For entrepreneurs who are looking to build hardware as a business, getting a prototype off the ground is a significant first step. In this article, we’ll look at the steps you’ll need to take in order to build out your designs, invest in materials and begin putting together a successful prototype that you’ll eventually be able to bring to the market as a viable product. Read on to learn what you should focus on in your first experiments as you’re working hard on building a prototype product.
Design
If you’ve been working up your ideas about your envisaged hardware product for some time, you’ll likely have all kinds of sketches and scraps of design images to hand. What you’ll want to do, though, is condense these into a final workable design that you can use to show builders and materials engineers. Often, the best way to do this is by using design software rather than a piece of paper.
This software will help you design the different layers of your hardware – from the electrical circuits through to the casing. That’ll enable you to properly consider the final design tweaks you ought to make for your product to work as a prototype. Remember that prototypes don’t necessarily need to be the final product, but they should certainly work as you’ve intended them to work.
Materials
Next up, you’re going to want to get your hands on the materials that’ll make up your hardware product. These might include metals, plastics, and circuitry that you’ll use to connect different elements of the technology together. While plastics and metals can be worked in a lab or in a workshop, even using 3D printing technology, the circuitry of your product will require greater care and skill to get right.
As such, it’s well worth investing in PCB assembly professionals who’ll be able to put together your circuit boards in order to make everything run smoothly in your tech product prototype. You’ll be able to upload your circuit board designs and watch the being built by the experts and send them directly to your workshop.
Assembly
The final stage of any prototype new build is to put the product together. This is an exciting moment, but it’s certainly not one to rush. After all, you’ve spent time getting the designs just right and carefully putting everything in place for this final, important stage. Be aware of the challenges you’re facing as you’re assembling your prototype, as these insights can provide feedback to your polished design.
Once you’ve assembled your prototype, you’ll be able to flick the on the switch and cross your fingers that everything’s working perfectly. Don’t expect that, of course, as there are always teething problems with new products that you’ll have to work out through different trials and iterations. But getting a successful prototype built is a key phase in the successful development of a business that sells new hardware to consumers.
These three key stages will get your tech hardware prototype built, ensuring you have the materials and the designs at hand to assemble the first iteration of your product.
https://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/ux-g2b8906a27_1280.jpg8501280StrategyDrivenhttps://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/SDELogo5-300x70-300x70.pngStrategyDriven2022-07-26 19:00:162022-07-26 15:58:16How to Build a Tech Product Prototype
Running a business can have you feeling frantic, and there’s no real time to slow down unless you make it. Getting organized is the best way to relieve the pressure you’re feeling as the owner of the business, and that’s something you can do one step at a time. Whether you’re organizing your employees, your space, files, or anything – you could save yourself a lot of time and money by being more organized.
Keeping your business organized makes it easy to make changes when you need to, and it can make it easier to identify problems that you’re making.
Get more from your space
If you’ve only got a limited amount of space for your business, being organized can help you to get more from that space. You don’t want to feel like you and your employees are all crammed into one small area, surrounded by clutter. Make better use of your space by stacking things that can be stacked, keeping things out of walkways and doors, and using assisting technology like pallet racking. Keep the office space neat and tidy, and you won’t find yourself wrestling with a mess to get to what you need.
It’s not just space you’re getting more of, but productivity as a whole. The moment you start properly organizing your workplace, the easier it will be for you and your team to get things sorted – much less time will be spent looking for files and resources.
Move it to the cloud
You shouldn’t have to rustle through hundreds of different files and documents looking for just one piece of paper, and it can be a real problem in hectic work environments. Instead, you could consider moving all of your paperwork onto the cloud, and cutting out the use of paper in the office as a whole. Going paperless can help you to get much quicker access to any document you need, so long as you know the name of it and where to look for it. It also makes it much easier for you to share it with your team within a matter of seconds, no matter how close they are to your computer.
Keep your passwords in one place
Security is highly important when you’re managing sensitive information, and you should be taking account security very seriously. Having a different password for everything you use can help you to keep information safe, but that means you’re going to have to write down each and every one of your passwords if you’re going to remember them easily. The problem is, that no one wants to scramble through all of their documents and notepads looking for a password to one specific program or website – which is where password-managing apps can come in handy.
