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How To Be Constantly Improving Your Business

StrategyDriven Business Performance Assessment Program (BPAP) Article |Improving Your Business|How To Be Constantly Improving Your BusinessYour business may be getting by currently, but it doesn’t mean you’ll be able to achieve or sustain long-term success. The reality is that nothing is promised to you, and you must stay ahead of the game and curve if you’re going to be able to retain customers and win over new ones. To do so, you must focus on ways you can constantly be improving your business and getting ahead.

As the business owner and leader, it’s your job to put measures in place that help you to achieve and exceed your goals and customer expectations. You want to make forward progress before it’s too late, and all your hard work becomes irrelevant. Now is the time to step up and take control of your business and figure out what you can be doing to excel and win over more customers.

Revisit Your Goals

You can be constantly improving your business by revisiting your goals often. Although you have a good idea about what you want to accomplish in the next few years, it doesn’t mean that the information is set in stone. Evaluate the situation regularly and determine what’s working and where the gaps exist so you can make necessary adjustments to your plan. Remain flexible and adaptable so that you can modify your approach and management style based on what you’re observing around you. Make amendments that will help you reach your goals at a quicker rate and keep you from wasting precious time and resources.

Train Your Employees

Improve your business by investing in your employees and their futures with your company. You have to communicate expectations early on and set them up for success if you’re going to get the performance results you desire. It’s in your best interest to train your employees and get them all on the same page and up to speed with recommended business processes. Make your training events such as employee onboardings, software training, and corporate learning events more successful by using an iPad rental service. Each person will have their own technology device to use and will be more engaged in the educational programming you’re offering this way.

Gather Feedback

It’s easy to make quick judgments and assumptions in the workplace, but this may cause you more problems in the long run. Instead, constantly be improving your business by collecting feedback from employees and clients frequently. It’ll help you to make better decisions based on data and facts instead of you playing guessing games. You may find that some areas need your attention that you thought were going smoothly. Gathering this information will provide you with valuable insights into what you should be focusing on as you strive to make improvements at your company.

Follow Industry News & Updates

Another way to be constantly improving your business is to follow industry news and updates. Knowing what’s going on with your target audience and niche will help you to adapt and roll out better products and services. Understand how your industry is changing and evolving and what impact technology is having on your business. Take the time to read relevant blogs and follow thought leaders on social media so that important information doesn’t pass you by. You’re going to be able to predict future trends better with this knowledge and impress customers with your agility and ability to innovate.

Be Open to Learning

When you improve your skills, your business will also improve. If you become too comfortable and stagnant as a boss and leader, then you risk your business following in your footsteps. Therefore, be open to learning and working on becoming more knowledgeable in areas that are unfamiliar and challenging for you. Take online courses, attend seminars, and converse with other business leaders so you can advance your skill set. You’ll want to not only educate yourself but also implement what you learn at your workplace so you can make impactful changes to your current approach. Remain curious and inquisitive so that you’re always taking new information in and can avoid assuming you know it all.

Evaluate the Competition

Your competitors are going to be right at your heels, just waiting for you to make mistakes and take a wrong turn. They want to steal customers away from you and make sure they’re number one. Therefore, it’s in your best interest to evaluate the competition regularly if you want to be constantly improving your business. Focus on identifying where they’re falling short and figuring out how you can step in and offer solutions to problems that they aren’t currently solving. Learn from their mistakes and build off of their successes so you can stand above and apart from your competitors.

Address what’s Broken

Looking the other way and ignoring significant problem areas your business is facing will only backfire on you. Your employees must have the tools and resources they need to perform their jobs so they aren’t always fighting an uphill battle. You can constantly be improving your business by addressing and fixing what’s broken. Be a good listener and hear what your employees and clients are saying and what their pain points are so you can deal with the situation. Although there may be a mess to untangle, your hard work to rectify the situation will help move your business forward in the right direction.

