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Managing your time more effectively as CEO

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StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Article | Managing your time more effectively as CEOThe responsibilities of a Chief Executive Officer are seemingly endless. From managing strategic direction, evaluating group and company operations to communicating with various stakeholders – the daily schedule of a CEO can be relentless. There are never enough hours in the day, and for business leaders this is certainly true. So, if you’re a relatively new CEO or you’ve been at the helm for a while – how can you manage your time more effectively?

Master Delegation

The most important thing any business leader can do to manage their time more effectively is improve their delegation skills. It can be tempting to control and oversee every aspect of a business, particularly if you’ve built it from nothing, but it’s impossible to do this as a company grows. In order to delegate effectively, you must have the right team around you and an appropriate structure beneath you to support this. This includes people that you trust to get the job done, and competent employees that you can rely on.

Travel Smart

CEOs can spend a significant amount of time traveling between meetings, offices and partners. Therefore, being smart with this time is an absolute must. For example, you could opt for private jet rental instead of commercial flights to save time by avoiding busy airports, and give you more flexibility when it comes to multi-destination trips. It’s also important to make best use of the time while traveling to free up space elsewhere in the day. You could use your travel time to power through some emails or catch up on some work that doesn’t require much collaboration.

Reserve Time

Much is demanded of CEOs from others in the organisation, and as such, a large proportion of their day can be filled with meetings and other scheduled commitments. It’s essential that you reserve some time each day or week for your own priorities, work or even just for a 10-minute breather. Pockets of time here and there can help to boost productivity and break up the day. Reserving time for yourself also relies on delegation – if someone else can take one of your meetings per day, you’ll automatically create more time for yourself to work on other projects.

Power Sessions

Being a CEO is all about imagining and developing the big picture, but you can still get caught up in the intricacies of operations. Use power sessions, or periods of intense focus, to blast through the more mundane or administrative tasks that you will undoubtedly have to do every once in a while. The same goes for emails – reserve a time slot to power through your inbox and you will almost certainly clear it quicker than if you have your mind on other things.

The Impact of Packaging on Your eCommerce Sales

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StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article | The Impact of Packaging on Your eCommerce SalesPackaging is one of the most crucial elements of an eCommerce store and it can determine the level of success your business experiences. The way you package your product goes a long way to attracting potential customers, appealing to your target audience and differentiating your brand from the competition.

With an eCommerce business, you don’t have the benefit of customers being able to pick your products up or to talk to them face to face about your offerings, so you’re reliant on first impressions. That’s where packaging comes in to win new customers, retain existing ones and boost sales.

A rising demand for sustainable packaging

Sustainability has become an increasingly prominent issue for customers in recent years, and consumers want the products they buy to be packaged in a sustainable, environmentally-friendly way. eCommerce businesses need to be sure they’re not overpacking their products which will contribute towards excess and unnecessary waste. They also need to ensure that the materials they use are recyclable or compostable to ease the burden placed on our planet.

Sustainable packaging comes in various forms and there are many packaging strategies for eCommerce businesses to try, from shipping in smaller packages to using biodegradable alternatives and plant-based solutions. These options improve your brand’s reputation, lower shipping costs for your business and increase sales.

Increased scrutiny from consumers

With the rise in online purchasing, businesses need to do all they can to connect with consumers on a personal level. In eCommerce, a customer’s perceptions of a brand are primarily based on their initial unboxing experience, so they’ll be checking for packaging damage, whether the item arrives in good condition and how the delivery experience was for them. Damage and faulty goods can negatively affect your reputation and lead to customers going to a different supplier, so the way in which you package your items makes all the difference.

This is even more important with food products. Customers have much higher standards when it comes to consumables, so you need to think about the item you’re selling and how best to package it to preserve the integrity of the product. For example, serving up one of the nation’s most popular drinks, tea bags are sensitive to light and moisture. As such, businesses in this niche need to choose packaging that provides a barrier to these elements to ensure the customer receives the product in the same condition as when you packaged it. Likewise, a company selling bath products needs to be sure the contents of a customer’s orders will remain intact and won’t absorb moisture.

The importance of visual appeal

While it’s true that packaging serves a practical function, there’s also a fantastic opportunity for eCommerce businesses to play with the design of their product and shipping packaging to elevate their brand presence and entice customers to buy. On average, customers form an opinion about a product in just 3 seconds, so you don’t have long to get their attention and keep it. Visuals are essential for representing your brand in the right way and could be the difference between a customer choosing to buy from your online business versus another.

You can use packaging design to convey your unique brand identity and messaging in a clear and concise way, so customers are immediately aware of what your business is about. Make sure your colours and fonts are cohesive with your brand and that you’re clearly displaying your business name, logo and trademarks so consumers instantly know that it’s your brand they’re purchasing from and will recognise your products from their aesthetically appealing designs.

Greater customer loyalty

Great packaging could spell the difference between a customer using your business again or switching to someone else, so it pays to take this into consideration. Consider if someone is purchasing a gift for a friend or relative. The packaging of your product could have a significant impact on whether they’re likely to consider your brand or someone else’s, and whether they’re likely to consider you again in the future.

