Contributed Post | Mike McRitchie | Resume and LinkedIn Profile Writer | Telecom Marketing Content Writer

Why You Need to Invest in Your Business

July 20, 2021 by Contributed Post Leave a Comment

Any business owner who wants to thrive in the world will need to invest in their business. All successful business owners know to do that, but with all the free resources available online it can be tempting to skip out on paying for things. Business expenses can get expensive, but if you want to level up your business then you need to invest, or else you may just be hurting your business instead.

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Free shouldn’t be your limit

Many businesses starting will just try to utilize all the free tools that they can. While this is fine for getting a feel and ideas for certain tools, you shouldn’t always stick to free. You’ll eventually begin limiting yourself, not allowing yourself to fully invest in a website, services, employees, tools, marketing, or even the product or service you’re selling. Free tools were meant to be used temporarily, free marketing (such as social media) can limit your business if you’re not willing to pay for ads. You can only get so far with free before you need to invest to thrive as a business owner.

Your business will grow

Each time you invest in your business, whether it be time or money, you’ll get to reap the rewards. Your business can only grow if you’re willing to invest. This can be spending money on tools, getting a physical location, hiring a business developer, or even outsourcing some of the tasks.

You can’t expect to manage all of this yourself, and time is money. You will also save yourself a lot of stress as well if you take off tasks that you don’t want to do. You can try to fund your business expenses by selling the items you no longer use, selling investments, or even looking into Texas coin dealers if you have a coin collection.

Your business will be taken seriously

You and others will begin taking your business seriously once you begin truly investing. This doesn’t mean that you weren’t already taking it seriously beforehand, but now it’s on a whole new level. Spending your hard-earned money on a product, service, or outsourcing to a freelancer, you’ll want to check to make sure that it’s worth it. You don’t want to waste money, or your time, so if you think smarter, rather than work harder, you’ll get great results in no time.

You can focus on what you’re good at

Hiring an employee, a service, or a freelancer can greatly help you reduce your stress. Small tasks can be time-wasters when you have a whole business to manage yourself. It’s important to focus on what you’re good at so your business can thrive. While these all vary per person and business, figuring out what tasks you’re good at and what will make the biggest impact on the business should be the focus of you. Your workday should be filled with productivity, not stress.

You’ll earn more credibilityOnce you begin investing in yourself and your business, you’ll begin getting noticed. This will develop in networks, clients, and even a community. This can only happen if you invest in your website, your product/ service, and how you market yourself. Promoting your business with marketing is one expense that small business owners try to afford to pay for because they believe only SEO and social media can get them far. But that simply isn’t true, which is why investing in marketing is so important because this is how people can find you.

5 Cost-Effective Ways to Promote Your Business Online

July 19, 2021 by Contributed Post Leave a Comment

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Whether you’re an independent freelancer or run a small startup, your marketing resources might be a little limited at first. Fortunately, there are plenty of free and cost-effective ways to promote your brand online. You can create professional-looking video content and a top-notch website using free software and tools. You could also reach out to your customers on a personal level via email or social media. This will help generate good word-of-mouth for your business, and you can focus your budget on other areas. Here are a few tips to get you started.

Boost your social media presence

Social media is a great tool for small businesses as it’s free to use, or you can opt for paid ads for a small fee. It’s essential to be as active as possible on social media, particularly the platforms that your target audience are likely to use. It’s worth working with a Social Media Agency as they will offer the professional insights you need to ensure you get the most out of your marketing efforts. They will also have access to advanced tools and expert talent.

Optimize your website for SEO

Your website is the first place customers will go to find out more about your brand so it’s essential to optimize this. You can make your website a success by working on improving your search engine optimization (SEO). This will ensure search engines rank your site at the top of their lists. You need to focus on user experience and engagement. Your site should be easy to navigate, glitch-free, and full of engaging keyword-rich content.

Run an email marketing campaign

Email marketing is a free way to reach out to your customers and can be very effective for getting referrals. Send an email with an enticing subject to your contact list. You can create personalized emails using free mail merge tools. You could offer recipients an incentive such as a discount voucher in exchange for recommending a friend, for example. Here are a few more useful email marketing tips.

Consider collaborative marketing

You could try networking with other local businesses or relevant brands on social media. This way you could work together to create a collaborative marketing strategy. Essentially, you can share resources and find ways to promote each other’s businesses. This will be a win-win situation and you might also end up with new B2B clients. Here is a complete guide to collaborative marketing.

Create engaging video content
One idea for your collaborative marketing strategy is to create video content such as a virtual event or even volunteer work in the local community. There are plenty of types of engaging video content you can make yourself with free video editing tools. Video is very effective as it appeals to your audience’s emotions. You can post fresh video content frequently on your site, social media, or YouTube. This will hopefully help to improve your SEO and boost brand awareness online. Find creative ways to promote your business while keeping costs low.

