Michael Levitt's Blog, page 21

Hacks To Improve Workplace Efficiency

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Though the business environment has changed several times, efficiency remains one of the most important factors in a company's success.

What is the definition of efficiency? In other words, it is at its peak, requiring fewer resources but producing more important results. Resources such as labor, raw materials, and electrical power are examples of inputs. When a company's output is optimized while generating minimal waste, it is said to be operating efficiently.

Workforce efficiency may be improved through increasing levels of cooperation, communication, training, and incentives, to name a few strategies. So, how exactly are you going about it? In the event that you are making your workers work longer hours. If you are expecting your employees to work longer hours or expect them to work from home, your current method is not working and has to be revised immediately.

Be flexible

Employers used to believe that employees would be more likely to take time off since they would have more control over their schedules. Recent studies, on the other hand, show that employees with flexible work schedules are less distracted than their counterparts with set schedules.

This is because employees who are able to manage their own schedules may work when it is most productive for them. This setup would be the greatest nightmare for the micro-manager. There is no way for the company to know if their staff was working from home. Signing in to the company's team collaboration software is all that is required.

Remote employment has been shown to increase employee productivity. It is not uncommon for companies to let their workers work full-time from home if they so want. While some companies desire a more flexible work environment, others prefer a more traditional office environment.

Automating your workforce

Employee productivity will be slowed if there are too many tasks to do. Especially if the task they are doing does not have anything to do with their job description, like filing mountains of papers, it is easy to get overwhelmed.

As a result of these delays, workplace automation is becoming more commonplace.

Employees benefit from having more time to focus on their core responsibilities when using automation solutions to handle routine activities or outsourcing to third parties such as Kenny Natiss and his team. 

Avoid multitasking 

The worst way to be productive is to have your staff do more work at once. Multitasking at work has been shown to slow productivity due to a decrease in employee understanding, attention, and performance. It is also possible to burn out your employees if you place an unreasonable amount of pressure on them by imposing a short deadline and assigning too many jobs at once.

To increase productivity, you must allow your staff to focus on one job at a time. Meanwhile, refrain from bugging them so that they may concentrate and produce quality work without being rushed.

Ensuring that your staff works hard is not the best way to boost productivity at work. Focus on making your employees happier and less distracted, so they can focus on their jobs and duties with a greater sense of satisfaction.

Your employees may be the foundation of your company's efficiency, but it does not end there. Aiming for better efficiency in the workplace includes improving procedures and systems, as well as integrating new technology.

How To Have a Successful Ice Cream Truck Business

Operating an ice cream truck is a classic business for an entrepreneur to launch. The financial requirements are minimal, and running an ice cream truck permits a flexible schedule and is highly scalable to expand in your local area. There are specific resources and requirements to learn about how to have a successful ice cream truck business. The inventory is on wheels and relies on its mobile resources to make continuous sales and distribute quality products in a convenient manner. From knowing what to look for in a refrigerated truck to obtaining a delivery license, there are unique qualities in the ice cream truck business to learn before starting. Explore how to have a successful ice cream truck business by learning about all the essential elements of the trade.

Assess Resources

Be proactive and assess the resources you’ll need to launch your ice cream truck business. The most important asset is the truck you’ll have to deliver ice cream. Explore temperature-controlled vehicle options that meet your budget and transportation needs. It’s important to calculate the cost of fuel, maintenance, and the length of the routes you plan to sell on.

Purchase Equipment

After identifying the major resources for your ice cream truck business, it’s important to make the best selection when purchasing the necessary equipment. A critical piece of equipment to consider is a point-of-sale or POS for making business transactions. Ice cream truck businesses can rely on a cash box, but optimizing the payment process guarantees higher success rates with customers of today.

Plan Inventory Storage

How you store your ice cream products affects inventory costs and the quality of the ice cream you’re serving. Plan for the type of inventory storage you’ll require for the truck you’re driving and the novelty ice cream products you’ll sell. Purchasing a refrigerated van means the vehicle has a freezer compartment installed, but the option of converting a standard vehicle into a temperature-controlled environment is applicable too.

