Business

You worry about several aspects of your business. You want things to work out the way you wanted, so you invest in the right places. Given the amount you already spent, you might forget that security is also important. It’s another expense, but you can’t ignore it. These are some ways to help heighten security at work.

Install more security cameras

If your business is already growing, it’s not enough to have only one or two cameras. You have to install one in almost every corner. As long as you don’t violate privacy laws, you can place the security cameras. The goal is to prevent anyone from intruding. When potential criminals see that you have security cameras, it will scare them away. Even if they succeed in doing their plan, it will be easy to catch them.

Hire roving guards

You might have one security guard at the main entrance of the workplace. If you already have lots of employees and your clients are going in and out of the area, it’s not enough to have one security officer. You need several security guards to keep the place safe. You also want them to check the places where intruders could possibly break in. Even after work hours, you can count on them to keep the place safe.

Partner with the local police

You need to know that during severe incidents, you can count on the local police to respond right away. Whether it’s a terrorist attack, mass shooting, or dispute among employees, you want the officers to be there right away. You need to have a direct line to them to make it easy for any employee to contact them during an emergency.

Invest in security dogs

You may also partner with agencies to provide security dogs. They’re not threatening, and they are highly trained. They can move around the place to check if there’s anything suspicious. You can avert a potential crisis with the help of these smart dogs. They trained for years with their trainers so they can do the job well.

Invest more

You might be too busy focusing on various aspects of your business such as profit, and you forget security. Even if you have a lot of expenses to consider, you still have to find a way to invest in security. You want to ensure that everyone at work remains safe. You could end up with greater expenses if a terrible incident happens. Whether it’s a minor injury or a loss of life, you want to prevent it from happening.

You might recover from the actual damage, but your company’s reputation might suffer. Your lack of attention to security could get viewed in a negative light. People won’t trust your business anymore and partner with you for services. You can’t hire quality employees either because they think that you don’t care about the safety of the people working with you. Discuss your needs with Security Services Oxford now if you want to solve these security problems.

 

Marketing is absolutely essential when you run a small business, but you can run out of ideas quickly. You might be considering the same old ideas while wondering what you can do that will actually make a difference for your business. Here are five fun marketing ideas that are guaranteed to put your business on the map.

List your business online

One of the simplest ways to get your business out there is putting it in the free white pages. Putting your business’s contact information in an online directory is a great way to make sure everyone has the ability to reach your business anytime. 97 percent of customers use the internet to find businesses, so if customers can’t easily find your business through a search, you will steadily lose business. Listing your company’s contact information digitally will ensure your business can always be found.

Promotional swag

You might be tempted to switch to entirely digital marketing, but your best plan is to combine digital and physical marketing. Promotional pens and other products are still very effective in bringing in customers. Consumers are much more likely to remember your brand if they’re given a physical product because they are interacting with it daily. People also just love free products, so giving away promotional materials is a perfect way to help your customers feel like they’re appreciated.

Customer referral program

Customer referrals are successful because people trust their friends’ and colleagues’ recommendations. The idea of social enrichment shows that referred customers are more likely to stay with your company because of the bond they have with the people who referred them. This bond creates a loyalty to your company, as well, so creating a customer referral program will help increase customer retention. Offering your current customers a small incentive for referring others will ultimately bring your business more customers and more profits.

Hold contests & giveaways

While this might initially seem counterintuitive, holding contests and giveaways are great strategies for promoting your business. Contests are relatively affordable for you, and if you can collect important data when customers sign up for the contests, the benefits will be huge. You can require participants to provide their email addresses and then you can add them to your email newsletter. This will increase the chances that participants will become regular customers. You can also ask participants to share their entry on social media platforms. This will help spread the word about your business, which is the goal of all this marketing in the first place.

