Posts

Starting A Small Construction Business

Being handy with tools can provide more benefits than simply keeping your home in good repair. Using your skills and experience to develop your own construction business can provide a source of income that allows you to be your own boss and set your own hours. Even though your future business is small, it requires careful planning and organization to increase the chances of success. Like other types of small businesses, small construction companies must follow regulations and work hard to earn a customer’s trust.

StrategyDriven Starting Your Business Article | Starting A Small Construction Business

Plan well

Write a plan for your business. Known as a business plan, this written document provides a roadmap to get your business started. Include your goals and outline the methods you will use to achieve those goals. It includes sections that deal with the financial aspects of your business, the intended clientele, the necessary tools, the equipment, and supplies, as well as the advertising plans. Print your business plan on paper to present it formally.

Apply for a loan to obtain any necessary financing for your new company. Take your formal business plan with you to present to the banker. Talk about your reasons for starting a construction business, including why you think you will be successful. Talk about your loan options, including interest rates and terms.

Check regulations

You may need to be part of a union, so look for information on how to acquire a construction license or membership. Look for services in your area, how to apply for a business license, register your business name, and pay licensing and certification fees. Request a company identification number through the Internal Revenue Service. Contact a surety company to request one.

Take an inventory of tools and equipment. Bring any tools or equipment you have to repair, in case they need it. Buy the items you need to complete basic construction tasks, such as ladders, saws, carpenters’ levels, drills, and bits. Do you need any specialist tools and products, such as ptfe tubing or corrugated pipes?

Advertise your new construction company in various media to attract customers. Advertise discounts to your first customers in a business. Notify your friends, neighbors, and family of your new company. Ask them to spread the word to their friends and co-workers. Personal recommendations can encourage homeowners to go inside their homes for construction work. It would help if you came up with a strategy on how to advertise your construction company. You may want to start a website that contains information about your company and how different they are from other contractors. You can also use traditional advertising methods such as printing business cards, flyers, and brochures – make sure you include a reference to your website.

Starting a construction business can be profitable and exciting, but it does take work. The risk of failure can be carefully minimized by considering a). where you will receive funds b). what you will do when accidents occur c). who you will hire to help you d). how you will bid on projects, and e) how to find your customers.

Flipped Learning: The Trend for the Next Corporate Training

StrategyDriven Talent Management Article |Corporate Training|Flipped Learning: The Trend for the Next Corporate TrainingThe dynamics of the corporate world are rapidly evolving with growing industries and businesses. More and more people are relying on technology and advanced solutions to carry out their jobs. And all this is set in motion to maximize productivity and work efficiency on all fronts.

Flipped learning is the part of these trendsetting practices, the new way for professionals to adapt to their work. We all know how vital training and learning is to achieve the same service level throughout the company. People rely on it to get their workforce up to speed and upgrade their skill sets to add things to their platter. Without them, the staff would be clueless sitting ducks, even when they have work on their hands.

Besides, everyone has seen how the outbreak of COVID-19 has hit this world and influenced lives. With schools and offices closed, hospitals cramped, and people fighting the battle of their lives, the only option was to work from home. Businesses had to overcome several environmental and technological challenges to adopt this idea. But luckily for the users of flipped learning, this change was convenient because most of their learning resources were already online.

The experiences of a Flipped Classroom are close to those of live interaction. People learning from it can go through the instructor’s notes, find examples, ask questions, get ideas, and much more. These things let you better understand and grip over your work and function better as a team. Perhaps that’s also why companies feel inclined and interested in flipped learning more than the conventional methods.

If you haven’t been introduced to it yet, here are some features to get you excited. These should allow you to grasp the complete concept behind flipped learning and might even motivate you to try it yourself.

1. Video Tutorials & Lessons

Starting from the basics, instructors can use video tutorials and lessons to cover concepts and subjects. They can go for live streaming sessions with their audience or record their notes in advance for their batch to review as they continue working. That allows both parties to function independently without causing any delays.

Besides, having a video lesson is more helpful, as it offers more details about how to perform a task. There’s minimal risk of making an error, and people execute their jobs more confidently. So companies are achieving more than just top-notch teamwork and cohesion when they bring flipped learning on board.

