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Simple Ways To Spruce Up Your Business Premises

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article |business premises|Simple Ways To Spruce Up Your Business PremisesThe way that your business premises is presented can have a huge impact on the way it is received by your audience, as an unkempt, untidy and poorly planned storefront can encourage your customers to doubt the value or quality of the products and services that you provide. Unattractive business premises may damage your reputation by giving out the wrong impression and cause you to actually lose out on customers, so there’s truly no time like the present to start improving your aesthetics today! So, if you’re interested in finding out more about how you can spruce up your business premises, then read on to discover some of the simplest steps that you can follow now to make a noticeable difference in no time at all!

Revamp Your Signage

One of the easiest ways to spruce up your business premises is by revamping your signage. Your signs are a way of your audience identifying your business, so they need to be bold, eye-catching and easy to read. There’s no point in using dark text on a dark background, as this is going to be hard to identify and your customers may not even recognize your business as a result. Always maintain a white or light colored background with large dark text, as this way your signs will be visible from far away! Use the opportunity to inject a little creativity and individuality in your signage, as you need to find a way to stand out from the crowd! Just don’t go overboard with graphics and patterns, as this can end up forcing your business into looking tacky and somewhat unprofessional. Hang your signs in clear view of any roadways, sidewalks or similar high traffic areas to ensure they benefit from the largest amount of exposure possible!

Address The Need For Curb Appeal

If you can’t draw new customers in, then you will need to rely upon repeat clients to keep your business alive. This will be more than tricky, as every business requires a certain percentage of new customers each week in order to benefit from sufficient income to cover costs and generate a profit. So, if your business premises lacks the curb appeal needed to draw in every person that walks past, then you’re likely headed for choppy waters. Curb appeal encompasses everything from your walls and external structure to your parking lot and the driveway or sidewalk that leads up to your business, so you need to get outside and take a long hard look at your premises to understand whether any improvements can be made. Hiring a paving contractor or professional painter to spruce up your business premises can be such an affordable yet effective way to revitalize the aesthetic and upgrade your curb appeal.

Sprucing up your business premises has never been so simple when you can take the time to utilize some of the brilliant tips and tricks that have been carefully detailed above! So, what are you waiting for? Get out there and transform your store today!

How To Grow Your Healthcare Business

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StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article |Grow your healthcare business|How To Grow Your Healthcare BusinessIt is estimated that healthcare spending accounted for about 19.7% of America’s GDP in 2020. The healthcare industry in America is massive, with numerous opportunities for profit. However, it is also rife with a lot of competition, so all businesses in this sector must devise clever strategies to attract a constant flow of patients. Fortunately, you can do a lot to effectively expand your patient list. If you wish to learn more about growing your healthcare business, consider the points below.

1. Leverage advanced medical technology

There is no denying that technology has transformed the entire medical field. Therefore, you can use various advanced medical technologies in your healthcare business, whether you run a pharmacy, dental clinic, general hospital, or senior care facility. These state-of-the-art technologies will help you improve patient diagnosis and treatment, making you more competitive in the industry. For instance, consider using telehealth programs to make healthcare more accessible and convenient for patients. You are likely to get more new patients if you offer telehealth services since many people prioritize convenience these days.

Similarly, consider setting up a negative pressure room in your hospital so you can isolate and treat more patients. The question “What is a negative pressure room?” is undoubtedly top of your mind right now. A negative pressure room, also called an isolation room, is an area within a hospital with interior air pressure lower than outside. These rooms are designed to prevent airborne pathogens inside from escaping into the hospital and are instrumental in isolating and treating patients with airborne infectious diseases like COVID-19 and tuberculosis. Given that only up to 4% of all hospital rooms in America are equipped for negative pressure rooms, creating one in your hospital is surely a great investment to attract more patients and grow your profits.

2. Be active on social media

Social media has become one of the most effective ways to promote your healthcare business to a broad audience. Therefore, it is essential to be present on leading social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. This way, you can run social media marketing campaigns that can help you advertise to the right people. Also, social media is fast becoming one of the primary contact points between healthcare businesses and their clients. Therefore, regularly post quality and beneficial content on your pages to keep your followers informed.

