There comes a time in which your production or industrial business outgrows its current surroundings and develops a need for increased capacity and facilities, yet searching for the ideal space can seem like an almost impossible task. You may believe that there are a wealth of different commercial buildings on the market for you to choose between, but this couldn’t be further from the truth – you can spend years searching for a good property to rent or purchase, as they are few and far between. This is exactly why so many organisations choose to create their own factory space to fit every single one of their individual needs, and have full reign over the decision making process to keep costs down and form the ideal production location. Building your own commercial property needn’t be as difficult as you might initially think, as there are few simple ideas and concepts that you can utilise to ensure you can cover all bases and succeed in your quests to expand and grow. So, if you want to find out more, then read on to uncover some of the best top tips and tricks that you can make the most of today!
Picking The Ideal Spot
The first step that you must take when building your own commercial property is to locate the ideal spot to start your production. The place that you choose for your warehouse or factory facility has to fit a few different specifications which may vary depending on the type of your business, so it’s important that you seek out the right location rather than opting for the cheapest land possible. If you regularly send and receive goods or materials, it’s vital that you choose a place that’s got great transport links with main roads nearby, as though remote land may be cheaper it is far tougher to access. Most factory workplaces create a lot of noise pollution that can easily distrust any residential neighbours, so seek out a location that doesn’t back on to a suburban area.
Making The Floorplan
Once you have identified the perfect place to build your commercial property, the next step that you have to complete involves creating the initial floor plan for your new factory space. You must consider all of the workspace and features that you require to encourage your business to continue progressing, so assess your current situation to gather the basics and think about the improvements you require that pushed you to build your own property in the first place. Factor in future growth and accommodate space for more employees than you have right now, otherwise you will soon find yourself in the same situation again. If you need to seek out the support of a professional then do not hesitate to contact a commercial architect that can aid you in making the most of the space you have.
Sourcing Affordable Materials
When your floor plan is finalised it’s now time to start deciding on the last few details, most of which involve choosing the perfect materials for your build. This can be the most expensive step if you are not smart in your search, so it’s important that you can take some time to do some digging to secure an affordable price. Start off with the basics such as bricks and cement, and try to strike a better deal with your supplier if you’re going to buy in bulk. Next, find the best commercial roofing supplier to finish off the basic shell of your new factory space, and invest in some high quality double glazing to let in some natural light. The internal layout and therefore the materials that you require will depend mainly on your own individual floor plan and business needs, so just make sure that you shop around when purchasing the remaining items to secure the best quality for the best price.
Seeking Reputable Contractors
If you do not have qualified staff already, then you must seek out some reputable contractors that can begin your building work in a safe and efficient way. There are many risks associated with your actual build, from staff related injury to financial loss, so you must make an effort to find contractors who have many previous happy customers that can guarantee the best service. Going out on a whim and picking the first search engine result will no doubt cause you many problems later down the line, so don’t make the mistake of wasting your time, money and effort on builders who don’t have the right qualifications or experience for the job. Always ask to see previous examples of contractors work, and get all receipts and agreements in writing as you simply cannot just rely on their word.
Finding Machinery & Equipment
When the shell of your building is built and the relevant services such as electricity and running water have been rigged up and turned on, it’s time to start investing in some machinery and equipment to get your business up and running. It’s likely you’ll want to bring some items from your old premises with you, but it’s vital that you can increase the amount of machinery you have to accommodate your growing organisation. Purchasing new models of vital equipment can help you to modernise your business and create a more advanced and productive workplace, so then you can upgrade your business in more terms than just space. If you don’t have the cash to start buying huge machinery after building your factory then do not stress, as you can easily rent out or hire the machinery you need for a much more affordable price.
Creating your own factory space has never been so simple when you are able to make the most of the ideas and concepts detailed above! It’s so important that you can make a detailed plan and follow each step carefully so that you can fulfill your business needs, keep costs down and make sure that your staff are out of harm’s way too, but with these tips and tricks in mind it couldn’t be easier to get started today.
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One of the biggest issues facing small and medium businesses is financing. And the ability to secure finance is often directly related to the business’s credit score. But it’s often a challenge for small businesses to establish their credit when they have nothing to show for it. However, there are some things any new small business owner can do to boost their credit and get access to more financing options. Here are the exact steps you should follow to boost your business’s credit score.
