Running a business is no easy feat, but having the right team behind you can make this venture a whole lot easier. Sure, you may want to retain as much control as possible over your business, its products, its brand and its operations, by managing as much as you possibly can yourself. But as time goes on, and as demand on your company increases, you’ll quickly find that you can’t do everything on your own. Not only does hiring staff allow you to distribute your workload, lifting a weight from your shoulders, but it can also give you access to individuals with specialist knowledge and expertise in different areas that will help your company to progress beyond your own limitations. Of course, when you take staff on, you do become responsible for them in many ways. You’re going to want to make sure that they experience success and are happy in the workplace and their position. Here’s some more on the topic!
Why Help Staff to Succeed?
All too many business owners make the mistake of thinking that if they train and improve their staff, their staff will leave for better opportunities elsewhere. But this isn’t necessarily the case. In fact, employees that are constantly encouraged to experience success through support and training are much more likely to be satisfied in their roles and this can seriously help with staff retention levels. Holding onto good staff members will reduce recruitment costs and prevent you from having to experience dips in productivity as you hire, train and introduce new members to your team as a replacement. On top of this, when you train staff, you benefit from the skills and expertise that they acquire through their training. You will simply find yourself with the best quality team you can possibly have.
Software and Tools
Make sure that your team has the software and tools they need to do their job to the highest standard. Whether that’s communications software like Microsoft dynamics phone integration or a new piece of machinery that helps with the manufacturing process. Ensuring that your team has the best tools in the trade will make sure that they can do their job to the highest standard. Unsure of developments in different areas of equipment and software to specific roles? Chances are your team working in that area knows about the latest developments and releases. Talk to them. They’ll be able to advise you on whether their current options are up to scratch or whether they could do with an upgrade.
Training
The most straightforward and logical way to help your staff to experience success is to provide them with job-specific training. There are so many different options that you might want to consider. A copywriter might benefit from training in SEO. Management may benefit from knowing how to use Excel and other spreadsheet software. Someone in marketing could benefit from a marketing masters degree. The list goes on. Make sure to do some research and consider which areas you want your team to progress into. This can help to introduce you to training programs that benefit everyone. You may also want to consider health and safety training, such as how to do CPR, fire steward or fire marshall training and more.
Personal Development Plans
Remember that not all training has to be completely job-specific. You can help your team with personal development in areas that aren’t necessarily directly relevant to their role. Instead, you can help them to build traits, confidence and other skills that will supplement their position and help them in a variety of professional situations they may find themselves in. For example, if someone feels uncomfortable with public speaking, you may want to help them with some therapy, confidence building exercises and courses in public speaking or speech making that can help them to overcome this. If your team member wants to be healthier, you can help them along their fitness journey, which can help them to feel healthier, fitter and less likely to take time off work. If your team member wants to learn a second language, you can help them with lessons or language learning software, which will then benefit your company if you ever decide to expand into overseas markets.
It really is essential that you help your staff to progress and experience success while they’re working for you. This will keep them on board and significantly increase productivity, which benefits them and benefit you and your business.
https://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/pexels-christina-morillo-1181414.jpg8011200StrategyDrivenhttps://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/SDELogo5-300x70-300x70.pngStrategyDriven2022-05-08 07:00:032022-05-08 00:36:18Helping Your Staff to Experience Success
If you employ people, there is a lot more to think about than just how much you’ll pay them and what you want them to do in return for that money. As an employer, you have a number of different responsibilities toward your employees, and one of those responsibilities is to ensure they are safe at work. The better you can take care of them, the happier they will be, and that leads to better productivity, and as well as this, it’s the ethical thing to do. Here are some suggestions about how to keep your employees safe at work; this is just a start, and there are plenty more ideas to consider as well.
Create A Welcoming Work Environment
In order for an employee to be safe, they must also feel safe, and as such, the working environment you offer them has to make them feel that way – it has to be welcoming and easy to use. When your employees feel safe and comfortable, they will be able to focus on their work rather than being worried about anything going on around them.
