Michael Levitt's Blog

As a business owner, you know that planning for the future is key to ensuring your company's growth and continuity. But what are the specific things you need to do to make sure your business thrives? Here are five tips that will help you stay on track.

1) Make a long-term plan and stick to it

Having a clear vision of where you want your business to be in the future is essential to its success. But it's not enough just to have a plan - you need to make sure you stick to it. This means being disciplined about following through on your goals and making adjustments along the way as needed.

Also, remember that your long-term plan should be flexible enough to accommodate changes in the market or your industry. The last thing you want is to be caught off guard by a new competitor or a shift in customer demand.

2) Foster a culture of innovation and creativity

In today's rapidly changing business landscape, it's more important than ever to encourage creativity and innovation within your company. This means creating an environment where employees feel comfortable taking risks and exploring new ideas.

It also means staying up-to-date on the latest trends in your industry and being open to change. After all, the only way to stay ahead of the competition is to constantly be looking for ways to improve your products or services.

3) Invest in your team

Your employees are one of your most valuable assets, so it's crucial to invest in their development. This includes providing training and resources that will help them grow professionally.

In addition, you should also create a culture of mentorship, where more experienced employees help guide and support those who are just starting out. By investing in your team, you'll ensure that they're always able to meet the demands of the business.

4) Keep an eye on the competition

Finally, it's important to always be aware of what your competitors are doing. This doesn't mean that you should copy their every move, but you should keep an eye on their developments and adjust your own plans accordingly.

For example, if a competitor launches a new product that is similar to yours, you may need to reconsider your pricing or marketing strategy. By keeping tabs on the competition, you can make sure that your business is always one step ahead.

5) Outsource certain tasks 

One way to immediately improve your company's efficiency is to outsource specific tasks. This frees up your team to focus on more important things, and it can also save you money in the long run.

For example, rather than hiring an in-house IT team, you can outsource your Tech Support to a reliable provider. This way, you'll have access to the latest technology without having to worry about upkeep or maintenance.

Following these tips will help you ensure that your business is well-positioned for growth and continuity. By planning for the future and investing in your team, you'll be able to weather any challenges that come your way. And by staying creative and innovative, you'll be able to keep your business ahead of the competition.

Though old-fashioned, job fairs are still an excellent way to find new talent. Unlike online job applications, you can talk to interested parties face-to-face, giving both you and them a better feel of what to expect. The difficult part with these events, though, is getting noticed in the sea of competition. If you need some tips on how to make your company stand out at your next job fair, we’re here to help.

Pick the Right Venue

Not all job fairs are equal, so as you consider attending, you have to ensure it’s the right type of job fair that will fit your company’s needs. For example, a college job fair won’t be useful to you if you aren’t looking to fill entry-level roles. Something like an invitation-only career fair will ensure that only candidates who are qualified for your positions will be there. Additionally, if your company’s needs don’t match those of the candidates, few people will approach your booth.

Let People Know You’ll Be There

Even though this will be an in-person event, you should still use the internet to your advantage. Let people who follow your company on social media or are on your email list know that you will be at the event. This is a great way to ensure that people who are already interested in working for you will be there.

Use Eye-Catching Promotional Materials

Many companies at career fairs tend to put minimal effort into their booths. They might have a table cover with their name and a few small giveaway items, but most stop there. If you take your booth design to the next level, you’ll be sure to grab more people’s attention.

Using custom promotional materials is a great way to do this. For example, an eye-catching custom canopy design will surely draw people in. If you want to take it a step further, you can set up branded signs that direct people at the venue to your booth.

Have an Approachable Attitude

Be aware that people will be watching your booth from a distance. If they don’t like how you present yourself, they might not even bother talking to you. That’s why a crucial tactic for having your company stand out at a job fair is to simply exude an approachable attitude.

Smile and make eye contact with all passersby. Stand up and greet them when they come up to you, and maintain a friendly demeanor when speaking with them. These details will make a noticeable difference in your company’s success at the career fair.

Job fairs are excellent opportunities to find potential candidates for your company. If you use these tips at your company’s next job fair, you increase your chances of success.

