Business Strategy | Mike McRitchie | Resume and LinkedIn Profile Writer | Telecom Marketing Content Writer

Give Your Employees A Boost With These Tips

July 31, 2021 by Contributed Post Leave a Comment

As an employer, you’re going to find that you come across a lot of employees from time to time that lack confidence. It’s natural – some people have that instant ability to chat and communicate and others don’t. Those employees that aren’t quite as confident, though, they’re going to be the ones who need to have a boost.

It’s not just being told that they’re good at their jobs: they need to know that you believe in them. The podcast with Shawn Meaike can give you some tips on how to tell someone that you believe in them, and it can help you to understand why you should make an effort with this. You want people to work toward something, and this is something that requires a lot of effort on their part. When you are dealing with people who don’t feel so confident about what they’re doing, how do you handle it? You need to make sure that they’re boosted: and here’s how to do it!

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Keep building them up. It’s so important that you are working closely with your staff to help them to meet their goals and the best way to do that is to consider the good things that your employees do and elevate those as much as possible. Be mindful about how you work with your employees who are less than confident and be gentle with them!
Always give more. Details, encouragement, rewards – hang it all out and make sure that your employees know that they are a priority for you. You should consider how much you are relying on them to do well and then work to reassure them that you know how much they are trying. Give them all the information that they need to succeed and be open to repeating it if they’re not confident they understood the task.
Give your employees a mentor. It doesn’t have to be you but you can ensure that your employees have someone that they can look up to. This will keep them confident and happy that they can bounce ideas around and reach their goals quickly.
Always give feedback. It’s one of the things that most employers do wrong: they don’t give their staff enough feedback or credit for the work that they do. Always make sure that feedback is timely, and you can be sure that your staff are going to be excited to work with you.
Appreciate. No matter how small the achievement, appreciate it and praise your staff. You will find that this constant encouragement is going to make your employees feel good and that’s the goal here. You want your employees feeling good so that they can work well. Without your appreciation, they’re not going to be as positive as they could be.

Your employees are going to need you to help them to achieve their goals. They need to be boosted and supported as much as possible, and you are the one who has the power to do that for them.

8 Great Questions That Every Business Owner Must Ask After The Pandemic

July 29, 2021 by Contributed Post Leave a Comment

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As life slowly returns to normality, getting your business back on track is a major priority. This will only happen if you make a conscious effort to put the right features in place.

Use the questions below for direction, and you won’t go far wrong.

Q1. Are the company facilities now outdated?

Many businesses have been forced to stand still over the past 18 months, but technology has still progressed at a rapid pace. As such, you need to take stock of the situation. Checking that your equipment and tech is up to the task will allow your company to keep achieving greatness. Without the right items, your company could fall behind.

Q2. Do staff members need training?

If you find that new or updated tech and software is needed you must consider the user. If employees are not trained in how to use those products, their full potential won’t be unlocked. Whether it’s online or offline training, leveling up your team can only bring positive results.

Q3. Could new employees be required?

Regardless of whether new equipment has been added, you may find that new workers are required. Bolstering your team so that it is ready for a new approach or a potential expansion can take many forms. Finding freelancers on platforms like People Per Hour will serve you well. Taking on remote and outsourced staff allows growth without relocation.

Q4. How easy is it for people to find the business?

Consumer trends have changed, not least in relation to interacting with brands. The pandemic has seen people turn to online brand connections. A strong SEO strategy for your website and regular social media posts are key. Press releases and PPC ad campaigns are very useful too.

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Q5. What have people been saying about the company?

Now more than ever, customers will look for reviews to determine whether a company can be trusted. Services like Reputation Defender and similar platforms are ideal. Because they allow you to track and attend to negativity. In turn, this should give you the best shot at maintaining a strong image and gaining the conversions you deserve.

Q6. Is the company suitably protected?

Ensuring that you see the positive aspects of social proof is only one aspect of protecting the company. As we enter this testing period, it will be necessary to upgrade your cybersecurity. After all, around 40% of all attacks target SMEs. A single breach could spell disaster for the company. Do not let this happen.

Q7. Will the online sales strategies suffice?

Even if your company previously focused solely on local sales, it’s likely that online selling will be essential for the future. Targeted marketing campaigns are crucial for gaining visibility. However, you must think about transactions. Setting up an Amazon store may be the best way to gain sales from new audiences. Your site needs a quality eCommerce platform too.

Q8. Could any expenses be dropped?

There are testing times for businesses across all industries. Therefore, keeping the expenses down to a manageable level should be high on every business owner’s agenda. Changing energy suppliers, insurers, and packaging suppliers can all help. Likewise, some habits may no longer be required. Lose them.

The road ahead might not be easy, but you can get the company back on track.

5 Steps You Must Follow To Get Your Construction Startup Running

July 28, 2021 by Contributed Post Leave a Comment

Every year, thousands of people start their construction businesses. The industry is booming, and it’s not hard to see why. With the increase in home building and renovations, there are more opportunities than ever for those who enjoy working with their hands. However, many new construction startups fail within a few years because they don’t follow these five steps to run smoothly.

Image Credit.

