Six Ways to Improve Your Business’ Efficiency

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article |Business Efficiency|Six Ways to Improve Your Business’ EfficiencyTime is money, and for that reason one of the single best ways to improve your bottom line is to improve your business’ efficiency. This applies to every single aspect of your company, from supply chain all the way to employee management. Some will require trial and error, yes, and you will learn as you go (even if you are an established business). Other efficiency solutions, however, come in the form of new business management tactics and tech tools.

There are so many ways that you can improve your business’ efficiency, and this guide will help you get started:

1. Software to Manage Remote Traveling Teams

If your business operates via house calls (plumbers, electricians, movers, tech experts, etc) then you need a unique, effective solution to manage your team on the go. There are so many applications to service dispatch software that go beyond just team management as well. You can provide customers with live updates, provide map directions to your team, and add new or recurring jobs without causing any schedule conflicts.

2. Software to Manage Remote Work from Home Teams

The best option to keep track of what your work from home teams are doing is through a simple project management solution. Have each team create a set of sub-goals for their task, so they can easily update you, the manager, on their progress. This way you don’t have to check in and interrupt the workflow just to get a sense of where they are at with their task. You can just look online, and make note of what teams are making good progress, and which ones seem to be struggling.

3. Cloud Technology

The reason why you will want to use cloud technology is that it enables the same data and tools to be shared to all of your remote employees without requiring them to download that information or those tools directly to their own computer. Furthermore it also allows for instantaneous collaboration, so your employees can get work done in live time, rather than interrupting themselves with long email chains.

4. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)

Separate cloud systems are not perfect. Ideally they need to be able to talk to one another so that you can set up automated tasks, updates, and reminders. The most extensive option that will allow for this is an ERP system. Enterprise Resource Planning is meant for large, multi-national corporations, but there are plenty of smaller-scale options that fulfill the same basic functions: collaboration and automation.

5. Supply Chain Optimization

If 2020 taught businesses anything, it is that complex supply chains are not sustainable. There are too many variables that come into play that could interrupt the supply chain and put everyone down the line in a vulnerable position. Try to optimize your supply chain by removing unnecessary steps, and even by working with more local suppliers to ensure steady shipment.

6. Redesigning Waste

It isn’t just time you can work to improve. Redesign packaging, your printing model, and even the raw materials you use so that you can reduce waste at its source. Save by minimizing waste, and be a better business for it.

When Is The Right Time To Hire Your First Employee?

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StrategyDriven Managing Your People Article |Hiring Employees|When Is The Right Time To Hire Your First Employee?Although it’s entirely possible to run your business by yourself for as long as you want to – maybe even forever – that’s not what every business and every business owner needs. In fact, for some businesses, not taking on staff can be detrimental and reduce growth, or even cause the business to stagnate.

Knowing when it’s the right time to hire your first employee, however, can be difficult to determine, especially if you are nervous about doing so. Move too soon, and you won’t be able to afford it, wait too long, and you’ll have missed too many opportunities. Read on to get a better idea of when to start the hiring process.

You’ll Make More Money

It is an expensive time when you hire someone. Not only will you be taking time away from the business to read through resumes and interview candidates, but you’ll suddenly need to be paying someone a regular amount of money each week or month. If you are unable to do that, your employees won’t stay around, and they might even take the matter further and sue you for their money. Plus you’ll need to pay taxes, insurance, and maybe contribute to pensions schemes.

You will need to add this all up and determine whether or not you can afford to take someone on. You will also need to work out how much additional revenue you can bring in by hiring someone. It might be that they can pay for themselves and then some. You should wait until you are financially stable, however, as it is a gamble that might not pay off.

You Can Do It Right

When we say do it right, we don’t mean all the admin and other exercises that need to be done when you hire someone. You can outsource much of this and TriNet’s payroll services can take on what you cannot such as managing your payroll for you or simplifying your taxes.

What we mean is that you need to be able to find the right person for your business, and, when they are hired, you need to be able to ensure that they are looked after. Getting these aspects right will help you immensely. You’ll have someone you can trust who, because they feel happy and satisfied in their work, will be loyal. Loyal employees are wonderful as they will mean you don’t have to start all over again and spend more money looking for other workers.

You Need Something Specific

As noted above, outsourcing can be a wonderful way to ensure that work is done accurately and professionally. You can do this with many aspects of your business, and it will mean that anything specific that needs to be done and requires a certain skill set can be completed.

In time, however, you may find that it would be easier to hire someone to do the work in-house. Some business owners prefer to have someone working just for them, and if this is the case and you no longer want to outsource yet can’t do the work yourself, it could be time to hire your first employee.

How to Reduce Business Costs

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Every business will have various costs, which are, unfortunately, unavoidable. While many expenses are inevitable, there are always ways that you can reduce them which could have a significant impact on your bottom line. Even the tiniest alteration could have a considerable impact in the long run, so it is certainly worthwhile making a few changes – provided that it does not impact the quality of the product or service that you offer to your target customer. Additionally, it is important to re-assess your costs regularly to make sure that you are not overspending. Here are a few ways that you can reduce your business costs.