Advertise Your Business

Everyone is familiar with the chime of ice cream truck music. But in today’s world, there are more advanced ways to advertise your business and allow customers to learn more information about your services. Consider social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter as outlets to document your upcoming flavors or for customers to add photos of their latest purchases from you. You can also amplify sales by handing out physical flyers to local schools and businesses, and on the routes you plan to sell on.

Investing in an ice cream truck business is a classic endeavor that entrepreneurs can launch with minimal start-up capital. Consider bringing your ice cream business out to local festivals, food tastings, and other community events. After establishing your ice cream truck business in your community, you’ll have the opportunity to expand and become the ice cream empire of your town.

Avoid Common Business Mistakes With These Tips

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When you are looking to run a company effectively, one of the best ways of being able to achieve this is to be able to avoid the common mistakes business owners tend to make. It is important to try to make sure you come up with some of the best ways to make the most of this. It is important that you do as much as you can to improve the way in which you look at the best ways of doing this.

There are so many ideas that you need to make sure you keep in mind when you are looking to improve the way you run your company, and avoid mistakes as much as possible. It is important that you focus on the best ways of being able to achieve success by avoiding a lot of the mistakes that play a part in this. These are some of the key tips you can use to help you make the most of this. 

Have a Plan for the Future

There are a lot of great things you can do that will help you to plan for the future, and this is something you must get right as a business owner. There are so many amazing ways of being able to achieve this, and you need to focus on what it takes to achieve this. Having a strong plan for the future is hugely important, and you need to focus on what you can do to achieve this right now. Developing a business plan and being able to plan and prepare for the future of the company is something you have to make the most of right now. 

Manage Your Finances Better

Manage your financial situation better so that you can keep on top of your company as much as possible. It is important to try to make sure you improve the way you manage the company’s money, and this is something you can achieve by getting in touch with a leading financial advisor like Matthias O’Meara. It is important to make sure you focus on some of the best ways of being able to keep your business on the straight and narrow, and one of the best things you can do to achieve this is to keep on top of your finances. 

Build Brand Awareness

When you’re looking to improve your brand and make the right choices as a business, it is important to make sure you come up with some of the best ideas that are going to help with this. Building brand awareness is one of the best things that you can do to make your company better, and this is something you need to make the best of when it comes to improving your exposure and being able to make your company better and more successful in the process. 

There are a lot of mistakes that business owners make that can derail their entire brand, and this is why you need to be vigilant as much as possible.

3 Ways To Maintain Fleet Vehicles Throughout the Year

The business expense of investing and maintaining a fleet of vehicles is substantial. The daily use of fleet vehicles leads to damage over time. The consequence is repair costs and a cut in profits from the downtime for maintenance. The best way to avoid these costs is to practice routine maintenance and apply protective coatings and measures to reduce fleet damage. Explore three ways to maintain fleet vehicles throughout the year to avoid damages, maximize production, and save on repair costs in the long run.

Routine Cleaning

It’s important to have routine cleanings to prolong the fleet’s quality and uphold the business image. The exterior of fleet vehicles become damaged from gravel, pollutants, and harsh weather conditions on the road. Regular vehicle cleanings prevent rust, corrosion, and permanent staining to the exterior of fleet vehicles.

Preventive Maintenance

The best way to maintain fleet vehicles is to practice preventative maintenance. Applying a protective coating to the surface of fleet vehicles provides extra protection from rust and corrosion and minimizes the cost and downtime of repairing these issues. Scheduled routine checks for tire rotation, oil changes, and mechanical inspections are also pivotal to keeping fleet vehicles up to date.

Develop Policies and Procedures

The workers driving the fleet vehicles spend the most time with them throughout the year. Develop policies and procedures to guide drivers on what to look for in maintaining the vehicle and how to respond to necessary repairs on the road. It’s also important to inform fleet drivers about safety precautions and how to manage accidents; it minimizes the cost of repairs and time spent on resolving the issue.

Fleet vehicles travel far and represent the values of a business wherever they go throughout the year. As seasonal weather changes and fleet vehicles endure varying conditions, it’s inevitable for damages to occur. Practicing fleet vehicle maintenance is the best way to avoid unscheduled repairs and unplanned downtime through routine maintenance and proactive solutions.

