managing your business Archives

3 Ways to Benefit Your Business with VoIP

January 24, 2020/0 Comments/in Managing Your Business /by StrategyDriven

When you’re trying to get your home business off the ground, one thing that is of the utmost importance is making sure you have effective ways to communicate with clients/customers, and other employees if you have them.

One of the best ways to do that is with a VoIP system. You can learn more about VoIP solutions at https://www.vtechsupport.com/services-solution/voip-solutions/. Simply put, VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) is a digital telephone service that allows you to make and receive calls through the Internet.

So, why not just use a traditional telephone to communicate with others connected to your business? Can VoIP make a difference? Let’s look at three ways this service can benefit your business, and why you might want to make the switch.

1. It’s Cheaper

You want your business to continuously grow, right? Well, think about how many phone lines you might need in order to make that happen. Even if you only have a few, if you’re working on international business, the costs can start to add up quickly when it comes to calling times.

With VoIP, you only have to pay your Internet Service Provider – and you’re doing that already! It’s a good idea to have a solutions team at the ready in case you run into any issues with your VoIP, but the cost can still be less expensive than traditional phone lines, especially if you’re making long-distance calls to other countries.

2. It Makes Conference Calls Easier

If you have to have a conference call with several people at once, VoIP is the clear winner. Not only is the cost of conferencing usually built into the VoIP service you have (unlike most phone lines), but because the communication is through the Internet, you can enjoy additional benefits.

This includes things like video conferencing where you can share images and texts in real-time. It’s a great way to keep things organized and make sure everyone on the call is getting the correct information.

3. It’s Portable for Telecommuting

Remote work has become hugely popular in the U.S. and across the globe. As of 2019, about 4.7 million employees in the U.S. work from home at least half of the time.

When you use VoIP for your business, your remote employees can connect to it from any location, and they’ll have a specific phone number that won’t change no matter where they go. Not only does it allow them to access the phone to make calls, but they can also send faxes and access the other data services of your office.

VoIP isn’t necessarily anything new, but many businesses still aren’t taking advantage of it the way they could be. So, whether you’re a business owner with several remote workers or you just want to streamline your communication options with clients and customers, it’s worth looking into VoIP solutions and how they can save you money, time, and the headaches that can sometimes come from working with a traditional phone system.

Put Better Business Strategies In Place

The business strategies that you have in place are going to change all the while. Business is about the ability to adapt and grow, and that’s only going to happen if you keep changing the strategies that you have in place. One might work for you for some while, but times change and better processes are developed to help businesses evolve. There is now more software and support packages offered by companies than ever before, making it easier than ever before to run a business. If we had all of the technology and equipment that we have now, twenty years ago, far more businesses would still be established and probably be very rich. So the point is, if you don’t adapt to the changes of the world and the changes that you can make, your business is always going to fall behind. We’re here to try and make sure that doesn’t happen. We want to show you some of the better business strategies that you can have in place, to ensure your business is always flourishing.

Better Use Of Software & Computers

Software and computers are the staple to any office. Whether it be a home office or a huge one full of staff, the amount of technology in the room will be astounding. But that doesn’t mean that everyone is going to be using it properly. Software and computing is always evolving to make sure that the user has the best experience. So, you need to be looking at tools that can make the use of software easier, such as the different sql join types. You should also be looking at software to download that helps you with the management of different areas of your business. For example, there is financial management software that will show you the precise profits, loses, and trends that you’re following.

More Invasive Marketing

Invasive marketing is definitely a technique that you need to put in place. Invasive marketing is different because it focuses on direct attention to the customer. Non invasive techniques are ones such as SEO and PPC. They’re harder to spot in the sense that they’re more likely to be ignored. But if you were to use TV or radio advertising, for example, it would be far harder to ignore because it’s right there in your face. All of the marketing techniques out there should be explored if you want to get the most out of your business.

Customer Retention Strategies

Customer retention is another strategy that you need to focus on. The more you can retain loyal customers, the more the news about your business will spread, and the more profit you’ll be able to make. To retain customers, you can use software that will analyse good and bad reviews, leaving you to comment and resolve the negatives. The more you track what people are saying about you, the less likely you’ll be to go wrong. Customer retention can also be improved by offering personalised discounts, customer aftercare, and 24 hour support.

