Taking Care Of Safety While Renovating Your Company Building

August 20, 2018 Business, Other

Every experienced business owner is aware of how the physical appearance of the workspace – both, the interior and exterior one – can deeply affect its employees, but also the customers. The most precious thing you need to get out of your employees is their creativity, and if you want to make it blossom their working surroundings need to be well-lit and well-furnished. On the other hand, the shops that haven’t had a facelift since the day they were opened are the ones no one enters in. If your business space is shabby and rundown, your customers will lose faith in it. If this is the case, it’s about time to consider renovation. A total facelift can’t be accomplished by a simple replacement of furniture, flooring, and lighting – you will probably need new display areas and new workplace layouts, and sometimes a bit of construction work.

Since this need for renovation is a constant one and it can’t be done overnight, closing down your business during the process is not such a smart decision. Nobody likes the idea of stopping their cash flow but staying open during the renovation usually brings some temporary hazards to your customers and employees, so there are some safety measures that need to be taken care of.

Plan Big

The problem with planning lies in the fact that it is based on the assessment of the present situation, which can often be wrong. If your business area is not completely worn out, a quick look around might give you an idea there’s not much work to do. For example, you just need to ‛add a little bit of extra light’. But boosting artificial lighting surely won’t help your employees productivity. So you actually need more natural lighting, and for that, you probably need additional windows. That will certainly require some construction work and proper safety measures, especially if your office space is up high. This means you’ll also have to look at the outside of the building and put up some proper construction fencing. You don’t want people strolling by where something might fall down and smash their heads.

But barriers are not just for the outside. The construction work in occupied areas inevitably produces dust, debris, and odors which will affect your employees and clients in an very disruptive and negative way. This could even lead to various illness and chronic health problems such as contact dermatitis or asthma. So you need to employ barriers and other measures around the place in order to cut away these potential threats.

You’ll never know the exact amount of work that needs to be done before it actually starts, so you need to prepare a safety plan that follows the guidelines and regulatory rules established by OSHA. Keep in mind that even the work done while the business is closed can have a significant effect on the indoor air quality. With all this in mind, you need to complete a detailed safety plan before the beginning of construction and choose the people who will monitor it – the project owner along with a general contractor or a third-party firm.

Prepare The Terrain

Many business owners tend to think that planning and preparation are the same things, but the real preparation begins after the planning is done. And the core of this preparation lies in dealing with a constant problem of clutter. Basically, all you need to do is to get rid of all things except the indispensable ones. This may not sound that easy if your storerooms are already overcrowded, which is often the case. Forcing various stuff that your employees need on daily basis into those black pits is highly counterproductive. If you’re thinking about simply moving clutter to the aisles or stacking it high up on the shelves you should remind yourself that the point is to prevent injuries, not to create the possibility for additional ones. If you wanted to create an environment where various things can fall on your head or where you can slip and fall because of the lack of the maneuver space, you could’ve just left things as they are.

The first thing you need to do is to throw certain things out, and there are always some that are fit for the occasion. Just determine what you haven’t used for years (three is enough) and get rid of it. You’ll see that in the end you’re gonna need a large dumpster to haul all that waste to the garbage recycling plant. If there are a lot of things left that you use seasonally or important records you need to keep over a larger period of years, there are many pod companies that can provide you with a temporary workspace of various sizes – from small offices to full-sized business space.

Create a Quick Checklist

Now all that’s left to do is to write down safety standards that will enable the quick revision on daily basis. The evacuation routes need to be posted strategically around the place. Merchandise vendors must be reminded about renovation plans and dates. New display and fixtures must be on site and ready to install according to plan. Floor sweeps are required every hour. The areas of renovation must be closed. Protective items must be distributed to all employees and especially visiting customers and clients, since they could include elderly and children, and they haven’t been through safety training.

And the perimeter is secure. You’ve made enough room, you’ve made a plan for the bigger picture, and the checklist is there to keep it rolling.

Las Vegas’ Restaurants: 5 Ideal Spots for a Business Lunch

August 20, 2018 Business

Businessmen regularly meet with customers outside the office. Although some people may say that the most important thing is not the place, but the content of the conversation. However, experience suggests that the right venue can make a significant contribution to setting the right context for the negotiations. Thus, business lunch is among the greatest ways to find an approach to a customer and establish a strong and mutually beneficial relationship. We present to your attention 5 restaurants in Las Vegas, where you can organize a successful meeting with business partners…

Mandarin Bar

Mandarin Bar is a great cocktail establishment with a beautiful interior, impeccable service and informal atmosphere, where you can have a business lunch and taste excellent author’s cocktails, alcoholic drinks, fine wines, beers, juices, coffee, tea and light snacks.

A distinctive feature of the bar located on the 23rd floor of the building is its transparent floor-to-ceiling panoramic windows, which provide a magnificent view of Las Vegas, especially in the evening, when the city shimmers with millions of multi-colored lights.

(photo by Niall Kennedy)

The bar occupies the 23rd floor of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, which is located in the CityCentre complex. Another great advantage of Mandarin Bar is the availability of parking spaces, so rental car will be a perfect solution for getting around the city. You can check out Las Vegas Airport car rental map in order to find the most suitable pick up location.