Find A Mentor

Constantly be improving your business by finding a mentor who you can rely on for advice and input. Use this person as a sounding board and try to understand the reasoning behind their recommendations so you can apply the lessons you’re learning in the future. You’re going to have questions and issues that arise along the way, and it’ll be helpful to have someone you trust in your corner that you can bounce ideas off of as you go. Learn from their past mistakes and experiences so you can avoid these same mishaps at your workplace. A mentor is a helpful observer and will be able to objectively tell you what you’re doing right and what may be holding you back from achieving a higher level of success.

Take Calculated Risks

No one in business ever made it too far without diving into unknown waters and taking a chance. Improve your business by getting away from the business as usual mentality and instead taking calculated risks based on your problem-solving skills. Sometimes you have to step outside your comfort zone and do what’s not so easy if you want to make a true difference in the business world. You want to feel comfortable moving forward with your decision and also have a backup plan in place if you should fail or begin to struggle. The good news is that if you’re right, taking a risk may be the best choice you ever made for your company.

Conclusion

Being able to improve your business around the clock may require a lot of hard work and effort on your part but the rewards that come with it can be priceless. You risk falling behind and becoming irrelevant if you aren’t willing to take chances and make changes as a business owner. You can’t rely on what you’ve always done to get you to the next level. It takes a commitment and you dedicating yourself fully to overcoming obstacles and staying the course even when you stumble and fall or have setbacks. Believe in yourself and give yourself the benefit of the doubt so that you can turn your business around for the better and make impactful improvements.

In-House or Outsourced IT: Which Is Best for Your Business?

StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article |In-house or Outsourced IT|In-House or Outsourced IT: Which Is Best for Your Business?Presently, IT businesses have a lot of requirements and various tasks to be done from design, content creation up to development, marketing, and administrative work. Every task is important and requires human resources. The main question is whether to hire a full-time in-house team or outsource and bring in the experts only when it’s necessary?

In-house vs. Outsourced IT: What’s the difference?

The insourcing or in-house team is a practice when the work and tasks are performed within the operational infrastructure of the company. While outsourcing is a process of contracting experts, who are not affiliated with the organization, for completing specific tasks.

The main difference between the approaches is the way tasks, projects, and work are divided between the departments for strategic purposes. So, what is best for your company: an in-house or outsourced team? Both approaches have their own benefits and limitations. Let’s get to the bottom of the beneficial and negative impacts of each practice.

In-house IT team: Benefits and Limitations

Hiring employees to your in-house IT team, the huge advantage is that you can train them to your business’s specific needs, and the workers are always available. When interviewing the candidates, you choose only those who suit the requisite level of skills, knowledge, experience. Thus, you control, monitor, and track all the processes of hiring and work.

The deep understanding is the next advantage. The office workers know the culture of the company and are aware of all project aspects and business objectives. Besides that, they work with the project from the very beginning that means they know it in detail. Thus, the team can start to work immediately without a need to get familiar with it.

The high quality is an unquestionable advantage of insourcing that stems from the previous issues. When you build the in-house team, you can be sure that they will do their best, and you’ll get the results that suit your expectations.

The main drawbacks of hiring office workers can mainly relate to the initial financial outlay. Thus, you need to train the newbies of the team, and after you need to constantly update their knowledge and skills. That can be a costly affair.

That’s saying nothing about the regular salary with the full pack of employee benefits, including vacation, sick leaves, and so on. Besides, it doesn’t matter if there is a task for a worker or not, you need to pay a salary anyway.

Absence issues are the next pitfalls to mention. In case your team member is sick or just leaves the company, some time along with the money is needed on new hiring or endure project pauses.

Outsourced IT team: Benefits and Limitations

Due to the Deloitte global outsourcing survey made in 2016, there are two primary reasons companies outsource:

  • to cut costs;
  • to free the in-house team to focus on core business objectives.

