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Things to Look For Before Starting a Construction Company in Texas

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StrategyDriven Starting Your Business Article |Start a construction company|Things to Look For Before Starting a Construction Company in TexasThe construction business plays an important role in the economy of a region or a country. Currently, the construction sector is booming in Texas, and over the years, it has been pushing Texas forward. The Federal Reserve Bank stated that construction accounted for 4.3 percent of US GDP in the previous year’s first quarter. Moreover, the Associated General Contractors of America in Texas stated that construction’s share was 5.3 percent of the states’ total GDP. It equals $100.9 billion out of $1.9 trillion of Texas’s GDP in money terms. These figures prove that investment in construction and infrastructure can stimulate the economic performance of a place. Also, the numbers paint a positive picture for anyone considering starting a construction business in the state. Anyone considering a career in construction has a number of lucrative opportunities.

Impacts of a construction business on the area

A growing construction business also attracts other businesses to the state. If construction is based on residential projects, it will attract people to invest in community goods such as schools, hospitals, shopping malls, and much more. The result is an evident increase in new jobs and the overall uplift of society. Workers and laborers move from the other parts of the country, searching for jobs and staying near the construction location.

When in Texas, it is very easy to find a lodging facility according to the construction site’s location. Workers can easily locate several temporary housing near their worksites, including the motels in Big Lake TX, which are cheap and near several domestic amenities.

Starting a construction company in Texas

Starting a construction company in Texas is less complicated than in other states. But you must understand the regulations and legal bindings lest you make a grave mistake. Here is a list of the important factors you must consider when starting a construction company.

Research the construction industry

Whenever you want to start a business, start by doing market research. The purpose of market research is to understand the customers’ demand, liking, and preferences. It helps you find your target market and their ability to pay.

Know how much money people are willing to spend on a construction project and how many companies are already in the market. You also need to know your competitors’ various pricing, advertising, and branding strategies and find their loopholes.

These gaps or loopholes will help you position your offerings the right way. You can use different approaches such as surveys, interviews, or questionnaires for market research. A much-preferred option is to take a market research company; they have more tools to make the market research process rigorous.

Outline a concrete business plan

You must have a detailed business plan for your project that outlines every aspect of your business. It will include the market trends, analysis of the competitors, growth opportunities in the market, and an appraisal of your target audience. You will also outline how you will structure and manage your business, the hierarchy personnel, and who will hold which position.

The business plan also details the number of employees you will have, how you will pay their salaries, what services you will offer to your clients. Also, this is when you decide on your marketing strategy, which campaigns you will use to target your customers, and the estimated cost of starting and running a business until it becomes self-sufficient. The more detailed your business plan is, the better it is for your company. It will also help you pitch in front of investors if you seek outside financial help. You can clearly show your investors what you intend to get out of your business in the first year and what you predict about the future of your business.

Decide the structure of your business

Are you trying to run the business on your own? If not, how many partners are you planning to include? Determining the structure of your business is another essential consideration. Other options for business structure include Limited Liability Company, limited partnership, corporations, and limited liability partnership. You can take the help of a corporate lawyer before you finalize the structure of your company as there are tax, management, the formality of operations, and liability matters involved in each structure.

Name of your business

Another consideration is the name of your business and its registration. Find a unique business name that reflects your company’s values, the services you are offering, or the standards you want to adhere to. Make sure any other company does not share the name as it can create complicated legal issues.

Conclusion

The construction industry in Texas is thriving. But starting a new company in Texas still needs care and adhering to legal and regulatory requirements. It might not be easy to meet the licensing requirements, but it is always rewarding for sure.
You can safeguard your business from complicated legal matters. Plan your business carefully, discuss every aspect of your company in the business plan, and name and register your business. Depending on your business offerings, you will also need to obtain the necessary licenses and permits.

It is always recommended to have an online presence when you start a company making it easier for customers to find you. Understanding your customers goes without saying, and knowing your competition is a must. Your company can make a unique place in the mind and hearts of your target customers if you successfully fill the gaps left by your competitors.

10 Percent More Revenue with No Marketing Spend

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StrategyDriven Announcement | 10 Percent More Revenue with No Marketing SpendGrow your business without spending a single additional dollar on marketing or ads!