Image Source - Pexels

In business, you need to make an effort to stand out from the crowd. Allowing your company to get lost amongst a sea of other brands is a total no-no, as you’ll have no chance of attracting a good number of customers unless you can grab their attention! 

Thankfully, this guide contains some of the best steps that you can follow to help your business stand out. So, what are you waiting for? Read on to discover more!

Build A Strong Social Media Presence

One of the most effective steps that you can follow to help your business stand out from the crowd is to build a strong social media presence. In today's modern world, you need to create a commercial social media profile for your company in order to cash in on the opportunity to gain attention online. Social media platforms attract billions of active users every single day, and you can easily take your chance to reach out and grow your audience through these sites by utilizing many different features and ideas to target your niche. You can choose to post inspiring and interesting content, harness the opportunity to engage and communicate with your audience or even utilise some of the many dedicated business features that are built into popular social media platforms to create a more effective marketplace! Just make sure that you make an effort to maintain an attractive, expressive aesthetic that you know your audience will enjoy - visuals are a huge feature of social media success, so be creative (but remain professional). Don’t be too overbearing with loud colors and garish patterns, as this will make your social media profile seem stand out for all of the wrong reasons! Such designs seem somewhat unprofessional and potentially even untrustworthy, so don’t go overboard. 

Create Amazing Packaging 

Creating amazing packaging is another great way to help your business stand out, as you can effectively market your brand without actually having to put money into advertising. If you can create packaging, both for your products and shipments, that is eye-catching and attractive, then you’ll be able to spark the interest of anyone who catches a glimpse of them. Your branding package needs to be memorable for all of the right reasons, and when you can take the opportunity to create a trendy, attention grabbing packaging that excludes style, you’ll see just how productive it can be. If you’re not that creatively inclined then don’t fret, as you can easily get in touch with a dedicated packaging design expert who knows all of the tricks of the trade. This way, you can maintain ultimate peace of mind that your packaging presses all of the right buttons! 

Learning how you can help your business to stand out has never been such a simple task when you can utilize some of the brilliant ideas that have been carefully described in this guide. So, get out there and boost your brand today by following these effective steps now!

Responsibly shipping combustible items, radioactive items, and other dangerous materials is possible, but it requires very strict steps. Our guide below details three important things to remember when shipping hazardous items. If you’re preparing for a new order of dangerous materials, read the details below to avoid easy mistakes along the way.

Properly Classify Materials

In the shipping industry, freight is clearly labeled with specific classes to ensure proper procedures are successfully followed during the shipping process, and that everyone can clearly see what class of item they’re working with. One of the factors that determine a shipment’s classification is the type of hazardous material on board, as well as whether it’s corrosive, combustible, or radioactive.

Knowing what an item’s classification is will help with understanding how to safely ship those items. For instance, some hazardous items cannot be shipped with other materials to avoid accidents occurring during transportation.

Avoid Accidental Charges

When learning the essentials of LTL freight, you’ll find freight class frequently mentioned not just because of safety precautions, but also due to the impact the class will have on shipping costs. The wrong classification label can lead to you accruing costs you wouldn’t have to pay with the correct class marked.

Beyond accidentally misclassifying items, errors such as duplicate invoices and not adding negotiated discounts can also accrue extra costs, so be sure you’re paying what you should be with your hazardous items. Shipping such items will require special precautions, but you still deserve a fair price on orders. Always have someone in place to monitor invoices so you can catch the aforementioned issues, as well as any other errors, during any shipping endeavor.

Hire Reputable Shippers

An important thing to remember when shipping hazardous items is that the experts you put in charge of shipping will impact the final results. In other words, hire shipping experts who you can rely on to properly handle, label, and deliver all materials.

Of course, looking over invoices will always remain important, but hiring the right team for dangerous items will help you reduce the chances of dangerous accidents happening. Focusing on details like these ensures you can maintain an efficient and responsible business reputation. Use these tips with your next shipment of hazardous materials so you can set the right shipping standard for your business.