3. Encourage online reviews

The modern consumer almost always checks online reviews before selecting anything, from a healthcare company to a good movie worth watching. Consumers take these reviews pretty seriously, with BrightLocal research indicating that about four in five individuals trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. Consequently, always ask your patrons for online reviews so you don’t miss opportunities to receive and advertise positive feedback that can help you get more clients. You can get these reviews by sending out automated surveys to all patrons after their visit. However, remember that you need to provide excellent products and services in the first place to enjoy positive reviews. Therefore, make your healthcare business customer-centric to receive genuine reviews that will easily help it grow.

5 ways to support the financial wellbeing of your employees

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StrategyDriven Talent Management Article |Financial wellbeing|5 ways to support the financial wellbeing of your employeesTalking about money is something that many of us find difficult, especially when it is causing us stress. However, financial troubles can cause feelings of anxiety, which can have a lasting impact on workplace productivity. So, as an employer, how might you support the financial wellbeing of the workers in your care? Let’s take a look.

1. Take the time to understand what your employees go through

One study by the Money and Pensions Service, an organisation sponsored by the Department for Work and Pensions, found that 36% of adults in the UK, or 19 million people, feel worried when thinking about their finances.

There are a variety of reasons why people might become stressed, anxious, or worried when considering their finances, so take the time to truly understand what financial stressors are plaguing your employees. This way, you can effectively target the areas in which will boost financial wellbeing.

2. Start a conversation

Supporting financial wellbeing is not a one way conversation – in addition to asking your employees what their troubles are, you need to make sure you are listening and adapting to the ideas they are providing.

It is important to start a conversation in the workplace, fostering a culture that encourages open communication, no judgement, and confidential advice.

3. Offer financial education resources

According to a 2020 study by the Financial Conduct Authority, 96.7% of adults over 18 in the UK did not access specialist financial advice in the preceding 12 months.

This data came at a time when many of us were in the midst of financial troubles, unpredictability, and uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

If over 9 in 10 UK adults do not access financial advice even during the most uncertain times, it is clear that many of us will be unlikely to reach out to a professional when times are tough. Thus, it can be fruitful for businesses to offer financial resources for their employees, allowing them to educate themselves and gain access to crucial information, even when they might not feel comfortable approaching a professional.

4. Offer practical support

In addition to providing employees with educational resources, it can also be a good idea to back this up with practical resources, too. These offerings will provide practical support to those that need it, giving them everything they need to improve their financial security.

Practical support resources you might consider include workshops, training days, an onsite financial advice team, group income protection, life insurance, death in service benefits, and much more. Support such as income protection and life insurance will give employees the peace of mind that their essential bills can still be paid in the event they lose their income or their life.

5. Encourage an ongoing culture of communication and support

Finances are a continuous part of life – even if employees get a pay rise, this might not make worries of paying off the mortgage go away instantly. Thus, it is important to think of this as an ongoing process towards financial wellbeing, as opposed to a quick and instantaneous fix.

Perhaps you can schedule regular training sessions, or send monthly updates about the resources and benefits that employees have available to them?

Overall, with these ideas and resources in mind, businesses will have the means and opportunity to build, support, and grow financial wellbeing in the workplace.

Outsource These Tasks for Business Success

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article |Outsourcing|Outsource These Tasks for Business SuccessDo you have ambitious plans for your business but find yourself bogged down by routine tasks? If so, you will know how frustrating it is when your daily workload stands in the way of your business goals. Developing strategies for future growth so that you can scale your business successfully is vital to keep it moving forward. But when all your time is taken up on the basics of running your business, it can feel you are missing out on opportunities.