Google will offer to save your log-in credentials whenever you sign-up or log in to a new website, and can be very handy if you know no one else will be using your account.
https://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/nastuh-abootalebi-ZtC4_rPCRXA-unsplash.jpg8011200StrategyDrivenhttps://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/SDELogo5-300x70-300x70.pngStrategyDriven2022-07-26 18:00:232022-07-26 15:46:073 Hints and Tips To Help You Organize Your Business
Today’s workforce is very different from the ones of the past. To attract and retain employees today, providing an environment that meets their needs and expectations is essential. This requires a new way of recruiting, onboarding, and retaining top talent.
Changing your way of thinking about employee retention isn’t easy. And it can be challenging for most company leaders to make this leap of faith. If you are sick of losing good employees, read on to learn why happy employees leave and what you can do about it right now.
The Problem With Employee Retention
Undoubtedly, employee retention is a massive problem for most companies. According to the Society for Human Resource Management, the average employee leaves their job after less than two years. Although there are many reasons employees leave, the Workforce Institute research indicates that most people leave their jobs because they don’t feel appreciated or are treated poorly.
Almost two-thirds of workers said they felt more appreciated at their last job than at their current one. That’s a lot of unhappy employees who might look for a new job soon. When your employees leave, it costs you money. And it takes time and money to recruit new talent, onboard them, and get them up to speed.
What Are The Benefits Of A Happy Workforce?
A happy and engaged workforce can do so much for your company. Employees who feel valued and appreciated are more likely to stay with their company. Looking after your staff means you enjoy improved efficiency, among other things. They’re more likely to put in more hours, work harder, and be more innovative than employees who don’t feel valued. A happy workforce is contagious; employees want to share that feeling with others when they feel valued.
1. Offer Remote Work And Flexible Work Hours
If you have employees who travel frequently, or if your business is in a field that requires employees to work remotely, this is an easy win for your company. Offering remote work or flexible hours shows your employees that you understand that their lives are not all contained in their work hours. In addition, when you offer these benefits, you show your employees that you care about them as people, not just as workers.
2. A Little Bit Of Recognition Goes A Long Way
It’s important to remember that your employees are human beings. They crave recognition for the work they put in and the challenges they overcome. The problem is that most companies don’t offer much in the way of credit. When you offer your employees more recognition, it shows them that you care. It shows that you are aware of their contributions and that you appreciate them.
3. A Workplace Where Employees Feel Valued
To feel valued by your company, employees need to see that you appreciate them. You must treat your employees with respect, pay them fairly, and offer benefits that increase their quality of life. Employees feel motivated to do their best when they feel valued at work. As a result, they feel like they belong in the office and want to stay with the company.
4. Culture Is Key
It’s no secret that the most successful businesses have strong cultures. When you focus on creating a positive and engaging workplace culture, you make your employees feel like they belong. You let them know that they are appreciated and needed. A strong culture also means that you have a set of values that are clear to every employee. This helps make decisions and solve problems easier, as well as build trust among your employees.
5. Pay For Professional Development
Most employees want to grow and learn new things. They want to expand their skill sets, try new things, and challenge themselves. They want to look back after a year or two and know they have accomplished something meaningful. When you offer the opportunity for employees to attend conferences, take online courses, or attend training seminars, you show them that you care about their professional development. You can take this one step further and help workers from other walks of life work for you. Applying for LMIA can help you find workers to fill an imminent need in your company.
The Bottom Line
A happy workforce is one where the employees feel valued, are challenged, and are part of a strong culture. When you take the time to invest in your employees and create an environment where they can thrive, you are less likely to lose them to opportunities elsewhere. Replacing your old ways of thinking about retention with new ones makes keeping your best employees much easier. Remember, it’s not enough to hire good employees; you also need to keep them engaged and motivated, so they want to stay with your company for the long haul.
https://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/pexels-tim-mossholder-3612885-1.jpg8001200StrategyDrivenhttps://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/SDELogo5-300x70-300x70.pngStrategyDriven2022-07-26 17:00:092022-07-26 15:35:04The 5 Things You Need To Provide For A Happy Workforce
For all the horror and sadness Covid-19 has inflicted on the world, history tells us that seismic global events often lead to unexpected changes in the way life and business are conducted.