No one wants to visit a dirty business, and no one wants to work in an unkempt workplace. Therefore, cleanliness and hygiene are critical for any company. If your business could use a little help, follow these awesome tips for promoting cleanliness in the workplace.

Keep Cleaning Supplies on Hand

The best way to promote cleanliness and hygiene is to provide essential supplies. Keeping products readily available will dramatically improve the workplace because it makes cleaning easier. Some basic supplies to keep on hand include disinfectants, paper towels, sanitizers, a broom, a dustpan, and antibacterial soap. Furthermore, you can include industry-specific supplies like gloves, face masks, and certain cleaners.

Create Workplace Rules

Creating workplace rules is a smart tip for promoting cleanliness in the workplace. Depending on your industry, different cleaning practices will align with daily operations. For example, restaurants and coffee shops must follow specific rules. However, all businesses can benefit from policies that uphold a clean workplace. Here are some policies to consider:

Dispose of trash in garbage cans.

No food and drink outside the breakroom.

Sanitize workstations.

Clean up any spills.

Hire an External Cleaning Service

Running a business is a lot of work, and you may not always have the time to clean your facility. That’s where external services come to the rescue. To maintain your business, hire a cleaning service to tidy up the building. Commercial cleaning companies are excellent investments and time-savers, helping you get back to operating your company without worrying about a dirty facility.

Schedule Daily Cleaning

Cleanliness and hygiene practices are continuous efforts within the workplace. Instilling daily cleaning habits encourage employees to maintain the business. For day-to-day cleaning, it’s best to schedule set times for facility assessments. For example, keep your outdoor smoking shelter clean by implementing daily shelter checks. During these checks, you can replace trash bags, pick up litter, and wipe down benches. Of course, align daily cleaning with your business’s specific needs.

Educate Employees About Cleanliness

Your staff keeps the business afloat, and they utilize the facility every day. To care for the workplace, educate your employees about cleanliness. Discuss how the spread of germs can affect operations, mention good hygiene practices, and reiterate the importance of a well-maintained company.

When most people hear about access control technology, they often associate sophisticated security measures with medium- and large-size organizations. However, access control security is crucial to companies worldwide regardless of size.

While smaller businesses tend to have unique needs for access control, having a system promotes the protection of their people, property, and assets. Continue reading to learn more reasons why access control is important to small businesses and how it can benefit yours!

Restricts Areas to Authorized Personnel

Access control systems are perfect tools to enhance your business’s security without having to put in significant amounts of effort. For example, you can choose a security gate for your property that provides a barrier between your establishment and the surrounding environment. This gate will act as a checkpoint that oversees traffic control and determines who can enter the premises and when.

Offers Irreplicable Security Measures

Often, access control systems may require a keycard or biometrics to grant access to an area. These methods are sophisticated solutions that are difficult to replicate. Anyone can make a copy of a standard key, but with access control, keycards will have specific data that provides clearance to buildings. With biometrics being unique to each person, sneaking into your business will be significantly more challenging.

Protects Merchandise and Valuables

From computer offices to printers and point-of-sale systems, there’s plenty of equipment within your small business that captures the eye of unauthorized individuals. Depending on your industry, you may have shelves filled with goods and merchandise that require protection.

Implementing an access control system within your building or facility provides additional security, so doors always remain locked, and your store’s goods are always secure.

Despite what some people think, small business security isn’t realms away from security for larger companies. There are plenty of reasons why access control is important for these organizations, and with the proper implementation, it can serve your budding company for years to come.

Managing a business comes with lots of challenges. One of them is staying consistent. It’s tough to have money coming in inconsistently throughout the year because you must always change how you spend money to accommodate this variance. Thankfully, if you continue reading, you’ll learn some of the best ways to improve your business consistency and keep customers coming in all year.

Create a Plan and Stick to It

The first and most important thing you need to do as a business owner—without even thinking about consistency—is to create a business plan and stick to it. Doing this will help your business immensely because you’ll have a direction for the future. Because of this plan, you’ll also be able to stay much more consistent than you would without one. For example, if an obstacle arises, the way you approach the situation will affect your business. You can ensure you’re moving toward your intended goals if you have a plan to guide your response. With a plan, you have a strategy for dealing with obstacles and a path to follow. This is vital to business consistency.

