Small Business Information Insights and Ideas

6 Compelling Reasons to Outsource Your IT Support

May 20, 2016

It would not be a stretch to say that IT and data is the new precious commodity of our times. Just imagine operating a business without a computer or IT support. It is becoming more difficult to manage all the hardware, software and other computing resources that are proliferating every day. Many companies try to manage these IT resources themselves by hiring skilled technicians. However, you may be better off hiring an outsider to manage IT for you. After all, for many businesses IT is not their core competency and they cannot afford to have an outage that can impact their operation even for an hour. Besides having reliable IT systems here are 6 reasons why you should think about outsourcing your IT support.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Technology Tagged With: ecommerce, outsourcing

4 Creative Ideas to Motivate Your Employees

May 18, 2016

The motivation levels of your employees directly impacts the success of your company. Employees who are motivated to work to the best of their ability and are driven to succeed will help a company to better develop and grow, improving the reputation of the business and brand. On the other hand, employees who are demotivated and have no determination to succeed can drag a company down with them, damaging the reputation and potential of the business. Employees who are motivated to succeed are those who are satisfied with their jobs and enjoy the work that they do. In order to motivate employees, it’s a good idea to provide them with a range of benefits and incentives. These could include:

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Employees, Management Tagged With: HR

3 Types of Waste You Must Avoid to Build Profitable Business

May 18, 2016

Waste is a problem in every type of business. If you are to succeed as a small business owner it is imperative that you keep a close eye on the waste and avoid it as much as possible. Now there are number of different wastes that can occur in small business. Understanding them and finding ways to avoid them is a task every business owner needs to undertake.

First, let’s think about the problem with waste. Waste means that you’re paying for something but you’re not getting the benefit from it. Essentially, it’s just a massive drain on your company. If you allow wastes to keep developing in your business model, you’ll be missing out on huge potential profits. Now, let’s look at the three primary types of wastes that every business is likely to encounter and what you can do about it.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Management Tagged With: Cash-Flow, Recycle, Time-Management

6 Things Every Small Business Must Bring to a Trade Show

May 13, 2016

Preparing for your first trade show can be intimidating, but if everything goes right trade shows can be highly beneficial for company growth. On the other hand, if you’re poorly prepared and show up with nothing special to offer, you might wind up going home disappointed by the fact that the neighboring booths stole the show while you sat there and watched everybody pass by. There are certain things that people just expect to see when they visit a professional booth, and if your stand is lacking any of those components, it’s going to be difficult to compete. With that said, here are five things every small business should bring to a trade show:

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Marketing Tagged With: buzz marketing, Trade Show

A practical Guide to Retirement Planning for Small Business Owners

May 9, 2016

You have put your heart, soul and most of your money into your startup, and nothing you envision could make you walk away from its success. But, no matter how much you love your company, no matter how passionate you are about your products or services; there will come a time when the prospect of retirement begins to look really attractive. Unlike your employees, you may not have given much thought to retirement planning. In fact, a recent survey showed that as many as 70% of self-employed individuals aren’t adequately saving for retirement, and 28% have no retirement plan at all. No matter how lucrative your company becomes, it’s on you to come up with a retirement nest-egg for yourself as a hedge against an unknown economic future.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Management Tagged With: Personal Finance, Retirement

How Poor Financial Management can Hurt New Business

May 4, 2016

For most people, running a business is to do with the freedom of being their own boss and the opportunity to make good money, with the potential to make a lot of money in the future.

That means you need to get the financial side of your business in the best shape you can, because if you don’t, then the chances are it will drag you down.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Finance, Management Tagged With: Business-Start, outsourcing

Is It Worth to Attend Work Conferences and Summits for Business Leaders?

May 2, 2016

If you are a proud owner of a small business, or a leading representative of a large and well established corporation, you know that leadership begins with a positive attitude. If you can communicate full confidence in your own judgment and abilities, you can transmit this positive outlook to your employees and clients. However, if you have recently been feeling the strain of overload or burnout, you may not be communicating this positive outlook to your employees. If you are operating at less than optimal efficiency, it may be time to get professional help in order to restore your efficiency.