Over the years, LinkedIn has evolved from that social media platform nobody really wants to use to a recruitment powerhouse and the biggest professional network in the world, helping bring employees and companies together to create a more successful business sector. If you are looking for ways to beat the coronavirus crisis and actually attract talented individuals to your brand, then building a powerful employer brand on LinkedIn might just be the solution to your problems. Simply put, the world of social media is vast and filled with opportunities, and while you can and should employ social media marketing to achieve your goals, there is no denying that your best bet for finding some amazing employees is to become a LinkedIn superstar. That’s why today we will be taking a look at the five key ways you can dazzle your LinkedIn audience and elevate your employer brand to new heights. Optimizing your LinkedIn pages While many recruiters and social media managers will focus on the primary company page, how it looks and the story it tells, experienced marketers and agencies know that your company’s page on LinkedIn is but a single piece of the puzzle. After all, you have your brand’s page, yes, but you also have your personal LinkedIn page, which you can be sure that the potential employee will want to check out the moment you reach out about a job opening at your organization. Needless to say, both of these pages need to be in top shape if you are to build a trustworthy image and get them to reply to your message, and more importantly, apply for the posting. To achieve this, you have to focus on two things: functionality and storytelling. Firstly, people will want to check out all of the functional information, such as the position and what it’s about, weekly work hours and workload, the salary you’re offering, perks and benefits, and the like. On the other hand, LinkedIn is filled to the brim with well-organized and information pages, so you need to set yourself apart by weaving some stellar storytelling into the mix. Your goal should be to paint a picture for the applicant and empower them to reach out not because the salary is great (although that helps) but because your company is an amazing place to be. Emphasize job security The millennial employees might be known for their propensity to switch jobs and continuously look for better career opportunities, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t try to minimize your turnover rate – there are ways you can retain amazing employees over the long haul. Unfortunately, not many marketers will pay enough attention to job security when designing and optimizing LinkedIn pages, or recruiting through social media. Even though this might not be something that the candidate is actively looking for when they’re researching your pages, it’s still a powerful message that you can send right off the bat: the message that you value your employees and that you are committed to keeping them at your side. Weave your brand identity into the mix If you want to build a better employer brand on LinkedIn and beyond, you have to weave your corporate brand identity in to the mix. After all, contemporary brand development is all about creating that perfect symbiosis of corporate, employee, and consumer values, and portraying a more reputable and trustworthy brand to the public – customers and potential employees included. While your LinkedIn pages shouldn’t sound overly corporate, it’s still important to weave your unique brand values into the storytelling and show potential employees why your brand is the best place to work. Ideally, all of your LinkedIn pages will successfully portray your employee value proposition, your company culture (more on that at the end), and your overarching brand identity. Get your existing employees involved When you think about it, your employees are your brand’s biggest assets, so who better to spread the good word of your company on social media than your loyal and devoted team members? After all, rest assured that the best candidates will also look for your employees’ profiles and scrutinize them mercilessly in order to find an inkling of inconsistency, so you have be prepared. If you want to succeed in social media selling and recruitment, especially on LinkedIn, it’s important that you optimize your employees’ LinkedIn profiles as well. That said, you shouldn’t try to make their pages overly sales-y or scripted, instead, inspire them to share interesting, personal work stories that revolve around your brand – this will give candidates an insight into your culture, brand, and work environment. Showcase your company’s culture Lastly, always bank on your company culture to be the cherry on top of your employer brand. Your company culture is that feeling of positivity and zeal that permeates your entire organization, so you can’t just advertise it on social media, you also have to weave it into the very fabric of your brand – because the last thing you want is for the new employee to get disappointed on their first day. To build a create culture, you have to build it on the pillars of equality, honesty and transparency, co-dependence and collaboration, strong leadership and guidance, as well as professional growth and development. Wrapping up When you combine and mix up all of the elements we’ve talked about today, you get a memorable and inspirational employer brand that will never fail to dazzle every job seeker. More importantly, though, this type of employer brand will appeal to the best and the brightest in your industry, and help you attract top talent on LinkedIn.

Back in the day, not so long ago, people thought that working in the office was a walk in the park. These days, however, men and women know this is not true. Naturally, office jobs are easier than some physically demanding jobs, but this doesn’t mean that people behind a desk have it easy. Especially if they have a lot of responsibilities and have a stressful job. Workers have to feel comfortable and safe when working in an office. This is the only way they will be creative and productive. Therefore, this is something every employer should have in mind when designing an office. However, designing a workplace like this is not a simple task. So, here are some of the tips on how to design a human-centered workplace in 2020. Invest in High-Quality Lighting It doesn’t matter what line of work you’re in, when it comes to the office design, lighting is one of the most important aspects. Having a lot of natural light would be perfect, but if this is not possible, installing high-quality lighting is the next best thing. Office workers spend many hours in front of the computer screen and this means they are straining their eyes on a daily basis. This is why it’s rather important to provide them with comfortable and soothing lighting. This is the only way they will be able to rest their eyes when they step away from the computer. However, finding the lighting equipment that allows workers to be productive and soothes their eyes is not always a simple thing to do. This is why a lot of employers are opting for BUCK’s solutions these days. If you want to design the best possible office for your workers, you should definitely consider this option. Make Sure to Have Comfortable Furniture in the Office We already said that office workers spend a lot of time sitting behind their desks. Sadly, their eyes are not the only thing that’s at risk. Their backs and posture can also suffer if they are not sitting in comfortable chairs. Therefore, as an employer, you must make sure your workers have the best possible furniture. This way, they will be able to work all day without experiencing back pain. Of course, this doesn’t mean you should buy only chairs. You should invest in furniture in other rooms as well. For example, the breakroom and recreational room should also be equipped with high-quality furniture. It’s the best way to ensure your employees feel comfortable in the workplace. Have a Recreational Room A lot of companies these days, especially in the IT industry, have these rooms. This is a place where workers can relax, rest their eyes, and have some fun. In this area, there should be no work-related things. This is a room where employees can go to talk about something other than work and play games. Playing table tennis and video games can be a fun way to relax, but it can also be rather distracting for other workers. Therefore, you must be careful when designing a recreational room. Allow your employees to have fun, but don’t diminish the importance of work ethics. Have Your Own Cantine As you probably know, food is the most important thing in every person’s life. Therefore, if you want to design the best human-centered workplace, you should definitely have your own cantine. This way, you will be able to hire your own chef. He or she will prepare freshly cooked meals for your employees every day of the week. Instead of spending money on junk food and other unhealthy options, your workers will eat healthy food every day. This is something every office employee dreams about. If you get a personal chef for your workers, they will definitely pay you back through their work. This is one of the best ways to motivate and inspire your employees. Conclusion Designing a human-centered office these days is not a simple task. The main reason why this is the case is the fact that there are too many different generations of people working together. These men and women have different work ethics and habits. Pleasing every single one of them is difficult, but you have to try. We hope these tips will help you to design the perfect workplace for your employees. If you manage to do so, they will repay you with creativity, productivity, and loyalty. You have to admit it, this is every employer’s dream.