These are the main advantages though. No need to pay high salaries or equip the workers. You can bring in the outsourcing developer, writer, designer, etc. with a specific skill set to take a certain task only.

That gives time for your full-time staff to complete and focus on core business functions. Outsourcing gives you access to the huge talent pool. Not only can you hire specialists all over the globe, but also the rates of overseas professionals can be lower.

The biggest cons of outsourcing IT teams is the poor quality of work and management issues. It can be a challenge to find a freelancer to meet the expectations and to accomplish the task in time.

Bottom line

Today the economic situation makes businesses more flexible and search for new approaches to stay afloat and competitive. Facing the choice between the in-house and outsourced team, it’s evident that there is no one-size-fits-all solution to this dilemma. When dealing with the right in-house IT team, the time, patience, and diligence is required. Also, you should clearly understand what skills are necessary for the business to be successful in the long term. In its turn, outsourcing can be a more cost-effective and immediate solution. However, as evidenced in practice, the best way is to combine these two approaches. Take the most important roles in-house, delegating some tasks like guest writing, graphic design, problem troubleshooting, etc. on-call to make workflows more efficient without additional expenses added.


About the Author

StrategyDriven Expert Contributor | Alexey KutsenkoAlexey Kutsenko is CMO at DDI Development company, that provides custom web & development services to worldwide clients. Alexey has a vast experience in building marketing strategies for various clients, defining the client’s needs, and leading digital marketing strategies in the company.

Free Article Rewriter Tool – Paraphrasing Tool

StrategyDriven Tools for Professionals Article |Article Rewriter|Free Article Rewriter Tool - Paraphrasing ToolContent writing has outgrown all over the world. The digital world has witnessed massive growth in blog forums and websites. People are always in the quest of ways that can satisfy their need to produce quality content. Apparently, blogging seems to be quite easy, but it isn’t. People from all around the world have been flooded into this particular field. Most of them succeed, while others are left with no other choice except to exit. Many people argue that you can earn thousands of dollars through blogging; the notion is true. But for that, you would have to produce quality content. There are ways of getting good content by hiring in-house writers or by outsourcing your work to freelancers. Apart from these ways, you can also opt for Article rewriter tools for this purpose. There is an extensive range of web utilities, which will let you paraphrase online without getting into any hassle. Many of them are paid, while others are free for that purpose. The article rewriter tools are also beneficial for you if you don’t have a grip over a particular topic.

What is the Algorithm behind Rewriter Tools?

The advanced algorithm that works behind rewriting tools paraphrase the sentences in a way that it may not lose its meaning, while not disturbing the sentence structure—the paraphrasing tool, which is also commonly known as article spinner. However, the structural changes are carried out in the sentences and pass the plagiarism so that there may not be any duplicated phrases in the passage.

If you lack time and need to develop content in bulk, then the word changer utilities could be the one that will help you out in this regard. You would have a question in your mind whether this tool is useful for the bloggers or not. The answer to this question is YES. Only with a few clicks, you can get your desired content on the go. From the blogging perspective, the tools hold immense power to satisfy the needs of your blog.

Rewriter Tool Impact on Readability

Article rewriter tools have always remained controversial among the blogging community. Some tools ruin the overall readability of the user, but some make it sure to put the words in the right context without disturbing the sentence structure like https://plagiarismdetector.net/paraphrasing-tool. The online article rewriter utility paraphrases the content naturally. It uses words that fit perfectly in the context. The best part as mentioned above about the rewriter tool is that it’s completely free to use, and you won’t have to spend any money on it.

Impact on SEO

Content is considered as a crucial part of Search engine Optimization. Before ranking any webpage in the SERP, the search engines keenly analyze the content initially and then moves on to other factors. Therefore producing high-quality content is inevitable and indispensable for the bloggers.