The Importance of Staff Training: How to Ensure Your Employees are prepared for Anything

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It's no secret that staff training is essential. But what many business owners don't realize is just how important it is. Training your employees isn't just a way to ensure they are prepared for anything that comes their way. It can also help improve morale, increase productivity, and reduce turnover rates. In this blog post, we will discuss the importance of staff training and provide you with tips on ensuring your employees are fully prepared for anything!

Make Sure Employees Are Receptive To Training

There are a few key things to keep in mind regarding staff training. First, you need to make sure that your employees are receptive to the movement. There's no point in going through all the effort of putting together a training program if your employees will tune it out. Luckily, there are a few ways to ensure that your employees will be engaged in the training process.

One way to keep your employees engaged is to make the training interactive. Nobody wants to sit through a boring lecture, so try to mix things with activities and practice. This will keep your employees' attention, but it will also help them retain the information better.

Offer Regular Training Opportunities

Another way to ensure that your employees are prepared for anything is to offer regular training opportunities. This could include bringing in outside experts to provide workshops on topics related to your industry or offering lunch and seeing where employees can learn about new products or services. You may even want to consider offering tuition reimbursement for employees who wish to take courses related to their job. By investing in your employees' development, you'll be sending a clear message that you value their skills and are committed to helping them grow.

Make Sure All Employees Are Up-To-Date On Cyber Threats

Cyber compliance training is one of the most important things your employees can do to protect your company. By ensuring that all of your staff are up-to-date on the latest cyber threats and how to prevent them, you can help reduce the risk of a severe cyber attack.

While cyber compliance training may seem like a daunting task, you can take a few simple steps to make sure your employees are prepared for anything. First, start by creating a cyber security policy. This policy should outline the procedures and protocols your employees need to follow to keep your company safe. Next, provide cyber security training for all of your employees. This training should cover cyber security risks, how to spot a cyber attack, and what to do if an attack occurs.

Don't Skimp On The Quality Of Your Training Programs

When it comes to staff training, don't skimp on the quality of your programs. Your employees are the backbone of your business, and you need to make sure they're prepared for anything that comes their way. Invest in high-quality training programs that will give your employees the skills to succeed.

There are a few things to keep in mind when designing your staff training programs. First, you need to make sure the program is comprehensive. It should cover all of the basics that your employees need to know. Second, the program should be engaging and interactive. Employees should feel like they're learning something new and valuable, not just going through the motions.

Finally, the program should be tailored to your specific business. There's no one-size-fits-all approach to staff training. What works for a small business might not work for a large corporation. Tailor your program to the needs of your business, and your employees will be better prepared to handle whatever comes their way.

Business Growth Depends on Staff Training

As your business grows, so does the complexity of your operations. To ensure that your employees are prepared to handle this increased complexity, you need to invest in staff training. By providing your employees with the skills they need to perform their jobs effectively, you can help them contribute to the success of your business.

Help Boost Employee Morale

When morale among your employees is high, it can have a trickle-down effect on the entire company. When employees feel valued and appreciated, they'll be more likely to work harder and go above and beyond for the company.

Make Use Of Technology

One way to ensure your employees are always up to date on the latest information is to use technology. For example, you can create an intranet for your business where employees can access company policies, procedures, and training materials. 

This will give them the ability to reference back to these materials. You can also host webinars or online training courses that employees can take at their convenience. Utilizing technology is a great way to keep your employees engaged in their training.

Another benefit of using technology for staff training is tracking employee progress. Most learning management systems will allow you to see which employees have completed their training and how well they did. This information can be valuable when trying to determine which employees need more training. You can also use this data to improve your overall training program.

Make Use Of Outside Resources

In addition to using technology, you should also use outside resources. For example, many businesses offer staff training services. These businesses can come in and train their employees on various topics. This is a great way to ensure that your employees get the best possible training.

Another option is to send your employees to training courses offered by other businesses. These courses can be expensive, but they will show your employees the chance to learn from experts in the field.