Whether you work as a bartender and blog in the evening or you’re a teacher and you do pet photography on weekends, you already know just how cool having a passion project is. But what to do when you decide to put even more effort into your passion project and make a profitable business out of it? Listed below are five things you need to do if you want your side gig to become a huge brand everyone’s heard of. Love what you do The first and one of the most important things you need to do when turning your passion project into a profitable business is to make sure that you love what you do. Balancing your job and your part-time project isn’t easy and things get unbearable if you eat, breathe and sleep the project. Moreover, the last thing you want to do is quit your 9-to-5 job one day only to realize your project isn’t something you can do for the rest of your life. Only if you love what you do fearlessly can you expect to succeed. Learn how to barter Turning a side-project into a business isn’t easy and it’s definitely not inexpensive. If you can’t afford to spend a lot on building your business, you can try to come up with ways to barter with other local businesses. If there’s a company in Melbourne that could use your service and has something to offer you back, why not use it to your advantage? Also, try to avoid paying for stuff such as models for your website. Ask your friends and family members to do it instead. The more you manage to do on the cheap, the more you’ll be able to invest in your core operations. Build a strong brand In today’s business world, you can’t succeed without a powerful brand. Whether we’re talking about large corporations or passion projects turned into businesses, developing a brand is a must. It’s a medium you can use to show people what makes your business stand out and help them remember you. Of course, building a memorable brand is a lot easier said than done. Your safest bet is to work with local professionals who can design it for you. Luckily, finding a good branding agency in Melbourne you can turn to should be easy. Test the waters Just because you love something, it doesn’t mean it’s what people are looking for. This is why it’s a good idea to test the waters before you put any serious money into your passion project. For example, if you’ve always dreamed of planning events, don’t start a planning event business just yet. Do some one-off projects on weekends and see if it can work out. If people start calling you and asking for your service, it’s a sign that turning your project into a business can work out well. Don’t mix business and personal Just because it’s your passion project, it doesn’t mean the money your new business makes belongs with your own money. Keeping everything in the same bank account may sound tempting but it makes it more difficult to keep track of how well your company is doing. Not to mention that once you start paying taxes, you’ll struggle to get the job done. With that in mind, it makes sense to open a separate bank account for your passion project and keep all the money it makes there. Over to you Taking your passion project and making a business out if it is a great idea. You get to do what you truly love and make money by doing so. Do everything we mentioned in this post and you’ll be on the right track to build a business that’ll stick around long-term.

Employees who work the standard 40-hour week spend a large portion of their time in the office. The problem is, most jobs require all their effort and strength. You may not be able to decrease the workload of your staff members, but what you can do is create a positive environment for them to work in. Get the design right and your employees will show up for work happy and ready to get more work done. It’s a win-win situation for both you and your employees. Listed below are a few upgrades you can bring to your workspace to boost your employee productivity. Get office plants Including some leafy friends in your workspace is a cost-effective way to brighten up everyone’s workday and ensure they perform at their best. Office plants are known to help employees stay healthy, reducing the number of sick days. The biggest reason is that greenery keeps the air in the office clean and reduces the stress that so many employees suffer from. Moreover, studies have shown that adding just a few potted plants in the office helps employees engage better in their surroundings and focus on their work. Last but not least, plants absorb background noise, especially if your office has hard surfaces like concrete walls and floors. Design a break room Taking regular breaks is a big part of staying productive. However, you can’t expect your employees to benefit from taking breaks if they spend them scrolling through their social media feeds or checking sports scores on the web. Getting out of their office chair and socializing is the best way for them to recharge their batteries. If you want to encourage spending time with co-workers during breaks, designing a break room is something you just can’t go wrong with. Bring in some comfy furniture, a video game console or even a ping pong table and you can be ensured everyone will have fun during breaks and get back to work ready to put in as much effort as possible. Help everyone stay hydrated Another important thing your employees have to do while at the office is stay hydrated. Busy workloads often cause people to forget about hydration and it’s your job to make sure that doesn’t happen to your employees. And we’re not talking about drinking sugary drinks, which so many people love these days. A few glasses of water and a cup of coffee are guaranteed to help your employees get energized for work and finish working without feeling tired. To encourage hydration, think about getting a water cooler for every level in your office and find the right spots to make them more accessible. Getting a few coffee makers for your office can help everyone improve their short-term memory and problem-solving. Let in natural light Sun deprivation can lead to depression and disturbed sleep, which only makes your employees less productive. With most modern jobs requiring employees to spend their entire workday in the office, there’s nothing you can do about it, except letting in more natural light in the office. To begin, consider where your light is coming from and arrange desks in the office to receive as much of it as possible. If there’s enough space, you can also think about installing a few extra windows on your walls. Just make sure that sunlight doesn’t create overwhelming glare and cast shadows on workstations. When it comes to artificial lighting, sticking to LED bulbs is recommended. Invest quality headphones Making sure there’s a pair of headphones for every workstation in your office is a great idea. Not everyone enjoys working with music but some employees come up with their work-friendly playlists and prefer listening to them while working. Investing in quality headphones allows your employees to decide what works for them the best. If you decide to go for noise-cancelling headphones, you can be assured your employees will be able to get in the zone no matter what’s going on around them. Having headphones on is also a clear sign that you’re working, meaning that employees who need to focus on their work will get interrupted less often. Over to you Make any of these five upgrades in your office and you’ll boost both company productivity and morale. An uptick in production will help everyone in your team set up for success and allow your company to grow.

Starting a poultry farming business involves raising domestic birds for the purpose of meat, eggs or feathers. Although most people decide to start a chicken farm, you can opt for any other domestic birds. Do everything right and your new poultry farming business can turn out to be a real success. In case you still haven’t decided whether this is the right business venture for you, let’s take a look at five advantages of starting a poultry farming business. It's inexpensive Getting into the agriculture industry can be costly. With all the machines available, some types of businesses require you to spend a lot in order to get started in the first place. Luckily, this isn't the case when starting a poultry farming business. In fact, the only capital you need is the amount of money it takes to start raising poultry. This includes the initial purchasing costs, food, and protective structures for your chicken or any other birds you decide to raise. You don't need plenty of space Unless you plan to go big from day one, you don't need a lot of space in order to get your poultry business off the ground. When starting out, most households decide to start raising poultry right in their backyards. As long as your outside space can fit the cages that protect poultry from nighttime predators, you have just enough space to get things going. The spatial requirements are extremely low and most suburban areas allow you to raise birds in your backyard, no matter how small it is. No special licenses required when starting out If you plan to only raise domestically-based poultry at your farm, you won’t need any special licenses when getting started. Just select a poultry catalog, choose the birds you want to raise, and pick up your chicks at the local post office when they arrive. The only thing left to do is buy a chicken egg incubator and you can start hatching eggs. Just have in mind that you’ll still be required to have a standard business license in order to start selling your products. A proper health inspection of your farm might still be necessary. It can be very lucrative You'll be happy to hear that raising poultry can turn out to be extremely lucrative and there are plenty of opportunities to receive a big return on your initial investments. One of the biggest reasons for this is that it takes no longer than a few months for some poultry birds to reach the stage at which you can sell them for meat. This means you can sell a few "crops" of birds without having to make any extra investments as you'll still be able to use the infrastructure you bought when getting started. Maintenance costs are minimal Most poultry farms require very little maintenance, especially when they're being run at a family level. Just by following the basic guidelines, you can prevent any kind of disease from spreading among your birds. It's also important to know that some birds are less likely to develop diseases and opting for them is a good idea if you're afraid about any potential diseases spreading to you and your family. For example, in some markets, birds such as turkey and quail can bring the same amount of profit as chicken. Final thoughts Ask any farmer and they’ll tell you that raising chicken, turkey, ducks and other domestic bids is a relaxing experience. The chores are minimal comparing to how much you can make by running a poultry farm. Just remember that the only way to succeed is to put enough time and effort into it and get everything right from day one.