It may be argued that Article rewriter utilities severely impact overall SEO performance. The argument couldn’t be entirely right off; the online paraphrasing tools mostly produce content that is not worthy of reading and doesn’t have any value for the users. But still, many rewriting tools are decent enough to spend your time fetching out the content. Search engines only rank those web pages which genuinely have value for the users. They prefer to rank those pages with simple and easy-to-understand content, and the users may not have to get into any hassle for understanding the material. The tool which is mentioned above produces content, which could be considered as SEO friendly.

Final Words

Lastly, the article rewriter tool is widely used in the blogging community, and it has been regarded as a miracle for SEO masters and bloggers.

Although there are some issues that are associated with the utility, still it has been among the one who is making a significant difference for the bloggers by saving their time and money. If you’re fed up with pursuing writers for the content and want to live with peace of mind by getting the content on time, you should no longer worry. The online paraphrase tool is at your disposal for this purpose. In the ultimate analysis, no one would deny that the article rewriter utility is a blessing for everyone out there. Apart from bloggers, students who are struggling with their assignments, thesis, and research papers can also utilize this tool for delivering top-notch quality work to their academic institutions. As the article rewriter tool will ultimately make sure to pass the plagiarism, there would be no duplicated passages in their work. Don’t wait anymore and start using large web utilities.

5 Ways Building a Mobile App Can Boost Your Business Success

StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article |Mobile App|5 Ways Building a Mobile App Can Boost Your Business SuccessIn today’s fast-paced, digital world, over half of all web browsing is done via mobile devices. When you build your business website, it’s almost more important that it’s mobile compatible than desktop compatible. That said, even if your website is compatible with mobile, users may still struggle to navigate it with total ease. Buttons are hard to click. Forms are hard to fill out, and finding the information your customers need can be difficult.

As a business, you must have a mobile strategy that goes beyond just your website. 90% of mobile users would rather use mobile apps than visit a business on a mobile browser. The ease of using an app far surpasses that of a mobile browser, and therefore they are an attractive option for businesses. For any business that sells products or services online, a mobile app will dramatically boost your success, and here’s why.

1.Direct marketing channel

Having a mobile app is a fantastic way to generate leads. When a visitor comes to your website, they may receive a prompt to sign-up to your newsletter, but many will choose to opt-out. Alternatively, when a potential customer downloads your mobile app, you will instantly capture them as a lead. You can use the app to send out promotions and sales to customers with push notifications to alert them whenever there’s a special offer. These notifications keep you in the front of their mind and also increases the likelihood of a purchase.

You can personalize marketing messages and send customized reminders to customers who haven’t shopped with you or used your service in a while. The options are endless, and you can tailor these messages based on your business goals.

You can also integrate your mobile app with your social media accounts, allowing users to share the app with their personal network and extend your reach even farther.

2. Build your brand and reputation

If a company or business has a mobile app, you know they are legit and trustworthy. Having an app establishes you as a reliable business, who is also an authority in the industry. When you’re building your brand, you want to reach consumers in as many ways as possible. With the volume of people downloading apps, there is a good chance they will see your business and remember your brand.

You want to create a mobile app that exudes your business values and is attractive and functional for your target audience. You don’t need to be a tech or design expert to create a well-branded mobile app. Enlist the help of a digital product agency like Creitive that can help bring your app vision to life, from the branding to the actual app development. Branding will look different for every business, but it’s crucial you create a design that will make an impact and help you stand out. A mobile app will get your logo in front of a lot of faces, so make sure you’re happy with it. Anyone who downloads your app will see your logo every time they look at their phone screen, whether they open your app or not. Have that icon there will imprint your brand on their brain and make them remember you when they require your product or service.

3. Provide value to your customers

Having a mobile app allows your customers to have 24/7 access to your products or services with the click of a button. They won’t need to visit a store in-person or spend time navigating your mobile site. Customers want instant gratification, and a mobile app will give them that, boosting customer satisfaction. If you have a chatbot or live customer service chat, you can incorporate that into your app as well so customers can instantly get answers to any questions they may have.