Know the Basics
If you want to build your business’s credit, you first have to understand how it works. While consumer credit scores are usually rated on a scale of 300 to 850, business credit scores are usually rated from 0 to 100. A variety of other indicators are also used to calculate business credit scores, like Fico’s rating service for small businesses (SBSS), which rates business credit on a different scale.
You should also know that each of the main credit bureaus for businesses, Dun & Bradstreet, Experian and Equifax, all have their own set of criteria when scoring a business’s credit. However, for the most part, they will all look at things like credit obligation data, how much outstanding debt you have with lenders and supplier, your total credit utilization, background info on your company, such as what sector you operate in and how long you’ve been in business, and various other factors.
While having no history can make getting credit more difficult, it’s also the perfect place to start since you have no blemishes on your record yet, which allows you to start building your credit on solid grounds.
In 2019, it becomes very hard to understand the credit score world, if you want to read more about credit score and basics, check out this guide from the experts of Finimpact.
Make Sure That Your Finances are Separated
If your business happens to be incorporated, keeping finances separate will be easy. But if you’re a sole proprietor, you have to make sure that you completely separate your finances and that you keep your personal transactions and business transactions separate at all times. This means opening a bank account and getting a business credit card as well.
When choosing a business credit card, make sure that you pick one with perks that will benefit you in your line of business. For instance, if you spend a lot on wireless phone service, there are business credit cards that will give you bonus cash back on wireless spending. It would also be wise to check reviews of business credit cards Canada so you can compare things like APR and rewards as well.
Keeping your finances separate will ensure that bad personal spending habits and debt do not end up affecting your business credit score and vice versa.
Get a DUNS Number
Dun & Bradstreet is a major credit bureau recognized worldwide and can play a vital role in helping you establish your business’s credit. You can also use your DUNS number to bid on a variety of government contracts.
Once you get your DUNS number, they will open your business’s credit profile using that number. It will help them track your vendor and lender relationships to get a clearer picture of your business’s financial stability and assess your creditworthiness.
Open Multiple Credit Accounts
Getting a business credit card and bank account is only the first step. Now, you should try opening more credit lines to help you establish your credit. These accounts will allow you to show that you are a trustworthy borrower. But you have to have discipline and use them correctly, however. Making one-time payments will help credit bureaus keep a track record of your financial activity and stability and adjust your score accordingly.
Some examples of accounts you could open include gas cards, store accounts, and lines of credit. Not enough small businesses open a line of credit, but it’s an important step for any business trying to establish their credit.
Choose Vocal Vendors
While you want to flex and use that credit, it’s essential that you spend money with vendors that will actually be reporting your activity to credit bureaus. You have to make sure that you spend your money with vendors who have an actual reporting strategy in place. If you aren’t sure, just ask them. If they don’t have one, then you should consider spending your money somewhere else.
Be Responsible
This should be common sense but make sure that you pay your bills on time is essential if you want to establish a strong credit score. And while paying on time is good, paying early is even better. Some indicators will only give you a perfect score if you consistently pay early, so do everything in your power to pay your bills as soon as possible if you can.
Make Sure You Check Your Reports Often
You’d be surprised at how many people got credit rejected because of false information on their credit reports. Maybe it’s an outstanding bill that they paid but didn’t show. Or an account that was closed that still shows as active. These are all things that could affect your credit negatively and that you must address immediately. All you need to do is request a copy of your credit report and look for any inconsistencies. If you see any, credit bureaus will have a clear and easy to set of procedures you can take to correct errors.
Use Your Credit
Credit utilization is an important factor when credit bureaus assess your credit score. So, it’s important that you actually use your credit and don’t leave your credit lines sitting there without using them. This is why you should start using them as soon as possible, but make sure that you don’t max them out. As a rule of thumb, you should aim for about a 20 to 30 percent utilization rate.
Conclusion
Building your credit as a small business is possible if you take the proper steps and maintain good habits. Make sure that you follow the tips in this article if you want to start building your business credit the right way.
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If you’re fairly new to business, then there is a lot to learn. Of course, it will vary what you need to know, depending on the kind of business that you have. But one aspect that can universally benefit businesses is cloud computing. This is where data is stored and managed, as well as processed, and it is all done using a network of servers that are hosted remotely. This kind of computing and storage for business data is popular with business users for a number of reasons. It offers some savings, as well as a large capacity of storage. So if you’re still not sure, here are some of the reasons why cloud computing could be just what your business needs.