How We Prioritize at Sticker Mule

January 11, 2020/0 Comments/in Managing Your Business, Strategic Planning, Tactical Execution /by Anthony Constantino

Organizations are the sum of their decisions. Those that prioritize well prosper and those that don’t falter. At Sticker Mule, prioritization is the most important thing we do. Our growth accelerates as we prioritized better, but there’s always room to improve.

What prioritization is not

Most literature on prioritization is terrible. It leads you to believe prioritization is about time management or how to use to-do lists. This way of thinking neglects that priorities are what make or break businesses.

Consider that Amazon started as a bookstore in 1994 and grew to $147 million within 3 years. Today they employ 500,000 people who handle $200 billion in revenue. They picked the right projects and grew at an extraordinary pace.

Other retailers had different priorities and either failed or are much smaller. Walmart could be Amazon, but they did not prioritize the Internet and now they are worth half as much.

What prioritization is

Prioritization is picking the right tasks to maximize impact. That means finding high impact tasks and avoiding low impact ones. Usually the highest impact tasks are elusive. We don’t know the highest impact projects we could pursue right now.

Prioritization might sound stressful, but it’s not. Most tasks won’t affect us. Consequently, we shouldn’t stress about the backlog of tasks we “need” to do. We need to keep our minds free to pursue high impact ideas, when they present themselves, by neglecting low impact ones.

Prioritization categories

It’s unproductive to precisely categorize every task, but it’s useful to roughly classify them in your mind. Prioritization improves with practice and thinking about these categories helps us improve.

Growth vs. costs – It’s generally better to use our time to grow revenue than reduce costs. Time is finite. Cash isn’t.
High vs. low impact – High impact is better, but completing lots of low impact tasks can be worthwhile if we complete them quickly.
Enduring vs. temporary – Tasks that provide enduring value are preferable to those that deliver value temporarily.
Definite vs. potential – It’s better to pursue improvements with definite benefits than those with potential.
Short vs. long term results – Quick wins are preferable, but you can build competitive advantage pursuing ideas that yield results in the long term since others tend to neglect them.
Related vs. unrelated tasks – Sometimes related tasks are completed more efficiently when grouped together. For this reason, we often do low impact tasks that pair well with high impact ones.
Estimated time to complete – All else equal, tasks that can be completed faster are preferable.

Questions

Ask yourself these questions periodically to improve your ability to prioritize:

What’s the most impactful thing you can work on?
Did you correctly identify the problems you are facing?
Do you know the most important problem to solve next?
Can you replace any planned tasks with better ones?
Can you delete any especially low impact tasks entirely?

Conclusion

We aim to embed a passion for prioritization into our culture. If you think similarly and want to join our global team, we are hiring.

About the Author

Anthony Constantino is the cofounder and CEO of Sticker Mule. A factory guy at heart, Anthony oversees an operation that spans 16 countries in 4 continents with customers including Google, Facebook, Twitter and many of the world’s best brands. He’s determined to make Sticker Mule, already the Internet’s favorite printing company, the absolute best place to work and shop.

What Services Does Your Business Need To Soar?

January 9, 2020/0 Comments/in Entrepreneurship /by StrategyDriven

As a business, there are certain services that you are going to need to ensure that the day-to-day operations of your company are running smoothly. As well as this, you are going to need help bringing in more customers and keeping everything going, which is why we have written this article. Down below, you are going to find some of the services that your business is going to need to soar!

Marketing

The first thing that we are going to look at is marketing. Marketing lets people know who you are, what you are about, and why they should choose you over the other companies on the market right now. Marketing is something that you can do yourself, but if you don’t have experience in this field, then you are better off hiring someone to help you out here. The reason that we say this is because marketing has to be done right, or it is not going to have the desired effect. For example, if you have a bad advertising campaign, then people aren’t going to want to use your business.

Professionals know what the average consumer is looking for. They have designed marketing campaigns before, so they know what to do. The experience that they bring to the table is going to be invaluable.