5 Ways You Can Boost Your Employees’ Safety

July 14, 2021 by Contributed Post Leave a Comment

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As an employer, you want to make sure your employees are safe. There are many ways to help your workers feel secure and happy in their work environment, but the most important thing is how much time and effort you put into creating a positive work culture. These are five easy steps that will help increase employee safety for your business!

Don’t Skimp on Quality Tools and Equipment

The best way to keep your employees safe is by providing them with the proper tools. It means more than just giving them their safety equipment, but also making sure they have all the resources they need! The better equipped an employee feels at work, the less likely they will take risks that could lead to injury.

To achieve this, it can be as simple as making sure they have a good pair of gloves for the task at hand or providing them safety equipment like vests. You also need to ensure that the project area is also well protected against any anticipated injuries. For example, in rigs, you need to get casing elevators, safety clamps, links, or hand slips to give the employee more protection and confidence in their work. By prioritizing quality, you are also ensuring their security, and that will make your employees happy!

Provide Insurance

Another way to keep your employees safe is by providing insurance. By having some coverage in place, they are more likely to feel secure and reassured that it would take care of them if something does happen (like an injury). A feeling of security leads to happier workers!

Types of Insurance Covers

Workers’ Compensation Insurance

This insurance covers an employee for medical expenses if they get an injury at work. It is a legal requirement and is paid for by the employer as part of their compensation coverage.

Employer Liability Insurance

This injury protects your company against personal injury or property damage lawsuits resulting from accidents on the job.

Offer Regular Safety Training

An excellent way to make sure your employees are up to date with all the latest safety requirements is by offering regular training. They need to know how to handle themselves in dangerous situations, so be proactive about this!

Promptly Address Onsite Concerns

It’s not always easy to address issues that arise at work, but you and your employees need to do so. Promptly addressing these concerns will help ensure a healthier environment with more minor accidents happening in the future, resulting in a successful project. If something happens, and there was negligence on behalf of an employee or employer, you can address the problem accordingly!

Conduct Regular Equipment Repair and Maintenance

Regularly conducting equipment repair and maintenance will help to ensure your employees are safer, as well. You need to check on items like a truck’s brakes or the safety harness for cranes on construction sites!

Regular checks on site will also help you identify which items or equipment need adjustments. Thus, it will help you to act beforehand, thus averting an accident or an injury. Additionally, you can check on your employee’s adherence to the safety rules and regulations, thereby sensitizing your employees on the importance of safety.

Hopefully, these tips will help you in boosting your employees’ safety.

Health and Wellness Tips for Busy Entrepreneurs

July 13, 2021 by Contributed Post Leave a Comment

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While being an entrepreneur has so many wonderful benefits, there is one thing that you are going to realize quickly. That is, running your own business and forging your own career path is going to take up much more of your time than you realize.

You may find that many busy entrepreneurs will tell you that one thing in their life that seems to slip is taking care of their own health and wellness.

Considering the fact that things will always be busy for you as you run and manage your business, how do you then make sure that you look after yourself the best that you can? To help you, we have put together our top health and wellness tips that busy entrepreneurs can put in place.

Make sure that you have a comfortable working environment

While many of these tips are going to cover how you can manage your time away from work. It is just as essential to make sure that you are as comfortable as you can be during those working hours. One of the main places to focus on is your working environment. Of course, it isn’t going to be as comfortable as relaxing in your front room, but there are plenty of things that you can do to ensure that while you are working, you are free from aches and pains.

One of the main things to think about when it comes to your working environment is purchasing yourself ergonomic furniture. These chairs and desks are designed to ensure that you are in a position that works best for your body. It is also a good idea to look at the glasses you wear while you are at work because the right prescription will make life a whole lot easier, or if you don’t wear them, checking that your vision hasn’t changed and you will need a glasses prescription.

Start your morning in the right way

One key aspect of taking care of your health and wellbeing is making sure that you get your day off to the best start possible. You should never underestimate the importance of your morning routine and how it can influence the rest of your day.

The way you choose to start your day will really depend on you and your likes, but you should always aim for your routine to include something that makes you feel great. This could be taking the time out to read a book, sitting and enjoying a hot drink in peace and quiet, or even just repeating some positive affirmations to yourself in order to remind you of the good around you.

Exercise when you can

Another key part of your health and wellbeing is ensuring that you are active as possible. Find a form of exercise that you enjoy and work it into your daily routine. Not only will this help you to feel motivated to get up and moving, but it will also ensure that you do this regularly.

See yourself as important as your clients

How important are your clients? The chances are that they are significant to your business, and you do your best to take proper care of them. While this is a fantastic work ethic to have and will definitely take you even further in your chosen career path, it is just as important to see yourself in the same light.

If you treat yourself as just as important as your clients, you will be ready to take proper care of your needs, and you will feel all the better for doing so.