World War II permanently altered our outlook on virtually every aspect of life and Covid has certainly given every business owner and employee a new perspective on effective working practices.
The Motivation for Working from Home
In the pre-Covid world, there was a relatively small and select band of people who worked from home. Plenty would check emails, organize shift patterns, and create a quick weekly schedule from the comfort of a couch, but the office was still king when it came to working.
Covid made working from home the norm and the enforced physical separation from colleagues has shown business owners that this model can be incredibly effective.
Time and money are saved on an unnecessary commute, the online nature of modern work means that fear of an employee neglecting their duties has virtually disappeared. Zoom calls, Teams calls, Google chats – it all works just as well as a meeting room.
The Right Tools for the Right Working Environment
There are, of course, pitfalls when it comes to working from home. Some of them are quite amusing, while some are not.
The sight of a stray kid wandering through the background of a high-level Zoom call, the illuminating décor of a colleague’s house that you never imagined, or a dog strewn across the couch have all produced a welcome chortle to the new business call.
Where things become less amusing is that famed glitch in the matrix that comes from a dodgy internet connection. Thankfully, the online world has switched on to new working practices. A reliable connection is the right of every working American and organizations like the internet service provider in Vistancia are guaranteeing a new sense of reassurance that encourages the work-from-home culture.
Say Goodbye to the Nine-to-Five
Covid has also demonstrated to business owners, and more importantly, to employees that the old practice of a nine-to-five in the office does not work.
If a worker feels at their best at 4 am, working from home allows that person to produce their optimum level. People are all wired differently, so some find their best form late at night, while others find it in the early morning.
Business owners are learning to embrace this new phenomenon and it is producing results. Make your business work around the staff and everyone will benefit.
The Final Word
Business changes all the time, new ideas are introduced, and old ones are discarded.
The key for a business owner is to show flexibility that allows the employee to be at their best. If the job is done well, who cares about the when, where, and why? Motivated employees will do a great job in every environment. All they want is a profession that allows them to flourish.
Business is about results and working from home has been proven to give great results. Just mind the dog.
https://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/pexels-andrea-piacquadio-935743.jpg8001200StrategyDrivenhttps://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/SDELogo5-300x70-300x70.pngStrategyDriven2022-07-26 16:00:012022-07-26 15:22:35Make Working From Home Work For Your Business
Making your business more professional helps you attain new customers. Without customers, there is no business. So here are some tips for managing your image and staying on top of it.
Keep the Office Clean and Tidy
Appearance is pretty everything. You need to provide a solid and reliable service, of course. But people will judge you on how your company presents itself. And one of the main things that sets a successful business apart from a poor one is pride in the office. So the first step is to hire professional cleaning services to keep your offices immaculate. Especially if your business depends on client visits. But there’s also a health and safety aspect when it comes to treating your employees with respect. They shouldn’t have to work in filthy or dangerous conditions.
Establish Web Presence
You probably already have a website. But a website is essentially a digital business card if it isn’t used right. Sure, you can provide specific details of your service. But you need to make a website work for you. The first step is to register with Google My Business. This provides local SEO to search engines, and you will show up in Google Maps. Next, you can use more SEO to get internet traffic by attaching a blog and optimizing your site. Finally, it’s crucial that you register a domain using your business name, buy a business email and redesign a poor site.
Look More Professional with Branding
Branding is crucial for any business and is far more than simple advertising. Branding is a way to connect with customers through corporate identity and instant recognition. With solid branding, you can become synonymous with a specific product. The same way you think of Jacuzzi when talking about hot tubs or Hoover with vacuum cleaners. You can set aside money for branding as part of your 5 to 10% marketing rule. But don’t be stingy with the funding. A reputable digital marketing company will need a good amount of cash for a solid campaign.
Invest in Customer and Client Care
You have no business without customers. Yet you might lack good customer service. This is a shame because this is one of the first things a customer notices. And they will simply not do business with you. If you find you can’t keep customers, then review your customer service policy. You can begin by making your website easy to use, providing at least an email address and phone number, and always responding to queries. Additionally, you can advance features to a website such as outsourced telephone answering and AI or manned Live Chat software.