Conduct Extensive Research About the Construction Industry

You must conduct extensive research about the construction industry before starting your business for proper project management. Although it may seem like an unnecessary step, learning more about how this market operates will help you establish yourself as knowledgeable and credible in a short amount of time. One way to do so is by reading blogs from reputable sources such as Business News Daily or Entrepreneur Magazine that provide insightful information on what others are doing well, where they’re struggling, and why those things happened.

Another good option for gaining knowledge is attending trade shows or networking events hosted by companies related to the industry. These events provide opportunities for connecting with people who work within your field and can give you insight into their experiences working in these types of environments. You’ll get first-hand accounts of what they like and dislike about their job, what’s changing in the industry, as well as other factors that will help you make a more informed decision before starting.

Write a Detailed Business Plan

A detailed business plan is a vital document for any construction startup. Without it, you may experience difficulty in obtaining financing or attracting investors to your project. Therefore, the business plan needs to be comprehensive, showing all of your proposed project’s critical aspects and potential challenges.

A detailed business plan includes the following sections:

Vision and Mission Statement – State your intention in one sentence that is concise and powerful. Include who you are, what you do or produce, and why it’s important to society. For example, “To build a better world by constructing homes for those without shelter.”

Plan Overview – Briefly describe the company history, how this proposal fits into your future plans, objectives of the project (such as square footage) and location where construction will take place. Provide an overview of expected costs associated with financing and other needs such as materials. You should also include a timeline if possible so investors can see when they would make their money back from investing in your project.

Market Analysis – Explain how the construction project will create value for society and your company’s bottom line. This section should include information on current markets, anticipated demand and competition.

Material Specs – Specify the type of materials needed to complete this proposal, including a list of suppliers you plan to use to keep costs low.

Schedule Development – Detail all of the steps involved with completing this project from the start date until completion, including the time frame for each phase. Include any key personnel required at various stages, such as engineers or contractors.

Financing Plan – Outline any details about who is providing financing, what collateral they want and when payments are due, and other essential considerations like repayment schedules and interest rates which could make it difficult if you can’t afford to pay back the loan. To learn more about finances and perhaps even accounting, consider hiring an accountant to help you develop an accurate financing plan.

Construction Timeline – Explain how you will start and complete the project, including key personnel, any hurdles that could delay completion, such as permitting or availability of materials. This section is important for investors because they want to know when they can expect a return on their investment with milestones laid out in advance.

Register Your Business Appropriately

Construction is not a field that you can just jump into and start working, so take some time to do this properly first. Next, you will need to register with the appropriate government agency. In most cases, it is either local or state level for labor law purposes, but there may be other agencies depending on what type of work you are doing. Consult an attorney if unsure where to go or how exactly to fill out forms!

The next step is to find a reliable contractor. There are so many out there it can be hard to know which one will work best for you, but start by asking friends or co-workers who they use and what their experience has been like with them. You may also get ideas from the contractors themselves – if they have a website or Facebook page, check these out as well! Finally, be sure to think about things that might affect your quality of life on site: some people prefer working in the city while others want more peace. So, do yourself a favor and do plenty of research before making this decision!

Acquire Certifications, Licenses, Permits and Insurance

You’ll need to acquire certifications, licenses, permits and insurance before you can start helping with construction. The first thing you must do is get a permit from your local municipality. You may also want to look into getting an OSHA certification for working in construction zones and any other applicable certificates depending on the type of work you’re doing.

It’s also necessary to have a valid contractor’s license or building tradesperson’s certificate if performing general contractors services like framing or roofing jobs. Also, consider obtaining all required business licenses, including ones related to tax preparation and payroll management, are essential steps.

Mobilize Investors To Fund Your Startup

Your construction startup is one of the most challenging startups to get off the ground. You’ll need a hefty sum for equipment, inventory and materials before you can even say “shingles”. Your best chance at funding your project comes from investors who are willing to take risks on risky projects. To mobilize those investors, here’s what you should do:

Find an angel investor or venture capitalist with ties in your industry. If they’re successful, they usually are! They might want to team up with you as well.

Start networking early! Don’t wait until your business plan is complete; go out there and meet people while it’s still in development stages so that when you finish it, you’ll have some powerful connections to pull from.

Get your finances in order before you even think about approaching investors. Then, with a plan, numbers and projections, they’ll be more likely to listen–and maybe even invest!

Make sure that your business idea is viable in the long term and short-term when it comes time for discussions with potential partners. If they see flaws or weaknesses in your plans, there’s no point in them investing their own money into something less than perfect; just keep trying until you get it right!

Conclusion

The key to construction startup success is having a reliable plan and execution. When you take the necessary steps, it will result in your company being profitable and thriving.

The 3 Most Dangerous Areas Of Any Business Premises

July 28, 2021 by Contributed Post Leave a Comment

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No business worth its salt has anything other than an ideal acceptable annual injury limit of zero. Of course, this might be too idealistic, especially if you run a business that hires hundreds of employees. But if our safety approach and compliance isn’t always geared at preventing injuries and issues entirely, then what are they good for?

