Office productivity is not a sprint; it’s a marathon. And while some people are blessed with the power of concentration, most of us aren’t. By the time the workday starts winding down, a person’s willpower badly needs replenishing. That’s why it is so hard to finish the day as strong as it was started. Luckily,…
In a rapidly changing business environment, it is essential that owners of small businesses get flexible working schemes right. Today’s employees continue to look for more balance between their personal and work lives. While some employers may think this may have a negative effect on their business, flexible working arrangements have been shown to benefit…
No matter where your business is in its lifecycle, there is no shortage of challenges that will affect its ability to grow. But there are ways owners can overcome these hurdles if they simply invest enough time and effort into planning for the future. Here are three challenges 2016 so far that every business should…
Talking about money makes many of us uncomfortable. Sometimes we’re even conflicted about wanting to make money. Money, after all, is one of the few things left in modern life we don’t discuss openly with even our closest friends or family members. In a business context, this discomfort with money often extends to a reluctance…
Entrepreneurs like to be in charge. You start your business so you can call the shots – not someone else. But if you want to grow your business, you’re going to have to learn to give responsibility to others. The question is – how do you become a leader, not just a manager, of others?…
Over the last couple of decades, few things have changed the landscape for small businesses as much as the advent of huge megastores. Small businesses now need to get consumers to understand the importance and benefit of buying local; to recognise the ripple effect on the entire community that local purchases and local businesses have…
With everyone jumping on the social media bandwagon, there is no surprise that businesses are using the continually evolving digital platform as a valuable marketing tool. For those who are yet to be swept up in the hype of our radically changing cyber space, the question is not whether they will join the masses, but…
Businesses are becoming more concerned with having an online presence; however they should also be concerned about the security issues that this can cause. There is always a risk of malicious campaigns or viruses occurring online in an attempt to infiltrate business systems. Even if the business is not directly active online, its employees most…
As all productive workers know, the end of a working day is just as important as the beginning. While the lead up to finishing time in the late afternoon usually sees the majority of workers counting down the minutes until they can clock off, productive workers that engage in a few simple rituals at the…
Quite often, the words ‘I’m sorry’ aren’t enough for an unsatisfied customer. Whether it is because you had to deny a request, made a mistake with an order or left a customer waiting to be served for too long, there will always a time when a business will need to apologise to their customer. While…