Customer loyalty is an argument for considering custom packaging for your eCommerce goods, setting your products apart from the rest of the industry and making the design unique to your brand. Custom packaging is an underused marketing tactic that would put you a step ahead of your competition, but it also gives you the opportunity to really hone in on what your customers are looking for and provide it to them. Getting creative with the design, from the size, shape and functionality to colours and finishes, will delight your customers and encourage them to think of your business when they need to make a purchase.

Key takeaways

eCommerce businesses have to take packaging into account for a number of reasons, particularly if they want another effective method of boosting their online sales. Packaging plays an important role in protecting the interior items, providing a great service to customers and improving brand reputation and loyalty. There are so many opportunities to make packaging a focal point of a product, from playing with different designs to make your items stand out on the digital shelves to choosing sustainable materials that will give you eco points with consumers.

The main goal when it comes to increasing sales through packaging is to ensure that the style of packaging you choose is suitable for the products you’re sending out to customers and that the appearance matches up with the impression you want to give your customers.

Make Your Workplace More Hybrid Friendly For 2022

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StrategyDriven Managing Your People Article | Make Your Workplace More Hybrid Friendly For 2022Let’s set the scene.

After spending months on end working at home throughout the various lockdowns, your employees might finally be coming back into the office with a different mindset. The pandemic has ushered in a change to workplace expectations and, predominantly, a successful transition towards remote working.

Looking ahead to 2022, employees are keen to carry on their work in a more flexible manner, dividing their working week between spending time at home and in the office.

At first, you – as their employer – think this is a great idea, getting staff back inside and gradually reintroducing them into office life. But then, over time, you start to notice difficulties and issues starting to arise with this remote hybrid working setup.

You question what you can do to resolve it and start to grow increasingly concerned at how much it will cost – both financially and morally – to set up the hybrid working arrangement your office requires.

You turn to the web for answers and it is that which brings you here. Well, we have some good news – we are here to help.

Hello hybrid working

If the above situation sounds familiar, don’t worry.

From making a few technological upgrades here and there to simply learning to trust your hybrid staff, there are a number of ways you can create a workplace that is as hybrid-friendly as possible.

Listed below are just a few ideas to get you started:

1. Consider investing in training

Hybrid working is still a new concept to a lot of employers so there is no shame in consulting an expert for their help.

Rather than you going for a gung-ho, trial-and-error type approach, hybrid management training coursesare designed to provide you with all the skills you need to not only firmly understand what hybrid working is but, more importantly, how to prioritise your affiliated workers.

Plus, with the world of work looking like it’s heading towards remote working for the long term, investing early could be a great port of call, allowing you to stay ahead of the competition, attract better employees and establish a much sounder workplace environment.

2. Prioritise communication

When the coronavirus pandemic first struck, many business owners and managers scrambled to find new ways of effectively communicating important information both internally and externally.

Whether it be via Slack, email, Zoom calls or some other form of messaging service, it’s important to continue to share information in this way so that nobody – especially your hybrid workers – feel like they’re being excluded.

If anything, you should try to over-communicate at every opportunity and make every effort to maintain online meetings as you normally would have. That way, you will help ensure all of your workers receive the information at the same time, creating a much more spirited working atmosphere.

3. Re-consider your benefits package

For hybrid workers, many of the perks of working in the office are often missed out on. So, from cakes in the canteen to in-house gym memberships, whatever your current benefits package may be, it could be worth revising it to make it more appealing to hybrid workers.

Say, for example, you have employees on your books who work miles away from the office and would struggle to commute in and out on a regular basis. By subsidising a gym membership cost in their local area instead, or providing them with the opportunity to come to you with their ideas, this could make a big difference to both their happiness in the role and their level of productivity.

4. Consider the mental health ramifications

Working remotely can be a challenging experience, especially for the more extroverted of your employees. Therefore, it’s important to normalise discussions around how hybrid working feels, providing your employees with a platform to open up and, ultimately, manage their mental health.

Whether it be through setting up a virtual meditation room, a social hangout space or simply hosting regular one-to-one meetings with your staff, the more you can do to demonstrate to your hybrid workers that they’re in your mind as much as your in-office workers, the harder they are likely to work as a result.

5. Collaborate and keep everyone online

The foundation of any successful hybrid working team is having consistent collaboration between employees. Without it, staff can quickly start to feel undervalued and seek fresh opportunities where they will be more appreciated.

Therefore, to prevent this from happening in your workplace, make sure to always keep your hybrid workers in your way of thinking, always listening to their ideas even when they can’t attend the in-office meetings.

What’s more, to encourage this concept of sharing ideas even further, make sure everyone is always online and visible at the same time as one another.

Just because your in-office workers will have their colleagues to interact in person with, hybrid workers may feel a little left out in the cold without having the opportunity to freely communicate with their fellow colleagues online.

