You can’t go very long without hearing someone in mainstream media, on social media, or in your various adventures in Google search talking about “your brand”, alongside all kinds of opinions discussing how important it is. In the midst of that widespread conversation about brands, though, real explanations and discussions about what it really means and how to cultivate your brand are in short supply. That’s why we’re writing this post, to answer a lot of the simple questions that many business owners have about building a brand, instead of referring to it in a vague fashion that isn’t all that helpful, as many other sources have been doing for years. We’re going to describe what a brand translates to in the real world, as well as how you can start building yours today. Start Building Your Brand Now Many new business owners tend to think that creating a brand …
7 Ways that Owners Give Their Business a Terrible Image
When you’ve got a small business to run, there’s a lot to stay on top of, and you may not spend a whole lot of time worrying about the image that your business projects to customers. You should, though, and it’s not something to which you need to devote a ton of time and resources. In the end, it really comes down to common sense because the idea is to never do anything that makes your company look bad, while making certain moves to deliberately improve your image at the same time. You would be surprised by how influential this aspect can be to motivate people to either patronize your business or decide to pass you over, just because they’re getting bad vibes from you. Take a look at the following points to get a better idea of what you should be giving your attention to improve your overall …
Basecamp vs. OneDesk: Expertly Manage & Complete Any Project
A good project manager has always been one of the most valued people to have in a company, and for good reason because it’s an extremely difficult job. Projects have so many different moving parts, including various people who each have a responsibility, constantly changing needs of the client, and hard deadlines to meet, that it’s almost a miracle that projects can be completed, and completed on time. That’s why a skilled and experienced project manager is so sought after, but today, tools like Basecamp and OneDesk, that we’re going to look at in this post, take many of the challenges out of completing any kind of project for your business. Both of these services are fully-equipped to help you bring projects to completion and save a considerable amount of time, but our goal here is to show the benefits of each one, so that you can make a …
Key Areas of Your Home Business to Start Outsourcing Today
Are you killing yourself trying to get everything done for your home business, yet there are always things that seem to never be accomplished? Well, that should tell you that you’re not going to be able to get it all done alone, and you need some help. If you have friends or colleagues who are willing to help you for free or for a small fee, then that’s very fortunate; meanwhile, many home business owners won’t have that luxury and will need to seek outside help. You can outsource almost any area for your small business. Depending on what you’re willing to hand over to a third party and trust them to get the job done properly, it can be an extremely helpful resource to use outsourcing, even if it’s only temporarily, or for certain projects that are particularly demanding. What follows here are just a few examples of things …
What to Do When Your Business Line Gets Excessive Unwanted Calls
Your first instinct when you start getting a lot of unwanted calls to your business number will be to become panicked and angry. That is natural and totally understandable, but try not to freak out because you do have some pretty effective options to stop it from happening. It can be extremely frustrating when this happens to you, as it can make you feel completely powerless. In addition to feeling like there’s nothing you can do to stop it, you might also have a hard time getting anyone to help, including your own phone service provider. Even if you can’t get the help you expect from your provider, there are definitely measures you can take to handle it yourself, sometimes pretty quickly. Try out these options, and by the time you get through all of them, you’ll probably have eliminated most of the unwanted calls, if not all of them. …
Grovo & Clockspot Are the Perfect Pair for Human Resources
You need a lot of different tools to run a successful small business. Some will be more important to you than others, and some tools are essential, that you really can’t do without. For one, time tracking for employees is an element without which you can’t effectively manage your team. In addition to this, there is another tool that you can get as a service provided by Grovo, which is workplace learning and job training. With this service, you can create everything from quick tutorial videos that can show employees how to execute different tasks that are required for their positions, to extensive, thoughtful lessons about ethics and other valuable topics that will help higher-level employees to have greater success in their respective departments of the company. Grovo and Clockspot are providers that give you simple, high-performing tools which cover both of these areas. Workplace Training & Time …
How to Leverage Social Media to Rapidly Grow Your Home Business
Social media. Nothing has grown in so much power and influence, or become so ubiquitous in the past decade, to the point where it is actually now an essential element for any business trying to successfully market their product. If you are a business owner who is of the opinion that it might help with a little advertising but cannot have any significant effect to grow your business, then it’s a good thing you’re here because nothing could be further from the truth. Social media marketing is one of the fastest ways to grow your business. If you don’t utilize SMM as part of your marketing strategy, then you’re neglecting a large group of people who want to connect with you and become new customers through these channels. Whether you are already active and knowledgeable with social media, or you have no idea whatsoever how to navigate it, this post …
5 Excellent Tools for Small Business CRM
Customer relationship management has the potential to turn your small business into a powerhouse that draws in new customers with a huge lead-to-conversion rate. All you have to do is figure out exactly what your customers are looking for, give it to them, and do that deliberately on a consistent basis. The whole point of CRM is to meet people where they are because people don’t want the generalized, packaged experience; they want a personalized, human experience that anticipates and satisfies their needs. There has never been a time when it was easier to do this than it is right now. Take these 5 CRM services, try them out, and see for yourself if any of them will be a good fit for you because they might just transform your business. 1. Salesforce Salesforce has designated 4 basic departments within their service which they serve for your business to produce …
Taking Mental Health Days and How to Manage Them
There are days when your mind is so cluttered and overwhelmed that you wake up for the day’s work, and you’re not sure if you can even handle it. That is one of those times when you need to take a day for yourself to restore and preserve your own mental health. This isn’t a gimmick, and it’s not something that people make up to get out of work—it’s a genuine issue with which all of us need to be concerned. To look at this properly and deal with it appropriately, you have to, first, gain a better understanding of where it comes from. Then, you’ll be able to decide for yourself when you need a mental health day, and how is the best way to manage them as it applies to your own professional and personal life. Mental Health vs. Mental Illness The first thing we’ll …
Toll Free or Local Number: Which One Does Your Business Need?
Something as simple as a phone number isn’t often on the minds of entrepreneurs starting a business for the first time. With most business tools found in the cloud or on your computer, you probably won’t need to worry about your phones until you have at least a few customers. As your company grows and evolves, the number of phone calls you have to handle will increase, and having a professional phone number will prove to be invaluable. This leaves you with an important choice to make; should you go with a local or toll-free phone number? These different types of phone numbers provide a similar user experience, but offer a diverse range of opportunities along the way, making it critical that you consider them carefully. Before diving into the differences between these number options, it’s a good idea to take a look at what they are. What …