As a business owner, it is your responsibility to ensure that your employees are adequately trained and prepared for any situation. By investing in staff training, you can help to create a safer and more efficient workplace. Your employees will be better equipped to handle customer inquiries, resolve conflicts, and prevent accidents with the proper training. In addition, well-trained employees are more likely to be productive and motivated. When it comes to choosing a training program for your staff, many options are available. Be sure to select a program that is tailored to the needs of your business and your employees. With the proper training in place, you can help to ensure that your business runs smoothly and efficiently.

Tips for Planning a Company Summer Barbecue

One of the best ways to show appreciation towards your company employees is with fun corporate events. After the hard work everyone did throughout the winter and spring months, plan a company summer barbecue and treat employees to a well-deserved company party. In order to cultivate a hard-working team, you must also allow them to let loose once in a while and enjoy the celebration of working for a fantastic company.

Have Various Food Options To Accommodate Diets

With multiple employees, we can guarantee that there will be people who cannot eat a portion of the meal. Before the event, send out a survey to get an idea of what everyone’s diets look like. Of course, you still need the staple BBQ supplies, but sneak in a few easy lunch snacks to hold everyone over until the meal and for the employees who cannot necessarily eat the main dish.

Plan Out Plenty of Activities

You cannot have a company party without some teambuilding exercises or fun games for people to play! Set up multiple stations; the choice is yours, depending on how many employees will be at the event. You want to make sure that everyone is occupied and having as much fun as possible.

Consider the Weather

Mother Nature does whatever she wants, whenever she wants. The forecast a week before an event might say sunny, but when the day comes, it could be pouring rain. Ensure that you have a backup plan in place, just in case you cannot do what you originally planned.

Ask for Employee Input

Just as you should send out questions about dietary restrictions, you can also send out a survey regarding what everyone prefers to happen at the event. Ask for activity suggestions, food items, decorations, themes, etc. This is the best way of guaranteeing there is something at the party everyone will enjoy.

Are you ready to plan a company summer barbecue? Summer is the perfect time to take a step back from work and honor the employees who put in 100 percent of their effort every day. Show your employees you appreciate them by throwing an unforgettable barbecue!

Entrepreneurs Don't Follow A Procedure: They Find New Paths

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If you want to become a first-class entrepreneur, you need to give up on the idea that there is some procedure that you can follow to achieve success. Don’t misunderstand: there are certainly best-practices that you should follow (such as not abusing your employees). However, the best entrepreneurs always chart their own course through life. They don’t follow a template. In fact, the very act of following someone else’s rules is a way to get stuck in a mediocre life. 

So what can you do to think more like an entrepreneur? 

Believe In Abundance

Many people are in a mindset that says that money is finite and that they will only ever make so much – say. $1 million over the course of their working lives. However, this approach to money is both false and counterproductive. Given that the world is full of resources, the amount of income that you can generate is truly enormous. Just look at what some entrepreneurs achieve in the course of their careers. 

The trick here is to adopt an “abundance” mentality. Changing your mindset in this way helps you to make bigger decisions and not always fall prey to the idea that you should conserve your resources. Sometimes, it’s better to spend. 

Do Something Different

When Chuck Zsebik first got into the CBD industry, he knew that he wanted to do something different. The sector was growing quickly and many brands were popping up, but he wondered whether there was a different way to approach it as an entrepreneur. 

As such, he founded a testing laboratory. If companies wanted to certify their products, they had to go through him. The enterprise was wildly successful and set Chuck on the entrepreneurial path. However, it would never have happened if he hadn’t decided to chart a different course. 

That’s part of being a successful entrepreneur. Doing something different from everyone else and believing in what you are trying to achieve. There’s no point in traveling the well-trodden road. 

Be More Growth-Orientated

Don’t place limits on the amount that you can grow as a person. Your capacity to improve, as a human being, is not known in advance and, potentially, unlimited. 

Many entrepreneurs, though, inhabit fixed mindsets. They believe that the way they are right now is how they will be in years to come. They think, sometimes unconsciously, that there are limits to their success. 

Of course, that’s not always true. In fact, just stepping onto the entrepreneurial path reveals to many people just how much they can grow in a short period. 