Address: 3752 Las Vegas Boulevard South

Michael’s Gourmet Room

Michael’s Gourmet Room is an exquisite restaurant with 50 seats, which is one of the most prestigious establishments in Las Vegas. Visitors will be amazed by the retro-style interior – the walls of dark wood with plush red upholstery, elegant red armchairs and sofas, the stunning beauty of the chandelier in the form of a large dome create a perfect setting for successful business negotiations. Beautiful decor and furniture, impeccable service and a relaxing atmosphere will immerse you into the atmosphere of the “Old Vegas”.

Like many restaurants in the US, the restaurant will delight visitors with traditional delicious food. The menu of the restaurant includes such appetizing delicacies as seafood specialties and steaks, as well as cold and hot snacks, desserts, salads and soup options.

In fact, there is a special dress code in the establishment and the table should be booked in advance. The restaurant is located on Las Vegas Strip, at the South Point Hotel.

Address: 9777 S Las Vegas Blvd

The Barrymore

The Barrymore is an excellent spot with a beautiful stylish interior. The establishment specializes in traditional American cuisine. A cozy atmosphere, attentive staff and impeccable service, reasonable prices and delicious food are the major features of a perfect place to talk with your business partner.

(photo by Yelp. Inc)

The menu of the Barrymore is diverse and includes steaks, chops, fish, soups, snacks, desserts, ice cream, cocktails, and an extensive wine list consisting of 50 different wines for about $50/bottle.

By the way, the restaurant offers a ‘Prix Fixe’ menu for $47, as well as a spacious patio and a bar with an excellent selection of drinks. The table should be booked in advance. In addition, the Barrymore occupies the territory of Royal Resort Hotel.

Address: 99 Convention Center Dr

The Steak House

This is a really worthy steakhouse in Las Vegas, which is very popular among locals and foreign travelers.

Sirloin Steak Outback Steakhouse March 13, 20112

The menu of the Steak House restaurant includes excellent steaks fried on the grill, as well as outstanding dishes from lobsters, crabs, fish. In addition, you’ll definitely like their tasty snacks and salads, and a multiple choice of desserts and drinks. The restaurant has a bar where you can sip delicious cocktails. Advance booking is required.

As for the local favorites, it’s recommend to order beef ribs, mutton chops, fried prawns with garlic, or French onion soup. The restaurant is located on Las Vegas Strip, in Circus Circus Hotel & Resort.

Address: 2880 S Las Vegas Blvd

Texas de Brazil

Texas de Brazil is a great restaurant that combines the cuisine of South Brazil and Texas. The establishment is located on Las Vegas Strip.

Restaurants of Las Vegas can offer a variety of dishes, but if you want to taste delicious grilled steaks, then head to Texas de Brazil. It serves juicy and tasty beef, pork, lamb, chicken, as well as spicy sausages.

The restaurant features a salad-bar, operating on the ‘buffet’ principle. It offers snacks, soups, salads, cheeses, asparagus, fried mushrooms, olives, rice, sushi and much more. Many visitors will like delicious desserts: creamy papaya dessert, lime and carrot pies, chocolate mousse cake, and Brazilian cheesecake will ideally complement your business lunch.

Also, you’ll be delighted by an extensive collection of wines from around the world. A lounge bar where you can relax enjoying a variety of cocktails and cigars is another great place to visit. Of course, the table should be pre-reserved in advance.

Address: 6533 S Las Vegas Blvd

How to Strengthen Collaborative Security

August 20, 2018 Business business, collaboration, security, technology

With remote work on the rise, tools that help to foster collaboration are becoming more important than ever before. Even in traditional work environments, employees may spend up to 80% of their time working on collaborative endeavors. While the jury is out as to how effective inter-office collaboration may be, the truth is that in a global economy, the ability for workers around the globe to share and access the same information is becoming more critical than ever before. The sharing of information, however, has always brought with it an inherent risk to security. This means that collaborative security is also more important than ever before. Here are four ways to strengthen your collaborative security.

Monitor all external platforms

While no one likes the idea of knowing “big brother” is watching, the truth is that many of the same toxic behaviors and attitudes that can cause extreme discord in an office can be transmitted just as effectively through communication platforms like Yammer, Workplace and Slack. In addition, a recent study conducted by Wiretap found that out of more than 1 million messages sent on these collaborative platforms, 1 out of every 118 communications contained sensitive information and passwords were given out in 1 out of every 262. While monitoring your employees may seem like a violation of their privacy and feel somewhat like voyeurism or a lack of trust, the truth is, it is actually better for all parties concerned.

Create passwords for your employees

Every year, SplashData compiles a list of the top 100 worst passwords gathered from more than 1 million login information leaks culled from the internet. The passwords “123456” and “password” continue to make the top of the list, just as they have for the last decade. This is why it is a very bad idea to let your employees create their own passwords. By now we all know the elements that actually create good, strong passwords, so make sure that every employee has a good, strong password – whether they like it or not.

