Category: Tips and Tools

Some businesses and sole traders think that as long as there’s a desk, productive work can be done. While this is true to an extent, the working environment actually plays an enormous amount in how much a worker and a team actually gets done. So many factors can distract, from noise and privacy concerns to comfort and the pleasantness of the workspace. It may also be designed inefficiently, with obstacles in the way of productive team working and collaboration.

With all of these things in mind, isn’t it time you re-evaluated your workspace?

Fully open plan isn’t always best

Many offices have been moving towards open plan office designs, with the aim of encouraging employees to collaborate. However, so many of the UK’s open plan offices are not properly optimised. They could actually end up decreasing productivity. This is because while team building, collaboration and socialisation are very positive things, workers also need privacy. They also like to be able to personalise spaces to some degree, which just isn’t possible in a fully open plan, hot-desking environment.

Job needs

Many people working in open plan offices will be doing very different work to their colleagues and this could be disruptive. For example, they could be concentrating on a writing task while a neighbouring colleague is on a customer service call. These two activities conflict with each other, and the workspace should be able to accommodate everyone and help each individual to concentrate. The most productive offices are those which can design and create individual workspaces based on the demands and requirements of the job, not the hierarchy within a business (i.e. the boss gets a private office and everyone else is in cubicles).

Flexible collaboration

A cleverly designed office space, whether open plan or not, is one which makes collaboration easy. You shouldn’t have to book a meeting room to work together as a team, you should simply be able to grab a coffee and move to a different part of the room.  Many businesses call in a specialist to achieve this fine balance between team working and privacy. Experts in smart space thinking such as Penkeths can ensure that a workspace is tailored to the way a particular business works, improving concentration, productivity and also worker happiness.

Variety is key to maintaining a versatile business that can keep up with the pace of its competitors and the demands of the modern world. Many different kinds of spaces, breakout areas and desking layouts gives employees more choice on how and where to work. This can improve morale, as well as boosting engagement throughout the company.

Greenery, natural light and morale

Whether you work in an office or in your own workspace at home, you should never underestimate the importance of natural elements such as plants, greenery and lots of sunlight. These are automatic morale-boosters, which make you feel more positive and alert. This nearly always equates to greater productivity.

Many people believe that the launch is the hardest aspect of running a business, especially if you’re setting up from scratch. It’s true that this can be tricky and hard to navigate, but this is only the beginning. The true challenge is growing your business and taking it to the next level. In order to do this, you have to monitor and reflect constantly. You have to find ways to simplify and streamline each aspect to maximize your time and profits.

Technology

Technology can take away a lot of your headaches, especially when it comes to saving time. For example, if your company deals with data, significant time and resources are often spent collating, cleaning, consolidating, filtering and restructuring. However, data ingestion tools can do this for you, handling large volumes on a continuous basis.

There are many tools readily available to fulfill all manner of processes. And if you can’t find an off-the-shelf solution, it’s worth looking into a bespoke application.

Outsourcing

Many small businesses start with the owner working in the business. This is fine in the early stages, but it is not conducive to growth. If you are spending all your time completing day-to-day tasks, you won’t have time available to grow the business and take it to the next level. There are many solutions for this, including employing more staff. However, this may not be feasible or financially viable in the early stages. It may be more cost-effective if you outsource some of your work. We live in a service environment so you can outsource most aspects of day-to-day processes. For example, if you don’t have time to market your business properly or manage social media, etc. find someone who can do this for you. You may not need someone to work on a full-time basis, just a day a week, etc. and so outsourcing is ideal. Or, you could look for a solution part way between this, by automating your social media posts.

If you’re a slave to your phone and email, this is another area that could be delegated elsewhere. Consider setting up a virtual reception service to take your phone calls and channel them to the correct person. Messages can be taken if you’re not around or are too busy to respond. And if you need something a little more than telephone answering, a virtual assistant can ease the burden. The advantage is that you don’t have to take on a member of staff and everything that entails. The work is completed by a professional freeing you up to work in other areas.

