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4 Business Tips Every Entrepreneur Needs to Know to Survive During and Post COVID-19

StrategyDriven Managing Your People Article |Survive During Covid|4 Business Tips Every Entrepreneur Needs to Know to Survive During and Post COVID-19Regardless of what kind of business you operate, there are very few industries that haven’t been affected by COVID-19. Since the start of 2020, the coronavirus pandemic has spread across the UK and beyond, resulting in over one million deaths across the world (and counting). For entrepreneurs, running and operating a healthy business can be challenging during these unprecedented times. So, to keep your operation afloat, here are some useful tips on how to survive the pandemic and keep revenue up.

Encourage Remote Working

If you’re able to do so, you should encourage your team to work remotely. If you operate in an office, many employees will have concerns and fears about being in close proximity to others. The last thing you want is for your team to fall ill with the virus and have to isolate. So, you should encourage working remotely, meaning your staff can operate from their homes which will reduce the risk of them contracting COVID-19.

Keep in Touch with Employees and Customers

No matter what kind of business you run, regularly communicating with your employees and customers is key to success. If you have had to shut your physical premises for the time being and your team are working remotely, you need to head online and use video conferencing software like Skype or Zoom to hold meetings and training. Your customers may feel out of the loop during these strange times, so make sure you have social media business pages that can be used to keep your audience in the know.

Coronavirus-Proof Your Premises

If your business has been allowed to reopen, you need to take precautionary action to keep staff and customers safe. You can use screens to reduce the spread of covid which can be useful in all kinds of environments, including offices, restaurants, and retail stores. As well as covid screens you can use queue barriers and face masks which are key measures that you can use to reduce the spread of the coronavirus.

Encourage Hand Washing

If you employ others in your business and they’re back at work, you must encourage hand washing. While we should all wash our hands regularly with soap and water, you will be surprised at how many people forget to do so. In the unprecedented times we are currently living in, it’s more important than ever to wash your hands. There are hand sanitiser stations that can be installed in your business which will serve as a constant reminder for employees to clean their hands.

Whether you hire office space, run your own restaurant, or operate a retail store, your employees and customers are at the heart of your company. To keep your business thriving and on track, all the tips above will ensure you have all bases covered, helping to boost morale, productivity and ensure staff and customers are kept safe and protected during and post COVID-19.

How to Handle Back to Work Anxiety

StrategyDriven Practices for Professionals Article |Work Anxiety|How to Handle Back to Work AnxietyAre you returning to the office? Businesses in many industries are starting to welcome employees back either on a full-time basis or a few days a week where remote working has been successful, but after months of working from home, it is understandable that many employees are feeling anxious.

So, what can an employee do to feel less anxious about returning to the office?

Learn About Changes

The fear of the unknown can be what causes the most anxiety, so it is useful to learn ahead of time what changes have been made to the office environment. It is likely that your manager/HR have been in touch but you can also speak to them directly which also gives you a chance to communicate your worries and work together to find ways to reduce stress and anxiety.

Socialize with Colleagues

Everyone is in the same boat so it is likely that you are not the only person feeling anxious which is why it is a good idea to speak to your colleagues and see how they are doing – of course, you will want to do this in a manner that you are comfortable with and by adhering to social distancing guidelines.

Prepare for the Commute

It is understandable that the commute is causing stress and anxiety, especially those using public transport. Wearing a face mask and having hand sanitizer is important, but it might also be useful to book online and try to travel at a quieter time. If you are getting on a train going to Portsmouth Harbour then you can book online which will give you one less thing to do on the day.

Have Something to Look Forward to

As with any type of anxiety, it is always helpful to have something to look forward to as a reward. This could be anything, but a few ideas include getting your favourite takeaway after work, going for a drink in the pub or buying yourself new clothes. You might also find it helpful to have a nice lunch planned in the middle of the day either with a colleague or by yourself if you are more comfortable.

Breathing Exercises

Breathing exercises are a proven way to reduce anxiety and can be done easily while on the train or simply sat at your desk so it is a good idea to teach yourself these exercises.

It is perfectly natural to have some anxiety returning to the office after months of working from home and with the virus still a threat. Hopefully, this post will give you a few ideas for ways that you can reduce anxiety and return to work with confidence – once you have done it once and got your feet under the desk, it is sure to feel like before.