To help make the space more comfortable and welcoming, you can do a variety of different things. Some include offering your staff ergonomic furniture, ensuring there is plenty of natural light in the office or warehouse, getting your boiler serviced by Bensons Gas to keep the heating working and ensure there is enough hot water, and creating break rooms so that people have somewhere to go away from their desks.
Assess The Environment
It’s also a good idea to assess the working environment to see if there are any hazards around that you can remove or at least reduce the risk of harm regarding. Carry out a full risk assessment of the workspace (including all outside areas and vehicles) and you’ll instantly be able to see if there are any areas that could be improved in terms of safety and comfort.
As part of the risk assessment, it’s wise to ask your team if there are any issues they are concerned about or anything that makes their job harder, or unsafe. These are things that you might not spot as you walk around doing your risk assessment, especially if you don’t get actively involved in the work your team does. Once you have all the information, it’s important to make changes quickly before there are any accidents and before your staff starts to feel as though you’re just not listening to them.
Offer Training
Sometimes it won’t necessarily be the workplace that’s unsafe; it might be that your team has a lack of training, which can make things that would normally be fine a potential hazard. If they don’t know how to use a particular piece of machinery, or they aren’t aware of the rules regarding safety in the workplace, accidents could happen.
Therefore, you must offer regular training to your team. Everyone who you employ should have an initial session of training to help them understand what is required and what they need to do, but it shouldn’t end there. Ideally, the training should be a regular thing for all employees, no matter how long they have worked for you or what their position is. In this way, you can be sure everyone knows how to keep themselves safe at work.
https://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/hard-hat-gcadc29bbb_1280.jpg7201280StrategyDrivenhttps://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/SDELogo5-300x70-300x70.pngStrategyDriven2022-05-06 07:00:552022-05-06 01:17:253 Ways To Keep Your Employees Safe At Work
Can your business benefit from new equipment? Maybe it’s time to apply for an equipment financing loan. Here are some things you should consider first.
What is An Equipment Loan?
An equipmentloan is a type of financing in which businesses can purchase new or used equipment. The purchased equipment secures the loan, and the term is typically for 3-5 years. Equipment loans are popular among small businesses because they provide a way to finance needed equipment purchases without having to dip into their working capital or risk their personal finances.
Benefits of Applying for an Equipment Loan
There are several reasons your business might benefit from applying for an equipment loan. Take a look at some of the most common.
Finance New or Used Equipment
With an equipment loan, your business can finance the purchase of new or used equipment. This can be a great way to upgrade your operations without using your working capital.
Tax-Deductible
The interest on an equipment loan is tax-deductible, which can help reduce your business’s tax burden. In addition, you can write the entire principal amount off as a business expense.
Fixed Interest Rate
Another benefit of an equipment loan is that it typically has a fixed interest rate. This allows you to budget your payments since you’ll know exactly how much to pay each month
Down Payment May Not Be Required
Some equipment loans don’t require a down payment, which can be helpful if you don’t have the cash on hand to make a large purchase.
No Prepayment Penalty
Most equipment financing solutions come with no prepayment penalty, which means if your business can pay off its equipment loan early, you won’t be charged extra. This can save you money in the long run.
Fixed Monthly Payments
Equipment loans have fixed monthly payments, which allow you to budget for your expenses.
Things to Consider Before Applying for an Equipment Loan
Before you apply for an equipment loan, make sure to consider the following.
Purpose of the Loan
The first question you should ask yourself is about the purpose of a loan. Will the equipment purchased with the loan help your business grow? Will it improve your bottom line? If you can’t come up with a legitimate reason fow how your business will benefit from an equipment loan, it may not be the right choice for you.
Can You Afford the Loan?
The next question you need to answer is whether you can afford the loan. An equipment loan is a form of debt, and you need to be sure you can make the payments each month.
Equipment Collateral
You can use the equipment your business purchases as collateral for the loan. If you default on the loan, your lender can seize the equipment. Make sure you’re comfortable with this before applying for a loan.
Length of the Loan
The loan term for an equipment loan is typically 3-5 years. This is the time you have to repay the loan. Be sure you are comfortable with this timeframe before committing to a loan.