No matter how big or small your business is, hosting a corporate dinner party is a great way to make a few business deals. It also gives you an opportunity to gather all your clients and employees and spend some quality time together. However, for such an event to be a success, you need to plan things in advance and pay attention to the details. Moreover, planning things in advance also means it wouldn’t take that much effort to make the dinner successful. So, from food to the venue, here are a few things you need to keep in mind when planning a business dinner. Date and time as a priority number one Assuming that you’ll have more than a few business clients coming, postponing the date or time can make you appear unprofessional, which is probably the last thing you want to achieve with this kind of event. So, you want to make sure the timing works for everybody. This also means that you should avoid national holidays, and perhaps choose a day that is closer to the weekend. Moreover, make sure to send all the invitations at least a week or two before the dinner, so your guests can find a babysitter if they have kids and simply organize their day. Choose the best place for it The next most important thing is choosing the right location. First, take into consideration the size of your party and your budget. If there won’t be that many guests, you can arrange the dinner at your office grounds. However, if you’re planning a bigger event, or if you’re inviting some people whom you want to impress, it’s better to choose a banquet hall or even a 5-star hotel. In this case, make sure to visit your venue before the party to ensure that it has everything you need. Of course, don’t forget to book it on time as well. Organize a buffet Needless to say, you need to offer some good food if you want the dinner to be a success. A buffet is usually the safest choice, since it allows your guests to choose what they like the most. Setting up a grazing table is a good idea too, as it would allow your guests to sample different choices before choosing what to put on their plate, and it helps keep the atmosphere relaxed. This is a common trend in the Land Down Under, especially for smaller events. So, if you happen to be from Australia, you should have no trouble finding professional catering from Sydney that can help you with the buffet and grazing table. Secure the place Since you are holding a business dinner party, you are responsible for the safety of all your guests. To have one less thing to worry about, and to make your guests feel safe and comfortable, consider hiring professional security guards for the event. Of course, the number of guards you should have depends on the size of the party, but they should not let anybody uninvited get in and disturb your guests. Speaking of staff, your staff should know the number of guests and their names – nobody should arrive wondering whether you’re there and where they should sit. Let the party start Finally, it might not be a bad idea to make a checklist of all the things you need to do, so you can actually check everything before the party. Once you do check everything and ensure that nothing is missing, the party is ready to begin. Arrive early so you can again make sure everything looks the way it should, and greet every guest individually as they arrive. Additionally, when they do arrive, welcome them to their table and ensure that the table meets their needs – some guests might not want to sit near the kitchen or the restroom for one reason or another, and you need to be there to accommodate them. The success of your business dinner can also mean the success of your business, so it’s really important that everything goes smoothly. Therefore, keep in mind the listed tips, start planning everything at least a few weeks in advance, and there will be nothing for you to worry about.

The internet has become an invaluable tool every business has to use in order to succeed in today's market. It allows companies to conduct business more efficiently, increase their employees’ productivity but also to reach more customers and expand quickly. However, the internet is still full of many different individuals and organizations who are trying to find different ways to exploit both people and businesses all over the world. Having a breach in your cybersecurity could have catastrophic consequences for your whole business and the worst part is that people tend to be the largest security vulnerability in any organization. Because of this, it’s absolutely crucial to educate your employees about cybersecurity and how to tell and deal with potential threats. So, to help you out, today we are going to take a look at exactly how to educate your employees about cybersecurity. Talk to your employees The first and the most important step in educating your employees about cybersecurity is to clearly communicate the threats a potential breach could have on your business. They have to understand that not paying attention to what they are doing on the internet and being reckless will have severe negative impacts on them as well. This is crucial as most people don’t really understand how simple things like using their kids’ names as passwords could lead to a breach in cybersecurity. Furthermore, you shouldn’t exclude any of your employees when talking about this no matter how high of a position they have in your business as protecting from this type of threat is everyone's responsibility. Hold regular training sessions Cybersecurity isn’t something you talk to your employees about once after which it just goes away. Educating and remind your employees about cybersecurity is a continuous process that needs to keep being updated. So, a good idea can be to hold a weekly training session where you can have your employees share potential threats they’ve run into or call in speakers to help them learn how to recognize and deal with different types of threats. Teach your employees about the modern cybersecurity tools As the threat of cybersecurity breaches has grown over the years, people have come up with different tools to help combat this issue. Things such as a trustworthy secure web gateway can give your business tools such as bandwidth management, application control, URL filters, traffic control, information control, illegal hotspot/proxy control, behaviour analysis and many more that will help you deal with the threats of cybersecurity. With that being said, you will also have to make your employees understand how these tools work though training sessions or written guides that will help them efficiently deal with any cyber threat that comes at your business. Write up a rulebook One of the more efficient ways of dealing with cybersecurity threats is by encouraging a culture of safe browsing and caution whenever your employees are dealing with resources that are outside of your business’s direct control. You can do this by writing up a rulebook for your employees to learn and follow. However, you should remember that cyber threats can come from other sources than just your employees’ internet activity. For example, something that many businesses often forget is that just throwing away old computers or servers doesn’t mean that the information on them is secure. In fact, if not handled properly, data from such devices can be easily accessed, which is why a lot of precautions should be taken. Make sure that you erase all of the data when throwing away any piece of technology to prevent the possibility for security breaches. Conclusion Cybersecurity represents a real threat for every business in the modern world and finding ways to deal with it will require a constant and persistent effort in education and improvement no matter the cost. Remember that the stakes here are extremely high, as you can lose your entire livelihood with a single breach. So, stay safe and keep educating your employees on how to tell and deal with different cyber threats, reminding them to stay alert at all times.