Take Care of Yourself
Finally, but no less critical, you need to look after your health, hygiene, and wellbeing. As the owner, you might be the face of your company. Therefore, you are recognizable. So people will engage with you. However, while customers will engage, no one will want continued business with someone who can’t be bothered to shave or fix their hair, shower or bathe, or even look them in the eye. Any of these can be affected by mental health issues like stress and anxiety. So you must address issues like these first before becoming a recognizable or public figure.
Summary
It’s essential that you make your business more professional these days. You can easily keep the office clean and tidy, hire a marketing agency for branding and look after your wellbeing.
https://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/receptionists-g1236dfcfc_1280.jpg8541280StrategyDrivenhttps://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/SDELogo5-300x70-300x70.pngStrategyDriven2022-07-26 07:00:062022-07-26 04:49:50Making Your Business More Professional in 5 Easy Steps
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Business Programs
How to Build a Tech Product Prototype
/in Managing Your Business/by StrategyDrivenDesign
If you’ve been working up your ideas about your envisaged hardware product for some time, you’ll likely have all kinds of sketches and scraps of design images to hand. What you’ll want to do, though, is condense these into a final workable design that you can use to show builders and materials engineers. Often, the best way to do this is by using design software rather than a piece of paper.
This software will help you design the different layers of your hardware – from the electrical circuits through to the casing. That’ll enable you to properly consider the final design tweaks you ought to make for your product to work as a prototype. Remember that prototypes don’t necessarily need to be the final product, but they should certainly work as you’ve intended them to work.
Materials
Next up, you’re going to want to get your hands on the materials that’ll make up your hardware product. These might include metals, plastics, and circuitry that you’ll use to connect different elements of the technology together. While plastics and metals can be worked in a lab or in a workshop, even using 3D printing technology, the circuitry of your product will require greater care and skill to get right.
As such, it’s well worth investing in PCB assembly professionals who’ll be able to put together your circuit boards in order to make everything run smoothly in your tech product prototype. You’ll be able to upload your circuit board designs and watch the being built by the experts and send them directly to your workshop.
Assembly
The final stage of any prototype new build is to put the product together. This is an exciting moment, but it’s certainly not one to rush. After all, you’ve spent time getting the designs just right and carefully putting everything in place for this final, important stage. Be aware of the challenges you’re facing as you’re assembling your prototype, as these insights can provide feedback to your polished design.
Once you’ve assembled your prototype, you’ll be able to flick the on the switch and cross your fingers that everything’s working perfectly. Don’t expect that, of course, as there are always teething problems with new products that you’ll have to work out through different trials and iterations. But getting a successful prototype built is a key phase in the successful development of a business that sells new hardware to consumers.
These three key stages will get your tech hardware prototype built, ensuring you have the materials and the designs at hand to assemble the first iteration of your product.
3 Hints and Tips To Help You Organize Your Business
/in Managing Your Business/by StrategyDrivenKeeping your business organized makes it easy to make changes when you need to, and it can make it easier to identify problems that you’re making.
Get more from your space
If you’ve only got a limited amount of space for your business, being organized can help you to get more from that space. You don’t want to feel like you and your employees are all crammed into one small area, surrounded by clutter. Make better use of your space by stacking things that can be stacked, keeping things out of walkways and doors, and using assisting technology like pallet racking. Keep the office space neat and tidy, and you won’t find yourself wrestling with a mess to get to what you need.
It’s not just space you’re getting more of, but productivity as a whole. The moment you start properly organizing your workplace, the easier it will be for you and your team to get things sorted – much less time will be spent looking for files and resources.
Move it to the cloud
You shouldn’t have to rustle through hundreds of different files and documents looking for just one piece of paper, and it can be a real problem in hectic work environments. Instead, you could consider moving all of your paperwork onto the cloud, and cutting out the use of paper in the office as a whole. Going paperless can help you to get much quicker access to any document you need, so long as you know the name of it and where to look for it. It also makes it much easier for you to share it with your team within a matter of seconds, no matter how close they are to your computer.
