Category: Tips and Tools

If you work as a caterer, keeping on top of running your business can be a challenge. But you can always use your smartphone to help you out. There are a number of Android apps that are ideal for caterers, so here are some of the best.

Evernote

Keeping organized is one of the biggest challenges of running a busy catering business, and the number-one app you will need to make it easier is Evernote. The best note-taking app available not only has everything you need to keep your business organized, it also allows you to create notes dedicated to meals and recipes so you can keep them all in one place.

Weather Live Free

This weather app by Apalon Apps is the best weather app available, and you’re going to need it. If you are out delivering food for big events, you will want to know in advance what the weather will do. It has a seven-day forecast so you can plan well ahead, and it also has an accurate up-to-the-minute forecast so you can check the weather any time of the day and wherever you are.

FoodStorm

FoodStorm is a management app for caterers that makes managing your business easier. It has different plans to choose from, and it contains tools for production and distribution, managing orders, improving your delivery, and everything else you need.

BigOven

BigOven contains 350,000 recipes in its database, and the number keeps increasing. It’s free to access, but you can buy the pro version to scan your handwritten recipes. It’s marketed as for home cooks, but it is perfect for professional caterers, and it’s great for getting inspiration as well as keeping track of your own recipes.

Feastly

The Feastly App is great for caterers. It’s mainly for promoting your business, and you can list your own meals and share them with the community. You can also organize events where people can come and try your food for themselves, making it a great way to get the word out there and get more business.

My Cookbook

My Cookbook is another great option for storing your recipes. Create a digital cookbook and carry all your recipes with you, collect other recipes on the web, and use it for both inspiration and organization. Create shopping lists, sync to different devices, and enjoy the easy scaling up or down of the ingredients depending on the number of people you are serving. Paprika Recipe Manager is another similar app that is popular on Android.

ChefRef

This app is designed for professional chefs, and it contains thousands of recipes from chefs that you can use. But it also provides information on the latest trends and industry news so you can keep up to date.

QuickBooks

As well as preparing and delivering delicious food, you’re going to have to keep on track with the financial side of your business. This is where an app like QuickBooks can really help. This simple but powerful app enables you to track your expenses, get your statements, track your invoices, and everything else that you need to run your business accounts efficiently.

Give Your Catering Business a Boost

These are some of the best apps that you can download to your Android device to help you manage your catering business. Try them all out, and you’ll find that they prove very helpful both in the kitchen and in the office, saving you time and helping to increase your productivity.

This guest article is written by Charlotte Cook. Charlotte works as an events co-ordinator and deals with catering companies, photographers and venues on a near-daily basis. Her organizational skills are not to be beaten thanks to the technology in her pocket, she shares some tips on planning for any event.

We’ve talked a lot about online businesses and how you can start and manage your own. We’ve also covered various subjects on how to build a successful online business. When running an online business, you’ll be spending a lot of time in front of your computer. Why not make the most out of that time? There are a lot of great other things you can do whilst running your online business. We are going to cover some of them in this article.

Do Your Own Content Marketing

People love stories. Engaging stories are what make content marketing so successful. Aside from the usual SEO campaigns and other internet marketing efforts, it is a good idea to start your own blog and do content marketing for your business.

Don’t focus on the business though. Instead, tell stories about your life as the business owner. Share insights on what it’s like to run an online business. Add photos to make the stories more compelling. You can even share your expertise and talk about tips and tricks.

If you’re running an online store that sells curated fashion items, for instance, you can issue your own style guides every week. Mix and match different fashion items to create unique looks that people love. Some of the items in the article can be items your business also sells, allowing you to cross-link the two contents together.

Get a Master’s Degree

Yes, you can actually get a master’s degree while running a (successful, mind you) online business. You don’t even have to attend classes. There are a lot of great master’s degree programs from top universities like Bradley University. You can get a master’s degree in any field you like, from business administration to master of science in nursing.

All you have to do is find a suitable online course to join and you’re on your way. You can take the courses directly from your laptop, download course materials, complete tasks and pass exams; it is very similar to taking an offline course, but without actually attending offline classes.

At the end of the process, you will get a valid master’s degree. You can then use the master’s degree to start a new career or to simply support the growth of your online business even further.

Go Social!

Social networks are great places to be for a number of reasons. Having a strong following on social media means gaining a lot of credibility. You can be the face of your online business and promote your brand further through your social networking pages.

Another reason why social media is something worth trying is money. Being an influencer in social media – especially when you have a particular set of topics you focus on – is a very rewarding role. Not only will you be able to boost the credibility (and sales) of your online business, you can also promote other brands and get paid.

Last but not least, social media opens a lot of new opportunities. You can get invited to deliver a keynote in a seminar or be recognized as one of the top experts in the industry just by having a strong social media presence. A strong presence is something you can definitely build while managing your online business.