Are You Ready to Start a Home-based Business?

StrategyDriven Starting Your Business Article |Home-based Business|Are You Ready to Start a Home-based Business?Many people think about starting a business from home when they are passionate about something and/or have a talent. Working from home and being your own boss is an attractive prospect, but for most, it is certainly not an easy or quick way to make a living.

When deciding whether to start a home-based business, there are two key questions to ask yourself: are you ready to start a business, and are you in a position to run a business from home? The answer is not necessarily a simple yes or no, as there is a lot to consider. This article outlines the key points to examine before you make the decision.

Your personality and talents

We are all born with a predisposition for certain talents and traits, i.e. we are naturally better at some things than others. That is not to say that we cannot learn, diversify, and develop with experience, but often we have the greatest success in what comes naturally and what we enjoy.

Take some time to consider your talents and personality traits which could be assets when running a business, e.g. creativity, self-motivation, communication, resilience, discipline. You may decide that you are not well-suited to running a business and would be better suited to being employed but with more flexible hours/remote working options.

Your skills

While we are born with personality traits and talents, our skills are developed as we go along through experience and training. You might have design skills, organizational skills, writing skills, accounting skills, or people management skills, for example. You can gain and develop new skills as you run your business, but it is best to begin a business which complements what you already have.

Your talents, skills, experience, and interests should all come together to influence your choice of business. Starting a business in an industry in which you have no experience or knowledge is setting yourself up for an uphill battle, so capitalize on your assets. You should begin with a long list of possible ideas before whittling them down to just a handful of options which pique your interest.

Your home

Now that you have some ideas for a business, it is time to consider whether they are likely to function as a home-based business. There are several factors to consider including the location of your home, any local laws or licensing issues, how much space you will need, equipment, utilities, and living arrangements.

If you have a garage or spare room, you may be able to run a business, but if you are restricted on space or need a professional office where you can meet with clients, it may not be suited to a home business. However, if your business can be run from home with the exception of the occasional meeting or day in a professional office, you can make use of serviced offices Belfast as and when you need to.

Your income

Of course, the big question for anyone looking to start a new business is profitability. You may be exceptionally talented and/or skilled, but if people are not going to pay enough for the service or product, it is not a viable business. Can you make and sell enough units of the product to cover your running costs? You need to be sure that there is a market for your business and that you are offering something which other companies are not. Only businesses which can generate profit are worth investing your time and energy into.

Advice for Building a Remote-Working Business

StrategyDriven Starting Your Business Article |Remote Working|Advice for Building a Remote-Working BusinessIn light of COVID-19, many businesses are making the switch to remote working. Or if you are just starting up a new business, then this could be how you need to work from the get-go. Remote working is the way of the future, with ever-increasing advancements in technology, it seems that everything is going online.

There are lots of advantages to remote working. For one, you will have fewer overheads. Secondly, you and your staff should have a better work-life balance, and thirdly, you can employ the best possible people regardless of their location.

However, there are also some risks to consider. How can you be sure that your staff are doing what they said they would? And how can you foster a supportive working environment if you never see each other in person?

Here is some advice for building a remote company that runs smoothly:

Use the Right Tools

Your employees are going to need access to all the important documents required to perform their job effectively, from home. There are many software options available to you in order to implement this.

You may need to consider remote conferencing software, such as Zoom, and project management software that allows you to assign tasks and create workspaces, such as Notion. You may also need a password manager and encryption. If you share logins, then this could be particularly important.

Choosing the right software, to begin with, is important so that everyone only has to learn one system. So do your research and figure out what’s right for you.

Determine Your Communication Plan

The biggest thing a remote business is missing is in-person communication, which is why a communication plan is so important. When will you communicate and how? Perhaps have a catch-up skype call every Friday, or messaging tools. Keeping a line of communication is essential.

You may decide to meet in person every so often, especially when hiring new employees. For some businesses and people, this is important. If you do, just make sure that you adhere to social distancing measures and that you keep the space clean with disinfecting sprays, hand gel, sanitizing wipes and more. It would be effective to have sanitizers and sprays across each workspace in the office, and you can order in bulk from Brooklyn Equipment’s line of sprays if you want to keep them stocked up. That way, everyone can feel safe and secure.