Create a social media presence

Most likely, you’ve already created a few social media profiles for your business, but it’s important that you make a plan for engaging with these profiles. You want to make sure you’re actively posting and interacting with consumers on these platforms, as it will help spread the word about your business. Make sure you’re sharing engaging content that is target towards your ideal customer. You should post consistently and everything you post should be specifically about your business. Save your personal life for your own social media! Businesses’ social media need to clearly represent who they are and what they are promoting. If you’re unfamiliar with the best social media platforms to use, ask an employee to run your company’s social media or hire an expert. This type of marketing is becoming more and more important for small businesses, so you don’t want to neglect it.

Marketing can be fun and easy if you know what to do. Try any (or all!) of these five ideas and your business will be booming in no time.

 

Are you looking for your entry into trading in the stock market? Penny stocks are a great way to get started. Trading always comes with risks,  but the cost to play in penny stocks is perfect for new investors. Let’s get into what penny stocks are, and where to find the best penny stocks.

What are Penny Stocks?

 

Penny stocks, commonly referred to as “pink sheet stocks” are company shares that are traded for under $5 dollars. On average, penny stocks will be sold over-the-counter (OTC). They tend not to be traded in the Major exchanges, but every now and then when a penny stock is able to maintain a value of $1 to $5 a share, it just might get on the New York Stock Exchange.

Penny stocks are great as an affordable way to get involved in the stock market when you have a small amount of capital to invest. Penny stocks are perfect for people who want to practice in the stock market. Once you learn, you can make some pretty nice profit along the way.

How Do I Buy Penny Stocks?

Purchasing penny stocks can be done through your average stockbroker. The only difference is that penny stocks typically aren’t listed on NASDAQ and NYSE, penny stocks get listed on the Over-the-Counter Bulletin Board (OTCBB) or Pink Sheets.

The OTCBB is typically considered the safer avenue to go with when looking to buy penny stocks. The OTCBB has listing requirements that set a standard for what stocks can be traded. Pink Sheets is only a quotation publisher. They are not registered with the U.S, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). It’s important to note that because Pink Sheets are not registered with the SEC, it takes a bit more research to make a sound investment.

Are Penny Stocks Worth it?

They certainly are. Penny stocks are a really good way to learn the market. When you do your research and practice, you should start to see good returns on your investments. The more you practice and follow the market the better your chance of creating a nice nest egg for your future.

A great way to start practicing is by using a stock market simulator. You can start making trades in the real-world marketplace, without using your own capital. Using a simulator will help you get practice and will let you see first hand if you are making the proper investments. This practice is known commonly as Paper Trading, and can really help when you are new to the market.

Where can I Find the Best Penny Stocks? 

When looking for the best penny stocks, Raging Bull is a great website that helps with your research. They have a list of their projections of penny stocks, and plenty of training tools to help get you on your way to becoming a great trader. If you want to know where to find the best penny stocks, I suggest you check them out.

 

If one of your professional goals is to become a more effective project manager, there are essential leadership skills you’ll need to acquire. Some examples of these skills which you may want to develop include communication skills, negotiation skills, and time management skills as well as risk management skills. So if you’re looking for project manager jobs in San Francisco, it’s well worth trying to develop all of the leadership skills listed below. By doing so you’ll definitely increase your chances of being offered your dream role as a project manager for a business that inspires you.

Delegation skills:

As a project manager, you need to be able to identify the individuals in your team who can competently complete or lead tasks. Many ineffective project managers make the mistake of trying to see each project under their direction from start to finish. When the true role of a project manager is to manage the individuals associated with different tasks. Part of being a great project manager is also being able to identify different skills in individuals. As an example, you may notice that a particular individual is great at networking and may place them in charge of finding the right contacts to complete a particular project.

Communication skills:

As a project manager, it’s also well worth working on your communication skills. As your job will involve speaking to each member of your team as well as your own managers on a day to day basis. So it’s a great idea to work on getting your point across in an effective, professional, polite manner. Especially as many individuals have a tendency to ramble without getting their point across to their employees.

The ability to motivate and inspire individuals:

It’s also your job to motivate and inspire each member of your team to work productively and to give 100% effort to their tasks. Part of being a great manager is knowing when to be strict with your employees and when to be open to compromise. Also, give some thought into the different ways that you can motivate and inspire members of your team. As an example, some members of your team may be motivated by the opportunity to undergo professional training, while other members of your team may be motivated by monetary bonuses for exemplary work.