Starting an import-export business is one thing but taking it to the next level is another. It’s no secret this sector can be extremely rewarding but in order for that to really work, you have to know how to move between the internal and external environment. With that said, if you’ve already managed to get your import-export business off the ground, it’s time to learn everything about growing it. Listed below are essential tips that’ll help your company keep running and thriving. Build strong relationships Businesses in every industry rely on relationships. However, relationships are even more important for import-export companies. This is mostly because you have to network with people in both your country and foreigners you’re doing business with. It’s important to remember that there’s much more to it than just meeting people you can do business with. Instead, you have to form strong relationships with them and nurture those relationships as much as possible. Luckily, there are social media platforms such as LinkedIn which make connecting with professionals out there much easier. Once you start working with someone, don’t forget to send them a mail every now and then just to stay in touch with them. Stay organized When running a business, knowing how to stay organized is the key. This is especially the case in the import-export industry, given how many trading partners from outside of Australia you have and how many deals you’re supposed to manage at the same time. To make sure you stay organized, it’s essential to keep track of absolutely everything. If you can’t do it manually, there’s probably a tool you can use. Ranging from to-do apps such as Evernote to accounting programs like Google Quickbooks, there are so many of these you can rely on and ensure you know what’s going on in your business at all times. The more data you keep, the easier you’ll find it to keep your import-export business operating. Expand to different regions The good thing about running an import-export business is that you can never run out of new opportunities. There are so many companies in the world and you can always look for new businesses you can work with. With that said, once you decide to expand, it’s time to start looking for countries you can expand to. Just bear in mind that there’s no point in doing that until you’ve dealt with every aspect of your operations. For example, don’t start expanding to a new country until you’ve found a company that offers freight services in Australia you can rely on. Only once you have things such as logistics all sorted out, it’s time to expand to different regions. Be flexible Working with people from different countries and different industries means you have to be as flexible as possible. Not only that you have to encounter different cultures but you also have to find customers and ensure your business is profitable. The only way to do this is to keep your business adaptable. The only way to do this is to do a lot of research on countries your suppliers are from and use what you’ve learned when meeting them. Also, bear in mind that being flexible can also impact your personal life. For example, don’t be surprised if you end up having to make important business calls in the middle of the night. Maintain healthy cash flow One of the biggest problems import-export business owners face is maintaining healthy cash flow. It’s just that working with so many companies both domestic and foreign, makes it even more difficult to keep track of their finances. But as you already know, maintaining healthy cash flow is a must, especially if you want your business to grow. This is why it’s even more important to keep a close eye on the money flowing in and out of your business. If you notice one of your customers is late with their payments, giving them a phone call is a good idea. Another way to maintain positive cash flow is to look for ways you can reduce your expenses. Final thoughts Growing an import-export business isn’t easy. If you really want to do it, you have to know how to steer your organization and work towards achieving your goals. Start with the five tips covered in this post and there’ll be nothing stopping your import-export business from propelling forward into success.

Are you running your own small business? Are you looking to draw more customers to your business and build a base of loyal followers of your brand? There’s hardly a way to do this without a well-designed website that’ll allow a wider reach. It’s absolutely shocking that some business owners still believe succeeding without one is an option. In case you’re still thinking about whether your small business really needs a website, here are five benefits you might want to take into consideration. Wider reach As mentioned above, having a website means you can reach a wider audience. Just think about it – companies that use traditional marketing need to rely on their marketing efforts to catch the eye of the consumers while a website can be browsed by anyone with an internet connection. What’s more, there’s no need to constantly spend money on it. All you need to do is build a website and make sure it’s working. With traditional marketing, you have to continue printing flyers or buy more promotional products if you want your marketing efforts to have an impact. 24/7 marketing One of the best ways to attract customers to your business is to promote your business all day long. However, it’s practically impossible to have your radio commercial run all day or have people hand out your flyers in the middle of the night. The things are different with using a website to promote your marketing. As long as your website is working, people will be able to browse your products and find out more about your business. If you have an online store, they might even be able to make purchases whenever they want. This, combined with a wider reach means you get millions of new potential customers. Think of it this way – you can be asleep in your bed while a person in Melbourne browses your products. Increased professionalism If you’re running a small business, you want it to look as professional as possible. With 64 percent of businesses now being online, not having a website shows that you don’t take your company seriously and hurts your company’s reputation. On the other hand, a carefully-designed website is a sign that you run things the right way and makes potential customers feel more confident about your product or service. Just bear in mind that a website needs to be completely functional and easy-to-use if you want it to really display professionalism. This is why turning to a renowned web design agency from Sydney makes a lot of sense. Sharing your story Storytelling is powerful in business. People prefer buying from companies they can connect with on an emotional level and telling your story is the best way to do it. All you need to do is create a section on your website where you can post blog entries on why you entered the industry in the first place and how your company is growing. Another smart thing to do is upload photos of you and your team members at work. Just make sure you keep the entire section organized and post consistently. If you can find a way to get your customers involved, even better. Improved data collection When running a business, it’s extremely important to know what your customers think about your product and the way they’re being treated. A website allows you to create all kinds of surveys and simply leave them lying there for your customers to take them. This means they’ll take the survey whenever they have enough free time without you actually asking them to do it. This also means you won’t be limited to customers who enter your store or office as anyone in Australia can take them. You can later use the data you collect on your website to make adjustments to your approach and make your business more appealing to the customers. Final thoughts With all the benefits a business website brings, it’s quite obvious that every company out there needs one. In fact, having a website is no longer an option but an absolute must. If you’re yet to set up one, make sure you do it as quickly as possible.

There are so many reasons why you need to invest in property due to the fact that it’s one of the most reliable ways of generating wealth. It can give you a passive income for life, diversify your investments (making you feel more secure), you can use market cycles to your advantage and even help improve your cash flow. However, there’s no guarantee that your investment will be a successful one. For this, you need to make the right calls at the right time. Here are a couple of tips to help make this somewhat easier. Rental return The first reason why people invest in property is to get some rental returns. For residential property, if you can find a place that returns 1 or 2 percent of its total value on a monthly basis, you’ve done well. With commercial property, the numbers go at around 4 to 5 percent per year. Keep in mind, though, that the rental returns change in time but this doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Also, bear in mind that vacancy puts you in a spot where you’re losing money instead of making it. Capital growth One of the ways in which you can create wealth through property investment is in a scenario where you can recognize property that will grow in value in the future. Now, achieving this is possible in several ways. First of all, you can make an additional investment in order to improve the property in question. This is the so-called fix and flip method, which is quite straightforward but requires a fair amount of strategy. You see, not every improvement to the property gives a positive ROI on the resale, which is why you need to do your research beforehand. Another method is market growth and it can also happen due to a number of reasons. First of all, if the neighborhood starts developing over time and the demand increases, the property will be worth a fair amount more than when you’ve bought it. This can be discovered by reading the city council development plan in the nearest future. On the other hand, there are some global trends affecting the real estate market, which are something that may elude you but also something that a real estate industry veteran may learn how to anticipate. Doing your research One of the most important things for success in the property investment market is the in-depth knowledge of the field. However, in order to start learning, you need to find credible resources. Anyone can write anything online and, as a newcomer to the industry, you won’t have a way of telling the difference between a life-saving tip and false information. This is why you need to A) find specialized learning materials, B) start following most credible industry-related journals and C) attend property seminars. Platforms like Think Money are a place where you can access some of these seminars. Tax benefits Tax benefits are yet another popular reason why people and investment funds alike buy real estate. Tax depreciation is just one of them. Let’s say that you intend to sell the place that was briefly listed as your permanent place of residence. Well, in a scenario where you lived there for two out of the last five years (at least on paper), you would be eligible for the capital gains tax benefit. These are just two simple examples that apply for residential properties while owning a commercial property brings some benefits of its own to the table. Make contact with professionals Your contacts are also key in determining the successfulness of your investments. First of all, you need to have the right buyer’s agent on your side. This is a person with years of first-hand experience in the industry, as well as someone whose advice will be invaluable for any investment that you decide to make in the future. Knowing a professional contractor, as well as an accountant, is also quite important. Networking is the key to success, regardless of the industry. Conclusion The very last thing you need to keep in mind is the fact that concepts such as luck and randomness usually come from those who don’t have all the facts in front of them. This is why the success of your investment depends on your ability to do your research and consult professional help. The more you know, the greater your odds. As for the unforeseen, this is merely your inability to know every single factor that goes into the equation. First, get familiar with your options and only then you can safely spring into action.

