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How to Successfully Open Your First Restaurant

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StrategyDriven Starting Your Business Article |Open a Restaurant|How to Successfully Open Your First RestaurantMany aspiring entrepreneurs are excited by the idea of opening a restaurant. People love to dine out, especially now after not having been able to for so long, and the demand for a good restaurant will always be there, so it’s a business idea that should work well. However, just looking around and researching other restaurants shows that it’s not always successful, which you will clearly want to avoid.

To do well and to keep running well into the future, there are some important factors to bear in mind. If you plan ahead and consider all the different aspects of running a business and specifically running a restaurant, there is every chance you can do well. Read on to find out what you need to think about right from the start.

Choose A Restaurant Concept And Brand

If you know you want to open a restaurant, you probably already know what concept you want that restaurant to be, and you might even have an idea of your brand too. Before you can start doing anything, from finding a location to advertising to hiring staff, you need to have these things set in stone. If you’re still unsure about the kind of restaurant you want to open, or you’re wavering when it comes to your brand and the idea behind it all, you won’t be able to convince your patrons that they should come to you. In other words, if you’re confused, they will be too, and rather than trying something they don’t have much information about, they will go back to the familiar restaurants they already understand.

Plus, without a brand and concept, it’s going to be impossible to fit out your restaurant, and you might find you are delayed or that you buy furniture that won’t work with your final idea, and you might have to spend additional money to get it right. This is why it’s crucial to have your brand and concept completed agreed upon before you can do anything else.

Licenses And Permits

There are a number of different licenses and permits you’ll need to safely and legally run a restaurant. Depending on where you are opening your restaurant, there will be local laws to follow, so ensure you research what you will need.

No matter where you are, something you will certainly need is insurance. The best way to obtain this is to speak to a commercial insurance broker Montreal. You can discuss exactly what you need to be covered by the insurance, and they will help you find the ideal cover.

Choose A Location

Once you know what you’re going to do and how you intend to do it, you’ll need to find a business premises in the right location. Unlike many businesses, you cannot ‘work from home’ and a premises is crucial when you run a restaurant. You’ll need to think about:

  • Footfall – will people pass by your restaurant?
  • Parking – having a great restaurant is excellent, but if no one can park, they won’t find it easy to come to you, and they’ll go elsewhere
  • Size – how much room do you need in the restaurant and in the kitchen?
  • Competition – what else is around the area you’re thinking of opening your restaurant in? Can you compete?
  • Budget – how much can you afford to spend on rent?

Looking for a premises can be fun, and it’s easy to get carried away and fall in love with somewhere without thinking things through. Always ensure you get a second opinion and you’re thinking of the business at all times.

Scale The SEO Mountain and Get On The First Page Of Google

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StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article |SEO|Scale The SEO Mountain and Get On The First Page Of GoogleDid you know that ¾’s of all users never even bother to look at the results beyond the first page? It’s true, and it also means that one of the most important things you can do to generate traffic, secure leads, and establish your business as a stalwart in your field is to ensure you are on that first page of search engine results. The good news is some strategies can help you scale this SEO mountain, read on to find out what they are.

Find and use relevant keywords

Optimizing your site, as well as your blogs for keywords is an essential aspect of good SEO. However, to be able to do this effectively you will need to know the words and phrases potential customers are using to search for your business.

This means you will need to perform a keyword analysis before you get started, as this can be used to guide your entire optimization process. Remember to include long-tail keywords as well as single words and short phrases too, as they are also highly regarded by search engine algorithms.

Blog your heart out

Search engines love blogs, indeed their algorithms are designed to prioritize organic content above all else. That is content that is genuine and written with a purpose and value in mind, rather than just as a vehicle for keyword stuffing ( the latter being something that search engines actually penalize!).

Of course, for your blogs to be as successful as possible they will need to be a few things. The first of these is longer form, so opt for 1000-1500 words instead of 250 where possible. Next, be sure that they offer genuine value to your readership and/or target demographic.

After all, the more clock through you get, the better your SERPS position will be. Not to mention all the kudos you will be accumulating with potential customers. Additionally, there is even another benefit of creating quality valued content, and that it makes the likelihood that it will get shared even higher. This then enhances your chances of getting backlinks, which are hugely valuable in SEO because search engines treat them in a similar way to references. That is the more you have from a reputable site, the higher your SEO position will be.