2. In-Video Picture Notes

A problem with learning from anyone online or face-to-face is that you have to take notes unless you have a photographic memory. Switching between paying attention to the speaker’s words and writing things down, people fail to extract a lesson’s essence. They are unable to multitask at this pace, and therefore, leave with an inadequate understanding.

With flipped learning, that is no longer a problem for individuals. They can listen to the instructors attentively and find all their notes attached to the relevant areas. That allows them to access these resources once they have understood the concepts and principles of a job. And what’s even better is that if they have a portable device with an internet connection, they can access these from anywhere.

3. Search Inside Video

A problem that most people complain about with video lectures is that they struggle with finding the relevant content within a video. An hour-long lesson covers multiple concepts and various examples but has no way to navigate the video efficiently. If they want to find something specific, they will have to skip it manually until they stumble upon the right section.

For the users of a flipped classroom, that is not a problem at all. Its ‘search inside video’ option allows its users to jump to particular sections they need to review. They can find the content relevant to their work at an instant and use it to their requirement. That’s what makes it a far efficient method.

4. Cross-Platform Access & Usage

Another one of the perks of a flipped classroom is that its users can access it from any internet-connected device. It’s compatible with various platforms and browsers, making it easier to switch, access, create and edit content as per the user’s convenience. Instructors can communicate with their audiences more conveniently that way and work from their home, office, or anywhere else.

Similarly, the people learning from it can do the same and learn things on the go. They won’t have to worry about missing a lesson or asking questions due to an environmental hindrance. That minimizes absences and promotes convenience for both parties, making the overall practice more productive and fruitful.

5. In-Video Assessments

The next aspect that should spike your interest in flipped learning is that it offers online assessments against its teachings. Instructors can add quizzes and exercises for their audience to make the lecture interactive. It will allow them to measure their students’ skills and knowledge and gauge their teaching effectiveness.

Besides, it can also help keep the learners attentive as they will expect a review of their learnings. They will foster a competitive spirit through these lectures and would want to display their growth. It will improve the overall outcomes of these classes while keeping everyone engaged in its contents.

6. Remote Access

Lastly, the highlight of using a flipped classroom is its ease of access. Anything with a decent internet connection and the necessary details to log in to a portal can do so without experiencing any difficulty. Multiple devices and browser compatibility aside, most of the contents on any subject get hosted on its servers. They are available as resources for anyone to review, as the holdings of a library. That eliminates the need for people to carry all their notes and lectures everywhere they go. All they need is a portable device with nominal computational capabilities. Anyone who is a part of this service can enjoy this and more, making a flipped classroom all the more attractive for its users.

Summary

These were the primary features and highlights of flipped learning, a trendsetting method for corporate training in the industries—people who have already signed up on its benefit from its tools and resources. At the same time, others are in the queue to get on board. Suppose you haven’t heard of it already. In that case, you should explore your options with this service because delaying this opportunity will only cost you more in the long run.

Email Marketing: Best Practises for Entrepreneurs

StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article |Email Marketing|Email Marketing: Best Practises for EntrepreneursWhile it is excellent to include email marketing in your digital media strategy, you won’t get far if you don’t employ the industry recommended email marketing best practises. As an entrepreneur, we know that you are always looking for better ways to reach your desired audience. These best practices will not only help you become better at email marketing, but their effective usage will make sure that your emails yield tangible results.

Read below to get an insight into the most widely recommended best practices for email marketing.

Knowing Your Audience Individually

Addressing email recipients is a widely recommended best practice in email marketing. Most modern email clients allow you to place special tags in your emails. These allow you to address all of your email recipients by name. Various options allow you to address them by their first, last, or full name as well.

You can also personalise the subject line of your emails. Doing so will greatly increase the chances of your recipients opening your emails instead of marking them as spam impulsively.

If you are looking for help regarding which email client to use, Email Tool Reviews has excellent reviews to help with exactly that.

Best Practices for Email Marketing that Entrepreneurs Must Follow

Test before you send your email!