Think Year Round

Sometimes, you have a business model that thrives in one season but fails to garner the same attention and market in the next. Seasonality is an important factor that you must consider with your products, but you should also consider how seasonality can affect your business operations. For example, you could have adequate to good communication capabilities during the winter, but as soon as the warmer months come around, you may find you’re unable to communicate effectively.

The cellular signal at your office may be worse in the spring and summer because the trees between you and the cellular tower grow their leaves during those times. When constructing your building and setting up your business, think about how everything will work in every season. Approaching your business with a full-year mindset can help you avoid problems such as this and stay consistent.

Conduct Regular Maintenance

Another important step to keep your business consistent is to conduct regular maintenance. Maintenance typically refers to checking different parts and ensuring everything is clean and in working order. You must ensure your computers and the equipment you use are working as they should and that there aren’t any hiccups. It’s also important to conduct maintenance with employees. People aren’t robots who can work the same all year round. Things change, and bumps in the road appear. Therefore, you must acknowledge these challenges and address them as best you can. That’s essential for keeping your business consistent throughout the entire year.

Take this advice and improve your business consistency so that you can have a clear path for customers and income all year long. No one said that managing a business would be easy. But when you account for these various factors, you’ll have far fewer surprise roadblocks getting in the way and hurting your ability to be successful.

Keeping your brand relevant to your customers is like swimming with sharks. There are bigger fish in the same ocean, but it isn’t impossible to get to their level someday. The best things to focus on at your roots are the strategies you implement to find success in the future. These business tips to stay competitive in your industry are worth considering on your way to the top.

Engage With Users Online

Having a social media account means more than having another platform to advertise yourself on. This is your chance to give personality to your brand in a more relaxed way that feels natural to your potential customers.

Social media is also full of data that helps you develop your business strategy. It’s important to know about some social media metrics to track and the ones to ignore to maximize the benefits of those interactions with customers.

Keep Up-to-Date With Your Competitors

Staying ahead of the game means being aware of your competitors’ actions. While word of mouth has benefits, having someone in charge of keeping track of any news about current competitors is helpful. This allows you to take note of the direction that they’re going and compare it to your current strategy. Being in the dark is a disadvantage easily mitigated with today’s technology and media.

Make Use of Trends

It’s important to blend current trends with your online marketing strategy. This takes a keen eye and someone familiar with social media platforms. While there’s a learning curve, professionals who hone their skills can take advantage of the different algorithms on these platforms to make them work for you. Whether a video or an online advertisement, taking advantage of what people are currently familiar with makes them more likely to pay attention to your brand.

It’s an ambitious feat to create a business from the ground up and compete with the current giants. While the task seems overbearing initially, it’s important to focus on polishing your team and strategies. These business tips to stay competitive in your industry lay the groundwork for a business ready to stand out from the rest.

Pixabay CC0 License

A winning first impression doesn’t guarantee a conversion or success in business. Conversely, though, a bad one will be hugely detrimental to your chances. So, if this is an area of the venture that requires attention, now is the time to do it.

Thankfully, several steps may be taken to ensure that prospective clients view your business in a positive light. This can happen from the very early exchanges. Here’s all you need to know.

Build A Strong Web Presence

A growing percentage of first interactions now occur online. Even the people that discover your company through traditional methods will check out your web presence. A professional and informative website that looks good across all screens will serve you well. Especially when it is supported by strong SEO campaigns. Aside from securing more clicks, it instantly makes your brand look reputable to new users.

Regardless of the industry you’re in, a strong web game is now essential.

Develop Your Pitches

There is an art to selling, not least because prospective clients start to form opinions within seconds. B School Marie Forleo is an outlet where you can develop better skills in relation to product launches. This can also support your sales pitches in both B2B and B2C situations. Learning to showcase the USPs that actively appeal to the target demographic is just one key aspect that can aid your cause.

If the product doesn’t spark an instant interest, conversion rates will remain low.