Save money
There is one thing that a lot of business owners have in common, and that is that they will always be on the lookout for different ways to save money. And for any business that is looking to use technology, and see if it offers any value, won’t have to look too far from cloud computing in terms of getting a good return on their investment. Cloud computing means that you don’t need your own hardware as everything is hosted elsewhere, which can be a good saving. Plus, if you look for a cheap VPS (virtual private server), then you will be able to save even more. Cloud computing means that you won’t have to cover the costs of security, power, and insurance for this kind of thing, as it is all taken care of remotely.
Strategic competitive advantage
The time in cloud computing is low, and any applications that are needed for growth and success can be found online nearly instantly. This helps to give you a strategic competitive advantage over any competitors, especially those that have not yet got on board with those kinds of cloud technology. It also means that as a smaller business, you’re not at a disadvantage compared to large businesses. You can all be on the same playing field when it comes to data and storage.
Lightning fast performance
If you want to stay competitive, then you need to have cloud service providers that will help to update technology to then meet the demands of the business customers. This can mean that cloud computing gives great performance which can be a huge benefit for business. Cloud computing also uses load balancing to make sure that no server suffers with any performance problems.
Flexible working
Cloud computing is something that will provide much greater flexibility in the way that employees work. It can mean that no matter where people are working from, they will be able to access the same information, as it is all internet based. Flexible working, especially in recent weeks, has improved so much, and more and more businesses are seeing that it can help their business, so it is definitely something that is here to stay. Using cloud computing can help your business as people work more flexibly, as it will keep everyone up to date.
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Retirement does not need to mean the end of work for senior citizens if they don’t want it to. There are many businesses that even those in need of in-home senior care can start. These businesses can give retirees extra income while still allowing them the flexibility to enjoy their retirement.
These 6 online businesses are good for retirees to start.
Senior Citizens Can Start an Online Genealogy Researching Business
Genealogists research the history of a family, and they can use the Internet to access genealogical records and create a detailed family tree for clients. This work is research-intensive so people are willing to pay others to do it for them. This makes it an ideal home business for retired seniors with time on their hands.
Although much of the research can be done online, genealogists sometimes need to go to libraries, churches or courthouses. They may also need to conduct interviews with people. This part of the job is excellent for seniors who enjoy getting out and socializing with others.
Starting a Virtual Assistant Business Can Help Retirees Earn Money
Virtual assistants are like administrative assistants who work remotely. They can help a business with a variety of tasks such as research, social media management, bookkeeping, data entry, managing email, booking travel, calendar management and more.
Senior citizens who want to start an online virtual assistant business need to assess the existing skills that they can offer and then decide if they want to learn new skills to add them to their offerings or just focus on the ones they already have.
Retirees Can Start a Writing or Blogging Business
There is a great need for quality content online, and senior citizens who want to start their own business can call upon their years of experience and knowledge to write that content. In fact, writing is an excellent home business for seniors who want to work entirely from home because all writing, research and telephone interviews can be done from the comfort of a home office.
Retirees who want to start a writing or blogging business should create a website with samples of their writing, perhaps creating their own blog that touches on the subjects they can write about. This will give them a portfolio to point potential clients to.
A Photo Business is Great for Senior Citizens with Tech Skills
For an older adult who knows their way around Photoshop or other photo enhancing tools, starting an online photo business is ideal. The business can offer services such as photo restoration of old or damaged photos, digitizing slides, negatives or prints, touching up digital images and more.
An investment in some hardware and software may be necessary for a senior citizen to start this business. Once that investment is made, a creative senior can make extra retirement income helping others enhance and preserve their photo memories.
Retired Teachers and Professionals Can Start an Online Tutoring Business
The ability to connect with others through video chat makes online tutoring easy. Former teachers and other professionals can offer their expert knowledge in subjects that students need to be tutored in and do that tutoring online.
This is one online business seniors can start that they might be able to get underway just by word of mouth. An older adult who announces on social media that they would like to tutor others in a subject they qualify to teach may find students very quickly.
Senior Citizens with Web Design Experience Can Start their Own Business Designing Websites
There are many website building sites such as WIX or Squarespace that make it simple to get a website up and running quickly. Tech-savvy seniors who take the time to get to know a couple of these sites can start a business that builds websites for others.
A senior who wants to open a company that helps other retirees may even consider starting a website designing business for other senior citizens that want to start their own online businesses.