Stop And Reassess

It’s worth taking some time to go through all of the processes and map out what each member of staff completes each day. Involve everyone in this process and ask for feedback. You may find there are lots of areas that can be streamlined, simplified or outsourced. A company that runs efficiently and makes the most of its resources will maximize time and profits. Perhaps more importantly, it will provide additional time for you to work on progression and growth.

What are your five tips for small business success?

I’ve been asked by Fundera  for my top five tips for small business success so I thought I’d share them! If you don’t know my story, I started out here at Business Plus Baby back in 2009 when my second baby arrived and after a slow few years (that’s business-wise, my home life with two kids born 15 months apart was manic!) I eventually began making video courses. These days I make done-for-you courses at TotallyCourses.com and also record voiceovers.

Here are my five top tips:

1. Start building an email list from the beginning. This is SO important because a list is where you’ll make your online sales. You can sell on social media, but a list is far, far more effective. It’s not quite as simple as I’ve made that sound, of course. You need to nurture your list and build relationships with your subscribers by sending them useful information – it can’t all be sales messages. But start your list now, email regularly and the rest you can learn as you go along.
2. Start selling to your list right from the beginning. Otherwise your susbcribers come to expect only free information and many will unsubscribe further down the line when you start selling. If you don’t have a product yet, review products that you use and love, then include an affiliate link.
3. Sell what people want to buy. I see so many small businesses trying to sell what they love to make. If you’re lucky you’ll find people who want to buy what you make, but there are no guarantees there will be a connection between the two. You can save a lot of heartache by doing some research and then experimenting by buying or making a small amount of stock and seeing if that sells before committing yourself to your business idea.
4. All my tips have been about selling, which is a little different to much of the advice out there which seems to be all about finding your passion, doing what you love and releasing your money blocks! But I’ve found that selling is at the heart of a successful business and you have to get over any nervousness or ickniness you have about it as early as you can. No sales = no business. I’m not a natural sales person AT ALL, I had to work on this a lot and I still have a long way to go. But selling your product is really all about finding a solution to clients’ problems, or showing them something they are going to fall in love with. If you do it well it shouldn’t feel pushy or icky because you’ll have found a good fit before you even begin.
5. Enjoy it! Yes there will be times when you wonder why you got yourself into all of this and you will have to work hard. But if you enjoy it most of the time then you’ll go that extra mile, new clients will want to seek you out and you’ll spot the new ideas that keep things fresh and you ahead of the competition. If you do find your mojo disappearing, look at why that might be – are you isolated? Do you need more support? Then fix it.

Do you have any of your own to add? Please tell me below…

Any Business owner in the United Kingdom knows the importance of being able to trade throughout Europe. It is a massive market, and if you are not actively participating, your business is losing out on potential revenue. However, buying and selling throughout Europe can also offer up a set of challenges for your business. Below are some important considerations to make sure your business dealings in the European market have positive results.

Maintaining Strong Relationships

Maintaining strong relationships with your consumers in each country can be tricky. Each nation has its own set of business practices and cultural norms that will differ from what you are used to in the UK. You will need to educate yourself on the differences and adjust your business practices accordingly. Some countries prefer to take a formal approach to business matters while others prefer a more laid back approach.

In addition, countries have different work holidays that you need to be aware of and respect the other parties time off. For example, if you have a deadline that falls on that particular country’s holiday, you should make sure it is met ahead of time. As a UK business owner, you should take the time to learn about the culture of the nations you are doing business with and make the effort to adapt. These small steps go a long way in building and maintaining strong and successful relationships with your customers throughout Europe.

Language Barriers

In addition to cultural differences, doing business throughout Europe can provide some challenges from a language perspective. While no one expects you to speak all the languages spoken in Europe fluently, there are some steps you should take to avoid any problems. You will want to make sure that any marketing materials, product warranties, product instructions and product specifications are properly and clearly translated into the appropriate languages.