Future workplace trends

The coronavirus pandemic has forever changed the world of work, not only leading to questions over whether the traditional five day working week is still viable but also steamrolling the transition towards remote and hybrid working.

While it still seems very much a new workplace trend, looking ahead to 2022 and beyond, hybrid working appears to be here to stay. Therefore, the more you can do to ensure your office is set up correctly and your staff’s needs are met, the more productive and hybrid-friendly your business will be in the future.

Tips to Apply For a Money Market Account

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Finances Article | Tips to Apply For a Money Market AccountA money market account is a type of savings account that has a high-interest rate. These accounts have very low balance requirements and may have transaction limits. A good money market account is a safe bet for investors, but it is important to consider your financial goals and personal situation before you decide to open one. There are a few tips to remember when opening the highest-paying money market accounts. Here are some: – Make sure you check the bank’s interest rate requirements. – Research the banks’ deposit and transaction limits before you choose an account.

You can open a money market account online

If you have an existing checking account, you can go through the process of opening a money market account online. Most banks have websites that will allow you to open an internet account and access your information. Once you’ve established a connection, you’re ready to make a deposit. You can withdraw and deposit funds anytime you like, as long as you have a sufficient balance.

Check out the bank’s fees

The bank’s fees and charges can be high. However, money market accounts can be convenient to use and can pay higher interest rates than traditional bank accounts. Some banks even have no minimum balance requirements, meaning that you can use them for routine bill-paying. Ultimately, you can open a money market account with any bank that is willing to provide you with a low minimum balance.

Know the bank’s requirements

When opening a money market account, you’ll need to check the bank’s minimum balance requirements and daily balance requirements. Some banks even waive their monthly maintenance fee if you meet minimum requirements. You need to do your homework. If you have any questions or concerns, make sure to contact the bank or the financial institution to determine if they have a minimum balance requirement. You can find out if the bank offers this benefit or not.

strong>Option for transferring money

While the money market account is a popular option for transferring money, you should keep in mind that the interest rates may vary. Many people do not realize that they can receive higher interest rates with a money market account. It’s also important to make sure that you know what your bank’s rules are. This is especially important if you’re new to this type of investment. The money market account is a great place to put your savings.

There are several steps to open a money market account

The first step in opening a money market account is to decide the amount of money to deposit. Some banks require you to deposit a certain amount of money to open an account. While it is not a bad idea to invest some money in your business, it’s also important to keep your assets safe. Besides minimizing risks, a good money market account will help you earn more interest.

It’s important to remember that money market account rates may differ between banks. You should check around and find the best deal to avoid high fees and high-interest rates. When choosing a money market account, remember that it’s essential to shop around. There are many advantages and disadvantages. You need to compare money market accounts and select the right one for your financial situation. Depending on your personal situation, a money market account can be a very smart choice for growing your money.

Essential Business Lessons to Learn from Casinos

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article | Essential Business Lessons to Learn from Casinos

It can be great to look towards fields of business with great success to get inspiration on how to manage. There is a lot of business advice to collect from many areas and some of the great advice can be collected from the casino businesses.

Knowing how to handle a business and how to create success is something many people use for a lifetime to master. The complete and safe recipe for sky-high success does not exist and the market is constantly changing. Every business is different, and you will need to make the right choices for your business.

However, there are some fields of businesses that are successful when it comes to attracting customers and surviving in a competitive environment. And it is always a good idea to look to the ones with success to collect some inspiration on how to make your business stand out. The gambling field is a great place to look to as there are some essential and good lessons to take from casinos.

Focus on digitality and accessibility

The casinos have been fast at redirecting their focus on the digital world. Knowing that this is where the future lies. Online casinos have long been a part of the gambling scene. And customers have long been able to gamble wherever and whenever they wanted. Making the digital casinos rise has made gambling much more accessible, also to those who did not gamble before. This is a focus that could be vital to a business. You can visit the online casinos to collect inspiration on how they attract customers and how they cooperate with others.

On https://www.americancasinoguide.com/ you can find a list of the best-reviewed casinos and you can browse through the sites to see what they have done to get their great reviews. The most important lesson however is that you can reach a wider range of customers by going online. The future is digital and making your business excel on the digital platforms is an important factor in creating success.

StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article | Essential Business Lessons to Learn from Casinos

Go all-in on marketing

Think out of the box and be bold when it comes to marketing. It can be hard to do something that no one has ever thought of before, but you should try to stand out to make a solid impression on potential customers. If you want to use more time on marketing, you can read about different courses on https://www.CNN.com.

However, a lesson you can learn from casinos is, do not just showcase what you can offer but try to create an image of how it would be to be a part of it. The casinos speak to the full experience you get from visiting a casino. The casinos are quite rootless in their marketing, and it is probably one of the more successful strategies. Not being too fancy to use celebrities to lure people in or insert a great portion of humor into their advertisement.

Most people have at some point in their life come across a casino advertisement. And this is definitely due to their ability to make themselves noticed. They do not shy away from flashing lights to get our attention. And this is often the thing that makes it work.