About the Author
Kelsey Simpson enjoys writing about things that can help others. She lives in South Jersey and is the proud companion to two German Shepherds and spends her free time volunteering in dog shelters.
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There are many ways available to market your business. Discovering which media is best to reach your customers takes patience and research. Some of the most popular avenues to explore today involve the internet and social media. Here are a few reasons to try online marketing.
Bigger Audience
Your Orlando web design gets more views from around the world than an article in the paper will. Customers can shop your company at any time of the day whether you are open or closed. If you have merchandise for them to select and pay for, they can do this on their own time. They can also schedule an appointment with you there if you offer a service instead of goods. If they are pleased with what they find on your site, they will share it with family and friends. Their word of mouth will bring in more sales and revenue into your company. You are able to reach new customers on their schedule with little help from your sales staff. However, be sure to add a link so that you can be contacted with questions from those people who want to work with you.
Stay Competitive
Nearly every organization has either a website, social media site or both. To stay up with your competition, you need a spot for your customers to find you and learn about your company. Put as much information as you can concerning your business on your sites so that your clientele can learn what you have to offer them. If they are local, they will visit your physical store after they shop your virtual one. Also the higher you can get your name on a Google search, the more traffic you will drive to your internet presence.
Builds Relationships With Customers
Having a spot on the internet where clients can review the products you sell or the services you provide can be intimidating. However, the way you work with them also displays how great your customer service can be. Customers that are pleased with your company will leave critiques that tell the world what they like about your business and why they recommended it. If you do get evaluations that state problems that a customer had, you have the opportunity to address them online and offer to make it right for them. When you do this, others who are reading these reviews will see that your client’s happiness is a priority to you.
Affordable Advertising
Another benefit of online marketing is that it costs less to reach more people than the mediums you normally know. Hiring someone to design your website can be expensive. However, when it is finished, the fee to keep it on the internet is minimal. It can be even cheaper if you or a staff member has the ability to assemble it and upload the final product. Putting an advertisement on social media is a fraction of the cost of a television or radio ad and reaches a much larger audience. It can also post at all hours of the day, drawing potential clients to shop your company even while your physical store is closed and your staff is gone. Marketing on the internet and by social media lets your advertising dollar go farther and reach more people.
Change Plans In an Instant
Online marketing allows you to use trial and error in your advertising that traditional methods are unable to do. You can promote a certain product to a select demographic on social media to see if it will work. If the results are slow, you can change up what you are trying to sell or widen the criteria of customers you want to reach. This can be done within hours of your first post. You can extend a campaign that is working or shut down one that is having issues. The option to tweak your ads until they work is in your hands. This also works for your website as well. If you receive feedback from customers that your site needs more photos, videos, or colors, you can make these changes before your client looks at it again. Constantly adding to and changing your social pages and website will bring people back over and over to see what is new.
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Business Programs
Creating Your Own Factory Space
/in Managing Your Business/by StrategyDrivenPicking The Ideal Spot
The first step that you must take when building your own commercial property is to locate the ideal spot to start your production. The place that you choose for your warehouse or factory facility has to fit a few different specifications which may vary depending on the type of your business, so it’s important that you seek out the right location rather than opting for the cheapest land possible. If you regularly send and receive goods or materials, it’s vital that you choose a place that’s got great transport links with main roads nearby, as though remote land may be cheaper it is far tougher to access. Most factory workplaces create a lot of noise pollution that can easily distrust any residential neighbours, so seek out a location that doesn’t back on to a suburban area.
Making The Floorplan
Once you have identified the perfect place to build your commercial property, the next step that you have to complete involves creating the initial floor plan for your new factory space. You must consider all of the workspace and features that you require to encourage your business to continue progressing, so assess your current situation to gather the basics and think about the improvements you require that pushed you to build your own property in the first place. Factor in future growth and accommodate space for more employees than you have right now, otherwise you will soon find yourself in the same situation again. If you need to seek out the support of a professional then do not hesitate to contact a commercial architect that can aid you in making the most of the space you have.
Sourcing Affordable Materials
When your floor plan is finalised it’s now time to start deciding on the last few details, most of which involve choosing the perfect materials for your build. This can be the most expensive step if you are not smart in your search, so it’s important that you can take some time to do some digging to secure an affordable price. Start off with the basics such as bricks and cement, and try to strike a better deal with your supplier if you’re going to buy in bulk. Next, find the best commercial roofing supplier to finish off the basic shell of your new factory space, and invest in some high quality double glazing to let in some natural light. The internal layout and therefore the materials that you require will depend mainly on your own individual floor plan and business needs, so just make sure that you shop around when purchasing the remaining items to secure the best quality for the best price.