Avoid Negative Outcomes

They say all publicity is good publicity, but that simply isn’t true. As such, you must take security and cybersecurity seriously as to avoid the fallout of a breach. Aside from the direct financial hit, your reputation would suffer badly. Meanwhile, it’s important to check that all employees are responsible in the public domain. Particularly when making any comment on behalf of the brand.

If clients have any reason to doubt your business, they will look elsewhere.

Have A Proven Track Record

Every prospective client knows that you will promote your business and products in style. As such, they will take marketing campaigns with a pinch of salt. As such, it is essential to prove your track record. You can use platforms like Trustpilot to gain verified customer reviews. It is also worth showcasing any awards, memberships, association registrations, or accolades. Proving your professionalism removes the seeds of doubt.

It allows users to identify exactly how you can help them before even making contact.

Appreciate The Value Of Communication 

The old cliche that people buy people still rings true. Presenting yourself as well as the company in a positive way is vital. From dressing to impress to using the right tone of voice, every aspect can influence your sales conversions. Perhaps most importantly, you must listen to client pain points and show that you have the perfect solution for their needs. It will either gain a sale or allow you to move on.

Either way, it’s a better result than spending time and energy on someone who won’t buy.

Image source: Pexels

Did you know that it's quite easy to miss the signs that businesses are failing? When you are in charge of a busy retail store that is highly popular and is constantly buzzing with customers, it's very easy to miss the mistakes that are slipping through the cracks. The thing is, you can catch these mistakes early and give yourself a chance to turn things around without having to worry about reaching out to lawyers to close your business down. The signs that your business is failing can go unnoticed when you are immersed in the day-to-day operation, and if you are accustomed to those ups and downs it can be very easy to overlook the obvious signs of danger. 

While you can reach out for help from Redlich's TAC Lawyers when a customer has an injury or an accident in your store, you really do need to consider understanding what the signs are of danger before it happens. You are the last person who will want to see your own business fall into irreversible damage, so with this in mind here are some of the signs that your business is failing. If you notice them, then it's time to put your heads together with your management team and re-strategize.

Every time you sell something it's at a discount. It's nice to offer customers the money off, but if you are offering continuous money off for all of your products then this is going to help you fall into bankruptcy. Discounts can be a great way to bring in customers and to give existing customers a treat, but if your brand is in trouble, it's the worst thing you could do. When you constantly drum out those sales items you are teaching your shoppers to only buy it when things are much right down, and not only will this ruin your morale, it's going to close that margin and means that you make a lot less profit over the year.

Your team is just not keeping up with their KPIs. Everybody needs to feel motivated in their job, and if your team is not keeping up with the KPIs that are on the table, then there is a problem. One of the clearest signs that your business is failing is that the people that work within it are not feeling buzzed by what's going on. Each of your team members should have something to aim for, and that means ensuring that they are hitting those goals and if they're struggling, working with them. This can help your team to stop worrying that the business is going to fail and that they will be out of work.

There is a high employee turnover at your store. Most sales positions do come with a high turnover, because they tend to be temporary positions for those who are looking to climb the ladder. The thing is, you need to be exploring that this is definitely the reason that people are moving out of their jobs. Employees will quit bad bosses, not bad companies, and when the best employees keep leaving for something better, then you need to look at what you are not offering. You want the job that you are offering to have the best benefits, a good salary, and to give people enough morale boosting activity to think that they are doing a great job and know that they are doing well. If you are not telling your people that they are doing well in their roles they're going to leave you and it will be your fault!

The customers just aren't coming. Customers feel like a burden if they are not encouraged to shop at your store. Did you know that your retail store is going to fail if customers are having accidents in the shop because the shop itself is not safe? You need to make sure that you are posting secret shoppers every now and then so that they can give you feedback as to whether or not your business is worth their time or not. If you are offering cut price products but you are not providing service with a smile, no ones coming to shop. 

 

When you understand that your business is on or off track, you can start making moves to ensure that it is working well. You need to be in tune with what your customers are doing, how your employees are feeling, and whether your suppliers are happy. Without being in tune with these things, you're going to miss out.