Also, remember that both SEO and content writing are specialist disciplines within themselves. This means you may be able to create a more effective campaign by working with Seoshark and other specialist SEO agencies like them. After all, it is their business to understand all the minutiae of SEO from the ever-changing algorithms to the timescales involved until you can expect to see real results.

Optimize for mobile

Finally, if you want to see your company on the first page of Google, then you must ensure your site is optimized for mobile. This means that it will automatically display the best version whether the viewer is using a PC or a mobile device like a smartphone or tablet.

Indeed, not only is this an important aspect of providing your customers with the best experience, but it is also another factor that is held in high regard by search engine algorithms. Therefore by optimizing in this way you provide the best chance of scaling the SEO mountain and being featured front and center on the first page!

What Is The Best Way To Research A Potential Business Partner?

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StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Article |Business Partner|What Is The Best Way To Research A Potential Business Partner?There are a lot of great benefits to business partnerships. You can find somebody else to take on some of the risks and having a fresh set of ideas can help you take things to the next level. Your business partner can also fill in gaps in your own skill set and help you manage the workload, so the business is more successful.

However, partnerships only work when you choose the right person and if you get into business with somebody that isn’t a good fit, it can be disastrous. That’s why you should always do your research before entering into any partnership, but a lot of people don’t know how to do that. These are the best ways to research a potential business partner to see if they are a good fit.

Check Their Social Media

Social media is always a good place to start when you are trying to get a measure of somebody. Their posts give a good insight into what their priorities in life are and what kind of person they are. You can also see what their network looks like and what business events they attend etc, so you can decide if you are on the same page. You need to find a like-minded business partner that you work well with, so general information that you find on social media can be very useful when making your decision.

Run A Background Check

You need to know if your new partner has any skeletons in their closet because, as soon as you enter into a partnership with them, their actions reflect directly on you and your business. So, call in a private investigator company and get them to look into the person for you. They can help you do your due diligence and find out all about their past in the business world, as well as their history, in general. Anything concerning will be raised now and you can decide whether it’s a deal-breaker or not. You don’t want any nasty surprises further down the road, so this is an important step.

During the background check, you should also conduct a credit check on them to see how financially responsible they are. If you are trusting them with your business interests, you need to know that they can handle their money well.

Have A Conversation With Them

Once you have done your due diligence and you think that you want to enter into a partnership with somebody, you need to sit down and have a conversation with them. Ask about how they will handle conflict in the business and how they like to work day-to-day. It’s important that you get a good sense of how compatible you are and how you will overcome problems in the partnership.

There’s no reason why you can’t have a few discussions and even present a few example scenarios to them to see how they would deal with them. You can’t afford to make mistakes here, so don’t rush into anything.

As long as you take your time and do your research, you can find the perfect business partner to work with.

Essential Security Systems That Protect The Business & Employees

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StrategyDriven Risk Management Article |Security Systems|Essential Security Systems That Protect The Business & EmployeesBuilding a business is a challenging job; it needs a lot of investment and not only in the process but also for infrastructure. Thus, maintaining a security system for your business is a must. This will save you from any theft or loss of business or valuable stuff.

Yes! We know that you have already invested a lot in the business setup and completing other formalities to run it. But what’s the use of investing in every step of a company’s development and growth when you can’t protect it, right? So save yourself from any regret and invest a bit in the security system because it will pay you off the investment you have made on it. Here we are sharing types of security system you need in your business:

Closed-Circuit Television

Video surveillance systems are the device that offers the ability to monitor your business from inside and outside. CCTV is not only beneficial to monitor the office but also allows you to check the operation. You can easily track staff, customers and what all is happening on the premises. Cameras even help in finding out the would-be criminal activity and even helps in prosecuting criminals. They become the best evidence when there is mishappening in your business or any theft or misconduct.

The system that detects the Fire

Yes! We are talking about fire alarms here. For any business, detecting smoke and alerts that can create a problem and mishap is very necessary, thus investing in automated fire alarms and suppression systems can prevent you from losing business. In this, you need to make sure that you get it from a reputable company that can help meet the company’s requirements and satisfy all the needed state and federal fire code standards.