Seeing your competitors scaling their ventures while you watch from the sidelines is not something any entrepreneur wants to experience. So, taking decisive action and implementing changes that will help reclaim your time and focus on your business’s strategic direction is really beneficial. Outsourcing some of your daily tasks is an excellent way to free up your time, here are just some of the business tasks you can outsource:

IT Support

Nowadays, every business is dependent on its computer systems to keep it up and running. So, if the system fails for any reason, you need to know that you have a team on hand, and ready to help at the times you need it most is invaluable. Outsourcing your IT support is beneficial in many ways and plays a vital part in keeping your business running efficiently. When you outsource your IT support, you will benefit from help provided by a team with up-to-date knowledge and the skills required to resolve all of your IT issues quickly. This expert help allows your team to work efficiently with minimal system downtime, which is excellent news for your business and its reputation.

Bookkeeping

Keeping your accounts up-to-date and staying on top of your bookkeeping are essential tasks, but they can also be incredibly time-consuming. Add payroll into the mix, and you have a task that is more than a full-time job. Trying to perform bookkeeping tasks accurately can be highly stressful, as making a mistake can have serious consequences, so maintaining accurate accounts is essential. For this reason, many companies choose outsourced bookkeeping provided by a company that they trust. Outsourcing your business’s bookkeeping can help you to gain the peace of mind that your bookkeeping is taken care of and that you no longer need to spend your time trying to tackle complex accounting tasks.

Marketing

The marketing of your business encompasses a wide range of tasks, and paying attention to each of these is vital to getting your business noticed by your target market. But, when you are short on time, it can be hard to make your marketing efforts as effective as they could be. Many business owners find themselves taking an inconsistent approach to their marketing as they do not have the time or knowledge to focus on a solid marketing strategy. If this is an issue that you struggle with, discussing your needs with an external marketing agency could provide you with the perfect solution and help your business achieve the success that it deserves.

How to Organize Expense Reports for Your Business

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Finances Article |Expense Reports|How to Organize Expense Reports for Your BusinessDid you know that 5% of small business owners get audited each year? While the likelihood of your business getting audited by the IRS is low, it’s still important to keep your business expenses organized. Not only does that protect you on the off-chance you do get audited, but it helps you avoid paying more taxes.

Expense reports are a great way to track how much you and your employees spend. You want to have receipts and documentation to support all deductions you take at tax time.

This guide will discuss how you can track expenses and avoid tax-related headaches.

What Is an Expense Report Used For?

An expense report lists all costs related to running a company. Certain purchases are needed to run a business, such as:

  • Traveling for an event or conference
  • Entertaining and hosting clients
  • Driving your car for work
  • Meals, parking, gas, and hotel costs related to work
  • Supplies and hardware

Many of these costs are deductible when you file your business taxes. However, they need to be documented and organized.

Employees also use expense reports to get reimbursed by their employers. If an employee pays for something out of their pocket, you’ll want to verify that they paid what they’re claiming.

What’s Included in Expense Reports?

Whether you use paper or software to do your expense reports, they need to include a few things. These details include:

  • Date: The date the expense was incurred
  • Cost: The total amount for the expense, including taxes and tip
  • Description: A description of what the expense was
  • Category: What type of expense it was, such as a plane ticket or meal

You can require other details on your expense reports depending upon your needs. Noting what client the expense was for will help you stay even more organized.

Keep Your Receipts

Filling and organizing your receipts is essential to creating expense reports. Your receipts provide physical proof of the deductions your business claims on its taxes.
However, keeping around piles of receipts can take up a lot of room. You also run the risk of losing important documents.

Many programs use AI-based receipt capture to organize expenses. You can take a picture of your receipt with your smartphone. The image then gets uploaded and stored in your expense report system.

Use an Expense Report Platform

A software program is a great way to create an expense report without sifting through a ton of paperwork. For example, Bento for Business uses virtual cards so employees can track their expenses.

Employers can set daily limits for how much their employees spend. Employees can snap photos of their receipts and upload them into the system. Bento for Business then matches the transactions with the receipts, making the expense report process seamless and fast.

Save Time and Money With a Reliable Expense Report System

It’s important to stay organized with your business’s expense reports. Avoid stress around tax time and have the proof for all of your deductions with comprehensive expense reports.

Check out one of our other articles to improve your business’s practices.