Do password updates regularly

No one likes password updates. No one. Not the people that have to create the updated passwords and hand them out nor the people that have to learn new passwords. Because of this, many companies still allow employees to create their own passwords and often put off doing updates. This is a mistake. When employees leave certain companies, it can sometimes be months before someone remembers to eradicate their login information from the system. This can be particularly problematic when you have a high turnover rate such as when you are using remote workers on a project by project basis. One way to avoid this is to do monthly password updates.

Get employee buy-in

One thing to remember is that much of the data you are trying to protect is personal information about your own employees. If you remind them of this fact regularly, you may get better participation from them in regards to security measures and precautions. At the very least, you may get less grief when you hand them a new password every month. In addition, not all data breaches are external. You can perhaps help keep employees from sharing passwords by reminding them of just how much personal information they are putting at risk by sharing passwords and other secure information with their coworkers.

When it comes to collaboration, the free flow of information and ideas and security will always be somewhat at odds with each other. Just like freedom and security always will be. That makes collaborative security something of a paradox. Like all paradoxes, they must simply be addressed and constantly balanced to help them function well together.

How to Make your Laundry Business Green

August 17, 2018 Business

Go green – this is what businesses today would like to achieve. It shows not the only concern for the environment, but it will also have a huge impact on profitability. Customers will love it when you love the environment, which can translate into a better business. From using energy-efficient laundry vending equipment, such as those from Continental Girbau to changing your lights, this post will quickly tackle some of the best things that you can do to make your laundry business eco-friendly.

Look for Laundry Equipment with Tech-Advanced Features

On the top of the list is investing in the right equipment, which includes the commercial laundry machines you can find from Continental Girbau. Look for new technologies that can help in the reduction of your energy consumption. They have smart features, acting as if they have a mind of their own. They will automatically adjust based on the load of the machine. This means that you will be able to save on both water and electricity.

Invest in the Training of your Employees

Educating your employees will be critical in establishing a green laundry business. You should train them how to use the machines properly and how they can be an agent of change. Make sure that the employees take a proactive role in your green initiative. Otherwise, all your efforts will only go to waste.

Stock Up on the Right Detergent

Aside from your equipment, the detergents used in the laundry business will also have a huge impact on your sustainability goals. The best green laundry detergents are free of toxic chemicals that can be contributory to environmental degradation. They can keep the planet green while also making sure that the clothes are clean!

Harness the Power of Alternative Energy

By alternative energy, what we mean is to use solar panels. Depending on the place where you live, you can even enjoy tax incentives by using solar energy to power your business. If the laundry is too big to run on solar energy, you can at least use the energy from the sun only for running the lights and other equipment that uses minimal energy.

Manage the Heating and Cooling Systems

The HVAC system is essential to ensure the comfort of your customers and employees. It will ensure the right temperature inside the laundromat. For instance, you should invest in lights that do not generate too much heat. Also, if possible, you can leave the doors open so that air will come in to keep the laundromat cool instead of relying on your air-conditioning.

Change your Lights to LED

If your laundry business is not yet using LED lighting, you are most probably missing a lot. LED lights are also more durable compared to others, which means that it will take a long time before they will ask for a replacement. They last up to 25 times longer and use up to 75% less energy compared to other types of lights. The initial cost of switching to LED can be steep, but the long-term benefits are sure to be worth it.

By building a green laundromat, you are not only doing something good for the environment, but you are also doing something great to improve your profitability.

Website Colors Can Affect Conversions – Here Is What You Should Know!

August 15, 2018 Business

Do you know why most restaurants have a red logo? That’s because red increases appetite and makes you feel hungry. Most eateries shower their walls with scarlet to subliminally entice you in. Most tech companies have a blue logo. No, they’re not impressed by Facebook. This is because blue inspires trust.

According to one of an Orlando SEO Services Company, colors have complete influence over the human psychology. Each color triggers a different part of our brain and triggers a certain ‘emotion.’ Businesses have learned to use those emotions to form a connection with their customers. No wonder brands spend millions of dollars on logos every year. And websites are no exception.

In the digital era, your website is the face of your brand. Your websites colors are not about attracting traffic. Your customers cannot see the colors unless they have already arrived on the site. So, is it about impressing them? Colors can do a lot more than impress and engage customers. Your website colors can impact the decision of the user. In fact, they can improve your conversion rate.

Colors in Numbers

If you still feel that the connection between colors and conversions is exaggerated, we have numbers to support our claims.

According to a study, 90 percent of the product assessment is influenced by colors. Colors play the most important part in a successful product purchase. 85 percent of that decision is driven by the effect of colors on your mind. Since our mind can process visuals 60,000 times faster than text, your website visitors will notice the colors before they notice your taglines.

Yes, color psychology is not a made up field. A clear understanding of how each color influences your customer’s decision can help you improve conversion.

However, you need to understand what kind of emotion would get you the desired response. Do you want your customers to like you as a friend or trust you as an expert? Would you like your brand to appear professional and trustworthy or fun and interesting? Do you want to appear tough and competitive or classy and sophisticated?

You need to understand what your prospects are looking for in a brand and use the right colors to let them know they have found the right place.

Now, choosing a color that can get the desired response from the user is not an easy task. You cannot choose the color you like the most. There are several aspects you need to consider before you make the final decision.