When you are communicating with clients, avoid using any jargon and try to be a bit more formal. Words that are common in the UK could potentially confuse others in Europe. If you are entering into contracts, make sure the language is clear and understood completely by both parties. If it is a complicated legal contract, you should have an attorney who is well versed in both languages review it before signing.

Streamlined Payment Systems

If you do not have a streamlined payment system, your business is behind the curve. Setting up a full service payment system is essential to reducing your banking costs and financial risks. One advanced payment technology that can be extremely beneficial for European trade is SEPA. SEPA (Single European Payments Area) offers a conversion service that through a file based process, will convert all the domestic BBAN numbers to the required IBAN and BIC. This will save you a significant amount of time to focus on more important activities.

Your business will also be able to process payments through the cloud based SEPA direct debit program. You will be able to set up automatic payments ahead of time and collect funds from clients more quickly. The direct debit system will help improve cash flow and your ability to budget for the future. When dealing with multiple European countries, there are many moving parts that you must keep on top off, a streamlined payment system is going to take a huge burden off of your plate and increase your efficiency.

Regulatory and Legal Environment

As a UK company trading with other European countries, you need to understand not only the UK Legal and Regulatory environment, but also the European nations regulations and legal requirements. As a business, you will need to conduct research on each local market and put processes in place to ensure you are compliant with local regulations. You will want to make sure you are aware of any specific tax regulations the country may have and make sure you are compliant.  In addition, each country will expect that you are adhering to local product and packaging standards. It is very important to keep excellent paper records of all invoices and orders so that can you produce them should a regulatory body require it.

No matter what type of business you are in, trading with Europe opens up your business to potentially millions of additional customers. It is well worth taking the extra steps to make sure your business dealings in Europe are a great success.

If you work in the security industry, you’ll know just how important it is to have the right clothing. We look at how your company can benefit from high quality security workwear.

The security industry requires you to be prepared, and always have the right appearance. That’s why your clothing is so important; you need to have the right workwear to ensure that you are not only protected, but that you have the right image, so that people can immediately recognize you. There are many different clothing choices available to you, and security shirts are among the most important.

From polo shirts to long-sleeve shirts, you can choose from a range of items for your team. When you buy shirts, make sure you choose a comfortable and durable material like cotton. These clothing items will be worn on a daily basis, and should provide your team with flexibility and comfort at all times. You should also make sure that you choose the right size, allowing the perfect fit.

Wearing security shirts

Security T-shirts are used to identify security staff in areas such as event venues, clubs, or any other area where security is required. Professional security clothing are printed with specific wording on the front and back, and they are usually black or white in colour. Standard security clothing have the word ‘security’ printed on them, which makes them easily visible to the public. Visibility is crucial, to ensure safety.

In order to maintain a professional look for your team, you should standardize the clothing for your entire team. Have them wear the same style uniform, and ensure that they can easily be spotted. You can make sure that the public can recognize them, so that they know who to turn to if there is an emergency. The style and quality of your team’s clothing is important, as it has an influence on their professional appearance. That’s why you should choose a reputable supplier of security clothing.

In addition to short sleeve shirts, you can also choose polo shirts, long sleeve shirts, and custom shirts. Customized security clothing also comes with the word ‘security’ printed on them, but you can have additional imprints done. This is perfect for teams that want to add more detail, such as names, or their company logo or slogan. It’s a cost-effective way of marketing your security services.

You can choose additional features such as flame-resistant clothing, which can be perfect for a security team. You never know what hazards they may face, making it easier for them to know they have protective clothing to wear. Protective clothing should be standard for all security teams, and you can choose security shirts that will work for them.

Regardless of the size of your operation, if you work in security, you have to have the right clothing. This means that you should get a reliable supplier, and choose high quality items that will make any security team feel protected, comfortable, and most of all – productive.