Interest Rate
The interest rate on an equipment loan is typically fixed. This means that the interest rate will not change over the life of the loan.
The Bottom Line
Once you have considered the benefits and drawbacks of an equipment loan, it’s time to decide. If your business could benefit from the new or used equipment, an equipment loan might be the right financing option. Be sure to look into various lenders, or work with a fintech marketplace like National, to find solutions suitable to your needs.
https://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/080EFF7F-FA6B-48D2-9AAE-F32C301D095F-scaled.jpeg17072560StrategyDrivenhttps://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/SDELogo5-300x70-300x70.pngStrategyDriven2022-05-03 23:03:502022-05-03 23:03:50Should You Apply for an Equipment Financing Loan?
If you are running a business, then it is important to be aware that your SEO is hugely impacted by content writing. These days, it’s important that any kind of SEO service also offers a solid content strategy. SEO content writing refers to writing content in a way that allows it to rank higher for related keyword searches. Keywords can be used in the title of the post and strategically throughout the content wherever they fit naturally in the content. Ideally, content should be optimised for both humans and search engines. These are some of the main reasons why content writing should always be an important part of SEO.
Below are four reasons why content is crucial for good SEO. If you’re business is a law firm, you’ll also want to review our law firm SEO guide.
Social Validation
Many blog posts and web pages don’t have the best quality content, but still rank well due to the social validation that they attract. However, this is usually quite expensive to do, so if you’re running a small business, the only way to get social validation is through quality and informative content. When content delivers value and gives people what they are looking for, viewers are more likely to engage with the content through social networking sites and social medial channels. Actions like social sharing are seen as social validation by Google, which can then boost your ranking.
Get Quality Back Links
SEO content writing services allow you to build quality back links, which are another form of social validation. To achieve this, you do not always have to focus on social media either. Consider why people might link back to your website or blog post – in many cases it may simply be because they appreciate what you have published, or it is relevant to them in some way. When you get back links, Google also sees this as validation, and uses this to rank your content and web pages.
SEO Needs Strategic Keyword Use
While there have been large strides made in terms of ranking web pages and blog posts according to how valuable they are to the reader, keywords do still matter. Ranking often depends on whether you have used a keyword or its alternative in the title of your blog post or web page. Without content and the right keywords, it is often much harder for you to get your content to rank.
Google Needs Content
Simply put, if you don’t have any content then Google and other search engines do not have anything to rank. In the standard Google section, the search engine ranks your written content, while images are ranked in Google Images and videos are ranked in Google Videos. Good SEO content writing gives Google something to rank and tells Google which search terms and keywords your content should be ranking for.
No matter what kind of business you run, good SEO content writing is vital to thriving in the online world. Not only does it boost Google search rankings, but it also provides greater opportunities for people to link to your content and share it on social media, which will ultimately widen your reach.
https://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/pexels-freeboilergrants-7119258-scaled.jpg19402560StrategyDrivenhttps://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/SDELogo5-300x70-300x70.pngStrategyDriven2022-05-03 17:00:382023-01-10 10:00:104 Reasons Why Content is Crucial for Good SEO
There will be a time when scaling your business feels right, but to turn this idea or ambition into reality, you must start focusing on an action strategy. Organic scaling and growth can of course happen—but it can take time. If you want results you need to start creating (and working towards) an action strategy, because this way you can take control of scaling up your ambitions. Here are some important points to consider during the scaling-up process.
Are Your Heart and Mindset Focused on Success?
If your heart and mindset are not where they need to be, you may find that you simply go through the processes when you are scaling up. When this happens, your actions may not have any effect on the business, meaning that the procedure of scaling up the business may not be as successful as once anticipated. Getting your mindset focused on the task at hand, and being sure and certain about what you want to achieve is important. You cannot successfully scale up your operations if you are not sure which direction you are going in or why.
Can You Scale Up Existing Operations or Do You Need a Complete Change?
Scaling up in business from where you are at the moment might be easier said than done. Establishing what point you are building from is important: can you scale up your existing operations and set-up; or will you need to look at making complete changes? For example, when you scale up will you grow too big for your existing premises and will you need to move to new ones? Being realistic about your starting point is just as important as anything else that you do.