Outsourcing Work

It can be helpful to have employees, and in some cases, you will need staff that you can rely on, but for certain aspects of the operation, you may be able to outsource the work. Doing so is beneficial because you do not have to pay a salary and instead it can be on a per-project basis. This could free up a tremendous amount of cash and drastically reduce your costs without impacting the quality of work (just make sure that you use specialists!). You can also use interns so that you have staff onsite but without the costly salary.

Encourage Remote Working

Another good way to save money when it comes to staff is to encourage remote working. What this means is that you are using much less energy in the office, plus it can also bring various other benefits for both the company and the employee. Technology has made remote working a viable option and should be encouraged by all employers.

Use Time More Effectively

Wasted time means wasted money so it is worth identifying a few ways that you and your staff can use your time more effectively. This could include:

  • Eliminating unnecessary meetings
  • Minimizing distractions
  • Using software to track time usage
  • Setting goals
  • Incentivizing staff
  • Creating a weekly schedule
  • Using technology to streamline/automate specific tasks

Lease Equipment

Most businesses rely very heavily on equipment and technology for their operation. It can be expensive but often the technology and equipment will quickly become dated, plus there could be maintenance costs to factor in. Leasing equipment will prove to be cheaper in the long run, and it gives you the chance to upgrade to the latest technology when developments are made (which is often in many cases).

Software

Again, most businesses rely very heavily on software for their operation, and this can be a considerable expense. While there may be specific software which is essential for your business, you will find that often there is a free open-source alternative available. This option can sometimes be better than expensive software packages.

Switch To Alternative Energy

In a time where environmental damage is a significant talking point, it is crucial for businesses to find ways to reduce their carbon footprint. One of the most effective strategies for this is to switch to alternative energy. In addition to the environmental benefits, this will also prove to be cost effective in the long run despite the initial price.

Go Paperless

Similarly, going paperless is vital in terms of reducing environmental damage, but it can also bring a few benefits to any business. First, you can cut costs as paper and printing can be costly over the course of a year, but it can also improve the organization of your operation. This is because digitizing documents can free up space in the office and make it much easier to find what you need (just be sure to backup regularly and having a digital storage system in place).

Switch Providers & Suppliers

It is also worth listing all of your utility providers and suppliers to see if you could be making any savings by switching to another company. It can be a complicated process, but if you can make long-term savings, it is certainly worthwhile considering.

Do Your Own Marketing

One of the most significant yet most important expenses is marketing. Every company needs high-quality marketing in order to increase awareness about your brand and to increase your visibility online, but this can be expensive. It is for this reason why it is a smart move to do your own marketing. You can complete an online MBA in marketing which will teach you everything that you need to know to market your business across multiple platforms. This, in turn, should help to boost your sales, making it a highly valuable and worthwhile course to complete.

Purchase Second-Hand Furniture

It is crucial that you create a comfortable and practical work environment for your employees so that they can be productive each day and to keep morale high. Office furniture can be expensive, and it is important to have quality items, but you could make significant savings by merely buying second-hand furniture or by searching online for free furniture that people are giving away.

Insurance

Having insurance in place is an absolute necessity as it could be devastating to the company if you do not have this and something were to happen. There are a few different ways that you can save money on insurance. These include:

  • Comparing providers
  • Asking your current provider to match the best rate that you find
  • Consolidating insurance policies
  • Making sure that you are not overinsured or have duplicate coverage

Downsize Business Premises

It is nice to have a big open office, but this can be a considerable expense and often is not necessary. Especially when first starting out, it is a good idea to opt for somewhere smaller which will still allow you to work comfortably and you could then look to upgrade when you are in a healthier financial situation or if you are going through an expansion.

Every business owner should regularly look at their operation to see if there are ways that they can reduce costs in order to maximize profit. In most cases, you will be able to find a few ways that you are able to cut down on costs and even a small change could have a big impact in the long run.

Web Design Tips for Plastic Surgeons

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StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article, Web Design Tips for Plastic SurgeonsWhen creating a website for your plastic surgery practice, your aim should be to convert your visitors into clients, but that doesn’t come on a silver platter. You have to work for it by ensuring your site is easy to navigate, loads fast, has the right content, can be found through organic searches, and reflects your brand identity.

That may seem like a lot of work, but it isn’t if you get your web design blueprint right. Read on for basic web design tips to keep in mind when creating your plastic surgery website.

Prioritize SEO

Search engines are the regulators of the internet. It is hard to find someone who gets into a website without first passing through Google or Bing. So, when designing your website, keep all the elements of search engine optimization (SEO) in mind. An SEO friendly web design will not only help boost your ranking and increase your domain authority but also complement your plastic surgery marketing plan and expedite your growth.