For a business to succeed, it has to have certain quirks and traits present in its culture and its people. So, if you want your business to succeed, you need to think about what you can do to tweak and adjust the culture and ethic of your business. There are many ways to do that, from training to creating the right kind of working environment for people.

But what about the people themselves? People like you at the top of the business will need to possess these traits and put them into practice. And you should do what you can to hire people who you think share some of these traits too. But before you go any further you need to know what these business traits are. Read the information below to discover which are most important for your business’s future and why.

Adaptability

Without the ability to adapt to new and changing circumstances, no business will grow properly. The one thing you can be sure of in the world of business is that nothing will stay the same. Things are constantly moving and shifting, and your business has to be able to deal with that. Be prepared for potential shocks and problems that might hit the business. And have a backup plan if you think that trends in the market could hit your business negatively in the future. By preparing for the worst, you can get the very best results for your business in the future.

Innovation

Innovation is another trait that all the best businesses have. You don’t get to the very top of the ladder without innovating along the way. When a business is able to innovate and offer something different, it can be ahead of the curve and able to lead the way forward. This is the kind of business that is the first to attract new customers. So, if you have a culture that encourages new ideas and new ways of looking at existing problems, it can only be a good thing. Don’t get stuck in the trap of doing things the way they’ve always been done. It doesn’t’ have to be that way.

Eagerness to Please

Your customers are the lifeblood of the business. Without customers that come back for more, no business will find it possible to thrive, let alone grow. That’s why your business should have that important eagerness to succeed and satisfy customers at every turn. If people are not pleased with what you are offering, then they will head to a rival. And that is clearly something that you don’t want to happen. So, always stay focused on what you’re doing and how you can convince customers to keep coming back.

Pragmatism

Being pragmatic is essential in business. Yes, things like creativity are important. But this has to be balanced with a sensible, pragmatic edge. Taking too many risks without thinking about the consequences will cause problems for the business, and that’s not what you want. So, use your head whenever an important decision has to be made. When a business is pragmatic at the highest levels, this is something that will spread through every level of it. Don’t let this stop you from using creative thinking and taking risks from time to time though.

Consistency

Staying consistent can be a big challenge when you run a large business. There are so many things going on, and it can be hard to stay on top of them all. But you have to be able to speak to customers in a consistent voice, with a consistent tone. Consumers will notice that something is wrong if your company doesn’t have a tone that can be pinned down and identified. Even small things like making sure that the documents in the office have a consistent layout and format can be important. Document management software can help you with this.

Belief

Without belief in what you and your team are trying to achieve, your business will never succeed. That’s the reality of the situation that you simply have to deal with. That’s not the same as being deluded though. You have to be able to critique your actions and past mistakes if you are going to move the business in the right direction. But if you don’t have that fundamental belief in what the business is trying to achieve, you simply won’t succeed. So, make sure that everyone who works for your business has that same belief in the tasks and goals of the business.

 

If you are starting up a new business or venturing into an established one, making sure that the office is stocked with the right items is something that can be overlooked. But making sure you have the right items in your store cupboard replenished on a regular basis is a must. Here are some of the things you need, just in case something may have slipped your mind, including some you may not have thought of.

The Basics

Have you got enough pens, paper, envelopes, clips, files, glue? The list goes on and on, but making sure there are enough of the basics will keep the office running. People take them for granted, but if you’re running the office, make sure you don’t! Have you ever needed a pen badly but couldn’t find one? Annoying, isn’t it?

First Aid Kit

Accidents in the workplace are unfortunately all too common, and having a good first aid supply should be a priority. A typical kit will consist of plasters, bandages, gauze dressings, safety pins, disposable sterile gloves, tweezers, scissors, cleansing wipes, sticky tape, creams and painkillers, to name but a few of the items.

Fire Alarm

Most offices are fit, but if moving into a new building make sure there are fire alarms in place.

There are two types of fire alarms, ionisation alarms which detect flaming fires before the smoke gets too thick.

The other type is an optical alarm, these alarms are more effective for detecting slow-burning, smouldering fires and are less likely to go off accidentally.

Fire Extinguisher

With all the computers and machinery whirring in an office at such close proximity, it could result in small computer fires or worse. Making sure you have a working water additive extinguisher with CO2 at each fire point. If possible, a fire blanket in the office kitchen also. The amount of fire extinguishers you need will depend on the size of your premises.

In addition to this, make sure you undertake a fire safety assessment if starting up a business in a new building or moving.

Technology

What does your business need to run smoothly in the 21st century? Computers! Internet access! Phones!

You need to make sure you have all the essential kit in a new business. I have seen many instances where people have to share computers as there aren’t enough, meaning that only one person can get work done!

Also, make sure you have your router and other essential kit to get online. In addition to getting online, you will need printers and a franking machine if you are sending out post on a regular basis.