For this reason, it’s important to know where your most likely problem areas could be, and work at making them as safe as possible. No matter if this means investing in better safety equipment, totally restructuring a room, training your staff through and through, or enhancing accountability measures, all of these methods should be used so that you can proudly operate without any staff member or a visitor becoming injured.

What does this mean in practice, though? After all, it’s very easy to set lofty goals, it’s quite another consideration to structurally define the environment conducive to them, particularly if this will cost a pretty penny. But as you will see, there’s almost nothing more important to invest in than staff safety and wellbeing.

Let’s consider this together:

Storage Rooms

Storage rooms are important to consider, because if improperly used and poorly tracked, it’s more than possible to find potential injury here. You should train your staff to avoid stacking goods higher than torso-level, avoiding ‘towers’ of goods that lack stability, make sure all items are properly marked, tracked and labelled, as well as ensuring any risks of fire hazards are duly dealt with following the necessary code. Storage rooms should also be ventilated, and the tools you may use to find goods (like portable staircases), should be properly maintained.

Loading Bays

Loading bays are by their very nature of higher-risk thanks to the frequent comings-and-goings expected in this space. You’ll almost always benefit by making sure this areas is properly covered by CCTV, that loading instructions are clear, that the markings on the floor denote loading areas, and that the lighting is great even in th winter. Loading bays should also be secure and follow your safety protocols. Making sure the equipment used, such as forklifts, are well maintained and invested in, and that staff are trained as to every part of your logistics effort can make a tremendous difference. Also, remember height safety always. It can save lives.

Public Areas

Areas where the general public can enter and make use of your business premises are almost always the most ‘dangerous’ areas of a firm, because not only does exposure to the public sometimes come with risks, but the amount of people who could potentially become harmed in your firm skyrockets when footfall traffic is allowed. This is why heightening security and monitoring measures, making sure that issues are reported and dealt with (such as wet floors being cleaned and signposted), and that exits and fire reporting areas are clearly marked can be very helpful. Even visitors to private offices should wear name badges and be clearly taught preliminary health and safety information before moving into your firm.

With this advice, you’re sure to protect against the three most dangerous areas of any business.

Choosing the Right Equipment for Your Business

July 28, 2021 by Contributed Post Leave a Comment

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Whatever your business, you will undoubtedly require specific machines, devices, or vehicles. Having the right equipment keeps your employees safe and allows you to get the job done. In some industries, specific equipment is mandatory and must be kept in top condition under penalty fines or ceased operations. Additionally, anyone using your equipment must be thoroughly trained and qualified.

But it’s not just vehicles and heavy machinery that can help your business. Modern technology such as mobile devices can connect to an impressive array of machines or real-time data systems. As a result, it is now possible to stay informed from anywhere globally, manage projects on the move and present progression resorts to clients using drone technology.

Specialist and Customized Vehicles

Numerous industries benefit from specialized vehicles. Law enforcement, private security, construction, and road maintenance are just a few examples. Customization doesn’t just refer to aesthetics but upfitting (click here) that installs new features or modifies existing ones. For example, you can protect your tools with Tonneau covers, prevent dangerous accidents with headache racks or upgrade bumpers for protection from rugged terrain.

Such vehicles also remove any unnecessary space and utilities that usually fit into commercially sold cars. For example, you can remove extra seats, door panels, and padding to make more space for tools and large equipment. Tools such as winches, energy generators, and emergency items that might be required in a given situation. However, you should ensure that everyone using vehicles is licensed to do so.

Heavy Machinery Operations

Heavy machinery is the backbone of many businesses across the construction and manufacturing industries – diggers, steam rollers, CNC automation, and robotics, to name a few. Unfortunately, these machines are hazardous if not used correctly or maintained to a high standard. For example, agriculture has a high death rate due to overturning vehicles or being injured by a moving machine component.

Suppose your construction company needs to use heavy machinery. In that case, you should always ensure that every employee is adequately trained and holds up-to-date permits and licenses if required. Many machines don’t need licenses to operate, but many moving machines such as diggers and forklifts do. Not checking for these makes you liable should any injuries occur. If this is the case, you could face heavy penalties such as fines, loss of license, and prosecution.

Heavy machinery is the backbone of many businesses across the construction and manufacturing industries – diggers, steam rollers, CNC automation, microtunelling, and robotics, to name a few. Unfortunately, these machines are hazardous if not used correctly or maintained to a high standard. For example, agriculture has a high death rate due to overturning vehicles or being injured by a moving machine component.

Interconnected Devices

Modern technology is everywhere, and even the most prevalent technophobe among us cannot deny the usefulness of some of today’s devices. Mobile devices alone, such as phones and tablets, can utilize industry-specific apps like GPS, weather tracking, and agriculture temperature tracing. Apps can also link drones to almost any smartphone, which is extremely useful for surveying a construction site, entering dangerous areas, or presenting to a client.Additionally, apps can present real-time data for many operating procedures in a given industry. For example, trading apps like Robinhood and Webull will show you the latest trading data across all markets to make informed decisions. Also, iNeoSyte allows you to manage on-site reports on the go and share them with appropriate personnel, thus enabling you to manage projects even when you aren’t there physically.