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Top Tips to Make Your HR Department More Efficient

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StrategyDriven Managing Your People Article |HR Department|Top Tips to Make Your HR Department More EfficientHuman resources are one of the most influential departments in the build-up of an organisation; due to this, HR professionals must be able to work efficiently in a fast-paced and rapidly changing environment. To achieve optimised productivity levels, it is paramount for those working within a human resource department to implement various techniques to keep individuals working at maximum efficiency.

From looking out for the welfare of employees to organising company events, HR professionals have a long list of tasks and responsibilities to juggle on a daily which can be challenging. So how do HR professionals do it? We’ve looked at some of the best ways for HR professionals to remain efficient even when balancing a heavy workload; read on for our top tips for an effective HR department.

Switch To Cloud-Based Systems

Overflowing file cabinets. Folders of documents everywhere. Pieces of paper spilling out all over desks. If this sounds like your HR department, then it might be worth considering switching to cloud-based systems to store all your essential files and documents. Making the switch from traditional storage methods to cloud-based solutions can boast many benefits from increased security, the ability to access documents anywhere and at any time, being able to store hundreds of documents in one place and better organisation.

Nowadays, there is a cloud server for everything, making everything from file storage to payroll easier for HR members and improving the department’s efficiency overall. For instance, you can make mundane, routine tasks like payroll easier by using cloud-based payroll software through providers such as PayCaptain. Consider looking at their product offering for more ideas on making your HR department more efficient.

Make The Most Of Technology

In our new era of hybrid working, making the most of technology and practising effective communication can help HR professionals be more efficient in their jobs. For instance, instead of solely relying on emails and direct messages to convey long, detailed messages, you could try using software such as Skype or Zoom to video-call colleagues.

Doing so will save you the time and effort of typing out your message and avoid typing out responses to any queries that it may spark. Making the most of social media platforms can benefit HR members whose workforce is compiled of remote, hybrid and in-office staff as it enables you to communicate with everyone in various time-effective ways.

Use Social Media Platforms For Recruitment

Another mundane, routine task that HR professionals are tasked with is staffing, whether that is dealing with hiring, onboarding and many more. The recruitment process can be a long-winded and challenging process for HR professionals; however, it can be made easier by social media platforms. As well as being a well-loved place for people to socialise and reconnect with people all over the globe, social media is also an excellent place for businesses to advertise their vacancies instead of using job boards or recruitment companies.

As well as significantly reducing the amount of time HR professionals spend sourcing and recruiting new talent, advertising jobs via social media can also save the company money and help their adverts reach a wider network of people. Utilising social media can make HR more efficient as they can use the time not wasted to focus on other business areas.

Give Employees Regular Feedback

Although it may seem counterproductive to be giving employees regular feedback, ensuring that employees are praised or criticised when necessary can help their ongoing development and save HR professionals time in the long run. Waiting for monthly annual appraisals can be counterproductive as, by the time the scheduled meeting arrives, it may be too late for the feedback or no longer relevant.

Ensuring that you praise and criticise employees accordingly can help employees with their ongoing development, so they’re aware of their talents and the areas that need improvement and can work towards growing or mastering their skills. Giving employees regular feedback will help to strengthen the bond between management and their workforce, as it clarifies work expectations. It also helps employees learn from their mistakes and makes them feel good about themselves as they know that management has their best interests at heart.

Work On Your Relationships

One of the critical elements in human resources is communication and negotiating, both of which are improved if you actively try to maintain or improve workplace relationships. One of the tasks that HR are shouldered with is creating a workplace environment that is friendly and where their employees are valued and listened to.

Ensuring that you maintain a good working relationship with everyone is crucial for creating this environment; otherwise, employees won’t feel obligated to share their thoughts with you, making HR’s job difficult. In the business world, it’s essential to make connections; otherwise, you run the risk of missing out on opportunities and helpful resources, which is why it is equally as necessary to maintain your workplace relationships so that you don’t limit yourself.