How Much is Scaling Up Going to Cost?
All scaling up has an associated cost. For example, if you are moving premises, you will have to leave behind the residential internet you currently have, and instead focus on purchasing commercial internet. You will also have to look at hiring new people (to ensure that you have a strong team to move forwards with). When you are factoring in costs for scaling up, you need to look at your daily operations for at least the next 12 months. If you do not establish your costs then you will struggle to financially plan ahead, and this may mean that you go through financial difficulty when you don’t need to.
Do You Have the Right Team Around You?
When you have the right team around you, then you can be sure that success is on the cards. The right team will help you grow your business, and this will take personal ownership of what happens. If you do not have a supportive team around you, then you will face issues surrounding productivity and efficiency, and this is not an issue that you want to tackle when you are trying to focus your efforts on scaling up.
What Does Your Action Strategy Look Like?
An action strategy for scaling up is a must—no matter what stage you currently find yourself at. When you have an action strategy to work alongside, you can focus your efforts, and also target your spending. Without a strategy, you could end up spending funds on areas that are not necessary; or you could end up pursuing avenues which are non-starters.
https://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/pexels-sora-shimazaki-5668835.jpg8001200StrategyDrivenhttps://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/SDELogo5-300x70-300x70.pngStrategyDriven2022-05-03 16:00:062022-05-03 15:13:41What You Should Consider When Scaling Your Business
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Business Programs
Helping Your Staff to Experience Success
/in Managing Your People/by StrategyDrivenWhy Help Staff to Succeed?
All too many business owners make the mistake of thinking that if they train and improve their staff, their staff will leave for better opportunities elsewhere. But this isn’t necessarily the case. In fact, employees that are constantly encouraged to experience success through support and training are much more likely to be satisfied in their roles and this can seriously help with staff retention levels. Holding onto good staff members will reduce recruitment costs and prevent you from having to experience dips in productivity as you hire, train and introduce new members to your team as a replacement. On top of this, when you train staff, you benefit from the skills and expertise that they acquire through their training. You will simply find yourself with the best quality team you can possibly have.
Software and Tools
Make sure that your team has the software and tools they need to do their job to the highest standard. Whether that’s communications software like Microsoft dynamics phone integration or a new piece of machinery that helps with the manufacturing process. Ensuring that your team has the best tools in the trade will make sure that they can do their job to the highest standard. Unsure of developments in different areas of equipment and software to specific roles? Chances are your team working in that area knows about the latest developments and releases. Talk to them. They’ll be able to advise you on whether their current options are up to scratch or whether they could do with an upgrade.
Training
The most straightforward and logical way to help your staff to experience success is to provide them with job-specific training. There are so many different options that you might want to consider. A copywriter might benefit from training in SEO. Management may benefit from knowing how to use Excel and other spreadsheet software. Someone in marketing could benefit from a marketing masters degree. The list goes on. Make sure to do some research and consider which areas you want your team to progress into. This can help to introduce you to training programs that benefit everyone. You may also want to consider health and safety training, such as how to do CPR, fire steward or fire marshall training and more.
Personal Development Plans
Remember that not all training has to be completely job-specific. You can help your team with personal development in areas that aren’t necessarily directly relevant to their role. Instead, you can help them to build traits, confidence and other skills that will supplement their position and help them in a variety of professional situations they may find themselves in. For example, if someone feels uncomfortable with public speaking, you may want to help them with some therapy, confidence building exercises and courses in public speaking or speech making that can help them to overcome this. If your team member wants to be healthier, you can help them along their fitness journey, which can help them to feel healthier, fitter and less likely to take time off work. If your team member wants to learn a second language, you can help them with lessons or language learning software, which will then benefit your company if you ever decide to expand into overseas markets.
It really is essential that you help your staff to progress and experience success while they’re working for you. This will keep them on board and significantly increase productivity, which benefits them and benefit you and your business.
3 Ways To Keep Your Employees Safe At Work
/in Risk Management/by StrategyDrivenCreate A Welcoming Work Environment
In order for an employee to be safe, they must also feel safe, and as such, the working environment you offer them has to make them feel that way – it has to be welcoming and easy to use. When your employees feel safe and comfortable, they will be able to focus on their work rather than being worried about anything going on around them.