Accounting

The next thing that you are going to need is help with your accounting. Now, you might not have to hire someone to do this for you if you don’t want to. There is plenty of accounting software such as QuickBooks Online that are available for you to use to make things run smoother. Alternatively, you can hire a qualified accountant to deal with this for you, and you might find this is a good idea, especially if you aren’t great with numbers. They will be able to give you a good idea about where you can save money, and what areas of the business need more money put into them. This on top of managing your money to make sure that you are on track!

Human Resources

Finally, human resources are going to be a big help to you. A lot of business owners will say that this is a waste of money, but they won’t be saying that when they are dealing with an issue with an employee, and they don’t know how to handle it correctly. A human resources team make sure that all issues with employees are handled well according to the law and the situation at hand. It is far easier to run your company when there is someone else handling this, freeing up your time to deal with other matters.

We hope that you have found this article helpful, and now know what services your business needs to soar! If you take our advice, you are going to have all of the services that you need, and while it might seem like a big investment in the first place, you are going to be thankful that you made it further along down the line.

Building a Reputation For Excellence in the Construction Industry

January 3, 2020/0 Comments/in Managing Your Business /by StrategyDriven

When you’ve dedicated your whole professional life to working in the construction industry, it’s entirely reasonable to want to make your mark in the industry by starting a firm of your very own. That is, after all, the dream isn’t it? To take the skills you’ve spent decades honing and go into business with yourself, taking on the industry on your own terms and shattering the ceiling that your current job places over your pay and prospects?

Yet while there are many who find success in setting up their own construction business, there are many caveats when it comes to starting out on your own. The construction industry is high in costs and low margins by nature. Cash flow equilibrium can be hard to come by and the inevitability of large scale borrowing can mean a great deal of money spent on interest in your early days. In order to find sustainable success, firms need to be securing contract after contract in rapid succession to stay afloat. Which is why reputation is so incredibly important in the construction industry.

Here are some tips to make sure that your nascent firm develops a sterling reputation which carries it to lasting success…

Never over-promise in the hopes of landing a contract

Bidding for contracts can be an extremely nerve-wracking process, especially when you’re throwing your hat into the ring alongside well established and seasoned construction firms with whom high paying business clients will already be familiar.

In such a context, it can be extremely tempting for hungry new firms to over promise in the hopes of beating their competitors to the punch… but such a tactic can often create more problems than it solves. There’s nothing worse than over promising and under delivering. As important as it is to be competitive, it’s also essential that you’re realistic about the capabilities of your team and your equipment.

Invest in the resources for outstanding project management

When you’re working on a construction project, it can seem as though every day is a battle for productivity. Not only do you need to keep close tabs on your plant, knowing where your equipment is and who’s using it at all times, you need to be sure of the whereabouts of every member of your team, know what they’re working on and make sure that they know what to focus their attention on next.

And this can be a real uphill struggle without the right project management solutions. Fortunately, there’s a plethora of software out there to help you to track your team’s progress as well as Internet of Things (IoT) enabled devices that can be attached to virtually any plant and allow for easier tracking. There are even new tools hitting the market that already have IoT technology built in.

Deliver solutions that will withstand the test of time

It goes without saying that compliance in the construction industry is enormously important. But in order to secure a sterling reputation in the industry, you’ll also need to be able to assure your clients that your firm will go the extra mile and deliver solutions that are guaranteed to withstand whatever time, the elements and the caprices of nature can throw at them for decades to come. Invest in great quality materials, having checks and balances in place to ensure consistent quality and outsourcing to other entities like seismic engineering contractors can all help you to go the extra mile and develop a sterling reputation. Even if your company is still in its infancy, clients will have confidence in you if they can see that you take every care to maintain the integrity of your work. That said, it’s also essential to…

Own your mistakes

No matter how many precautionary measures you take, there’s always a chance that things may go wrong either during or after the construction process. As tempting as it may be to bury your head in the sand, failing to own and respond to mistakes can do irreparable damage to your reputation.

Invest in your plant. Invest in your team

Your plant is an important investment. You need to be absolutely sure that the equipment you use will give you the same high standard of performance. And that’s not always easy to do when you’re first starting out, which is why hire purchase is often a favorable solution for nascent construction firms who need equipment of the highest quality but can’t necessarily afford to buy it outright.