Keep your passwords in one place
Security is highly important when you’re managing sensitive information, and you should be taking account security very seriously. Having a different password for everything you use can help you to keep information safe, but that means you’re going to have to write down each and every one of your passwords if you’re going to remember them easily. The problem is, that no one wants to scramble through all of their documents and notepads looking for a password to one specific program or website – which is where password-managing apps can come in handy.
Google will offer to save your log-in credentials whenever you sign-up or log in to a new website, and can be very handy if you know no one else will be using your account.
The 5 Things You Need To Provide For A Happy Workforce
/in Managing Your People/by StrategyDrivenChanging your way of thinking about employee retention isn’t easy. And it can be challenging for most company leaders to make this leap of faith. If you are sick of losing good employees, read on to learn why happy employees leave and what you can do about it right now.
The Problem With Employee Retention
Undoubtedly, employee retention is a massive problem for most companies. According to the Society for Human Resource Management, the average employee leaves their job after less than two years. Although there are many reasons employees leave, the Workforce Institute research indicates that most people leave their jobs because they don’t feel appreciated or are treated poorly.
Almost two-thirds of workers said they felt more appreciated at their last job than at their current one. That’s a lot of unhappy employees who might look for a new job soon. When your employees leave, it costs you money. And it takes time and money to recruit new talent, onboard them, and get them up to speed.
What Are The Benefits Of A Happy Workforce?
A happy and engaged workforce can do so much for your company. Employees who feel valued and appreciated are more likely to stay with their company. Looking after your staff means you enjoy improved efficiency, among other things. They’re more likely to put in more hours, work harder, and be more innovative than employees who don’t feel valued. A happy workforce is contagious; employees want to share that feeling with others when they feel valued.
1. Offer Remote Work And Flexible Work Hours
If you have employees who travel frequently, or if your business is in a field that requires employees to work remotely, this is an easy win for your company. Offering remote work or flexible hours shows your employees that you understand that their lives are not all contained in their work hours. In addition, when you offer these benefits, you show your employees that you care about them as people, not just as workers.
2. A Little Bit Of Recognition Goes A Long Way
It’s important to remember that your employees are human beings. They crave recognition for the work they put in and the challenges they overcome. The problem is that most companies don’t offer much in the way of credit. When you offer your employees more recognition, it shows them that you care. It shows that you are aware of their contributions and that you appreciate them.
3. A Workplace Where Employees Feel Valued
To feel valued by your company, employees need to see that you appreciate them. You must treat your employees with respect, pay them fairly, and offer benefits that increase their quality of life. Employees feel motivated to do their best when they feel valued at work. As a result, they feel like they belong in the office and want to stay with the company.
4. Culture Is Key
It’s no secret that the most successful businesses have strong cultures. When you focus on creating a positive and engaging workplace culture, you make your employees feel like they belong. You let them know that they are appreciated and needed. A strong culture also means that you have a set of values that are clear to every employee. This helps make decisions and solve problems easier, as well as build trust among your employees.
5. Pay For Professional Development
Most employees want to grow and learn new things. They want to expand their skill sets, try new things, and challenge themselves. They want to look back after a year or two and know they have accomplished something meaningful. When you offer the opportunity for employees to attend conferences, take online courses, or attend training seminars, you show them that you care about their professional development. You can take this one step further and help workers from other walks of life work for you. Applying for LMIA can help you find workers to fill an imminent need in your company.
The Bottom Line
A happy workforce is one where the employees feel valued, are challenged, and are part of a strong culture. When you take the time to invest in your employees and create an environment where they can thrive, you are less likely to lose them to opportunities elsewhere. Replacing your old ways of thinking about retention with new ones makes keeping your best employees much easier. Remember, it’s not enough to hire good employees; you also need to keep them engaged and motivated, so they want to stay with your company for the long haul.
Make Working From Home Work For Your Business
/in Managing Your People/by StrategyDrivenWorld War II permanently altered our outlook on virtually every aspect of life and Covid has certainly given every business owner and employee a new perspective on effective working practices.
The Motivation for Working from Home
In the pre-Covid world, there was a relatively small and select band of people who worked from home. Plenty would check emails, organize shift patterns, and create a quick weekly schedule from the comfort of a couch, but the office was still king when it came to working.
