The ability to attract and retain top talent is often tied to the amount of compensation that you pay your employees and the benefits package that you offer.
Everything from a wellness center to employer-matching retirement contributions can entice job seekers to apply for a position. Benefits can keep your company attractive for current employees too, preventing them from growing unsatisfied with their position and leave. However, the unfortunate reality is that these benefits can cost a small fortune, and it often is not financially feasible for a smaller business to pay for them.…
One of the easiest ways to generate goodwill towards your business is to sponsor a charity or two in your local community. Making a sizable financial donation will get your business name put up at the charity event, getting your name out and letting the community know you care. Not only are you supporting those in need, but you are also increasing the visibility of your business in a positive way.
Aligning Your Values With a Charity
Image via Flickr by amateur photography by michel
There are all kinds of charities that are happy to accept donations from local businesses and give advertising in return.…
There’s a well-known saying that argues, “You only have one chance to make a first impression,” and that’s certainly true of new product launches. Get it right and customers will flock to you. Get it wrong and they will soon lose interest.
Know your target market
Firstly, you need to get the measure of your market. While it can be extremely tempting to launch as soon as possible, it actually makes more sense to take your time and ensure that you understand what your customers want.…
Eventually, there will come a time when your small business reaches the limit of what it can do without growing. Small businesses and their growth are an important part of the economy – Forbes reports that they make up more than 65 percent of the net new jobs created since 1995 and that more than half the working population works at a small business.
If you think your business needs to expand, watch for some of these common signs:
You’re Getting Outpaced
One of the indicators that it is time for your business to expand is when the demand for you product or service begins to outpace your ability to supply it.…
It’s perhaps natural for smaller and even medium-sized businesses to assume that domestic customers should be the priority. It’s less hassle, and your product or service will appeal less to the foreign market, right? Actually, no.
Government’s Blessing
According to UK Trade & Investment’s report, exporting companies are more productive, have stronger financial performance and a greater chance of staying in business. Other benefits include increased confidence and higher efficiency rates.
Companies surveyed also reported that exporting was the catalyst to new product and service ideas.…
Offering a decent salary is most certainly enough to get some of the top millennial candidates through the door… but is it enough to keep them? Sure, the “almighty dollar” can be a great incentive and is definitely one of the reasons that we go to work each day, but as the cost of living goes up, the company budget tightens, and raises become far and few in between, money is no longer the motive.
In order to run a successful company, equipped with a great staff, business managers and execs must be willing to think outside of the box to maintain employee satisfaction.…
The Christmas season is finally here and consumer behavior is now adhering to the holiday spirit. Is your small business ready to attract more holiday shoppers and tackle this not-to-be-missed, lucrative period?
Make sure you’ve got to all the things in the list and get ready to get the sales rolling in. Read on and see if you’ve got everything to help your small business along in all the hustle and bustle of the holidays.
1. Develop a contemplative strategy for the holidays
Planning your seasonal strategy should start early on, so chances are you’ve got this checked already.…
So, what is ‘house flipping’? Simply, house flipping is when a home is bought by an investor with the intention of being sold at a later date for a substantial profit. Usually, these homes are bought at auction as they can be purchased cheaper, but this isn’t always the case. So, if you can buy cheap with the ability to sell high not too far down the line; then is it a good, low risk investment? This blog post aims to find out.…
If you’ve been following the news recently, you might have seen how Sainsbury’s accidentally made its plans to try to drive 50p from every customer public. Although there was a significant customer backlash to the public incentive to Sainsbury’s staff to ensure every customer walks out of the store 50p worse off, the reality of retail is that the shop is there to generate income, and maximising that amount of income is an essential part of the job.
Ultimately, what this means to you is that if you work in a retail environment, you have a range of strategies that help you maximise the profit of your business.…
Today’s HR directors are operating in an environment of change and interesting opportunities. The role of these teams are changing, particularly within in-house organisations. Originally, personnel teams were focused heavily on the administrative requirements of managing staff according to processes and legal requirements, dealing with pay and benefits, sickness and absence reporting, development and training opportunities, issues resolution, hiring and firing and other ‘business as usual’ activities, often at large volumes and with high manual administration requirements.
A changing remit
Today however, the human resources management world focuses on people as a resource – or an asset – for the company to use and get the most from.…