Sense Feedback From People Around You

Just because you are on a different path, doesn’t mean that it is the right one. Many entrepreneurs get stuck following trajectories that the market simply doesn’t want.

The trick here is to sense feedback from the people around you. The more you can acquire accurate information about your enterprise, the more likely you are to make coarse adjustments that support the health of your business. Don’t always look for validation. It might feel good in the short term, but it won’t help you in the long run. 

Grow Your Brand To Exciting New Levels

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As a business owner, it’s important to ensure that you keep your business moving forward. One of the ways that you can do this is by growing your brand and increasing levels of recognition. By improving brand recognition, you should also see a boost in your customer base over time. So, how can you further grow the brand of your business? There are numerous marketing possibilities that are worth exploring here. These are some of the ideas that we recommend you consider for your business.

Use Social Media Networking 

First, you should think about using social media networking as a way to boost the performance and growth of your brand. Social media is a great way to indirectly engage with your target audience and ensure that they do feel connected to your company on the market. 

When exploring social media marketing, make sure that you research the channels that your customers are most likely to use. You can then put the greatest level of emphasis on these key areas instead of wasting your resources. The aim of social media marketing should be to create something with the potential to go viral and even get media buzz. 

Reach Out To Influencers 

The clue is in the name here. Influencers hold a massive level of power over any market and will certainly be able to sway the opinion of your audience base in the right direction. One of the ways that you can use influencers is by encouraging them to review your products or services. Customers are more likely to trust their opinion than the word or marketing pitch of your company. 

When engaging with influencers, you need to offer them a deal that is mutually beneficial. The partnership should elevate their personal brand too. 

Promotional Merchandise 

You might also want to think about exploring promotional merchandise. Customers always love getting something for nothing. It’s a great way to highlight that you are committed to constantly providing high levels of value to them when they buy from your company. The question is, what type of merch can you offer to your customers? It needs to be something that they’ll want to use. Particularly, if you are hoping that this is going to improve name or logo recognition for your company. One option would be to order custom stickers for your business. You just need to ensure that whatever merch you choose reaches the right standards of quality overall. 

Get Blogging 

Next, you should think about blogging in your business. Blogging is a fantastic solution that will allow you to provide a deeper dive into your company. 

The trick here is to create content that is interesting, appealing, entertaining, or engaging to your audience. If you’re smart you will ensure that each piece of content that you create ticks all of these boxes overall. That’s why you might want to think about hiring a professional marketer to create content for your blog. Don’t forget, content needs to be created to the right standard of quality and fresh enough that users don’t feel like they can find similar options elsewhere. 

There are lots of different types of content that you can create for your blog. For instance, you can choose to create video content or photographic content that is guaranteed to stand out. 

Video content is a great option if you need to explain and break down complex ideas that are part of your business model. They can also be a fantastic way to welcome people to your business for the first time and introduce them to your brand identity. 

Be Unique 

There are thousands and potentially, millions, of other businesses that customers and clients can buy from. That’s why it’s important to ensure that your business feels unique enough that it stands out on the market. One of the ways that you can do this is by developing your USP. A unique selling point or proposition is something that you can offer that isn’t available from other businesses online. This could be a specific product or service. Alternatively, it might connect to how you deliver products to your customers. For instance, a fast turnaround can be a great USP that is worth exploring. Customers are always anxious to get products and services as quickly as possible without any delays. 

Learn More About Your Audience 

Next, you should make sure that you learn more about your audience as a whole. By gaining a better understanding of your audience, you will be able to target their pain points and position your company as an effective solution to the problems that they face. 

One of the best ways to understand your audience more is by reaching out to them directly. If you engage with your audience, you should find that they provide all the answers that you need, including what they want for your company. This is also key to taking your business in the directions that customers demand and expect. 

Improve Customer Service

Finally, you should focus on improving the customer service and support that you offer to clients and customers. Improving the support offered to customers will go a long way to ensuring that your business does receive the reviews necessary to ensure positive word of mouth. Part of this will always be about hiring the right people in your company. 