Carbon Monoxide Alarm

Carbon Monoxide (CO) is a colourless, tasteless and odourless gas that can cause harmful and potentially fatal effects.

Carbon monoxide is produced by the incomplete burning of fossil fuels like gas. So it is dependent on your office setup if it is needed. But if your office has a boiler fitted it is worth having an alarm in place to keep your office safe.

Do you find yourself falling victim to the dreaded afternoon slump? You’re not alone. Many people start the day off with the best intentions (even if they are a little groggy), only to completely lose motivation and energy during the afternoon. If you want to start getting more done and just feeling better while you’re working, these ideas are perfect for you.

Get Plenty Of Sleep

The first thing you need to do is make sure you’re consistently getting enough sleep. You should be in a good routine, going to bed and getting up at similar times each day. Most people need around 7 hours, but it may vary. Bear in mind that having too much sleep can also mean you wake up feeling groggy, so you should be monitoring how you feel when you get up in the morning. After a good quality sleep, you’ll always feel better to face the day.

Wake Yourself Up Nicely

It’s never enjoyable being woken up by a loud alarm. It makes us want to crawl right back in bed. If you’d rather wake up more naturally, consider investing in an alarm clock that simulates sunrise and sunset. Your body will naturally begin to wake up when the light comes on, and you’ll be less startled when your alarm goes off. That’s if you need the alarm sound at all!

Visualize Your Day

In the morning, before you do anything visualize your day. All of the most successful and productive people do this. You can even do it before you go to sleep the night before, if you wish! Picture yourself jumping out of bed, feeling wonderful. Picture yourself feeling great, and getting your tasks done. Picture yourself making success after success. Do this with feeling each day, and you’ll likely mimic it in real life! Visualizing is a very powerful tool.

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Eat A Good Breakfast

Eating a good breakfast in the morning will set you up for the day. Eating a heavy breakfast could make you sluggish, so make sure you have something that won’t weigh you down. Maybe go for some healthy cereal, and a smoothie or juice. Have something that will satisfy you and energize you.

Don’t Drink Too Much Caffeine

Drinking too much caffeine guarantees a crash for you later on in the day. You can have a couple of cups in the morning, but avoid drinking it throughout the day. It could make you jittery, and eventually cause an energy slump. Switch to something caffeine free, or low in caffeine like green tea later on in the day. Bear in mind that lots of teas and even fizzy drinks have caffeine in, so know what you’re putting into your body.

Stay Hydrated With Water

Water should be your go-to beverage when you’re thirsty. It’ll keep you hydrated and even energize you. If you like, you can put fruit in it to make it more tasty. Drink at least 2 litres a day and you should feel much perkier throughout the day. It’ll stop any headaches you might get after working a lot too!

Eat A Healthy Lunch

Eating a healthy lunch regularly will ensure you don’t have a sugar crash an hour later. Some people eat rubbish for their lunch, and then wonder why they can barely keep their eyes open later on. Eat something packed with colourful veggies, and avoid having too much sugar. You’ll feel so much better and more productive.

Work In Natural Light

People are naturally more productive in natural light. Let as much in as you can to feel happier and get more done. It’s so much better than working in artificial light all day long!

Stand Up As You Work

Humans weren’t meant to sit down all day, so this is a great tip for those with office jobs. Stand up as you work. This is possible, even if you work on a computer. All you need is a stand up desk, and you can find anti-fatigue mats to compliment them. This should stop your legs from getting tired. You won’t believe how much more you can get done when you stand up. It may take some practice at first, and you may need to switch between standing and sitting. Work your way up to standing for the majority of the day. You’ll be fitter, healthier, and more productive.

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Make Your Workspace Motivating

Don’t just sit and stare at a blank wall all day. Make your workspace more motivating. You can do this by adding a plant, some quotes, and pictures that make you happy. You can also incorporate colours that motivate you, if possible. Make it a comfortable, nice place to be.

Listen To Some Music

Listening to music can make working so much easier. Usually, you’re better off listening to something like jazz and classical – something that doesn’t contain too many words. However, studies have shown that listening to heavy rock music can make people more productive! Listen to what works for you.

Stay Off Your Emails

Emails are a huge productivity killer. Instead of checking your emails all throughout the day and getting distracted, stay off them. Have set times for checking and replying to them if you need to. Just make sure you don’t feel tempted to check them all the time!

Take Short, Regular Breaks

Short, regular breaks will help to keep you feeling motivated. Maybe every hour or so, have a 5-10 minute break from the computer. Walk around the office, grab a cup of water, or do something to help you bring your energy levels back up. This is more effective than working for long periods of time, and then having a longer break. After longer breaks, it tends to take much longer to get back into what you were doing.

Using all of these ideas, or as many as you can will help you to stay productive at work all day long. Getting as much done as you can in the morning will allow you to relax a little more later on. The morning is usually the time we all feel most productive, so make the most of it!