It is a best practice to check and recheck your emails before you send them. Why is this so important? A comprehensive check will tell exactly what is wrong with your email.

You will be able to see how your email will look to the recipient. You can also check whether your links function exactly as you have intended them to while also making sure that tags that automatically populate details like the recipients’ name are displaying the correct information.

Spammy content is a big No!

It is very important that your emails contain interesting content that immediately engages the recipient. We are sure you know this. But did you know that it is a widely recommended best practice to make an active effort to ensure that your emails do not contain spammy content?

Using clear language and avoiding the use of lots of exclamation marks, or text written in capital letters are two of the many ways you can use to ensure your content does not get flagged by spam filters.

Meta description

Looking for the most used Email Marketing best Practises? Check out our latest piece that has been designed with Entrepreneurs in mind!

How To Start Your Own Business Online?

StrategyDriven Starting Your Business Article |Start Your Business Online|How To Start Your Own Business Online?The phrase “online” can be a bit misleading. Just because a process/work has virtual or online in it doesn’t mean it is any simpler. The only difference between a traditional and an online business is the work environment. It all boils down to having an exclusive office building or just a strong internet connection and a computer system.

But the amount of planning, organization, hard work that goes into building either of them is the same.

In this article we will see a brief overview of what all constitutes to get your business
Up and running and ready to raid the internet world.

So, are you all geared up to start your own business?

1.Find a Niche: There are so many opportunities out there that you can grab on to. Each consumer need can be turned into a thriving business of its own. So, all you need to do is find what is that the consumer needs and what can you provide or do differently to resolve or fulfill their needs. What you need to keep in mind is – the market demand of your business idea. Analyze the market and then make an informed decision about your niche.

Here are a few business ideas that you can plan on setting your foot in.

  • Drop shipping Business: To begin with, you can start with a drop shipping business. This business is all about providing buyers the products they have ordered for. You are like the book keeper who takes the order and manages the order and shipping virtually. This does not require you to invest in any storage facility or shipping. All you need is a robust online business platform.
  • E-commerce Business: The most thriving of all multi-vendor marketplace businesses. You can be the next Amazon or Alibaba. These are nothing but virtual platforms where buyers and sellers purchase and sell goods at the convenience of their own environment. You can choose to cater to one or many types of products.
  • Online Rental Business: One of the best online marketplace businesses to be in, this rental option is the new black. With the world being conscious about the climate changes and the automobile industry playing a major role in it, it is the right time to start your own vehicle rental business. There are so many categories you can concentrate on under this niche – furniture rentals, car rentals, bike rentals, etc.
  • In addition to this you can also start a holiday rental business too.
  • There is never a boring time to go on vacations. With the increased sense of stress and tension due to the work life, taking breaks have become mandatory in one’s life in order to unplug, recharge and rejuvenate. This is where an application like Airbnb comes into play. Why not start your own vacation rentals?
  • Online Tutoring Business: At present online tutoring business is gaining tremendous popularity. Especially during the pandemic times and the education industry being one among the worst hit you can choose to develop your very own virtual tutorials. The growing student base and the demand that it requires can be tapped into and a successful coaching class can be started.
  • Online Food Delivery and Grocery Store: In this highly competitive world everyone is concentrating on their careers and hence find no time to cook a healthy meal. However this application will ease out that burden a bit. Just by a click you can avail which ever provision or cooked meal you want from whichever store u like. However, you need to be careful while planning which geographical area you want to target and what kind of cuisine you want to serve.
    and many more.

Though there might be many business ideas, the foundation of implementing them is almost similar to one another except for the nuanced details depending on what you choose as your niche. In the following pointers, we will provide you with information on how to develop and manage these businesses in general.

2. Know your Target Consumer base and Competitors: Once your niche is set, you will have to study your target audience and the current market trends. You can learn a lot by observing your competitors as well. How they go about their operations, maintenance, the technologies they use, etc. Experience is the best teacher there is. You can also try and launch your business through one of the already established marketplace platforms and observe their business and then imply the same once you are ready to go on your own.

