There are lots of different things that can be essential in the running of your business. What this entails will depend on your specific industry and the products and services that you offer. Here are some of the more basic things that are critical when you’re in the manufacturing industry. (more…)
If your business is experiencing a decrease in foot traffic, there are some different tactics that you can try to increase your customer flow. One of the best ways to go about doing this is by enhancing your storefront so that it catches more people’s attention and entices them to stop inside to shop. These five simple methods for enhancing your storefront can help you increase customer foot traffic.
Add a Window Display
Window displays can spark the curiosity of onlookers and highlight businesses in a more positive light. Your window display can include mannequins, colorful decorations, and visually stunning signage to get people through your doors. It’s also a good idea to include a QR code in your window display that people can scan with their mobile phones to get instant access to your store’s website.
Set Out a Sandwich Board
Even a simple sandwich board can garner more attention for your business from passersby. This sandwich board can be placed directly outside your front door on the sidewalk for easy advertising. Your board can feature written details about any promotions or other aspects of your business that will make people want to become customers. For a custom-made sandwich board, consider ordering one from a reputable plasting moulding manufacturer.
Include Some Flowers
Beautiful flowers around your storefront will give your business a more welcoming feel. Flowers can be especially helpful for brightening people’s moods on cold and dreary days, which will shed even more positive light on your business. Roses, chrysanthemums, and tulips are always good choices. You can also include some ivy or other plants to give your floral display more greenery.
Feature Some Balloons
The sight of balloons can make a person feel like a kid again and make your store look like a more fun place to shop. Business 2 Community suggests using colors like red, blue, green, and yellow, which have been shown to increase sales. You’ll also want to make sure that these balloons stay fully inflated so that they look livelier and remove and replace any balloons that have lost air.
Try a String of Flags
This creative display simply involves a string of individual flags that attaches from a light post to your front door. You can choose to include flags that are of the same color or multiple colors that coincide well with one another. These flags can also feature the name of your business or any special sales or other offers that you’re trying to promote.
Getting more business through your door can be a reality if you take the time to improve your storefront’s appearance. The little bit of extra effort that’s needed to enhance the look of your business might pay off handsomely in the end.
Lizzie Weakley is a freelance writer from Columbus, Ohio. She went to college at The Ohio State University, where she studied communications. In her free time, she enjoys the outdoors and long walks in the park with her three-year-old husky, Snowball.
When you operate a business, you have to make sure that your place stands out for the right reasons. When you have a problem with flickering lights or toilets that overflow, then your patrons may leave you for the competition and your employees have to struggle in a poor work environment. To feel more responsible, and know that your company is ready to serve customers, you need a few key service specialists to offer routine maintenance and provide emergency services when necessary
To keep your property in great shape, it might be best to hire a janitorial company to come in once a day in the evenings or once a week. This service prevents clutter that can build up over the course of a work day or week, and can make your work environment healthier by preventing the spread of bacteria or viral infections. Plus, you know the place is always ready for customers and investors when the cleaning service comes in overnight.
Pest control is a mustNo matter whether you see pests as large as mice or as small as ants, it is still a good practice to use a pest control company. Pests of all kinds can spread disease, leave messes, and even cause damage to your wiring or building structure. By hiring a firm to spray your property regularly, you can prevent an infestation from being able to establish and spread, and keep out the stragglers, as well. Nothing turns off clients more than a business with an infestation.
Your wiring is at the heart of your company. When you want to make sure that everyone feels welcome, then make them feel safe with good lighting. A property that is well-lit and has no dark corners looks cleaner and more professional, and it serves as a hostile environment for wandering pests looking for a place to hide. If you use high-voltage equipment, then it is necessary to have routine inspections done by a professional commercial electrician to make sure that your system is running safely and efficiently. A short in this equipment can get blow up the machine or send an electrical surge throughout the entire building, and loose or frayed wiring can still carry a charge, heating up the area around it and potentially starting a fire.
A plumbing expert is another person you need to have on call. When a pipe bursts or a welder spews water, then you need an immediate fix before the whole place floods. Water damage can be hard to track, leading to damp places that grow mold, attract pests, or even cause damage to the structure of the building. A good relationship with a plumbing company can ensure that you get a fix right away.
Whether it is bugs or fuses blowing, any setback can cost your business money. By taking care of these problems sooner rather than later, you can provide a safe and welcoming structure for your guests or employees. Being responsible will go a long way for your self-confidence as a business owner, and it will make your business cleaner and safer for both staff and customers.