You need to choose team members who are committed to ensuring that your business is viewed in a positive light. 

We hope this helps you understand some of the key strategies that you can explore to build your business brand and gain the right attention online. By diving into options like this, you can make sure that your company stands out from other rivals that exist in your target market. Don’t forget, as well as growing your brand, you also need to think about how to protect it from damage. Your brand can be damaged in a variety of ways including negative reviews. Issues like this must be tackled head-on if your company is going to continue to grow. 

Useful Tips for Performing a Waste Audit

Businesses can benefit from investigating their waste management practices. Audits allow companies to see firsthand how they generate and dispose of garbage and how these methods affect their operations. Whether you’re looking to cut costs or reduce your environmental impact, dissecting your facility’s waste practices is helpful and necessary. Here are some useful tips for performing a waste audit to help improve your business.

Establish Clear Objectives

Before your start your investigation, take some time to establish clear objectives. What goals would you like to meet by the end of this process? You might decide that you want to identify places where you can save money or wish to find areas where you can improve your current recycling techniques. Whatever your goals are, it’s critical to define them early on to help guide you through every stage of the audit.

Assemble a Qualified Team

Depending on your business’s size, waste audits can take lots of time and energy to complete. You’ll need to assemble a qualified team to help you organize, collect, and analyze your data. Gather professionals from various departments, such as finance, safety, and HR, to weigh in with their particular expertise. You might even think about hiring a third party to perform your audit if you want an honest, unbiased opinion.

Prioritize Safety Measures

Waste audits involve more than observing collection and disposal methods; they’re about getting your hands dirty and sorting through all of your trash. Be sure to prioritize safety during this stage, as some garbage might be dangerous. Invest in personal protective gear like gloves, safety goggles, and masks to safeguard your team’s health. This useful tip for performing a waste audit will help you avoid sustaining any life-threatening injuries.

Carefully Analyze Data

Once you’ve done the work and collected information, you need to analyze your data carefully. This is the time for you to interpret your facts and figures and apply them to the goals you set earlier in the process. For example, there are many benefits of lab packing hazardous waste that could help improve your safety standards. What did you learn about your current methods that could enhance your lab packing practices, and what should you keep the same?

Conducting a waste audit will provide you with valuable information to develop your business. Use these tips when you’re ready to upgrade your operations and watch how much better your practices become.

How To Gain Some Objectivity Over Your Business

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When you run any business, it can often be hard to know what is actually going on in the business and whether you are misguided about that. That is simply due to the fact that, when you are too close to something, it is often challenging to work out exactly what is really going on. If that is a position that you find yourself in and you are wondering what you can do about it, the truth is that there are many ways to try and gain a sense of objectivity over your business. In this post, we’ll take a look at some of the main ways you can do this, so that you can know for sure exactly what your business is doing.

Seek Advice

One way is to get some advice from someone outside the business. A good way to do that, for example, is to hire a business advisor who can tell you objectively what is going on with your business and what you might need to do about it, along with some ideas and notions related to what kind of a position it might be in. With that kind of advice in place, you can then ensure you are much more likely to make the right decisions, and that is obviously something that you are going to want to be aware of as best as you can be. Seeking that kind of advice regularly is a hugely powerful move to make, so make sure that you are considering doing so.

Carry Out Research

There are many kinds of research that you can carry out on your business, and doing so is one of the most powerful ways to ensure that you can figure out where your business is and what it might need to do in order to improve. By carrying out the appropriate research at the appropriate time, it could be that you can start to lead your business to a better and better position. So make sure that you are doing this, but do get the help of professionals: namely, a research organization that has done plenty of this kind of research before and knows exactly what it is looking for. That will prove to be a really powerful way to find out what you need to do to improve your business’ performance.

Keep Records

Finally, you will also find that keeping records can be a really powerful way to gain some objectivity over your business. That’s because you can then simply look at your past records and compare them with your current ones, and see what has been happening in terms of trends over time. The more data you hold on to, therefore, the more likely it is that you will be able to do this effectively. As such, it’s a really good idea to start keeping records now if you don’t already and to store them appropriately so you can easily file them and use them as and when you need to.