They say that a messy desk is a sign of genius, with the clutter representing the thoughts that are occupying one’s mind. However, a disorganized desk also results in a number of wasted hours and reduced productivity. That is why many professionals put some time and effort into optimizing their spaces for their needs with the goal of increasing their productivity levels. Here are several steps you can take to organize your workspace and set yourself up for success. Sort through your stuff and decide what to keep When it comes to our desktops, many of us have more stuff than they actually use on a daily basis. Desks are easy to get all cluttered up if you’re not careful, not to mention how you might lose some important papers in messy piles. Organized workspace equals organized mind, and to start things off, empty your desk, drawers, and shelves and put the items on the ground. Even though you’re creating more mess now, it is essential that you go through your stuff and decide what you want to keep and what you want to throw away. This will provide a fresh perspective (and maybe you’ll even find some items you were searching for). Get creative – don’t let your workplace be boring Just because it’s a place for work doesn’t mean it has to be boring. While you might enjoy a space designed in minimalist style, even minimalist places may start to look stark when there’s no statement piece. Paintings and interesting frames are a great way to introduce a focal point into your workspace as they give the eye something to rest on while also adding visual interest to your office space. You can turn this into a cool DIY project and create your own inspirational artwork. Write a motivational message using quality calligraphy pens and browse Pinterest for inspiration. The quote you choose will be something you’ll look at every day, so go with something that is meaningful to you. Make it personal, but don’t go overboard A home office doesn’t mean homely items are off-limits – on the contrary, homely details and furnishings are a necessary component of a good home office design. They bring in the warmth and comfort into a plain workspace, infusing the room with character and helping you maintain a work-life balance on your desk. Just with everything else in life, moderation is key, so try to make your office personal, but not too personal, otherwise, it may hinder your productivity. Stick with three personal items – it can be a framed photograph of your family, a small figurine, or a vase filled with your favorite flowers. Including personal items into your office design will bring up the coziness factor while still retaining a good dose of professionalism. Use colors to your advantage Colors affect the way we feel, whether we notice it or not. The color you choose to paint your office walls can help boost your productivity levels and keep you feeling motivated. Make your space your own – choose the color you’re especially drawn to or do some research about color psychology to see which hue would work well for your workspace. Consider the nature of your job, as well. Green has a calming effect, blue can sharpen your focus, while yellow is the perfect color choice for someone working in the creative industry. Use colors to your advantage – it will give you a sense of control, which can be very uplifting. Take some time in the day to maintain your desktop Once your workstation is all set up, you’ll need to do your best to keep it that way. The truth is, no one enjoys maintenance, but it’s an important step in keeping our workspaces productive and inspiring. It’s better to take some time in the day to tackle the mess and organize your paperwork than to wait until it becomes chaotic. Decluttering, cleaning, and organizing your workspace takes long enough, so spare yourself the hassle of going through the same process again. While putting things away may seem like a waste of time to many, the secret to keeping your space clean and organized is tidying up whenever you can. You can also dedicate fifteen minutes after work to clean up after you’re done with work and ensure your workspace is spotless next time you go there to work. Organizing your workspace is key to keeping your productivity levels up and improving your overall performance. Even though it’ll take some time to re-organize your workspace, it’ll all be worth it because you’ll feel more motivated and won’t lose any time to disorganization. Use these tips to optimize your home office for your needs and set it up for maximum efficiency.

Running a business is no easy task. This is especially true if you're running a seasonal business and the entirety of your business success depends on a relatively short period each year. While there is definitely room to make a good profit during that time, running your business for the rest of the year comes with many different challenges that need to be overcome. From the poor management of off-time to issue with cash flow, these challenges have the potential to ruin your entire business venture. So, in order to help you out, today we are going to take a look at how to overcome challenges of seasonal businesses. Put everything you’ve got into your busy season As most of your income will be coming from your busy season, you need to make sure you do everything within your power to maximize the gains you get during that time. For example, you should maximize your capacity during this time by hiring as many people as possible but also by increasing your working hours. This will definitely be tiresome and hard as you will personally have to put in a lot of extra work as well but in the end, it will be worth it as your business will be able to survive and even thrive. Invest your time during the offseason wisely Another good way to maximize your gains during the season is to invest your time when its offseason wisely. This means that instead of taking this time to just relax and maintain the bare minimums for your business, you should find ways to improve your business in general as well. If you are working hard during the busy season you should definitely have some rest but you can also use this time to plan your strategy for the next season, think about new skills you can learn that would be useful for your business and even revisit your business plan to make sure it's optimized in accordance with your goals. Pay attention to your cash flow A problem many seasonal businesses face is that they aren’t able to distribute and maintain healthy cash flow throughout the year as most of their income comes during a relatively short period. This means that if you aren’t able to manage it effectively, you can run into troubles that could make your business go under. Because of this, it’s absolutely imperative to plan ahead and keep track of where your money is going, so you can be ready and not run into any unexpected issues. With that being said, if you are having some troubles with your cash flow, it can also be worth looking into some loan options to get you through the rough times. However, as securing loans from a typical bank can be difficult, especially if you are having financial issues, it can be a good idea to look into some quick no security business loans from non-bank lenders as well. This will allow you to get the funding you need quickly and without too much hassle allowing you to control your cash flow during lean months. Increase the range of products or services you offer Finally, if you just aren’t able to overcome the challenges of a seasonal business by improving the way you conduct your business during the busy season you should also try to diversify your business activities in general. Introducing new products or services that are needed throughout the year will make your business less reliant on the short period of time where your income usually comes from and distribute it a bit more evenly throughout the year. Conclusion While running a seasonal business definitely has its fair share of challenges and difficulties to overcome, at the end of the day, it can be extremely fulfilling and satisfying. The hard and long hours you have to put in during the busy season will reward you exponentially, and you will have a lot of free time to devote yourself to other aspects of life as well. However, you should always strive to improve your business for next season and look for ways to maximize your efficiency. Constant and diligent work will allow you to overcome the challenges you face with ease and make the time you put into your business worth the while.

If you’re running a startup, you probably already know how important it is to reduce your costs and maximize your gains. Not only that this leads to more money to put into your pocket, but also makes it much easier to keep operating and grow your organization. Even if your company is doing well, it doesn’t mean you’ve unlocked its full financial potential. That being said, let’s take a closer look at five ways your startup can maximize its financial gain. Improve your pricing strategy Obviously, increasing your prices is a pretty straightforward way to increase your profit. However, if you do it too much, it can actually lead to customers leaving for your competitors. So, how exactly do you make as much profit as possible and still retain your customers? In order to do this, it’s necessary to create a good pricing strategy. Just because you already have one, it doesn’t mean you’re maximizing your profit. Keep a close eye on the products or services that are doing the best and identify the right moments for raising your prices. Cut your costs Another common way to maximize a company’s financial gain is to reduce your costs. Running a business comes with a lot of expenses, but chances are they don’t have to be as high as you think. For example, you can try to renegotiate with your supplier and try to get a better deal if you commit to them long term. If you want to cut your expenses, it’s also a good idea to take a look around your office and identify the supplies you don’t really need. In case you see piles of documents everywhere around it, going paperless might turn out to be a good idea. Don’t spend it all If your startup is in its early days, it could still use a little bit of help in terms of finances, and it’s your job as the business owner to provide it. However, you won’t be able to do this if you spend everything you make. This is why it’s a good idea to set aside a small amount of money at the end of each month and use it when an opportunity arises for your business to make even more profit. Even better, you can turn to a respected broker such as Ever Forex and invest your money in foreign currencies for even more profit. Rely on technology One of the biggest differences between startups and companies that have been around for ages is that startups can’t afford to bring an in-house expert for absolutely everything. Not so long ago, this was the reason why business owners had to do all the work themselves. But times have changed and now, there’s a tech for almost everything. For instance, if you spend too much time dealing with your company’s finances, you can just get a set of financial tools that’ll get the job done for you. It saves you time you can then invest in your core operations without having to pay another employee. Increase productivity With so many ways to increase your startup’s financial gain, it’s quite easy to forget that you can make more money by making everyone in the office more productive. Just think about it – if you provide yourself and your staff members with a better working environment, it’ll result in more work getting done and ultimately, your business will make more money. Therefore, see if there are ways to limit the noise and any other distractions in your office. Also, discourage your employees from multitasking as it has been proven it only creates stress and makes them more likely to make mistakes. Final thoughts Money is the biggest reason why you’ve chosen to run a business and focusing on it as much as possible makes a lot of sense. Rely on the five ways covered in this post and you can be assured money will start piling up on your company’s bank account.