Learn the Basics

Different combinations work differently. However, each color has a certain psychological effect and you can use that knowledge to create the right combination. Below, I summarize what some common colors mean.

Yellow – It is the brightest of colors. It can evoke positivity and happiness.
Red – Red is an intense color and it can trigger passion, need, and urgency.
Blue – Blue establishes trust. It is called the color of corporate America.
Green – Green denotes wealth and health. It creates a balance.
Orange – Orange denotes confidence and competitiveness.
Black – Black signifies power and strength. It is a tough color to work with.
Pink – Pink is indeed a feminine color. It symbolizes beauty and style.
Gold – Gold is for elegance and luxury.

Know Your Customers

Girls like pink. Boys like blue. Color psychology goes deeper than that.

However, gender plays an important role here. That is the reason female and male products are branded differently. You might laugh at all those fragile masculinity memes, but male minds prefer dark colors. Similarly, a female brain is conditioned to prefer softer colors.

Other than gender, the age group of your target audience is also important. Young people are more inclined towards fun and adventurous brands while older demographic still prefers trustworthiness and professionalism over anything else.

Identify your most potential demographic and use the right colors to create a brand personality that speaks to them. You can use the analytics tools to identify your target audience. You need to keep consumer behavior in mind when designing both your website and your mobile app.

Find the Connection

Business and customers are two different entities connected to the product/service. If you know how your customers perceive your product/service, or how they will use it, you can make a good color choice for your website.

For instance, if you have a landscaping company, green would be an obvious choice. If you have a bakery or a candy shop, pink would be a nice color to go with. It is always a good idea to use a color that somehow represents your product or service.

Color Wisely

Never try to use a lot of colors to attract different buyers. Too many colors cause emotional chaos. Experts believe you should stick to the three color rule. 60 percent of the design should have the primary color, 30 percent should be your secondary color and 10 percent accent colors. While primary and secondary colors should be part of the theme, accent color can be used for attention-grabbing parts such as CTA buttons. Balance it all out with white. White will prevent the chaos. Remember, having a clear CTA can boost e-commerce conversions.

Conclusion

Color can impact our emotions and influence our actions. Using the right color on your website will help you make a good impression on your visitors. It can make them feel a connection between what they need and what you offer. Therefore, if used smartly, colors will increase conversion. Don’t forget that your website must be functional. So make sure you use good coding practices to keep your website running at all times.

Ensure Your Business is Not Making These Branding Mistakes!

August 10, 2018 Business

Your brand describes you! The way you build your brand helps people in understanding what kind of value system do you have and what is the idea behind your company. Just designing an impressive logo, having a business portfolio, and having social media platforms are not enough for a brand. To exist in the real world, brands need to invest a lot of time and energy into research, professional consultation, and in understanding the competitor’s strategies. Before marketing your business, every entity should know what exactly branding is and how it should be done!

Ensure you do not make the following mistakes while branding and it goes for both- the existing ones and the new business houses.

Taking Competitors Lightly:

Knowing your competitors is extremely essential for new businesses. When you research about existing big fish in the same market that you want to work in, then knowing what they have done in the past, where did they fail, and what works for them can help you to understand what edge you can give your business and make it different from the rest. Remember, the research you are doing should include the target audience, products, their website, and how they use their social media pages. Once you study these elements through and through, you shall be able to understand your competitors better. If you think that you can skip this step then you may end up implementing the same marketing strategy as them or you may not understand their business model.

Do Not Know The Target Audience:

Sales is a long process and pitching the wrong audience may ruin the entire process. Before you begin with your selling process, ensure you know who you need to pitch. Always study the pattern of your targeted audience – which brand they prefer, what are their needs and demands, what connects them, and how useful they see a product for themselves. Also, when you identify your target audience then putting across the business message correctly becomes easier via branding and packaging.

The First Impression:

Never underestimate the power of the first impression. Trying to increase your sales without actually being seen in the market is totally useless. Branding helps in entering the market and one should study the elements of branding thoroughly before expecting to generate some revenue. The first impression can only be made the way you package your product. Do not think that buying container and package supply are more than enough for creating a powerful first impression.

Non-Reliable Feedback:

Sometimes we end up giving up on our dream because the feedback is negative. However, in most cases, we forget to analyze the source of this feedback. Maybe the feedback we generated was from the wrong audience and we did not consider asking the feedback from the right ones. Also, sometimes we rely on our closed ones for feedback but, they usually provide us a positive feedback without acting neutral. Therefore, before relying on the feedback from friends and family, make certain you choose the audience who can give you an honest review of your product. If you are seeking one for your business then try social media platform and various review sites.

Logo Re-Designing is Not Enough:

Let us be clear on one thing – branding is more than just getting the logo designed or adding a tagline to your business. Branding means putting the soul of the business in marketing. Once your business message is different from the others then you will be able to target your audience as well. Companies spend millions of dollars on redesigning their logo and rebranding their business. However, this is not enough. The biggest example of it is the Yahoo – it thought by changing the logo it will be able to brand itself better, however, nothing of this sort actually happened.