Panic Button

This device is safely featured and is in high demand for many companies. Silent panic buttons for businesses are designed to create a safer place for employees. Therefore, the device for businesses has become mandatory in various organizations. It reduces the time between the start of an incident and when responders are on the scene. The key aim of this device is to notify the responders swiftly.

Access Control Systems

Welcome to the new era where you can have the access control system as the security system. This system controls the entry and exit to the office, as every person that is a member of the office will have access, and any non-invited person will not be able to get inside the office. Now this one offers massive security to the employees and other members of the office.

Wireless Sensors

This device collects sensory information and detects any sort of change in the local environment. It helps in protecting the employees and office from gases like carbon monoxide or related toxic gases. Remember, you are protecting the ones who are helping you in the growth process of your business.

Final Words

Protecting employees and businesses should be the priority of any company. As they plan to invest in the infrastructure, legal matters of the business, and employees’ hiring process, they should even invest in security systems. This will protect the employees and the entire business from any mishap.

How to Build an Online Advertising Campaign

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StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article |Online Advertising|How to Build an Online Advertising CampaignYou might think you’re nailing it on advertising already; maybe your business is doing well without appealing to the online community. There’s no denying, though, as someone who perhaps doesn’t make use of online advertising, that there’s an untapped market there that you’re missing out on. Most shopping is done online; most communication is done online, and a large part of our lives, let’s be honest, is conducted through the piece of technology we put in our pockets.

Business might be booming right now, if you’re lucky, what with the pandemic, but why not do better? Maybe you’re someone who’s already using online advertising but you’re not getting the return you’re expecting. Are you doing it justice, like a real ad campaign needs? Read on for some tips on how to get the best response.

Define Your Audience

It’s all good trying to chuck you-know-what at a wall and see if it sticks, but you shouldn’t expect to get the best results from such an approach. You need to know who your customer is; you need to know who your ad campaign will appeal to. If you don’t, you can’t expect to see the best results.

Knowing who your audience is key to the success of your business; you might be lucky, your customers may always find you, for example, but not using the data you have at your disposal means you’re limiting yourself and the potential profits in front of you.

Choose Your Message

It’s one thing to know who you’re speaking to, but if you don’t know what to say, then you’re not doing a good job of getting your point across. Figure out what your message is – is it new products, company heritage, cross-selling the benefits of one product you sell with another, or all of the above? Even then, you’ll need to figure out the best way of putting this across to your core base. One demographic may respond to a campaign differently, for example. Use your team’s knowledge to figure this out and give them the breathing room to produce the best campaign.

See What Your Rivals Are Doing

There’s no shame in looking at what your competitors are doing. It’s not copying. But if they’re taking a certain approach, whether through the copy they use or they’re taking an uncommon approach that can lend ideas to your next campaign, learn from it. Take what you can from their creations but create your own approach – make something entirely unique and use what you can to be inspired. It doesn’t even have to come from your competitors if you’d prefer to stay away from this area. Just don’t be afraid to use others’ material to carve out your own out-of-the-box approach.

Learn From The Past

If this isn’t your first ad campaign, you’ll likely have a lot to say about the successes of your past attempts. But, really, what you need to look at, is where things could’ve gone better. The perfect team offers a multitude of perspectives – both at the point of conception to beyond implementation. Tap into that. A decent ad campaign is made using the strengths of you and your team, so, naturally, a good reflection on how things could’ve gone better works the same way.

Seek out candid responses from your key players – get their thoughts and trust how they feel. Sometimes, letting your team of experts take points on this stuff, rather than relying on your own judgements, can be the difference between a successful online advertising campaign and stagnating.

See It Through

Devising an advertising campaign is a process – it doesn’t start or end with half measures. You have to see it through to the end, and the end is an important part of the strategy you and your team have pulled together. With all the above in mind, once your campaign has run its course and you’ve achieved what you can from it, it’s time to debrief. What could’ve gone differently? Do you need to learn more about online ad formats and the ones that could’ve served you best?

Statistically, some forms of advertising are more effective than others, but which ones resonate best with your audience? It’s time to push those to connect with existing customers and figure out which formats work best to entice new loyalty to your brand. A lot more can be learned from our weaknesses and failures, so don’t neglect them.