Time management skills:

As you’re responsible for ensuring that the projects which you oversee go smoothly, you need to have exceptional time management skills. To ensure that your team doesn’t spend too much time on a single portion of your project. Which could lead to your team falling behind your project’s schedule. As a project manager, you’ll also have to manage your own time well, to make sure that you have enough time to oversee and manage each individual and task associated with your project.

Negotiation skills:

Negotiation skills are also incredibly important if you want to be an effective project manager. As you’ll often have to negotiate with third parties such as third-party contractors, in order to ensure that your projects are completed by their due date.

Risk management skills:

Lastly, as a project manager, you’ll need to be able to ascertain the risks involved with your projects. Risks are an unexpected situation that may affect your project’s timetable. Having risk management skills can minimize any problems your projects may encounter.

If you’re currently looking for a dream role as a project manager at a company that inspires you, it’s well worth ensuring that you display and practice all of the important leadership skills which have been discussed above.

 

It can take a great deal of effort and dedication to start a business in a competitive business landscape. However, it is another story entirely to keep a start-up afloat – especially when it comes to running a restaurant. It is not uncommon for an inexperienced business owner to run a restaurant into the ground due to a few beginner’s traps. It can be an ironic experience, as most business owners will be inexperienced with their first restaurant, but the competition will require them to get most things right.

That said, you are not alone in such an endeavour. While it can be challenging to deal with the responsibilities that lay ahead, you can take the example of successful start-ups. Here are just a few ways to stay ahead of the curve when starting a restaurant.

Keep healthier alternatives in mind when crafting a menu

While most restaurant owners tend to be inflexible with their recipes, it would be a good idea to maintain an open mind during the first year. After all, it is the most vulnerable period of your start-up’s lifecycle, and how you react to the advice of your first reviews could very well make or break your restaurant. For example, not too many start-ups think about healthy alternatives when it comes to their recipes. It is a shame, as the potential revenue you could receive is significant, considering the number of families who only dine at establishments with healthier alternatives.

As far as quality ingredients go, https://www.kiril-mischeff.com offers a wide variety of healthier alternatives you can use for your recipes.

Do not underestimate your establishment’s ability to expand

One of the beginner’s mistakes that come with start-up management is the notion that business software is only useful for companies that have already expanded. However, that could not be farther from the truth. Not only will the use of business software help a company future proof their business when they eventually expand, but it will also ensure that start-up restaurants have the means to operate during rush hour.

While it might be understandable for some industries to save business software for future endeavours, the restaurant industry does not have such a luxury. It would be a good idea to make use of quality POS software as soon as possible.

If you want your clients to be happy, prioritize the happiness of your workers

Last but certainly not least, there is the issue of keeping your clients satisfied with your service. While a lot of aspects factor into the success of any restaurant, you will find that much of that success can be obtained with satisfied employees. Focusing on incentives early on might be expensive, but it is a wise investment.

Keeping a restaurant afloat in a competitive industry is undoubtedly easier said than done. Fortunately, the tips above will help you to stay ahead of the curve and ensure the success of your establishment!

 

 

If you’re following a relatively conventional new product development process, concept testing is the first stage where the public will be able to give you feedback on your idea. Finding out you’ve got a terrible idea at this stage can be devastating, and can set back the process quite some way. One of the main reasons this will occur is because of groupthink. A psychological phenomenon that occurs due to people wanting to negate conflict. This happens to such an extent that only the status quo is listened to, and new and original ideas are extinguished.

The reason this revelation happens during the concept testing stage of the process, is that it’s the first time an outside perspective sees a concept/new product idea. In this article, we’re going to look at ways in which this can be detected earlier, or avoided completely. Hopefully meaning that you won’t be disappointed by the feedback from concept testing so much in the future.

Firstly, make sure you plan for groupthink occurring. It’s not a case of planning to fail. Instead, it’s about looking for indicators that groupthink might be occurring, or to make sure everyone in the group is aware of it as a phenomenon.