Have fun away from work

Life can be serious, mainly when you spend a lot of your time working, which means that it is all too easy to forget just how important it is to have some fun and let your hair down. All work and no play is never good for anyone, so give yourself the time and opportunity for fun.

Depending on your personal circumstances, this could be time with a partner or friends, or it could be some quality time with your family members. The main aim is to make sure that you give yourself time to have some fun and bring a smile back to your face.

Take a breath

When you feel stressed out and simply cannot face taking on anything else in your life, the time has come to take a breath. We know that this can be easier said than done, but sometimes you just need to remind yourself to stop and calm. This doesn’t have to be huge amounts of time.

Just enough to allow yourself the space to calm down and think about where you are in the present moment. This simple act is often enough to allow you the freedom to think about what is causing you the stress and to find ways to counteract it or even come to a solution.

Eat the right foods

Being busy means that you are often going to need to grab food on the go. The issue with this is that quick and easy foods are not always the healthiest options, and while they may be a quick fix when you need them, they won’t give your body everything it needs.

The odd treat will not harm you; however, you should try the best that you can to choose healthy snacks and meals throughout the day. There are lots of different recipes out there that you can try out, which are not only easy to prepare but are also going to take proper care of yourself.

If you are still finding it hard to make the right choices during the day, ensure that the other meals you eat are as healthy as possible.

Get some fresh air and take a break

Taking a break from your work can be easier said than done. However, this is something that you need to do at regular intervals throughout your day. While a quick cup of tea or coffee will move you away from your screen, you also need to make sure that you find ways to get some fresh air as much as you can.

This could be in the form of taking a walk (which also means that you are exercising too), or if you are finding it hard to spare that much time, then you may want to consider simply sitting outside in the garden and letting yourself recharge for 5 minutes.

The most important thing is that you are moving away from your workstation and taking some well-earned time for yourself. Even better if you are spending that time in the fresh air.

Be kind to yourself

Above everything else, when you are an entrepreneur and trying to run your own business, you need to be as kind as you can to yourself. You are going to be under a lot of pressure, which means that putting yourself under any more strain is going to cause you to feel overwhelmed not only in the short-term but the long term too.

Not only could this impact you in the day-to-day running of your business, but also in your interactions within your personal life, such as with family and friends.

As you can see, there are plenty of ways that you can try to improve your health and wellbeing, even when you are the busiest that you have ever been. Things can be challenging at times, but being able to work on your own success and secure positive things for your future well, will make all the hard work 100% worth it.

5 Things to Make Your Business Website a Success

July 13, 2021 by Contributed Post Leave a Comment

Having a business website is an essential part of having a small business. It doesn’t matter what type of company you have, everyone from butchers shop to a mobile dog groomers can benefit from having a website. With this in mind, here are some ways to help make your business website a success.

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It is part of your brand

If there is one way to let people know who you are and what your business stands for, this is the place to do it. This is the opportunity to let all of your potential clients know who you are and what your business stands for. It can hold all of the information that you want it to, from your business hours to pictures of your projects. This is the place to showcase your brand and your business.

Have a good domain name

A good domain name is a surefire way to make sure people find your website. Your domain name can give your business instant credibility. Try and find one close to your business name, but if you can find the exact name, even better! If your business name is long, see what way you can shorten it to make it more memorable. Short names, including website names, are easier to remember than longer ones.

Improve your website design

When it comes to your website design, it’s the face of the brand. It’s the digital first impression that any potential leads will get when coming onto the website.
With that in mind, improving the web design is a must. It’s important that the user’s experience is one that’s memorable in all the best ways possible. Consider a WordPress speed service for your website to optimize the site’s speed potential. Improving page loading speed is a major contributor to helping users get the best experience from the site.

Don’t rely on social media

If you have a business, it can be tempting to do everything through social media. Don’t get us wrong, social media can be a great place to help build those connections, but you are at their mercy. They choose your reach, they can shut your business page down if they want to. In fact, there are so many reasons not to use social media, it’s surprising that people still do. Having your own website allows you complete control over the content.

Think twice about building your own website

As tempting as it might be to throw something together to pop online, building a website can be a complicated process. Even with the mountain of help available online, it is still possible to mess it up. Hiring a seo company to build content can save you a lot of issues in the future, especially if you want to build traffic to your site. You also need to remember that your website needs to look professional, otherwise it could put off potential customers.

Have a contact page

Contact pages are a great way for customers to get in touch with you and allow two way communication. Maybe you would like a form on the website for people to fill in. Or you could simply list the different ways that they can get in contact with you, including your business address and phone number. Some places have instant messaging available, some only allow contact through email. The choice is up to you and how you would like to stay connected.

These are only a handful of things that you should consider when you are creating your website, and it is important to remember that your site will be unique to you and your company.