whether the company is of a high standard or not.

Top 5 Skills that Differentiate a Stellar Leader from a Mediocre One – Do You Have Them?

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StrategyDriven Professional Development Article | Leadership Skills | Top 5 Skills that Differentiate a Stellar Leader from a Mediocre One – Do You Have Them?There was a time when the great thinkers of this world thought that we all come into being with a specific set of skills. These skills defined our lives and decided who we were going to be even before we’d have a chance of thinking about it.

This led to the idea that some people are born leaders, some are born musicians, and some are born without any special skills (aka the regular ones). Luckily, we know better by now, and even if a natural inclination is important, it’s the skills we acquire that make us who we are.

This means that we have talented people who chose not to develop their natural abilities, and we have determined people who choose to compensate by learning and being consistent.

Now, when it comes to leadership, not everyone is a natural at it. However, if you truly want to be a stellar leader, you can do so by refining your behavior and actions through training, education, and experience.
Today we’ll list the top 5 skills any true leader must have in order to rise above the average and make a difference in their field.

Communication & Empathy

You must be able to inspire the people in your team and the only way to do this is by communicating in a way that lets people know you understand and support their positions. As a leader, you are in charge of guiding the team towards new levels of success but there’s no way to do this without showing empathy and being a good listener.

Verbal communication is crucial in both one-on-one and group meetings, as it creates a strong bond between participants.

Luckily, most of us can learn to get better at communicating their thoughts and making other people feel heard and understood. Nowadays, we have access to a wide array of online business communication courses designed specifically for leadership and management positions.

However, empathy may be a bit more difficult to grasp if you’re not a natural empath. It can be learned, but it requires you to see the world through the eyes of another person, which can be confusing to master.

Integrity & Accountability

If you want people to be honest and work from a moral high ground, you need to be the leading example.

C.S. Lewis once said that “integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.” If you invest more in your image than you do in your team and your behavior, things will start to crumble pretty fast.

A good leader must implement a solid foundation and allow team members to grow on their own path. This usually means putting your employees first and being appreciative of their time and efforts. After all, their success is yours as well.

Furthermore, a stellar leader will always support its team and share in both the blame and the success. They will hold themselves accountable for their actions, thus creating a sense of responsibility among team members and gaining their respect.

Resilience

When we talk about great leaders, like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, or Elon Musk, we only discuss their success stories. However, if we were to read their biographies, we’d learn that they had to overcome increasingly difficult conditions and situations.

Most people would have caved, given the same difficulties, but the stellar leaders of this world plowed through any wall that blocked their way. They had the vision and, even though there were many times of doubt, they never let their teams see this.

Wrap Up

While the skills mentioned above don’t talk about incredible talent or extreme intelligence, they can be difficult to master for most people. We’re not all great communicators and it can be difficult to maintain your integrity when things don’t go your way. Also, keeping yourself accountable and moving forward regardless of difficulties doesn’t sound like that much fun.

However, these are skills that toughen a person’s character, earn their peers’ respect and help create some of the most amazing leaders of our world (past, present, and future)!

About the Author

Oli is a working mum who has a passion for teaching and all things educational. With a background in marketing, Oli manages the digital channels and content at Courses.com.au.

Key Financial Tips For Entrepreneurs

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Finances Article |Finances|Key Financial Tips For EntrepreneursStarting a new business venture can be an incredibly exciting time, but you must also be careful and well-organized during this period, especially when it comes to your finances. Money will be incredibly precious when first starting out so you must have a clear budget in place and know where every single cent is being used. This can be tricky with so many areas that need attention and particularly if this is your first business venture. With this in mind, here are a few financial tips for entrepreneurs which should help you to manage money effectively from the start.

Secure Enough Funding

Possibly the biggest mistake that entrepreneurs will make is not getting enough funding to get the business up and running to a high standard. It can be hard to change how your brand is perceived, which means that you need to get off to a good start. Work out exactly how much money you need factoring in every expense and then use a variety of funding sources to reach this amount. This might include:

  • Personal savings
  • Loans from friends/family
  • Angel investors
  • Venture capitalists
  • Bank loans
  • Crowdfunding

Keep Costs Low

Every cent counts when first starting out, so you need to find ways to keep costs as low as possible without it impacting the quality of the product/service. There are a few different ways to do this, including:

  • Outsourcing instead of hiring staff
  • Working remotely
  • Going paperless
  • Using alternative energy
  • Negotiating with suppliers

Car Finance

Most modern-day businesses will require at least one vehicle if not a fleet as part of the operation. This can be a huge cost, which is why car finance deals are a smart option. There are poor credit car finance deals from specialists like CVS, which can make it possible to lease a car even if you have poor or no credit at all.

Invest In Insurance

It’s always better to have a safety net when it comes to insurance, and this is true in the business world too. The types of insurance that you use will depend on your industry but make sure that you have adequate coverage before getting started. You can usually make savings on insurance by shopping around and consolidating insurance policies.

Reinvest Into The Business

Once the business starts to find success, it can be tempting to splash the cash and increase the amount that you pay yourself, but this is a classic mistake. Instead, this money should be reinvested back into the company to drive further success. Putting more money in marketing is always a great idea as increasing brand awareness, and reputation is vital for growth and competing against the bigger brands in your industry.

Every entrepreneur will have concerns over finances when launching a new business, and this is for good reason. The above are a few key tips to keep in mind which should help you to use your money smartly to help get the business up and running to a high standard. You should then continue to be stringent with every cent as the business starts to grow.