The Most Effective Ways To Improve Conversions

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StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article |Improve Conversions|The Most Effective Ways To Improve ConversionsWebsite conversion rates average around 2%. For every 100 visitors that find their way to your website, you can expect to get only two customers. This is actually is a pretty good conversion rate, even though it sounds low. A lot of sites have a conversion rate of only 0.1%, so they need 1000 site visitors to get one customer.

You can improve conversions with a reliable site with AWS powered WordPress, and these tricks to get more customers with your existing traffic.

Add A Pop-Up

Conversion rates have a higher conversion rate than a standard website. If you get it right, you can get a conversion rate of almost 10%. Making just this one change can really improve your conversion rate. It works on almost any kind of website, no matter your industry.

To improve your conversion rate with pop-ups:

  • Try several offers, such as as premium content, different products, PDFs, and other free content, until you find something that works for you
  • Put a thirty-second delay on your pop-up to prevent it from being annoying
  • Make sure the pop-up is easy to close
  • Set a cookie to make sure the pop-up only appears once for each use, so stop people getting sick of it

These tricks can give you a real boost in conversion and keep your complaints low at the same. You won’t annoy anyone with your pop-ups, and can still get the benefit.

Remove Unnecessary Form Fields

Have you ever started filling out a form on a website, and ended up giving up because they are just so many required fields?

Too much to fill in is a fast and effective way to completely kill your conversion rate. Take out any form fields that you don’t need, leaving only the ones that are actually needed to accomplish your goal.

For each form field you can take out, the higher your sign-ups will go. Of course, you can take this too far, so be careful. If your sales team doesn’t get all the information from the lead that they need in order to properly follow up, you might get a lot of sign-ups but won’t be able to improve your close rate. Find the right balance between getting all the relevant information while keeping required fields to a minimum. Make sure that every field plays an important part. If it doesn’t, take it out.

Add Testimonials, Reviews, And Logos

Nobody wants to be the first person to try out a product or a service. You can give them a sense of confidence in your offering by providing testimonials and reviews from past satisfied customers.

Social proof, such as testimonials, helps to put consumers’ minds at ease. Put customer reviews prominently on your site to improve your conversion rate significantly. You can see a huge uptick just by doing this.

Add logos of any big brands you work with or memberships you have to showcase how trustworthy and reliable you are to encourage new customers.

Resolve to Land Your Dream Job in 2022

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StrategyDriven Practices for Professionals Article |Land your dream job|Resolve to Land Your Dream Job in 2022It is the resolution many workers make each new year: “This is the year I get my dream job.”

For those truly motivated to land a new role, ascend to the next level, boost their salary—or all three—conditions have rarely been better. Due to the Great Resignation, job listings are plentiful, wages are rising, and employers are upping the ante to lure workers. The huge competition for talent has given employees the upper hand.

While it might be tempting to jump at the next opportunity you see on LinkedIn or make a lateral move for a raise, the last thing you want to do is leave a tolerable position for one that becomes quickly intolerable. When you are in a job you love, it feels custom-made just for you. You feel your values reflected in the company’s mission. You feel rewarded just for working there—“Thank God it’s Monday,” you think each week. And the paycheck is nice, too.

I have been writing about the job market for several years, and frankly, conditions have never been better to land your dream job. I believe that following these ten steps can bring you closer to your dream job in the coming months:

1. Take time to plan and dream

The important first step is to carve out time to think through the position you’d like to achieve. The ideal career awaits you if you do your homework. Keep careful lists of the qualities and talents you possess and which types of businesses will reward them. Put pen to paper—or fingers to keyboards—and allow yourself to follow ideas where they lead. This a valuable first step for finding the career that is right for you. (Need some inspiration? Take a personality test, such as that offered by Meyers-Briggs. Or ask your friends where they see you working and investigate those jobs.)

2. Work backwards

One way of figuring out what your “dream job” is right now is to imagine yourself five years from now (in an even dreamier job). Then work backwards to figure out the stepping-stone jobs you need to take to eventually land there. Maybe you can’t run a publishing empire or be a social media influencer with 20,000,000 Instagram followers yet—but if you take smaller, intentional baby steps, you will have a better chance of eventually reaching your aspiration.