Uniformity:

Companies that are steady and consistent in branding never fail. Remember, you should never change anything that works for you in business. Here is a big example of it – Coca-Cola has not changed its logo from the past 130 years and has been consistent in doing its branding. The way it packages its products has also been almost the same since its birth. This eventually has led in creating a mark in the world. And today, it has billions of social media followers on its page. You will agree; when summers are around and you want to have something chilled, Coca-Cola is what hits your mind every time.

Remember, always have a plan B for yourself in case plan A is not working for you!

How to Choose an Inventory Management Solution for Your Retail Business

August 8, 2018 Business

A dynamic inventory management product not only comes equipped with the best must-have features, it is also affordable and scalable, adapting effortlessly to the needs of a growing retail business. If you’ve been contemplating upgrading your retail inventory management process, look for the following essential features that make an inventory management solution stand out among a host of wannabes.

Comprehensive product management

A retail business will often have a large number of products and categories—which calls for a solution that can effectively manage and track hundreds of different products based on specific features. Essentially, you should be able to automate inventory transfer and adjustments, add custom tags and serial numbers, upload documents and photos, track batches and lots, track financial data and manage product bundles with a few clicks.

Location-wise stock tracking

For a business that’s spread across locations, tracking the changing inventory at different locations is essential for a seamless workflow. A good inventory management solution helps avoid the problems of under- and overstocking by tracking incoming and outgoing stocks at different outlets, warehouses and sub-locations. You can not only view the stocks in real time but also generate reports to get in-depth insight into inventory trends for each product line.

Low inventory alerts

An essential element of a stock management system is its ability to alert you when stocks of a particular item reach a predefined minimum level. It allows you to set low inventory thresholds for each product at each location, reaching which it will automatically set off an alert—additionally, advanced systems will also auto-generate a purchase order to replenish supplies.

Barcoding

Inventory management processes thrives on granular product tracking, which is only possible if the system has the capability to define RFID and barcoding for a large database of products. Does the software allow integration of your existing barcoding database into the new system? Does it allow adding and editing barcodes as you go along? Can you scan barcodes or will you have to key in identifiers? Purchase a system that will automate the day-to-day processes as much as possible so that your staff can work faster and more efficiently.

Automatic generation of purchase orders

How about an inventory management solution that auto-creates a purchase order when it detects low inventory for a particular item at a certain retail location? This feature takes away yet another manual step in stock management. Furthermore, the inventory levels are then automatically adjusted when the items are received at the location.

Don’t worry about automatic purchase orders wreaking havoc on your distribution network—each order needs to be approved before it is processed. Even with a great technology-driven solution, a human will always be in charge.

Automatic tracking of bills and payments

Whenever a purchase or sales order is fulfilled, the system should not only make adjustments in stock levels, it should also be able to generate invoices and track bills, applicable freight and taxes, payments and credits.

Integrated customer relationship management (CRM) and vendor management

This is a particularly useful feature for retail businesses that offer different price points for different customer and vendors. Advanced inventory management software will have integrated CRM and vendor management so that you can keep track of sales orders from each customer and purchase orders from each vendor according to product type, location and pricing.

Comprehensive reporting options

Regardless of the volume of your sales, you will need reports that can help you understand and control your purchase and sales trends, predict demand and supply with greater accuracy and manage stocks more efficiently. Does the system you intend to buy offer a wide range of reports? Does it allow customization of reports based on your needs? Invest in an Inventory Management Software System that comes equipped with a variety of reporting options.

Complete control over user access with multi-level tracking

This feature enables multi-level auditing of the system, allowing you add and manage users at different locations, control access for each user and track daily activity for each module.

To conclude, invest in a good inventory management system to gain greater control over stocks, purchase and sales, demand and supply, customer relations, vendor management and more. At the same time, purchase your software from a company that has the expertise and experience to offer you a great product as well as exception after-sale service and support. They should be available to resolve your queries, particularly during the implementation period, and be forthcoming to help integrate the system and train your employees.

4 Essential Tips to Save for an Emergency Fund

August 8, 2018 Business

An emergency fund consists of savings that will get an individual through a few months of tough times when their regular income has declined or stopped because of losing a job or falling sick or other such contingency.

Creating and maintaining an emergency fund is not difficult if you go about it in a planned way and make it a priority by committing to regular compulsory savings. Here are four tips that will help you kickstart and maintain an emergency savings fund with minimum effort.

Enlist your monthly expenses and redo your budget

Most people think they don’t have enough spare money each month to put into a savings account, but that’s not true in most cases. Savings need to be an integral part of your monthly financial planning—only then will you be able take away some amount to save.

It’s never too late to start saving, but the first step in the process is to sit down and make a realistic list of all your fixed and variable living expenses. Then, add them up and multiply the sum by 3 and you’ll have the minimum amount you need to have in your emergency fund. The idea is to set aside three months’ living expenses if not more.

The next step is to go back to the list and carefully examine each head to see where you can cut costs and put that amount into your contingency fund. Break down each expense and you’ll certainly find scope to save small amounts in several categories. Remember that even $20 weekly is good enough to start saving. You’ll have $80 at the end of the month when you thought there was no money to save!