Seeking Reputable Contractors
If you do not have qualified staff already, then you must seek out some reputable contractors that can begin your building work in a safe and efficient way. There are many risks associated with your actual build, from staff related injury to financial loss, so you must make an effort to find contractors who have many previous happy customers that can guarantee the best service. Going out on a whim and picking the first search engine result will no doubt cause you many problems later down the line, so don’t make the mistake of wasting your time, money and effort on builders who don’t have the right qualifications or experience for the job. Always ask to see previous examples of contractors work, and get all receipts and agreements in writing as you simply cannot just rely on their word.
Finding Machinery & Equipment
When the shell of your building is built and the relevant services such as electricity and running water have been rigged up and turned on, it’s time to start investing in some machinery and equipment to get your business up and running. It’s likely you’ll want to bring some items from your old premises with you, but it’s vital that you can increase the amount of machinery you have to accommodate your growing organisation. Purchasing new models of vital equipment can help you to modernise your business and create a more advanced and productive workplace, so then you can upgrade your business in more terms than just space. If you don’t have the cash to start buying huge machinery after building your factory then do not stress, as you can easily rent out or hire the machinery you need for a much more affordable price.
Creating your own factory space has never been so simple when you are able to make the most of the ideas and concepts detailed above! It’s so important that you can make a detailed plan and follow each step carefully so that you can fulfill your business needs, keep costs down and make sure that your staff are out of harm’s way too, but with these tips and tricks in mind it couldn’t be easier to get started today.
8 Steps to Building Your Business Credit
/in Managing Your Finances/by StrategyDrivenKnow the Basics
If you want to build your business’s credit, you first have to understand how it works. While consumer credit scores are usually rated on a scale of 300 to 850, business credit scores are usually rated from 0 to 100. A variety of other indicators are also used to calculate business credit scores, like Fico’s rating service for small businesses (SBSS), which rates business credit on a different scale.
You should also know that each of the main credit bureaus for businesses, Dun & Bradstreet, Experian and Equifax, all have their own set of criteria when scoring a business’s credit. However, for the most part, they will all look at things like credit obligation data, how much outstanding debt you have with lenders and supplier, your total credit utilization, background info on your company, such as what sector you operate in and how long you’ve been in business, and various other factors.
While having no history can make getting credit more difficult, it’s also the perfect place to start since you have no blemishes on your record yet, which allows you to start building your credit on solid grounds.
In 2019, it becomes very hard to understand the credit score world, if you want to read more about credit score and basics, check out this guide from the experts of Finimpact.
Make Sure That Your Finances are Separated
If your business happens to be incorporated, keeping finances separate will be easy. But if you’re a sole proprietor, you have to make sure that you completely separate your finances and that you keep your personal transactions and business transactions separate at all times. This means opening a bank account and getting a business credit card as well.
When choosing a business credit card, make sure that you pick one with perks that will benefit you in your line of business. For instance, if you spend a lot on wireless phone service, there are business credit cards that will give you bonus cash back on wireless spending. It would also be wise to check reviews of business credit cards Canada so you can compare things like APR and rewards as well.
Keeping your finances separate will ensure that bad personal spending habits and debt do not end up affecting your business credit score and vice versa.
Get a DUNS Number
Dun & Bradstreet is a major credit bureau recognized worldwide and can play a vital role in helping you establish your business’s credit. You can also use your DUNS number to bid on a variety of government contracts.
Once you get your DUNS number, they will open your business’s credit profile using that number. It will help them track your vendor and lender relationships to get a clearer picture of your business’s financial stability and assess your creditworthiness.
Open Multiple Credit Accounts
Getting a business credit card and bank account is only the first step. Now, you should try opening more credit lines to help you establish your credit. These accounts will allow you to show that you are a trustworthy borrower. But you have to have discipline and use them correctly, however. Making one-time payments will help credit bureaus keep a track record of your financial activity and stability and adjust your score accordingly.
Some examples of accounts you could open include gas cards, store accounts, and lines of credit. Not enough small businesses open a line of credit, but it’s an important step for any business trying to establish their credit.