To help make the space more comfortable and welcoming, you can do a variety of different things. Some include offering your staff ergonomic furniture, ensuring there is plenty of natural light in the office or warehouse, getting your boiler serviced by Bensons Gas to keep the heating working and ensure there is enough hot water, and creating break rooms so that people have somewhere to go away from their desks.
Assess The Environment
It’s also a good idea to assess the working environment to see if there are any hazards around that you can remove or at least reduce the risk of harm regarding. Carry out a full risk assessment of the workspace (including all outside areas and vehicles) and you’ll instantly be able to see if there are any areas that could be improved in terms of safety and comfort.
As part of the risk assessment, it’s wise to ask your team if there are any issues they are concerned about or anything that makes their job harder, or unsafe. These are things that you might not spot as you walk around doing your risk assessment, especially if you don’t get actively involved in the work your team does. Once you have all the information, it’s important to make changes quickly before there are any accidents and before your staff starts to feel as though you’re just not listening to them.
Offer Training
Sometimes it won’t necessarily be the workplace that’s unsafe; it might be that your team has a lack of training, which can make things that would normally be fine a potential hazard. If they don’t know how to use a particular piece of machinery, or they aren’t aware of the rules regarding safety in the workplace, accidents could happen.
Therefore, you must offer regular training to your team. Everyone who you employ should have an initial session of training to help them understand what is required and what they need to do, but it shouldn’t end there. Ideally, the training should be a regular thing for all employees, no matter how long they have worked for you or what their position is. In this way, you can be sure everyone knows how to keep themselves safe at work.
Should You Apply for an Equipment Financing Loan?
/in Managing Your Finances/by StrategyDrivenWhat is An Equipment Loan?
An equipment loan is a type of financing in which businesses can purchase new or used equipment. The purchased equipment secures the loan, and the term is typically for 3-5 years. Equipment loans are popular among small businesses because they provide a way to finance needed equipment purchases without having to dip into their working capital or risk their personal finances.
Benefits of Applying for an Equipment Loan
There are several reasons your business might benefit from applying for an equipment loan. Take a look at some of the most common.
Finance New or Used Equipment
With an equipment loan, your business can finance the purchase of new or used equipment. This can be a great way to upgrade your operations without using your working capital.
Tax-Deductible
The interest on an equipment loan is tax-deductible, which can help reduce your business’s tax burden. In addition, you can write the entire principal amount off as a business expense.
Fixed Interest Rate
Another benefit of an equipment loan is that it typically has a fixed interest rate. This allows you to budget your payments since you’ll know exactly how much to pay each month
Down Payment May Not Be Required
Some equipment loans don’t require a down payment, which can be helpful if you don’t have the cash on hand to make a large purchase.
No Prepayment Penalty
Most equipment financing solutions come with no prepayment penalty, which means if your business can pay off its equipment loan early, you won’t be charged extra. This can save you money in the long run.
Fixed Monthly Payments
Equipment loans have fixed monthly payments, which allow you to budget for your expenses.
Things to Consider Before Applying for an Equipment Loan
Before you apply for an equipment loan, make sure to consider the following.
Purpose of the Loan
The first question you should ask yourself is about the purpose of a loan. Will the equipment purchased with the loan help your business grow? Will it improve your bottom line? If you can’t come up with a legitimate reason fow how your business will benefit from an equipment loan, it may not be the right choice for you.
Can You Afford the Loan?
The next question you need to answer is whether you can afford the loan. An equipment loan is a form of debt, and you need to be sure you can make the payments each month.
Equipment Collateral
You can use the equipment your business purchases as collateral for the loan. If you default on the loan, your lender can seize the equipment. Make sure you’re comfortable with this before applying for a loan.
Length of the Loan
The loan term for an equipment loan is typically 3-5 years. This is the time you have to repay the loan. Be sure you are comfortable with this timeframe before committing to a loan.
Interest Rate
The interest rate on an equipment loan is typically fixed. This means that the interest rate will not change over the life of the loan.