People enjoy shopping online more than ever which has led to more and more e-commerce businesses being started in Australia. If you're running one or you sell your products both offline and online, you probably already know that it's all about standing out from the crowd and getting as much attention as possible. But how exactly do you do this? Listed below are five e-commerce strategies that are guaranteed to help your business get noticed and make more sales. Start a loyalty program Sometimes, people will just stumble upon your online store and make a purchase. However, this doesn't mean they'll remember your business the next time they shop online. It's up to you to give them a reason to come back and starting a loyalty program is a perfect way to do so. Studies have shown that 85 percent of customers are more likely to continue to do business with a company that offers loyalty programs. The best part of it is that designing one isn't as difficult as it seems. All you have to do is give points to customers who keep returning and offer discounts and freebies to those who manage to collect the most. Encourage customers to write reviews Having satisfied customers write reviews about your business is a perfect way to get noticed. Most people do some internet research before they make a purchase online and reading positive reviews from your old customers will make them more likely to buy from you. 84 percent of online shoppers trust customer reviews as much as they trust personal recommendations and using that to your advantage is a must. Remember that just a few customers will remember to write a review which is why it's your job to remind them to do so. Most of the time, shipping them a promotional item together with the product they've ordered is going to do the trick. Get your website design right User experience is key to attracting as many customers as possible. Although there are many things that shape the user’s experience, the way your website has been designed is the most important of them. Not only that users don’t enjoy shopping on poorly-designed websites but they don’t even bother learning more about the company. This means that if you don’t get your website design right, all your other marketing efforts will be in vain. Luckily, there are companies such as a Magento developer from Sydney that know exactly what online shoppers want and can help design the perfect e-commerce website for your business. Make your website mobile-friendly Long gone are the days when people used to shop using their PC. The last couple of years have been all about smartphones and it seems like these little things will gain even more attention in the future. Most people now shop using their smartphones and if your website isn't optimized for mobile, chances are they won't be sticking around. According to reports, 61 percent of customers will leave your website if it isn't optimized for mobile devices. Making your website mobile-friendly isn't tough and there are experts who can get the job done for you. Just remember to check how it appears on mobile every time you include a new graphic into your website design. Embrace social media The usage of social media continues to grow and it's extremely important for businesses to be on platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. Social media is a perfect place to provide people with links to your website and communicate with your customers as much as possible. In case you have a blog, this is also where you should be sharing your entries as there can never be enough quality content on social media. The best part of it is that people don't only have social media accounts but use them a lot and are guaranteed to stumble upon and maybe even share your content with their friends and family. Final thoughts Getting your business noticed isn’t always going to be as easy as some people would have you believe. There are so many e-commerce strategies to employ when promoting your company and relying on as many of them as possible is recommended. Start with the five strategies covered in this post and you should soon see your online sales starting to increase.

Small businesses and large corporations differ in many things, and the marketing budget they're working with is one of them. If you're still trying to grow your business, it means you can't spend a real fortune on getting your business noticed and you have to look for marketing techniques that suit your business the best. With that said, here's a list of top five marketing techniques that can help your growing business get closer to consumers. Being on social media There's no need to say that social media now plays an extremely important role in the modern world. There are more than 3 billion social media users out there and platforms like Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook are perfect for promoting your business. Not only there are paid ads you can include in your campaign, but there are plenty of other ways you can market your company on social media. For example, you can use your expertise and create content about the industry you're in and share it with your followers. Every time someone shares your content or comments on it, you get a shot at attracting thousands of new customers. Starting a buddy system You're not the only business owner who's trying to grow their company as much as possible. This is something you can try using to your advantage by creating a buddy system that makes promoting your company much easier. All you need to do is find local businesses that are looking to attract new customers as well and see if there are ways you can help each other succeed in it. Most of the time, they'll ask you to recommend their business to your customers and in exchange, they're going to do the same for you. Just remember that there's no point in starting a buddy system with your competitors. Give consumers a call Nothing beats picking up a phone and calling the people who might have an interest in buying from you. Whether you're calling your existing customers or consumers who might buy from you, you get a chance to explain to them what your product is all about and why they need it. Not only this but talking to consumers via phone helps build long-lasting relationships which are extremely important for companies in every industry. If you decide to do it, consider getting a small business phone system that'll help you cut your costs and make calling consumers a breeze. If you decide to use Skype, you might even be able to eliminate the need for a landline. Handing out promotional products Promotional products - they've been around for ages and we all know how they work. You put your logo onto stuff and hand it out to people who might be interested in your product. The reason why this works is that people love getting stuff for free and are more likely to turn to companies that show them they care by giving them promotional products. So, whether you're just starting out or you've been around for a while, preparing promotional products for your business is always a great idea. Most companies go for pens and t-shirts but if you want to try something different, give stress balls and USB flash drives a go. Sending email Most of the time, people who browse products on your website won't make the purchase right away. It's up to you to give them a little push and provide them with a reason to buy from you. This is why it's important to capture their contact information and make sure they come back to your website and continue to browse your products. Even though some people believe email is outdated, it's still one of the best ways to stay in touch with people who visit your website. Sharing valuable content with them via email is extremely easy and is guaranteed to do the trick. You can even use an email automation system that allows you to send personalized emails to your customers. Final thoughts Promoting a growing business isn't as easy as some people believe. You have to make adjustments according to your budget and ensure you're marketing to the right people. Start by utilizing the five techniques covered in this post and you can be assured your growing business will start attracting more and more customers and ultimately make more profit.