But perhaps more important is the need to invest in a skilled and highly motivated team who you can trust to get the job done on time to a consistently high standard. Your work is only ever as good as your team. Fortunately, having spent years as a construction worker you likely already know exactly what to look for in your workforce.

Maintain an outstanding safety record

The last thing any client wants is mishaps taking place on their site. And as a seasoned construction professional, you know how fraught with risk the average site can be. This is why it’s so important to maintain the highest standard of safety. When deadlines loom near, it’s all too tempting to loosen your standards in terms of safety checks in the name of getting the job done quicker.

Manage and meet expectations

It’s always frustrating when your best efforts fall short of clients’ expectations. It’s even more frustrating when this happens because your client’s expectations are inherently unreasonable. This is why expectation management in the early stages is so essential. When the client has clear parameters for what to expect there’s no room for them to perceive failure and all you can do is meet or surpass their expectations of you.

Construction firms rely heavily on word of mouth, but unlike other businesses they can’t use easy strategies like discount codes and referral incentives to facilitate it. That’s why it’s so essential to hold yourself to the highest standards and have an infrastructure in place to assure excellence in every job. When you’re doing this, you can be sure that world will get around.

StrategyDriven Entrepreneurial Insights

January 21, 2020/in EB - Entrepreneur /by StrategyDriven

This week’s actionable entrepreneurial insights from StrategyDriven’s world renown business and leadership experts:

Entrepreneurship

Ensuring Small Business Success

When you decide to pursue your dreams and open your own small business, there are many things that can disrupt your venture and reduce your chances of success....
The Entrepreneur’s Roadmap to Success

Often times a new entrepreneur feels he or she has done their due diligence only to learn later that they barely scratched the surface....

Starting Your Business

Ready To Work In Your Own Office?

If you feel you’re ready for an office of your own, to take your home business or new business idea into, put a brake on the process for a moment....

Managing Your Business

Things to Consider Before Finalizing Your Business Printing Solutions

Quality Business printing is ideal in fostering your brand’s image and represent its identity subtly....
Simple Methods to Grow Your Small Business

Every entrepreneur aspires to have a business that grows and generates a good profit....
Eforms 101: Everything You Need To Know About eForms

Understand exactly how electronic forms, or eForms, work and how they can benefit your business and help it achieve success....

Managing Your People

Office Ergonomics Are Key To Business Success

A good business is one that takes the health and safety of all its employees seriously and part of this is to consider good, sound ergonomic practice in the office space....
How can businesses save hiring costs

Do you want to reduce hiring costs in your company when hiring new employees?...
How can you make brainstorming fun?

Brainstorming is used as a method to generate ideas to solve a problem....
The best fidget toys to relieve stress and anxiety at your office

We live in a fast-paced world with cut-throat competition. Companies try their best to be number 1 in the league....
Ways to Boost Employee Morale

In a world where we are constantly working hard and striving to be the best versions of ourselves, it’s integral to keep the atmosphere of a workplace in its most positive state and morale at its highest level possible....
7 Healthcare Industry Trends for Employers to Keep a Lookout For

Employers in healthcare need to stay on top of emerging healthcare industry trends. Read on to find 7 to keep an eye on in 2020....
Automation as a Means of Increasing Human Potential: Which Traits and Skills Will Automation Help Promote in Human Workers?

Automation will not replace jobs outright but augment and enhance them by streamlining and simplifying certain repetitive or low-value tasks....

Managing Your Finances

All You Need to Know About Unsecured Business Loans

When you first try to establish your business the first thing you look for is money....
Find High Acceptance Loans the Easy Way

When it comes to personal finance, finding the right sources when you need funds quickly is paramount....
How to Choose the Best Accounting Software for Your Small Business

While only 1 in 100 small businesses get audited each year it is still a good idea to have top-notch accounting software to document your business activities....

Online Marketing and Website Development

Smart Ways to Reduce Marketing Costs While Increasing Results

Marketing is an integral aspect for every business. It can also be expensive and leave a giant hole in even the biggest budgets....
Digital Marketing Tactics You Must Avoid

When trying to get noticed online, it’s easy to resort to desperate measures....