3. Learn how to toot your own horn

Regardless of whether you’re a boisterous extrovert or a restrained introvert, let those around you know your capabilities. The most important place to start is within your own company. When you win a piece of business or create an attractive website or advance a project in any way, get the word out. Don’t be shy. Also, don’t assume that you can just dash off an email that the higher-ups will necessarily read. You need to get comfortable with promoting your achievements. No one will do this for you. You are your own best advocate.

4. Engage in general networking

Is there a young professionals group associated with your industry, such as a local chapter of Meetup.com, that you should join? Does your company offer a mentor program that will pair you with a senior employee who might become your advocate? If not, you may want to look into finding a mentor outside your company. Do you need to expand your LinkedIn presence and begin commenting and posting your own industry observations? There’s never enough time to network, so somehow you need to make the time.

5. Set up 15-minute informational interviews

Ask around to see if there is anyone you know who would spare a few minutes to discuss her field with you. It could be a friend, or a friend of a friend, or even one of your parents’ friends. You may be surprised to find that people often want to offer advice on the steps to take to start out in their field. Prepare some questions in advance—for example: ask how the person ended up in her field, what best prepared her for her career, which aspects she most enjoys, and how the field is changing. Depending on how forthcoming the person is, you might also ask if she would mind if you sent a resume to keep on file in case of any future openings.

6. Read job postings

Do you feel goosebumps zip down your spine when you read about certain jobs? It could be an indication that this is the job of your dreams. Start reading job postings in the two or three fields that excite you. You can find postings on LinkedIn, Monsterjobs, Indeed, Glassdoor, and Simply Hired. Familiarize yourself with job descriptions to learn common industry terms, roles, salaries, and in-demand skills.

7. Customize your resume

Your resume should reflect the skills you possess and your specific accomplishments—but be sure to customize and change your resume appropriately for each position you pursue. Don’t be afraid to parrot some of the words on the list of requirements back to the company. Many times, companies will use the key words mentioned in the job posting when screening resumes. Try to work in examples that have relevance to the company’s customers or clients or to issues taking place industry-wide. Show how you can add value by quantifying results you’ve achieved. For example, “Coordinated silent auction for children’s advocacy organization that brought in $49,000” or “Streamlined outdated accounting system to save the company 50 hours—and $3,900—per week.”

8. Show personality in your cover letter

Write a cover letter that truly reflects your own personality. Remember that you need to stand out, not just blend in to the hundreds of “blah-blah-blah” letters. Hiring managers look for candidates with dynamism behind their desire to work for the company. Choose words that reveal that you are passionate, not passive: instead of “helpful,” your findings were “game-changing.” Instead of “useful,” your discoveries proved “transformational.”

9. Consider the gig economy

If you dream of being your own boss, why not look into gig work? With so many upsides—including picking and choosing your clients and projects, as well as your hours and fees—it’s no wonder 40 percent of the U.S. workforce is employed in gig work. Ask yourself if your talents lend themselves to gig work. Also, do you have the expertise with technology and the ability to manage finances to work independently? Gig work could be a stepping stone to a full-time position or an end in itself. The rewards of gig work can be worth the effort as long as you enter into it thoughtfully and with an appropriate amount of preparation.

10. Thank those who helped you

Even if you don’t secure a job the first time around, when you remember to thank the people who granted you an interview, those people will remember you and think of you for other opportunities. While it may seem traditional, a handwritten thank-you card still carries cachet. Or, if you send a note electronically, sincerely show gratitude and help the person remember you by bringing up something he said that you found helpful or insightful.

You may not land the first few positions that you go for, but with each attempt, you will get better at the application and interview process. Stay motivated by keeping the prospect of landing your dream job in your sights.

About the Author

StrategyDriven Expert Contributor | Vicky Oliver

Vicky Oliver is a leading career development expert and the multi-best-selling author of five books, including 301 Smart Answers to Tough Interview Questions (Sourcebooks 2005), named in the top 10 list of “Best Books for HR Interview Prep,” 301 Smart Answers to Tough Business Etiquette Questions (Skyhorse, 2010), and Bad Bosses, Crazy Coworkers & Other Office Idiots (Sourcebooks, 2008). She is a sought-after speaker and seminar presenter and a popular media source, having made over 901 appearances in broadcast, print and online outlets. For more information, visit vickyoliver.com.