Choose the right remote workers

For remote working to be successful, you need the right workers. You will probably have a lot to choose from and need to be stringent in your decisions. Read CVs thoroughly and speak to people on a video call to get to know them better. Ask for references too if necessary. It is not just about having the experience and skills, they need the right mindset, be self-motivated, and they need to be a good fit for your company.

Find creative ways to connect

Remote working makes it difficult for people to feel part of the team, which can be important for retention of good employees. Hold group video calls, have a cloud collaboration, and get creative. Consider remote challenges and activities for them to participate in such as fancy dress over video call or a Friday quiz or shared lunch.

Set Clear Goals

Goal setting is always important, but especially for remote workers. Determine what your expectations are, and when deadlines should be met so that you can keep people accountable. You should also have frequent performance reviews and set tangible, clear and achievable goals. This will also help keep your staff happy as they can see themselves progressing.

How to Spot the Difference Between Webinars and Online Meetings

StrategyDriven Practices for Professionals Article |Webinars and Online Meetings|How to Spot the Difference Between Webinars and Online MeetingsIn 2020 the business landscape has experienced a wild ride. In a matter of months, the tried and tested analogue working world has shifted almost entirely to a digital way of life. Gone were the conference halls and meeting rooms, in came the online meetings and webinars.

But with so many new users starting with virtual conferencing from scratch, there has been a lot of confusion surrounding the jargon. It’s like learning entirely new vocabulary: webcasts, screen sharing, virtual conferencing, remote access and more.

One key point of confusion surrounds the difference between webinars and online meetings. At first glance, they might seem remarkably similar, with many mistakenly using the words interchangeably. However, after this article, you will hopefully see there is a world of difference, and it’s vital to know what they are and when to use them.

So, let’s begin!

How to Tell the Difference

At the most basic level, it revolves around size. Online or virtual meetings are most often employed when a small group of people want to get together to discuss and idea or project. These meetings are collaborative with everyone taking a role in the proceedings, and they usually shouldn’t include more than twenty-five people.

In contrast, a webinar is for the masses, with some platforms allowing the organiser to host five-hundred people or more. In these sessions, one person or group typically talks to the rest. Think of it less like a meeting and more as a conference. Or as the name suggests, a seminar.

When to Use an Online Meeting?

Such meetings are great on a number of occasions. Firstly, if you need to liaise with one person or a small team, they are the perfect way to exchange ideas quickly and in real-time. They’re much quicker than email. They can also be suitable for larger conferences; however, consider the aim of the meeting. Are you here to display a product to others, or is the meeting primarily a collaborative approach? Do you want everyone to contribute?

If the answer is yes, then an online meeting is the perfect medium. They’re all about discussion.

As such, the tools available during the meeting are designed to facilitate the exchange of ideas. Virtual whiteboards allow attendees to sketch out their ideas for all to see. If you’re struggling to explain a complicated topic or you want to make notes as you speak, use the whiteboard to draw diagrams and connect ideas. They’re also fantastic for a quick brainstorming session. Meanwhile, screen sharing enables each meeting participant to show their work or to switch slides in a presentation smoothly.

As you might imagine, such meetings are brilliant for connecting with a client half-way around the world (they also save on travel costs). However, the downside comes with the home backdrop, which can look unprofessional to a client. Choose a Zoom virtual background for your next interview with a client, selecting from stylish offices to swanky boardrooms. To give the meeting an exceptionally professional feel, have the entire team use the same backdrop, for a sense of continuity.

When to Use a Webinar?

As mentioned, webinars are designed for big crowds. They’re the virtual equivalent of a conference hall. If the meeting isn’t a discussion, but rather a large-scale presentation: pick a webinar. They prevent any interruptions, allowing a speaker to showcase their product or idea.

People have used webinars for lectures, training seminars, or for a companywide update on progress. However, one concern is often raised: audience participation. While the speaker doesn’t want to be interrupted every minute, they want to keep the audience engaged.
Thankfully, with polls and surveys, speakers can test the mood in the room. Or they can use a curated Q&A to answer questions in real-time, clarifying any confusions.

As promised, you now know the critical differences between online meetings and webinars. Are you planning a cosy collaboration with your team, or do you need to present your product to the world? Either way, you have the tools at your disposal.