The Bottom Line
Once you have considered the benefits and drawbacks of an equipment loan, it’s time to decide. If your business could benefit from the new or used equipment, an equipment loan might be the right financing option. Be sure to look into various lenders, or work with a fintech marketplace like National, to find solutions suitable to your needs.
4 Reasons Why Content is Crucial for Good SEO
/in Online Marketing and Website Development/by StrategyDrivenBelow are four reasons why content is crucial for good SEO. If you’re business is a law firm, you’ll also want to review our law firm SEO guide.
Social Validation
Many blog posts and web pages don’t have the best quality content, but still rank well due to the social validation that they attract. However, this is usually quite expensive to do, so if you’re running a small business, the only way to get social validation is through quality and informative content. When content delivers value and gives people what they are looking for, viewers are more likely to engage with the content through social networking sites and social medial channels. Actions like social sharing are seen as social validation by Google, which can then boost your ranking.
Get Quality Back Links
SEO content writing services allow you to build quality back links, which are another form of social validation. To achieve this, you do not always have to focus on social media either. Consider why people might link back to your website or blog post – in many cases it may simply be because they appreciate what you have published, or it is relevant to them in some way. When you get back links, Google also sees this as validation, and uses this to rank your content and web pages.
SEO Needs Strategic Keyword Use
While there have been large strides made in terms of ranking web pages and blog posts according to how valuable they are to the reader, keywords do still matter. Ranking often depends on whether you have used a keyword or its alternative in the title of your blog post or web page. Without content and the right keywords, it is often much harder for you to get your content to rank.
Google Needs Content
Simply put, if you don’t have any content then Google and other search engines do not have anything to rank. In the standard Google section, the search engine ranks your written content, while images are ranked in Google Images and videos are ranked in Google Videos. Good SEO content writing gives Google something to rank and tells Google which search terms and keywords your content should be ranking for.
No matter what kind of business you run, good SEO content writing is vital to thriving in the online world. Not only does it boost Google search rankings, but it also provides greater opportunities for people to link to your content and share it on social media, which will ultimately widen your reach.
What You Should Consider When Scaling Your Business
/in Managing Your Business/by StrategyDrivenAre Your Heart and Mindset Focused on Success?
If your heart and mindset are not where they need to be, you may find that you simply go through the processes when you are scaling up. When this happens, your actions may not have any effect on the business, meaning that the procedure of scaling up the business may not be as successful as once anticipated. Getting your mindset focused on the task at hand, and being sure and certain about what you want to achieve is important. You cannot successfully scale up your operations if you are not sure which direction you are going in or why.
Can You Scale Up Existing Operations or Do You Need a Complete Change?
Scaling up in business from where you are at the moment might be easier said than done. Establishing what point you are building from is important: can you scale up your existing operations and set-up; or will you need to look at making complete changes? For example, when you scale up will you grow too big for your existing premises and will you need to move to new ones? Being realistic about your starting point is just as important as anything else that you do.
How Much is Scaling Up Going to Cost?
All scaling up has an associated cost. For example, if you are moving premises, you will have to leave behind the residential internet you currently have, and instead focus on purchasing commercial internet. You will also have to look at hiring new people (to ensure that you have a strong team to move forwards with). When you are factoring in costs for scaling up, you need to look at your daily operations for at least the next 12 months. If you do not establish your costs then you will struggle to financially plan ahead, and this may mean that you go through financial difficulty when you don’t need to.
Do You Have the Right Team Around You?
When you have the right team around you, then you can be sure that success is on the cards. The right team will help you grow your business, and this will take personal ownership of what happens. If you do not have a supportive team around you, then you will face issues surrounding productivity and efficiency, and this is not an issue that you want to tackle when you are trying to focus your efforts on scaling up.
What Does Your Action Strategy Look Like?
An action strategy for scaling up is a must—no matter what stage you currently find yourself at. When you have an action strategy to work alongside, you can focus your efforts, and also target your spending. Without a strategy, you could end up spending funds on areas that are not necessary; or you could end up pursuing avenues which are non-starters.