Simplify the navigation

This has little to do with the search engines and a lot to do with your visitors. Any effective website should be easy to navigate both for the frequent visitors and the first-timers. If a user is on your site for the first time, they are likely to leave if they can’t find the link to a webpage they are looking for. That will be one potential client lost, and if more and more visitors do it, your bounce rate will shoot, undercutting your other SEO efforts.

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Keep Things Simple

Simplicity is crucial in retaining first-time visitors to your site. A landing page crammed with visual and textual content can be confusing, and not many people may have the patience to pore over all that information. If you have an extensive service catalog or simply too much information to post, create many web pages, and optimize your navigation bar for easier content location.

Don’t forget your mobile users.

With more people using mobile devices to access the internet, there is a need to ensure your plastic surgery website is mobile-friendly. Failing to optimize your website for mobile access is one easy way to turn away the bulk of the internet without even realizing it. Ensure your site doesn’t have unnecessary elements and visuals that may not fit or load properly on the smaller smartphone screen. If that’s too much to ask, provide different URLs for your mobile visitors.

Be comprehensive and informative

Plastic surgery is a massive decision to make on the client’s part when you think about it. Most prospects don’t know what it entails and will drain you with questions on your first appointment. You can save yourself this by ensuring your website has answers to all basic questions clients may have. It should include service descriptions, financial information, pre-op and post-op information, and expectations for clients.

Endnote

Albeit relatively young, the plastic surgery industry is hyper-competitive. However, with a well-thought-out web design strategy, you can boost your web presence and pull yourself closer to the leading lights. Hopefully, the above tips give you a place to start as you look to build a highly converting website.

4 Strategies that will Make You a Successful Internet Entrepreneur

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StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Article |Internet Entrepreneur|4 Strategies that will Make You a Successful Internet EntrepreneurThe world of business has transformed dramatically in the age of the internet. We live in an age where you can cut it out as an online entrepreneur online with the rising number of business opportunities cropping up in the digital space. You will also appreciate that competition is stiffer in the fast-paced digital space. Well, the answer to being a successful internet entrepreneur is in being innovative and ready to adapt. Here are key strategies that will help you grow as an Internet entrepreneur.

Design unique products and services

Customers are willing to pursue alternatives that will meet their needs. Therefore, you need to design your products to stand out from what everyone else is selling. For example, if you have an eCommerce dealing with handmade leather shoes, you should do due diligence and research on what is being offered in the market. That will give you an idea to fine-tune the designs or other facets of the product to beat off the competition.

Ensure that you have a business plan

The need and usefulness of a business plan cannot be overstated if you are to grow your online venture. It is the map that shows you where your business is moving next. It clearly outlines the strategy that you will use to achieve your business goals. Also, a good business plan offers room for business expansion. Hence, for your online business to thrive, you will need to have a sense of direction that is well detailed in a business plan. That way, you will always have a reference when you need to make a significant business decision that may affect the results.

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Invest in a good computer and maintain it!

Being in the digital space will undoubtedly require you to access the internet consistently. You might need to follow up on the feedback from your client base, upload images of your products, and write descriptions as well as add content to your business social media pages and the website, etc. It will require you to have a reliable and fast computer to keep your business running. It is thus smart to invest in a good computer and keep it running smoothly to avoid business downtimes.

One way to ensure that your computer is efficient is by carrying out regular maintenance practices. This will help that you will avoid glitches and slow performance. For example, clean up the junk from your computer. Invest in a good antivirus and tools to protect your personal and business from cyber threats.

You should also keep upgrading your software tools from time to time, including the OS. For example, if you are running on Mac, you can upgrade to the latest macOS Big Sur to tap into the latest features for your productivity. This guide will help if you can’t install macOS Big Sur or you run into any issues upgrading. Invest in a good phone or tablet as well to streamline your access to business, anywhere. There are also great tools that will boost your online business ecosystem, depending on your venture. Some of the best tools you can use are Canva, Buffer, MailChimp, Slack, Google Drive, Asana, etc.

Research on your competitors

No matter how original your business idea is, there will always be other entrepreneurs who are dealing in commodities that resemble yours. This means that there will be business competition which you will need to address. To stay ahead of the competition, you need to determine who you are competing with, their strategies, and what makes their business thrive. The knowledge will help you design strategies that will help you sell your products to a greater audience base and appeal to many customers. You will also know the areas to put more effort into.

Where will you research your competitors? The beauty is that every business worth it’s salt will have an online presence. You can look into the websites, social media pages, search engines, etc. Again., there are tools that can help you research your competitors like sprout social, social blade, SEMRush, Ahrefs, BuzzSumo, etc.

Wrap up

There has never been a better time to start an online business than now. The internet has connected people around the globe, and that has made it easier for smart entrepreneurs. Trends point towards a better future for Internet entrepreneurs. However, you will have to beat the rising competition to be successful. You ought to be innovative and creative to establish authority. Be ready to make mistakes and learn from them.