Start putting aside money for your emergency fund now

If you’ve been thinking about creating an emergency fund but haven’t been able to pull it off yet, you’re possibly making the same mistake that so many other working professionals make—waiting for the right time when you’ll have sufficient money to kickstart your emergency savings.

Ask any financial expert and they’ll tell you that the key to saving for the long term lies in starting early and saving small amounts that will add up to a significant sum down the line. When you start small, the greatest benefit is that the savings don’t cause a cash crunch and you can go about your life as usual.

The best way to build an emergency fund is to open a new savings account with your bank or credit union. You can set up weekly, fortnightly or monthly automatic transfer from your checking account to this account—this way you’ll be saving money without even realizing it.

You can also use technology to get into the habit of making compulsory savings. Explore money management applications and you’ll find that there are apps out there that will take a small sum every day or every week from your main account into a savings account or that will round up your purchases and place those tiny amounts into a savings account.

Create small goals that you can achieve without stretching yourself too thin. These small yet significant accomplishments will motivate you to manage your money better and spend and save in a balanced manner.

Send all extra income to your emergency fund

Whether it’s a tax refund, income from a side hustle or your yearly bonus, all of these can be used to beef up your emergency fund. The key is to be willing to compromise and avoiding unnecessary large expenses until you have saved enough for tough times. Once you have the peace of mind that there is enough in your savings account for the proverbial rainy day, you will feel more in control of your finances.

Instant cash loan to meet unexpected expenses

If a situation arises where you need to arrange funds instantly but would rather not use your credit card, you can consider taking out a short-term cash loan, such as a payday loan, which comes with the condition that you’ll repay it when your next pay is credited into your account. The repayment period of such cash in advance loans can be extended; however, be sure to check the interest rate that will be charged in case you’re unable to repay as agreed.

If you’re inclined to take out a cash loan to get through a temporary cash crunch, be sure to first explore several different lending companies and compare their offers, interest rates and repayment terms before taking out a loan.

How Technology Supports Business Growth

August 6, 2018 Business big data, business growth

We live in a world where digital transformation is happening faster than ever before. The arrival of new technologies gives us both new opportunities and challenges.

New technologies have the ability to change the way we do business from the ground up. They change how our work environment looks, the operating models we use and how we handle interactions with our customers.

The latest in technology is now available to a wide audience. Previously, access to the most robust and innovative tech was something limited to large enterprises. But today, the costs of hardware and software are much lower than ever before, making technology accessible to businesses of all sizes.

Any business that wants to succeed needs to know how to leverage the modern technology. Using the latest solutions allows businesses to grow at a fast pace.

How Businesses Grow Thanks to Tech Solutions

Technology has become the centerpiece of the modern business world. The specific technologies used varies from one industry to another, but every type of business takes advantage of some form of tech to move forward. Here are five major ways technology is driving growth across all industry sectors in today’s businesses:

1. Big Data and Analysis

Evolution in technology has given rise to the concept of big data, which consists of extremely large sets of information that require specialized data processing applications.

Big data can be collected in various ways, such as by customer input on the Internet or from the sensors of smart devices. However, the most important part is what businesses do with this newfound wealth of information.

By analyzing big data, businesses can get a better understanding of consumers, their target market and what they want. This allows them to create products that meet their needs better and are more likely to leave them satisfied. Big data can also be used internally within organizations, such as to improve processes and get rid of inefficiencies.

2. Cloud Computing and Storage

Cloud computing includes everything from storage, to IaaS, SaaS and PaaS solutions. Cloud-based storage is one of the simplest kinds of cloud computing services. It allows users to store files and retrieve them remotely whenever they need to.

Infrastructure as a service (IaaS) provides access to virtual computing resources in the cloud. It’s what people refer to when they speak of “cloud servers,” which can be used to host online applications and websites. Software as a service (SaaS) refers to any kind of application that runs remotely and doesn’t require an app to be installed locally.

The Google Docs suite and Office 365 are good examples of a SaaS. Platform as a service (PaaS) is a development and deployment environment hosted in the cloud, allowing users to create their own enterprise applications.

Cloud storage is one of the most popular uses of cloud technology as it allows easy sharing of data with anyone who is authorized to see it. It also provides an excellent backup solution that safeguards precious information from disaster.

Data stored in the cloud can be recovered should a local storage device suffer a failure, preventing it from being lost forever. This enables businesses to keep growing without worrying about data loss or the safety of their servers in case of disaster.

3. Automation and Efficiency

Technology gives us many opportunities to automate tasks and make the business a lot more efficient overall. There are hundreds of ways how automation is changing the business world.

For example, cloud-based accounting and payroll software can automate various record keeping and calculation tasks that would previously require several employees to handle. Automation allows businesses to cut down on their costs and function more efficiently.

4. Communication and Collaboration

With modern technology, there are now various communication tools that individuals and businesses can take advantage of. For example, thanks to smartphones, people are now connected everywhere they go. VoIP technology is another great development, as it allows phone calls to be carried through the Internet, which greatly reduces costs.

Collaboration is also greatly enhanced by technology. People now have dozens of different ways to work together on business projects. This is mostly due to the rapid growth in popularity of cloud-based business software platforms, which allow workers to sign in from anywhere and share information with their colleagues.