Make sure that debate is always encouraged. This might mean doing simple exercises at the beginning of the process where people have to argue two opposing points of view, or something similar. This makes difference of opinion the norm, and allows people to feel comfortable to challenge ideas.

Ensure that your creative group is full of different personalities. If this is done at the beginning of a group creative session, you’re creating a diverse foundation for different ideas to sprout from. While reducing the chance that people are going to agree to ideas due to personal similarities.

Data is a very powerful tool in all aspects of business, the creative process is no exception to this. Data can be used extremely successfully in this process to help signpost the areas in which new ideas should be sought. However, there is bias in data, no matter how much it has been tried to be avoided, it’ll creep in one way or another. Therefore, make it clear that this is the case early on in the creative process, and people won’t always turn to data to back up their points and quell discussion.

Finally, if practical, it can be worth bringing people in from other departments into your creative process. This can allow a wider perspective of a concept to be understood and is another way in which to make sure your group is diverse. While having the added bonus of gaining insights on how a concept will directly affect specific departments and processes.

 

Inventory management is the process of ensuring you have the right amount of products in your store at the right time. For example, if you sell computers, you need to have enough computers in your store at the time students are opening the school. Why? The demand is highest when schools are opening.

Managing your inventory means you don’t have excess stock, and products aren’t out of stock. In that case, you need software other than excel to help you manage your inventory. Why can’t you depend on excel?

When you use excel as your inventory tool, it means you have to update it manually, and you leave out some details of a product. On that context, you need software that automatically updates your inventory. For example, Amazon has been able to avail products to customers they have an inventory system that shows them when products are out or in stock. Besides using the software, you need to follow other tips to help you realize business success.

Tips on How to Manage Inventory

1. Use the FIFO Approach

First in first out approach is where you sell products in chronological order. When arranging your products, the newest should be behind the oldest to ensure that you sell the previous first. It will minimize the chances of goods getting damaged. Using your inventory system, you can get reports of the goods received against the date received.

2. Track and Stack

Analyze the products that most faster than others and put them accessible area. Revise your stock layout and arrange items into three groups. The first group, A, contain the products that are expensive and move slowly, you should have fewer of such things. Group B carries those goods that are moderately needed, and group C are those products that move fast, and they are relatively cheap.

Arranging the products into three groups will minimize the time you consume while looking for a product and thus deliver in time.

3. Consider Same Day Delivery of Products

Often, the business owner sells products and take days before providing because they have to update their inventory. Another reason is the absence of arranging products such that you can’t locate them when it’s time to move them. Moreover, the more products you keep on hand, the more you’ll pay for insurance.

However, if you implement same-day delivery, it means you’ll have solved arrangement issues and that you have an auto-updating inventory system. However, you need to choose the right parcel delivery service provider. Why? An ideal parcel deliverer will provide a reliable system where you and your customer can track the shipment of products. You need to choose one that offers the best prices too.

4. Audit and Control Your Stock

Auditing your stock means counterchecking the products on the shelf against softcopy inputs. It means your physical inventory and soft stock should be 98% accurate. So, if in your system, there are 20 laptops, there should be 20 devices on the shelf. Consequently, control your stock my delegating different duties to several individuals. For example, the employee dealing with account payable shouldn’t be the same person dealing with account receivable.

This is the right way of verifying the data before updating and saving the inventory.

Take Away

Managing your inventory is a process. You can’t do all the above in one day and leave it at that. You have to keep auditing, analyzing, and updating your system. To keep you on toes about your business operations and thus near your success.

 

The construction industry is fast paced and always evolving, but some things remain the same. One, the need for safe, reliable, and cost-effective materials for large construction projects. Precast concrete meets this need and also delivers more value – read on to discover how precast concrete makes a difference to the modern construction industry.

Modern precast concrete is a form of construction material where the concrete is cast in a mould and cured in a precast plant, rather than on-site. The precast concrete is transported as a whole and erected directly at the construction site. There is no need for curing at the project location. There are many advantages to using precast concrete.