Given consumers are the focal point in this business you need to prioritize their views. Research on what the customers are looking out for. This will be your foundation for all your forthcoming steps.

3. Draft a Business and Revenue Plan: Let us now get to the planning phase. This is the most critical phase without which running a business will be challenging.

Your business plan should include-

  1. Summary of your business plan
  2. Market overview
  3. Sales & Marketing plans
  4. Operational strategies
  5. Value proposition of your services
  6. Organization & Management team framework
  7. Financial and Legal aspects

Choosing the right revenue model is equally important. Given all are concentrating on going online, you need to consider the market competition and plan your revenue accordingly. Here are a few revenue models you can try that might suit your business.

  1. Commission model
  2. Subscription/Membership model
  3. Listing fee model
  4. Freemium
  5. Lead fees model
    etc.

4. Launch your Business Online: Having technological knowledge only adds to your expertise and does not necessarily mean that you need to be technically sound in order to run an online business. Based on your financial investment and time and the technical knowledge you have to launch your website you can choose how you want to develop your website. Here are a few methods you can adopt.

  1. Developing from scratch (on our own or by hiring a tech team)
  2. Using SaaS platform
  3. Using turnkey solutions

Our recommendation to you would be to use a turnkey solution as you will be able to launch your business the second you purchase the readymade software. You also have options to customize it according to your needs. Costs comparatively less compared to the other options. And you get the source code of your platform as well.

5. Promote and Market your Business: Directing the right traffic to your website plays a pivotal role in achieving the precise SERPs ranking required to gain attention of the right audience. Here are a few marketing ideas which will help you promote your business globally and gain a huge customer base and hence a successful online business.

  1. Social Media Marketing
  2. Influencer Marketing
  3. Share customer testimonies, reviews and ratings
  4. Content marketing – newsletters, blogging, personalized emails etc
  5. Multimedia marketing etc

As you can see starting a business is not a cake walk. You need to put in that much dedication and hard work as you would for another. It is a continuous process to maintain and be at par with the ever changing and evolving technology. If you need assistance with any aspect of your business, do give us a shout out.

Which Mobile Operating System Is Best For Business?

StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article |Mobile Operating System|Which Mobile Operating System Is Best For Business?When running a business, you want to make sure that all your employees are working as productively as possible and are able to gain access to information and other employees if they need to. However, it is not impossible as this can benefit your business in the long-term. In this article, we will be providing you with insight into which mobile operating systems are right for your business.

The Importance Of Business Mobiles

When working remotely, it can be difficult to improve communication across the business as many choose to communicate over emails. However, by implementing the help of a business mobile phone service you can begin to ensure there is an open line of communication through the use of specific phone numbers. Though this can be costly to implement, this can benefit your business in the long-term as it encourages your employees to communicate openly at this time.

IOS Operating Systems

When asked about operating systems for mobile phones, there is a split of opinion between both IOS and Android operating systems. IOS is hugely popular with many business owners as the eco-system can benefit a business as everything is already connected. With each of these phones designed for business, this can be a huge benefit for businesses as it can link up calendars around the business as well as link up with computers in the office for the best possible business environment. The only downside to this is that the IOS running software can be quite expensive in terms of upfront costs.

Android Operating Systems

If you are looking for a reliable operating system that is slightly cheaper than IOS then you cannot go wrong with an android device. Not only are they slightly cheaper, but they can be completely customised in order to work for your business. By having android devices in your office, you can supply your employees with an easy to use handset that you can completely customise to make it work for your business and allow them to operate it with ease allowing them to maintain consistent communication with others across the business as well as their own team members.

Which Is Best For Your Business?

When deciding which of these are good for your business, it is a process of trial and error as to which work for your business. By having a trial period with both IOS and Android operating systems, you can then begin to determine which is best for your business. Though this can take time, this will prove profitable as it will ensure that everyone has a direct line of communication should they need it. This can work alongside other applications and can improve communication across the business to make it stand out as a result.

With this in mind, there are several running systems that you can benefit from when it comes to implementing business mobile phones within your business. Which of these mobile devices will you be implementing within your business in the new year.