Covid made working from home the norm and the enforced physical separation from colleagues has shown business owners that this model can be incredibly effective.
Time and money are saved on an unnecessary commute, the online nature of modern work means that fear of an employee neglecting their duties has virtually disappeared. Zoom calls, Teams calls, Google chats – it all works just as well as a meeting room.
The Right Tools for the Right Working Environment
There are, of course, pitfalls when it comes to working from home. Some of them are quite amusing, while some are not.
The sight of a stray kid wandering through the background of a high-level Zoom call, the illuminating décor of a colleague’s house that you never imagined, or a dog strewn across the couch have all produced a welcome chortle to the new business call.
Where things become less amusing is that famed glitch in the matrix that comes from a dodgy internet connection. Thankfully, the online world has switched on to new working practices. A reliable connection is the right of every working American and organizations like the internet service provider in Vistancia are guaranteeing a new sense of reassurance that encourages the work-from-home culture.
Say Goodbye to the Nine-to-Five
Covid has also demonstrated to business owners, and more importantly, to employees that the old practice of a nine-to-five in the office does not work.
If a worker feels at their best at 4 am, working from home allows that person to produce their optimum level. People are all wired differently, so some find their best form late at night, while others find it in the early morning.
Business owners are learning to embrace this new phenomenon and it is producing results. Make your business work around the staff and everyone will benefit.
The Final Word
Business changes all the time, new ideas are introduced, and old ones are discarded.
The key for a business owner is to show flexibility that allows the employee to be at their best. If the job is done well, who cares about the when, where, and why? Motivated employees will do a great job in every environment. All they want is a profession that allows them to flourish.
Business is about results and working from home has been proven to give great results. Just mind the dog.
Making Your Business More Professional in 5 Easy Steps
/in Managing Your Business/by StrategyDrivenKeep the Office Clean and Tidy
Appearance is pretty everything. You need to provide a solid and reliable service, of course. But people will judge you on how your company presents itself. And one of the main things that sets a successful business apart from a poor one is pride in the office. So the first step is to hire professional cleaning services to keep your offices immaculate. Especially if your business depends on client visits. But there’s also a health and safety aspect when it comes to treating your employees with respect. They shouldn’t have to work in filthy or dangerous conditions.
Establish Web Presence
You probably already have a website. But a website is essentially a digital business card if it isn’t used right. Sure, you can provide specific details of your service. But you need to make a website work for you. The first step is to register with Google My Business. This provides local SEO to search engines, and you will show up in Google Maps. Next, you can use more SEO to get internet traffic by attaching a blog and optimizing your site. Finally, it’s crucial that you register a domain using your business name, buy a business email and redesign a poor site.
Look More Professional with Branding
Branding is crucial for any business and is far more than simple advertising. Branding is a way to connect with customers through corporate identity and instant recognition. With solid branding, you can become synonymous with a specific product. The same way you think of Jacuzzi when talking about hot tubs or Hoover with vacuum cleaners. You can set aside money for branding as part of your 5 to 10% marketing rule. But don’t be stingy with the funding. A reputable digital marketing company will need a good amount of cash for a solid campaign.
Invest in Customer and Client Care
You have no business without customers. Yet you might lack good customer service. This is a shame because this is one of the first things a customer notices. And they will simply not do business with you. If you find you can’t keep customers, then review your customer service policy. You can begin by making your website easy to use, providing at least an email address and phone number, and always responding to queries. Additionally, you can advance features to a website such as outsourced telephone answering and AI or manned Live Chat software.
Take Care of Yourself
Finally, but no less critical, you need to look after your health, hygiene, and wellbeing. As the owner, you might be the face of your company. Therefore, you are recognizable. So people will engage with you. However, while customers will engage, no one will want continued business with someone who can’t be bothered to shave or fix their hair, shower or bathe, or even look them in the eye. Any of these can be affected by mental health issues like stress and anxiety. So you must address issues like these first before becoming a recognizable or public figure.
Summary
It’s essential that you make your business more professional these days. You can easily keep the office clean and tidy, hire a marketing agency for branding and look after your wellbeing.