5. Savings

Finally, one way that technology promotes business growth is by allowing large amounts of savings to be made. For example, a company can use cloud-based collaboration platforms and instant messaging tools to enable remote work.

This allows them to have a large part of the workforce doing their jobs from home or any other location, which helps the company reduce their overall operating costs, as they don’t need a big office.

The savings that companies get by making smart use of the latest technologies can be reinvested, which allows them to grow their business faster.

Conclusion

Technology is rapidly changing the way businesses around the world operate. It has many positive effects on companies of all sizes, one of which is allowing growth to proceed at a fast pace. Big data, cloud computing, disaster recovery, automation, communication and collaboration tools can all be made to work together, allowing a business to function more efficiently, save money and expand its operations.

How Your Business Can Benefit from Competition

July 26, 2018 Business business, Start-up Business

Competition can be fierce in many industries, and there may be times when you wish your competition would ease up so that you can gain an edge in the marketplace. However, competition is actually beneficial to businesses. After all, in order to survive and to thrive, you must constantly be improving your business activities in different ways. Without competition, you may be more inclined to sit back on your haunches and operate with business as usual. These are some of the more significant and specific ways that competition helps your business to improve.

A Push to Find a Niche

You may be aware that successful startups usually concentrate on one thing initially. They find the product or service that they excel in, and they focus on carving out a niche in this area. When you are faced with heavy competition in various niche areas, you understandably may be more inclined to find what you do best and to refine that service or product to perfection before you think about branching out. Through this effort, you may find ways to save money on production, find the right pricing strategy and more.

Motivation to Innovate

Innovation is essential for a startup’s success. Many entrepreneurs, however, may have the inclination to get stuck in a rut without motivation to innovate. For example, they may eventually turn a small profit, and they may be timid to make changes that may ultimately promote growth and increased profits. When strong competition is present, however, entrepreneurs may not have the luxury to sit back and maintain the status quo. Without constantly innovating new and better ways to get things done or to improve products and services, they may fall behind.

Willingness to Adopt New Technologies and Strategies

Some entrepreneurs have a natural tendency to scrutinize and even to shy away from new technologies and strategies. After all, if something works fine now, why would they try to change it? The competition is regularly taking advantage of new technologies and business strategies. They may be using these technologies and strategies to reduce the cost of doing business, to improve production so that they can lower the cost of their goods, to improve customer service and more. Competition encourages and even requires successful entrepreneurs to be more willing to look at and to adopt improved ways of doing things.

A Focus on Customer Service

Even if you have an amazing product or service, poor customer service can lead to the demise of your business. Without competition, some customers may feel inclined to muddle through and accept the low level of service that a company provides. However, when they are provided with an option of seemingly equivalent products or services, they may be inclined to choose the company that offers better service. In some cases, they may even be willing to pay slightly more for products or services if they know that they will be treated fairly and respectfully.

Competition in the business world may initially seem like a negative force that you must constantly combat. When competition is too fierce, it could even lead to your company’s downfall. However, when you embrace competition as a motivating factor to innovate and to improve in different ways, you can turn what is seemingly a negative force into a positive, driving force. Rather than constantly chasing the competition, it may be better to strive to be at the forefront of change and innovation by leading the pack. With this in mind, make a regular effort to explore new ways of doing things, and take bold steps forward to improve your business in different ways.

6 Tips To Follow Before The Official Opening Of Your Food Service Business

July 20, 2018 Business

Are you bored with your daily routine job? Always had a zeal to open a food service business & become an entrepreneur? Always wanted to quit your job and do something that satisfies your soul? As with any business, opening a restaurant, bar or a cafe is no easy task. It comes with a lot of responsibilities and requires you to manage a team. Running a food service business can be stressful and demanding – from hiring and managing a team to negotiating with suppliers. Do not be afraid of working hard, whether you are an aspiring entrepreneur or a chef with years of experience in the food industry. Do not expect Christmas holidays or any kind of time off but sooner or later, these sacrifices will pay off.

The opening of the restaurant is actually the last step. There are a lot of things which needs to be taken care of before the opening of the restaurant. You will need to come up with a unique theme for your restaurant and then find a suitable place which can complement your theme. You would need to arrange the best restaurant supplies at a reasonable price. Give yourself easily 12 – 18 months to get the construction going and the furniture to be set up. It approximately takes three months for the permit to come through. Here is a list of things to do before the official opening of the restaurant –

Hiring & Training of Staff

Decide on early how many staff members you will need. You would probably need to hire chefs, waiters, cleaners and a manager who will vouch for your business on a daily basis. Recruit professionals to train your staff if you need to as they will be the link between your business and your customers. Try to hire employees who are trustworthy and dedicated towards their job. Employees who are smart can tackle emergency situations quite well.

Find Restaurant Equipment Supplier

The quality of food and service provided to the customers can hugely depend on the efficiency of the restaurant’s equipment tools. Restaurant equipment just does not add style to the kitchen but can also save labor and energy costs. Never allow the restaurant equipment to affect your business. Dinnerware & Glassware are most prone to breakage so make sure to purchase quality restaurant supplies from a reputable supplier such as VEGA Direct. You can directly visit VegaDirect.ca who not only offer the finest dinnerware, cutlery, flatware but also stylish furniture, menu boards & much more.