StrategyDriven Expert of the Week

Michael Gurian, New York Times best selling author of Leadership and the Sexes, is co-founder of the Gurian Institute, a training organization focused on helping corporations, educators, parents, and communities understand of how the male and female brain operate differently. He has spearheaded a national effort to provide communities and corporations with training in brain based gender issues. Michael’s pioneering theory has been featured in leading national media including The New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, Time, and Newsweek.

Listen to StrategyDriven Podcast Special Edition 5 – An Interview with Michael Gurian, author of Leadership and the Sexes

The StrategyDriven Entrepreneur

November 29, 2019/in General /by StrategyDriven

The StrategyDriven Entrepreneur…

Focused, driven, purposeful… bringing products and services to the market that others have only dreamed of… leaving their mark on the world.

The StrategyDriven Entrepreneur is a uniquely talented individual, motivated to move beyond the confines of corporate America to make an indelible impact on the world around them. These entrepreneurs accept the risks and challenges involved with building an enterprise; believing in themselves, their team, and their ideas.

Starting and running an entrepreneurial enterprise presents a unique set of uncertainties and challenges. As no one person can know all there is to know about your products and/or services; the marketplace; marketing, sales, and delivery of your product and/or services; your business operations, finances, and talent acquisition and management; and the regulatory environment; as well as your resource limitations and other constraints, you need direct sources of actionable insight to assist you in following the road to success and avoiding the paths of failure.

The StrategyDriven recognized the need to provide actionable information tailored to small and mid-sized business entrepreneurs to help them successfully navigate the challenges of such enterprises. Within the several Entrepreneurship forums (described to the right), we’ve amassed the proven, real-world tested, actionable insights needed to support your ongoing success from business startup to exit.

In addition to our vast online library, the StrategyDriven Entrepreneurial Insights newsletter delivers new thought leadership to you every week via email – available at your desk or while on the go – supporting you wherever and whenever you need. Subscribing to the StrategyDriven Entrepreneurial Insights is FREE… so why not do it now and gain access to the actionable information needed to take your business to the next level?

StrategyDriven Entrepreneurial Insights Sign-up

Entrepreneurship Forums

Materials in the Entrepreneurship forums provide insights and practical actions small and mid-sized business ventures and their leaders can take to expand sales, heighten productivity, and accelerate growth within the following topical areas:

Entrepreneurship: Personal qualities, characteristics, considerations, and actions embodied by the successful entrepreneur
Starting Your Business: Considerations, planning, and actions needed to minimize startup risk and accelerate the new business launch
Managing Your Business: Programmatic enhancements to optimize business operations post startup; ensuring long-term success
Managing Your People: Programs and practices enhancing overall workforce productivity, creativity, and engagement as well as how to acquire and retain top talent
Managing Your Finances: Practices to ensure near and long-term financial stability, capital optimization, and overall company financial viability
Online Marketing and Website Development: Methods to brand, market, and sell products and services leveraging the power of the internet via social media, search engines, and the company’s website

The StrategyDriven Team

Headquartered in Acworth, Georgia, StrategyDriven provides affordable business consultations in Atlanta, the Southeast, throughout the United States, and around the World. Our world class advisors are recognized leaders in their chosen fields.

To learn more about StrategyDriven’s team of seasoned business executive contributors, click here.

Kim Ades

Kim Ades is President of Frame of Mind Coaching and one of North America’s foremost experts on performance through thought management.

Christopher Conner

Christopher Conner, President ofFranchise Marketing Systems has been in the franchise industry since 2002 working with several hundred different franchise systems in management, franchise sales and franchise development work.

Jeffrey Gitomer

Jeffrey Gitomer is the New York Times bestselling author of Little Red Book of Selling, the best-selling sales book of all time.

Nathan Ives

Nathan Ives is a renown Fortune 500 business advisor and author of Discovering Business Gold, used to identify over $200 million in operational cost savings.

Hank Moore

Hank Moore is a renown business advisor, speaker, and author of The Business Tree, revealing his trademarked approach to growing, strengthening, and evolving business.

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