The construction industry, apart from being one of the oldest and most respected ones in the world, is also one of the most necessary ones as well. Housing and overcrowding is still a problem in many countries, while the new technologies have allowed ways to build things more efficiently and ecologically, which means that the older buildings must be torn down, for something new and better to rise. Over 10 million people are estimated to work in the construction industry – do you see yourself as one of them in the future? Construction worker – the main guy I know what you’re going to say: how is the construction worker the main guy? Pretty easy. This generic term covers a lot of options, such as installing anything from carpets to elevators to drywalls. You could be a stone mason or an air-condition worker or a cement paver. The list is quite long – and you are the basic building block of this industry. If you are not looking to spend a lot of time in schools, this is where you begin. A certification program can get your started, after which you can look for apprenticeship or additional training and you are good to go. Get those high-rises rising higher with your own two hands! Construction manager – the boss guy If you’ve gathered enough experience working in construction, you might consider your next step – the position of construction manager. Of course, you will need to develop your skills and specialize, but the position is attainable. Supervising other workers and all aspects of construction, coordinating with architects and engineers – you will be in the midst of what’s happening, with ears in the land of design and hands on the ground, where things are going down. You might want to look for options to go higher on the ladder – for which you would need at least a bachelor’s degree. Materials manager – the building blocks guy When you need someone to research your vendors and prices, find what’s needed and where to get it and provide solutions to be less wasteful, who you’re gonna call? That’s right, the materials manager. This all-rounder needs to keep up with the times and technologies and always in touch with the latest and greatest in building technology. This is why education is a constant, if you are aiming to be one – you never stop learning. Apart from a bachelors degree, taking up things like the IQA training courses might be necessary to keep abreast of the latest developments. Building inspector – the tough guy And tough they all need to be! It is not an easy thing to sing off on a building being ready to be used by the general public. They are there to make sure everything is done according to safety regulations and building codes and any other requirements that might be included. Sometimes they work in a group, rather than alone. In order to become one you would definitely require at least a high school diploma, however, a lot of your training will be on the job. A university degree might help if you are looking for more complex projects in the future. Civil Engineer – the in-command guy Civil engineers are there to undertake feasibility studies, do site investigations, as well as serve as a liaison between the professionals and clients on the one hand and architects and subcontractors on the other. They also make sure that the project fulfills sustainability and environmental protection conditions. When it comes to becoming one – it is a wide variety of option. A degree in civil engineering is definitely a good way to get ready for this job, however, there are options even for those who have left the school early. Remember that the job will put your scientific, mathematical and IT skills to the test, as well as the way you handle entire projects, with your communication skills definitely high on the list. Architect – the idea guy This is a tough one. It is probably the single most important person on any building project, which means it is a position that requires a lot from you. Designing the entire building, planning for everything and coordinating with practically everyone else on the project is a given. The requirements are also high. A degree in architecture is a coveted one, usually a five-year program, with classes such as architectural theory, structural design and building systems. Internships take up to three years and even after that you still need a license to be an architect. On the plus side, it is generally a very well-paid position that brings a certain prestige with it as well. Now that you have seen the most important jobs in the building industry from top to bottom, you might have a clearer picture as to what working in construction means. If you are interested in any of them, you have to be ready for learning both the theory and practice, with some of the lower-tier positions requiring you to be hands on, while the higher-tier positions require knowledge and years of studying. Keep in mind, the rewards for reaching the top are handsome.

Every company wants to attract high-quality talents. Hence, to pick them up, you have to think about the most creative ways. Organizing a recruiting event might be the best idea to attract those people and present your brand in the best possible way. In this article, we will show you how to organize such an event with all the necessary steps. Create a plan and set a budget Every successful event has a proper and thorough plan behind it. Recruiting events are not an exception. Talk to your HR team, collect their ideas and brainstorm about the event. There are two important goals of this event – finding the best talents and promoting your brand. Therefore, all your planning efforts must be focused on these two things. Start planning in advance so that you can have enough time to think about some smaller details. Also, it is vital to set your event budget. You have to know your limitations and plan everything according to it. Once you set your budget, try to stick to it. Decide on which type of event you need There are many different types of recruiting events. It can be a standard job fair in your office, lunch in a restaurant, or maybe just sitting outside in a park. To choose the best option, think about the job position and your potential candidates, and keep your budget in mind. For instance, if you need an economist, then lunch might be a good idea. On the other hand, if you need to hire creative people such as copywriters or designers, you can organize the event outdoors. Finally, for programmers, data analysts and similar positions, a standard job fair might be the best option out there. Pick the date and time First of all, you have to determine if you want to organize the event on your own (with your HR team), or you maybe want to call more experts in the industry to share their knowledge with the audience. Both ideas are great, but it is an essential step to decide because of the organization process. If you organize the event with your team, you can choose whatever date and time you want. Afternoon hours are usually better because some talents might be already employed. On the other hand, if you're going to call more people from the industry to the event, you should send them an email and ask if they agree on the date and time you proposed. Once they all confirm, inform potential employees about the venue you arranged as well as the date and time. Promote your event Now we come to the crucial point. Promotion is, as we said, one of the most significant reasons for organizing such an event. The key is to promote your venue on the right channels and to the right audience. Post ads on your social media platforms, send newsletters and consider having an advertisement in the newspaper. Afterwards, think about branding on the day of the event. Redesign your office or any other space to look like a panel event. Provide branded notebooks and pens to every person (potential employee) that comes to the venue. Also, put your logo and brand message wherever you can. The point is to highlight the importance of your brand, so talents can understand why it would be good for their career to join such a great company. Take care of logistics Same as any other event or conference, you need to take care of every small detail to organize your recruiting event perfectly. First of all, see if you need more volunteers or you have enough workforce within your company. After that, secure all necessary audio/visual equipment and hire a good photographer. Also, call your catering service because you don't want to be out of drinks and food. Finally, make sure that people have enough parking space, especially if you decide to invite guest speakers. As we said, you have to think about every small detail in the planning process in order to organize a memorable event. Recruiting events are super good for attracting the best talents in your industry. If you organize the event correctly, the chances of getting those people to work for your company will be much higher.

Whether you work in a big company with dozens of offices, or you’ve created your own home office, it’s important that your working space is a welcoming one. In fact, the way you decorate your office can affect your mood, which in turn can determine how productive you’ll be. It’s supposed to inspire your creativity and make you more eager to do your best work there. So, here are several tips for organizing a working space which will encourage you to be efficient and feel good while tackling all your tasks. Get the right furniture The furniture you pick for your office should be in tune with what you do there and it should be able to accommodate you and all the things you need while working. So, start with your desk, which should be big enough for your computer, any documents you might have to keep there or anything else you need to have at the reach of your hand. Similarly, you should make sure you have plenty of storage space. Perhaps the best way to do this is to get custom-made shelves, cupboards and drawers which will fit the space perfectly, but if not, you can nowadays find some great pieces online or in various furniture stores. Finally, once you choose a table, you should also find a good chair, since it’s crucial for you to feel comfortable, so that you don’t get distracted from what you’re there to do. Be fully equipped for work When those creative juices start flowing and you’re doing some of your best work ever, the worst thing that can happen to you is to get interrupted by something trivial, such as pens which won’t work, or the fact that you’ve run out of printing paper just when you need it most. It’s essential that you don’t allow yourself to be blindsided by a lack of elementary office supplies, since you won’t be able to work without them. Fortunately, even if your job doesn’t really allow you to go shopping for everything you need on a daily or weekly basis, there is still a solution. In fact, it’s now easier than ever to go online and order quality Winc stationery to be delivered directly to your office. All you have to do once you get these supplies is organize them and put them in just the right place, so that they aren’t in your way, but they’re still close enough for you to reach when you need them right that moment. Make it tidy So, your furniture is there and it’s great. All your supplies have arrived and you’re over the moon with joy. However, if you make the mistake of not finding a proper place for everything and putting it all away as soon as it arrives in your office, you might end up with a mess, and not a creative one. A cluttered office can make you feel trapped, it can scatter your thoughts and have a negative effect on your mood, which can slow you down and keep you from working as well as you actually could. Avoid this by decluttering your space as often as necessary. Get rid of anything that you don’t use or need, and use all your shelves and drawers for the things you keep in your office. It might also be useful to invest in some drawer organizers, pencil cups and binding pouches for your documents. Furthermore, some decorative storage boxes might prove to be helpful, especially if you label them for what they hold. Use your vertical space If your office isn’t very big and you want to utilize every available inch of it, you should think vertically. The empty wall above your desk or some of your drawers can be used for anything from a pegboard, whiteboard or a blackboard to floating shelves and various hooks. You can use the whiteboard and blackboard to jot down reminders for important events and tasks, the pegboard and hooks to hang some of the files you’re working on at the moment, while floating shelves can be filled with all sorts of office supplies and even a decoration or two. You can also hang baskets of different sizes on the sides of your shelves. These can hold anything from files and documents to pencils, scissors and whichever else whatchamacallit you can’t find an adequate place for. An empty space on your walls can also be used for some cheerful artwork or family photos. Although these aren’t really necessary for your working process, their function is also important. They can lift your spirits when the going gets tough and they can make your office space more personal and inviting, which can boost your productivity. Everything you bring into your office should serve to create a good working environment, one in which you’ll feel relaxed and cozy, and one which will encourage you to be creative and constructive, so that you can do your job in your best capacity.