Choose Vocal Vendors
While you want to flex and use that credit, it’s essential that you spend money with vendors that will actually be reporting your activity to credit bureaus. You have to make sure that you spend your money with vendors who have an actual reporting strategy in place. If you aren’t sure, just ask them. If they don’t have one, then you should consider spending your money somewhere else.
Be Responsible
This should be common sense but make sure that you pay your bills on time is essential if you want to establish a strong credit score. And while paying on time is good, paying early is even better. Some indicators will only give you a perfect score if you consistently pay early, so do everything in your power to pay your bills as soon as possible if you can.
Make Sure You Check Your Reports Often
You’d be surprised at how many people got credit rejected because of false information on their credit reports. Maybe it’s an outstanding bill that they paid but didn’t show. Or an account that was closed that still shows as active. These are all things that could affect your credit negatively and that you must address immediately. All you need to do is request a copy of your credit report and look for any inconsistencies. If you see any, credit bureaus will have a clear and easy to set of procedures you can take to correct errors.
Use Your Credit
Credit utilization is an important factor when credit bureaus assess your credit score. So, it’s important that you actually use your credit and don’t leave your credit lines sitting there without using them. This is why you should start using them as soon as possible, but make sure that you don’t max them out. As a rule of thumb, you should aim for about a 20 to 30 percent utilization rate.
Conclusion
Building your credit as a small business is possible if you take the proper steps and maintain good habits. Make sure that you follow the tips in this article if you want to start building your business credit the right way.
Are there Benefits of Cloud Computing for Businesses?
/in Business Operations Management, Managing Your Business, Tactical Execution/by StrategyDrivenIf you’re fairly new to business, then there is a lot to learn. Of course, it will vary what you need to know, depending on the kind of business that you have. But one aspect that can universally benefit businesses is cloud computing. This is where data is stored and managed, as well as processed, and it is all done using a network of servers that are hosted remotely. This kind of computing and storage for business data is popular with business users for a number of reasons. It offers some savings, as well as a large capacity of storage. So if you’re still not sure, here are some of the reasons why cloud computing could be just what your business needs.
Save money
There is one thing that a lot of business owners have in common, and that is that they will always be on the lookout for different ways to save money. And for any business that is looking to use technology, and see if it offers any value, won’t have to look too far from cloud computing in terms of getting a good return on their investment. Cloud computing means that you don’t need your own hardware as everything is hosted elsewhere, which can be a good saving. Plus, if you look for a cheap VPS (virtual private server), then you will be able to save even more. Cloud computing means that you won’t have to cover the costs of security, power, and insurance for this kind of thing, as it is all taken care of remotely.
Strategic competitive advantage
The time in cloud computing is low, and any applications that are needed for growth and success can be found online nearly instantly. This helps to give you a strategic competitive advantage over any competitors, especially those that have not yet got on board with those kinds of cloud technology. It also means that as a smaller business, you’re not at a disadvantage compared to large businesses. You can all be on the same playing field when it comes to data and storage.
Lightning fast performance
If you want to stay competitive, then you need to have cloud service providers that will help to update technology to then meet the demands of the business customers. This can mean that cloud computing gives great performance which can be a huge benefit for business. Cloud computing also uses load balancing to make sure that no server suffers with any performance problems.
Flexible working
Cloud computing is something that will provide much greater flexibility in the way that employees work. It can mean that no matter where people are working from, they will be able to access the same information, as it is all internet based. Flexible working, especially in recent weeks, has improved so much, and more and more businesses are seeing that it can help their business, so it is definitely something that is here to stay. Using cloud computing can help your business as people work more flexibly, as it will keep everyone up to date.
Online Businesses Popular for Senior Citizens to Start
/in Starting Your Business/by Kelsey SimpsonThese 6 online businesses are good for retirees to start.
Senior Citizens Can Start an Online Genealogy Researching Business
Genealogists research the history of a family, and they can use the Internet to access genealogical records and create a detailed family tree for clients. This work is research-intensive so people are willing to pay others to do it for them. This makes it an ideal home business for retired seniors with time on their hands.
Although much of the research can be done online, genealogists sometimes need to go to libraries, churches or courthouses. They may also need to conduct interviews with people. This part of the job is excellent for seniors who enjoy getting out and socializing with others.
Starting a Virtual Assistant Business Can Help Retirees Earn Money
Virtual assistants are like administrative assistants who work remotely. They can help a business with a variety of tasks such as research, social media management, bookkeeping, data entry, managing email, booking travel, calendar management and more.