• To Save Time

Probably the advantage that first comes to mind is the time saved. Using precast concrete minimises the risk of project delay which can be hugely costly and damage the reputation of the construction firm. The casting of the concrete can be completed while other work is ongoing on site.

• To Guarantee Quality

With precast concrete, the temperature, curing, formwork, and design of the concrete can be closely monitored at all stages of the casting process. This ensures a minimum of errors and the overall quality of the construction project is improved.

To Guarantee Strength and Capacity

The use of precast concrete ensures that the construction materials are of the upmost strength and maximum load-bearing capacity can be achieved. This results in a number of benefits to the overall success of the construction project.

• To Save Money

All projects must run to a budget. Using precast concrete helps to reduce time and therefore increase overall productivity. The project runs to time and budget, without sacrificing safety or efficiency.

• To Minimise Maintenance

Every project must have longevity. In order to minimise wear and tear, precast concrete is used to maintain durability. This material is linked to increased service time and a lower overall maintenance burden. It is durable and resists impact and corrosion.

• To Maintain Aesthetic Appeal

Precast concrete blocks provide a smooth, uniform, aesthetically pleasing finish. And since precast concrete is available in a wide variety of finishes, no two projects will look the same.

• To Improve Safety

Last but not least, precast concrete helps improve site safety. There is no need for traditional casting and formwork and no storage of raw materials. Precast concrete improves the safety of the construction platform, which will always be a benefit for workers and the public.

And One Reason Not to Use Precast Concrete…

Given the number of advantages listed above, there really isn’t one compelling reason not to use precast concrete. However, every project is unique, and the use of precast concrete requires careful consideration. If your construction project is likely to be modified in the future, then precast concrete is possibly not suitable for your requirements. But in most cases, this type of concrete represents a sound option that works to ensure the overall success of the project.

 

Let’s face it, planning for any event can be stressful. After all, not only is there the sheer number of tasks that need to be accomplished at any given time but more often than not both time and money are limited commodities too. Fortunately, there are ways to make the process easier. So, in the interest of saving you money, time and trouble on your event, here are a few tips that you should keep in mind.

• Begin as early as possible

There’s no denying that event planning is often a massive undertaking. As such, the more time that you have on your hands, the easier it will be to achieve all your objectives. So always begin as early as you possibly can. In this way, you will reduce the stress of having to rush the process. More importantly, having more time means that you will nail down all the details with minimal problems.

• Research your options

From acquiring catering services to securing a good location for the event from the likes of https://www.thewowhousecompany.com, it’s good standard practice to always research your options before deciding. And while it may sound like a tedious task that you would rather be without, doing so will allow you to find good deals and inexpensive alternatives that will help you stay well within your allotted budget.

• Learn to delegate

Since planning events can be a monumental endeavour, it’s crucial not to try and shoulder all of the tasks on your own. Instead, learn to delegate and share the responsibility with others. After all, not only will it allow the team to remain invested and engaged in their work, but it will also alleviate the stress from the workload and, as a result, boost overall productivity and efficiency.

• Plan for contingencies

With a multitude of factors involved in planning an event, it’s not uncommon for unforeseen problems and unexpected issues to arise. As such, it’s a general rule of thumb always to plan for contingencies. From looking for substitute caterers or vendors to alternate venues, time invested in creating a back-up plan can pay dividends in preparing for any problems that you might encounter. And as a result, guarantee a successful event.

• Prioritise tasks

With several objectives that need to be met within a limited timeframe, it’s good standard practice to prioritise all the tasks that need to be accomplished. After all, approaching the event in an organised manner will not only help you maintain a consistent level of productivity throughout the process, but it leaves less to chance as well.

There’s no denying that planning an event presents a staggering number of challenges that, if left unchecked, will cause more than just a few headaches. But by following the tips mentioned above, not only is the process bound to be easier, but you’ll also minimise the possibility of problems from occurring too, and as a result, maximise the chances of achieving the desired outcome.