You can also provide value to customers through the app by allowing customers to collect and redeem points or rewards. The more features and options you offer on your app, the more customers will find value in using it. When customers find something valuable, they will keep returning to it.

4. Improve engagement

Mobile apps make it extremely simple to engage with your customer. Customers enjoy the ease of an app and the improved user experience, so they will always choose an app over mobile browsing. By building an interactive app with fun and accessible features, your customers will continue to use it. Features like the chatbot allow customers to engage with your business without needing a massive roster of customer service agents to answer questions.

Consider adding features to your app, such as a digital discount wheel that customers can spin to get a discount on their next purchase. Interactive features like that allow your customer to engage within the app and feel more connected to your business. Another way to improve engagement through your app is by asking customers for feedback, both on their experience with the app and your product/service. Asking for engagement this way will make your customers feel appreciated, valued, and build loyalty. Customer loyalty is the key to success in any business.

5. Stand out from competitors

Having a mobile app establishes you as an authority in your industry. Say, for example, you were looking to purchase a new backpack. There are two companies you’re looking at; one has an app, and one doesn’t. Which one would you choose? Having an app makes you more reliable, trustworthy, and more customer-friendly. Once your customer downloads your app, they will come to you anytime they need your product or service, not your competitors, because it’s more convenient. Mobiles apps are going to become a standard component of all businesses as we move forward. Jumping on the bandwagon now will put your business ahead of the curve and show that you’re committed to success.

Building a mobile app can contribute significantly to the success of your business. You’ll make it easier for customers to engage with you, increase customer loyalty and, ultimately, boost your reach and sales.

5 Ways to Earn Money From Home

StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Article |Earn Money From Home|5 Ways to Earn Money From Home

Many people dream of working from home and being their own boss someday. The problem is that many people shy away from the idea and dismiss their ambition as a pipe dream. A couple of decades ago, very few people worked from their homes, and far fewer people were self-employed. Luckily, nowadays, many of the barriers of working from home have been removed, and thanks to modern technology, it is no longer a pipe dream but is instead a viable option.

If you have the determination to stay motivated and feel confident in making decisions for yourself, then running a business from home could be the perfect option for you. Many people are now making money from home, but quitting your day job and hoping to become an internet millionaire overnight rarely happens. A more sensible approach is to consider which online money making options best suit your strengths and interests and then put this to the test. If possible, it is useful to keep up your day job so that you have a regular paycheck coming in. You can then try out your online money making methods without putting yourself in a precarious financial position.

Side hustles are an increasingly popular way to make some extra cash, and it seems like nearly everyone has a side hustle. If you are struggling to think of ways to make money online, these ideas should provide you with some inspiration:

Use Your Skills

Most people have at least one skill that they could capitalize on to make money. For example, if you are skilled at carpentry, you could put this into practice and produce wooden furniture, decorative objects, etc., and then sell them.

Turn Your Hobby into Cash

How do you spend your spare time? If you have a hobby, you may be able to use this as your side hustle. Hobbies such as photography, embroidery, painting, etc. produce tangible products that you could potentially sell online for a profit.

Declutter and Make Money

Almost everyone has items lying around the house that they no longer need or want. Why not create a win-win situation by gathering these items together and decluttering your home in the process, and then sell these items online? It’s surprising how much money you can make from clothing, books, and games.

Give Affiliate Marketing a Try

Affiliate marketing is a hot topic right now, with many people wanting to give this money-making method a try. If you have a blog or vlog, why not Get Launch reviews and bonuses sorted out and see how much money you can make online as an affiliate marketer.

Start Dropshipping

Do you want to run an e-commerce store, but don’t have goods of your own to sell? This is where dropshipping comes in handy! Dropshipping enables you to select products that you would like to sell, and then use the dropshipping company to fulfill the orders. Dropshipping is particularly useful for people that don’t have extensive storage facilities to keep goods.