Senior citizens who want to start an online virtual assistant business need to assess the existing skills that they can offer and then decide if they want to learn new skills to add them to their offerings or just focus on the ones they already have.
Retirees Can Start a Writing or Blogging Business
There is a great need for quality content online, and senior citizens who want to start their own business can call upon their years of experience and knowledge to write that content. In fact, writing is an excellent home business for seniors who want to work entirely from home because all writing, research and telephone interviews can be done from the comfort of a home office.
Retirees who want to start a writing or blogging business should create a website with samples of their writing, perhaps creating their own blog that touches on the subjects they can write about. This will give them a portfolio to point potential clients to.
A Photo Business is Great for Senior Citizens with Tech Skills
For an older adult who knows their way around Photoshop or other photo enhancing tools, starting an online photo business is ideal. The business can offer services such as photo restoration of old or damaged photos, digitizing slides, negatives or prints, touching up digital images and more.
An investment in some hardware and software may be necessary for a senior citizen to start this business. Once that investment is made, a creative senior can make extra retirement income helping others enhance and preserve their photo memories.
Retired Teachers and Professionals Can Start an Online Tutoring Business
The ability to connect with others through video chat makes online tutoring easy. Former teachers and other professionals can offer their expert knowledge in subjects that students need to be tutored in and do that tutoring online.
This is one online business seniors can start that they might be able to get underway just by word of mouth. An older adult who announces on social media that they would like to tutor others in a subject they qualify to teach may find students very quickly.
Senior Citizens with Web Design Experience Can Start their Own Business Designing Websites
There are many website building sites such as WIX or Squarespace that make it simple to get a website up and running quickly. Tech-savvy seniors who take the time to get to know a couple of these sites can start a business that builds websites for others.
A senior who wants to open a company that helps other retirees may even consider starting a website designing business for other senior citizens that want to start their own online businesses.
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Why Your Business Needs an Online Presence
/in Marketing & Sales, Online Marketing and Website Development/by StrategyDrivenBigger Audience
Your Orlando web design gets more views from around the world than an article in the paper will. Customers can shop your company at any time of the day whether you are open or closed. If you have merchandise for them to select and pay for, they can do this on their own time. They can also schedule an appointment with you there if you offer a service instead of goods. If they are pleased with what they find on your site, they will share it with family and friends. Their word of mouth will bring in more sales and revenue into your company. You are able to reach new customers on their schedule with little help from your sales staff. However, be sure to add a link so that you can be contacted with questions from those people who want to work with you.
Stay Competitive
Nearly every organization has either a website, social media site or both. To stay up with your competition, you need a spot for your customers to find you and learn about your company. Put as much information as you can concerning your business on your sites so that your clientele can learn what you have to offer them. If they are local, they will visit your physical store after they shop your virtual one. Also the higher you can get your name on a Google search, the more traffic you will drive to your internet presence.
Builds Relationships With Customers
Having a spot on the internet where clients can review the products you sell or the services you provide can be intimidating. However, the way you work with them also displays how great your customer service can be. Customers that are pleased with your company will leave critiques that tell the world what they like about your business and why they recommended it. If you do get evaluations that state problems that a customer had, you have the opportunity to address them online and offer to make it right for them. When you do this, others who are reading these reviews will see that your client’s happiness is a priority to you.
Affordable Advertising
Another benefit of online marketing is that it costs less to reach more people than the mediums you normally know. Hiring someone to design your website can be expensive. However, when it is finished, the fee to keep it on the internet is minimal. It can be even cheaper if you or a staff member has the ability to assemble it and upload the final product. Putting an advertisement on social media is a fraction of the cost of a television or radio ad and reaches a much larger audience. It can also post at all hours of the day, drawing potential clients to shop your company even while your physical store is closed and your staff is gone. Marketing on the internet and by social media lets your advertising dollar go farther and reach more people.
Change Plans In an Instant
Online marketing allows you to use trial and error in your advertising that traditional methods are unable to do. You can promote a certain product to a select demographic on social media to see if it will work. If the results are slow, you can change up what you are trying to sell or widen the criteria of customers you want to reach. This can be done within hours of your first post. You can extend a campaign that is working or shut down one that is having issues. The option to tweak your ads until they work is in your hands. This also works for your website as well. If you receive feedback from customers that your site needs more photos, videos, or colors, you can make these changes before your client looks at it again. Constantly adding to and changing your social pages and website will bring people back over and over to see what is new.