What does the public say about your brand? What are their impressions about it? Questions like these form the nexus of your public relations strategy. There is more to consider than just how your company will be portrayed by the media. How you communicate inside and outside of your enterprise, the tactics you employ, your involvement in the community, etc. So here are a few tips on how to get started. Available tactics Tactics represent the activities that can help you accomplish your PR strategy. For example, if you were looking to raise awareness of a new service your company offers, you might go with a tactic like distributed media release. You would send it to publications relevant to your industry and target audience with the objective of securing an article about the new service. Other tactics include: social media campaigns, email newsletters, public speaking, blogs, pitching an interesting story about your business to journalists. A good place to begin is to make a list of the types of publications your target audience consumes, the events they go to and how they use their time online. This can act as a guide to what kinds of tactics would be most effective. Local community relations Your business is a part of its local community. Community relations establish your company’s presence and the perceptions of others. Keep in that, just like your organization is tied to its local community, so too should your public relations strategy be tied to your own locale. In other words, you should hire a locally based PR agency, as it will have a better and deeper understanding of the local populace and methods to employ. For example, if a company is from Australia it should look there – going further, a business from Sydney would hire a PR agency from Sydney, etc. You can get your business involved in the community in multiple ways. For instance, with community programs concentrating on the economic growth of the area, public health, public education, and the environment. Or by actively sponsoring or donating service and by volunteering. Your target audience Your target audience consists of individuals, communities, and groups who are most likely to purchase your products. They are the ones you’re trying to convert and sell to – the people you want to communicate with. To identify who belongs to your target audience first look for those who would be interested in hearing about your business, those who are key decision-makers, those with the largest impact on the business’ outcomes and those who will take action or boy your service or product. Once you understand your target audience a bit more, you can research their behaviors and interests such as what media they consume or what publications they peruse. When you define your target audience you can tailor your communication to suit their behavior patterns and in turn, increase the efficiency of your PR strategy. Key messages Once you’ve defined your target audience, it’s time to decide what it is you wish to communicate to them. Key messages will direct your overall strategy and need to be used throughout all communication channels. When determining your key messages, you should consider doing the following: staying focused and keeping your key messages concise, aligning your key messages with your business’s values, reflecting on your key messages what you want your audience to know, keeping key messages relevant to your audience. For example, a sports supplements company would include the following as one of the key messages they would like their strategy to communicate to the target audience – “To establish the business as an industry leader in healthy, science-based nutrition supplements retail”. Crisis management How your company faces a crisis or other surprising instance can make or break your business. Having an adequate crisis management plan in place beforehand enables your company to operate as efficiently as possible through a crisis and preserve your image. External and internal communications are particularly of importance during these periods in order to keep the situation under control. Even if a crisis can’t be avoided, the very least you should do is prepare for it. While no business has a perfect PR strategy, being aware of its essentials and considering other important factors will let you build at least one that is well-though and well-developed.

The current business landscape is very dense and, some would go as far as to say, unforgiving. In such a climate, the perceptions of what makes a successful business are rapidly changing. Today, having a solid business model and an appealing product is not a guarantee of prosperity. Today, climbing to the top of the food chain means outperforming the competitors down to the most menial tasks on a daily basis. This level of performance can be accomplished only if we take serious steps to improve the company’s efficiency. Let’s take a quick at a couple of ways we can do that. Automate menial tasks Regardless of the industry, every company in existence is based on the slow paperwork and myriads of other mundane duties that are taking a huge bite out of the employees’ time and concentration, resulting in reduced efficiency. To avoid this common issue, try to identify all of the tasks that can be streamlined or completely automated and act accordingly. In case of full automation, don’t feel discouraged by the price of the up-front investment. Your expenses will pay off in the following months. Discourage multitasking Multitasking has often been described as one of the best ways of improving workplace efficiency. However, recent research suggests that, with rare exceptions, human beings aren’t capable of performing multiple tasks without a decline in performance. So, instead of forcing your employees to juggle several different duties at once, you should work on delegating the responsibilities more efficiently and arranging schedules so that everyone has an opportunity to perform obligations uninterrupted and in succession. Outsource non-vital duties Since they exist in a complicated, interlocked environment, all businesses are forced to partake in activities that often go beyond their field of expertise. Developing the infrastructure to deal with these issues in-house is a slow and expensive process. Because of that, all these duties should be outsourced. For instance, companies such as Datazoo can take much better care of the increasingly complex task of customer verification than any of your employees. The same goes for marketing, bookkeeping and similar assignments. Set up the mechanisms for measuring and improving efficiency Although often used very loosely, the term efficiency actually stands for the ratio of the useful work in relation to invested time and effort, which makes it a very measurable quality. So, if you want to properly identify efficiency gaps and obstacles, you should set up a universal system that will evaluate the efficiency of your employees down to the most mundane tasks. Once the problems are identified, however, you should have a prepared set of measures designed for addressing these issues. Encourage open communication A slow flow of information can impact the company’s level of efficiency in more than one manner. First, there is the problem of reduced operational speed and informational bottlenecks. The second, potentially even bigger problem is that the lack of free and transparent communication encourages distrust and an atmosphere of secrecy. These issues should be cut at the root by establishing an efficient communication infrastructure and encouraging free speech and honest opinions. Be realistic and know when to stop Finally, you have to be aware of two things. First, operational efficiency is just one means to a shared goal – business growth. If taken out of context and enforced to the detriment of other important factors such as employee satisfaction, insisting on relentless efficiency can prove to be a devastating obstacle to your company’s day-to-day operations. The second thing to remember is that operational efficiency can be improved only to a certain point. Pushing beyond it is highly counterproductive. These six tips are far from a complete picture, but they still offer a perfectly good insight into the welcome practices that have a positive influence on a company’s operational efficiency. If you manage to build this elusive quality into the core of all of the activities your organization needs to perform on a daily basis, your chances of keeping the competition at bay will be far better.