Rachelle Wilber is a freelance writer living in the San Diego, California area. She graduated from San Diego State University with her Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Media Studies. She tries to find an interest in all topics and themes, which prompts her writing. When she isn’t on her porch writing in the sun, you can find her shopping, at the beach, or at the gym. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook: @RachelleWilber; https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009221637700
Did you know that out of 27,2 small businesses in the U.S. almost 9,9 are women-owned? What this stat doesn’t explicitly say is that among these female entrepreneurs, there are a lot of women who also have another equally (or even more important) job – they’re full-time moms. Running a small business is extremely demanding and challenging, and it’s only logical that you want to be fully involved in order to make sure that everything is taken care of properly and that your vision is followed down to the tiniest detail. Still, the number of commitments will grow, and this will eventually take its toll on your family life, not to mention that it will most definitely rob you of your “me” time, which is why outsourcing and asking for help is an absolutely valid and welcome option.
Every mompreneur knows that good organizational skills are the key to running everything from a household to a company. Luckily, these days when we’re blessed with all kinds of tech gadgets and widgets, it’s much easier to automate certain tasks. There are lots of helpful tools which you can use to boost your productivity, meaning that you’ll be able to work less and achieve more. Even if you’re a home-based SMB owner, it can be hard to manage your time effectively as you always have to juggle between business responsibilities and family chores. A good thing is that these tools, such as Slack, allow you to manage your team remotely and organize online meetings, while Trello lets you create a to-do list, prioritize your tasks, and see how each member of your team performs. When it comes to being a mom, although you can’t always be there for your kids and check whether they got to school on time, you can use an app like Pumpic, to monitor how they spend their online time and keep track of their whereabouts with the help of GPS.
Social media platforms are frequently blamed for being counterproductive as many people use them for the wrong reasons. The truth is that you can leverage the power of Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn to help your small business thrive and to find a number of helpful communities in which you can read the latest news from your industry, connect with other business professionals, and get some good advice and support. One of the most important starting points when it comes to using social media platforms for your business is picking the right channels. Naturally, Facebook, with its 2.13 billion monthly active users from all around the world is a logical choice regardless of your industry. Instagram and Pinterest, as visually oriented social networks, offer a wide range of promotional possibilities for fashion companies, or those selling handcrafted jewelry or artisan goods. LinkedIn is inevitable if you’re in a B2B industry, as you’ll be able to get in touch with other professionals and potential clients very easily. Apart from being used for promotional activities, social media platforms are extremely effective when it comes to:
Use social media management tools, such as Buffer or Hootsuite, to post your content on a regular basis, schedule your posts in advance, and put things on autopilot.
Many small companies start as one-person businesses, but as they develop, more people are needed to keep things running. It can be hard to find someone who is your perfect match and who will be passionate and motivated as you are, but it’s not impossible. Sharing the reins of control with someone new, whom you don’t know yet, can be tricky, but it’s a necessary risk if you want to grow your business and have time to watch your kids grow too. The first thing on your priority list should be hiring a team of experts, that is, people who are skilled and experienced enough to be able to contribute to your thriving business. References and recommendations are the best methods for finding people you can trust your company with. Make sure to check out employment laws in order to understand your responsibilities and prevent some legal issues. Another useful tip about hiring a new employee is that you shouldn’t always listen to your gut instincts because 85% of people lie on their resumes. Do your research well before you welcome anyone aboard. Finally, set your expectations clearly and ask the same from your new employees, because communication is crucial for any successful business relationship.
Stats say that 82% of small businesses fail because of poor cash flow management. This is why you need to acquire some basic money management skills. However, since there are lots of things to deal with, such as delayed invoicing, taxes, paying bills, and various expenses, it’s best to hire a professional accountant. This way you’ll protect yourself from making bad financial decisions, and free up more time to spend with your family. However, even if you have your financial matters under control, running a small business often requires additional investments, which is why obtaining caveat loans can save the day and help you overcome a rough patch easily and with no fuss.
Growing your small business and raising your kids at the same time is very demanding, but it doesn’t have to be exhausting and messy if you’re well organized and surrounded by a team of hand-picked employees who will help you carry physical and psychological burdens of entrepreneurship.
Emma Worden is a startup funding consultant from Sydney. She enjoys reading and writing on different aspects of entrepreneurship, usually finance and marketing. If you want to read more of her work, you can find it at https://bizzmarkblog.com/
In this conversation, Paul sits down with the co-founder of Triterra and they talk about the environment, being an entrepreneur, work life balance and the restaurant business.
For more on Triterra: http://triterra.us/
For more on Eaton Craft Co.: https://www.yelp.com/biz/eaton-rapids-craft-eaton-rapids-2