Tackle Legal Issues

As with any business, there are a huge number of risks associated while opening a restaurant. It is best recommended to hire a qualified lawyer to deal with all the legal formalities and different types of insurances. An insurance can not only protect you from theft or an inevitable accident but also against any unforeseen event. Your lawyer can suggest you the general liability policy that suits your business. It can cover many accidents on the premises such as someone falling or be slipping, a customer getting hurt ‘from broken glass or even someone becoming gravely ill from the restaurant’s food.

You also might want to consider property coverage. This will ensure that your furniture and everything of importance, from stoves to glassware, is fully covered in case of any fire or theft. If your restaurant provides food delivery or outside catering, make sure to have a vehicle insurance as well. You might also need a chartered accountant to handle your tax related issues.

SEO & Marketing

It is never too early for a business to start marketing. Every business needs a competitive marketing plan, and a restaurant business is no exception. TV or billboard advertisements are a viable source but can put a big hole in your pocket. You probably have spent enough on the construction and furniture so it is best recommended to market your business online. You can hire a freelance digital marketer or simply contact a digital marketing firm.

A digital marketing firm can help you create a website if you are not familiar with making one. A marketing team can help you promote your website and increase its traffic. A well-built website showcases your online presence and can increase your revenue. Remember to make it easy for your potential customers to find your contact info and location on your website easily. Here are some online marketing tips you can follow if you don’t intend to spend too many dollars –

Take support of the Internet and try to get backlinks to your website from other local business.
Sign up for various food review sites as well as social media.
Use Instagram, Twitter & Facebook to place inexpensive ads.
Ask your customers how they found out about you, so you may know where your advertising and marketing dollars are best spent.

Provide Unique Dishes

You can get a headstart in your food service business if you can provide your customers with a unique and unexpected experience. This can give your business a much needed positive word of mouth. You can offer a brand new dish or a unique decorative design. Homemade desserts or drinks might sound delicious but is not a new concept. Give something which the customers can crave and will come back for. Try to specialize in a service which is nowhere found in your area, it could be pastries, drinks or maybe Italian food. There are surely much more ideas to explore.

Promote your Opening

When it’s almost time to open your restaurant officially, try to spread as much positive word of mouth as you can. Here are some tips to get your business’s name in the headlines –

Send a tray of samples to famous food critics & bloggers in your city.
You can have your chef prepare one of your unique food items on live local news.
Team up with your staff and provide free samples to people in your nearby shopping malls or any event.
You can also do a local radio interview and talk about your journey of setting the restaurant up.

Small Business Advantages Thanks To Mobile Invoicing

July 20, 2018 Business

Mobile invoicing has been a trend lately in various small businesses around the world. Invoicing has been one of the most important procedures that small businesses needed to do as it gives an owner compensation as they take care of their business. However, the method of performing all of these is very time-consuming and frustrating as there is a lot of invoices to be made and reviewed before sending it by the end of the day or deadline.

That’s why mobile invoicing solutions finally exist nowadays in the form of apps to assist everyone with the hassle of invoicing everything. Here are the several benefits that this new form of invoicing can provide to almost every small business out there:

Faster Transactions

Delays in submitting the invoice will always result in delayed payments. This can turn off employees to the point where they may leave the small business if this keeps up. Mobile invoicing can eliminate all delays as it has an extremely fast way of delivering and receiving invoices in just a few seconds.

Saves Money

This is considered as the top benefit that every small business owner can get out of mobile invoicing. The money needed to purchase paper, pens, ink and other supplies for creating an invoice can cost a lot of money. Mobile invoicing is simply electronic, allowing business owners to use the money for supplies in their own savings or for investing more in their business. Aside from saving money, it also gives business owners a feeling that they are saving the environment at the same time.

Develops a Solid Billing Method

Mobile invoicing can be a part of the business in terms of handling all billing procedures. These apps are designed with user-friendliness as its priority. They will never install these invoice solutions as an app if it weren’t easy to operate in the first place. What made these invoice apps interesting is that they can integrate well with other cloud-based apps that might be useful for the business.

A Mobile Office

The most office works in a business, even in restaurants, often happen on the computer. Thus, an office is needed. This is another money-saving tactic as the help of a mobile invoicing app can help business owners take their office at home or anywhere they may go. This gives business owners a chance to do more business trips and it helps save a lot of office space and cost for office hardware as well. All that the owner needs are a printer.

It’s A Payment Platform

Customers will benefit well from this type of app as it can help them pay straight to the payment centers while the mobile invoicing app handles every online and mobile transaction done. This is hassle-free and as fast as handing out cash. Cryptocurrency users will also like the availability of this service as it allows the digital currencies to be used as payment, too.

Invoicing is on a whole new level just like how we operate computers at the palm of our hands using smartphones. It’s a great way to make business owners more focused for the sake of investing and improving their business even more as it costs a lot of money and resources. It also lessens the stress of handling invoices at the same time because it just needs a few taps, scrolls and swipes to do perform invoicing in general nowadays.