Michael Levitt's Blog, page 28

How to Set Your Business Up for Success from Day One

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The steps you take when first setting up your business will go a long way toward deciding how successful the business is likely to be over the long term. That’s why it’s so important to do what you can in those early days to set the business up for success.

That’s what we’re going to talk about today, so if you’re just getting a business off the ground and you want to give it the best chance possible of finding lasting success, be sure to make the most of the ideas below.

Craft Your Brand Image

First of all, you’ll need to think about the brand image associated with your business. When you’re just starting out, you need to make positive first impressions in order to win over clients and keep them interested. If your brand image is unappealing or confusing in any way, you’ll find it very difficult to reach the people that it’s most important to reach and turn into customers. So work with professionals on branding and make sure it’s all up to date and appealing to your target market.

Spread Word of Mouth Early On

Word of mouth is a form of marketing that’s very useful and completely free when you're just starting out. If you can persuade your early customers to spread the word regarding your services and what you have to offer, it can really help to reach new customers on a regular basis. The sooner you start spreading the word and encouraging happy customers to do the same, the quicker you’ll raise your profile, and that’s just what you need.

Set Up the Back Office Logistics

Setting up a back-office that can deal with the logistics of running the business will be very important. Lots of people start businesses and want to focus on the stuff that interests and excites them, but, unfortunately, there’s a lot of boring work and logistical planning that has to go into running the business. If you overlook that work, things will quickly descend into chaos and that’s not what you want at all. So hire the people who can take care of that work for you.

Understand Your Competition

Understanding your competition and why they’re appealing to your target audience is important. After all, if you don’t understand the competition and you don’t know what they’re doing better than you, it’s hard to compete with them effectively. So think about doing more market research and learn as much as you can. This is should be one of your main priorities as you begin the process of starting your business and planning its future success.

Write a Comprehensive Business Plan

Having a business plan in place will set your business up properly and guide your team regarding the steps it takes next. Without a business plan, it’s harder to be sure that everyone is on the same page. If you want to make sure that your business plan is up to scratch and includes all of the most important information needed, get help from a professional agency. So how much does a business plan cost? Follow the link and learn more about that.

Offer the Best Customer Service

Customer service isn't difficult or costly to get right, but it can be something that makes or brakes your business. If you fail to offer your customers a level of service that they’re happy with, they’re going to remember that. You don’t want to make your customers feel disrespected or treated poorly in any way because when they feel that they’re not appreciated, they simply won’t come back to your business in the future.

Stay Focused

Finally, you need to work hard to stay focused as your business gets off the ground. If you lose focus and get bogged down in all of the work that comes with keeping a startup afloat, you’ll fail sooner or later. That’s why it’s important to stay connected to your original reasons for wanting to get the business up and running in the first place. That same focus will be required of your whole team as well.

As you can see, there are plenty of things to think about when it comes to getting your business off the ground and making sure it’s geared towards finding success from day one. Each of the ideas discussed above will serve you well and help to ensure you give your business the best chance of hitting the heights you want it to.

The Benefits of Having a Professional Cleaning Service

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It is natural for people to form opinions about the places they visit. The average person takes about 20 seconds to judge an establishment. That is why businesses need to have a cleaning service that ensures that the properties meet high standards regardless of their sector.

Having a cleaning service for commercial properties can help improve the image of your business, save time and money, and make your employees happy.

Here are some of the benefits of having a commercial cleaning service:

A good first impression

People form their opinion of your business in the first 20 seconds of their visit. That is why it is essential to have a professional cleaning service. If you have a dirty office, it will make people think that your company isn't organized or that the employees aren't respectful of the company.

If your establishment has an excellent cleaning service, people will automatically assume that your company cares about its image and therefore does well in other areas.

Improved productivity

A clean office environment contributes to productivity. Workers are more productive when they can focus on their work in an organized, healthy, and well-maintained space. A study from the University of Arkansas found that office cleaning services can increase productivity by up to five per cent. Plus, if you have external contractors to handle the cleaning aspect of your business, this means employees can focus more on the task at hand rather than having to delegate cleaning tasks amongst them.

Cheaper than purchasing the correct cleaning equipment

Often people have to buy the proper cleaning equipment before starting a commercial cleaning service. These commercial-grade machines are expensive, and they require a lot of maintenance. They also take up space, so you have to have an area in your building where these machines can be stored.

Working with a professional cleaning service is cheaper than purchasing the correct equipment because they will use their own equipment and charge you for those services.

Healthier working environment

The environment of the workplace is essential to employees. The healthier the working environment, the easier they will be able to work and the fewer accidents you will have around the office. Removing dirt and dust can also contribute to your employee's health. Allowing them to work in a healthier environment can reduce illness and time taken off sick to benefit the company and staff morale further.

Protect your building and inventory

Commercial properties have an average lifespan of around 30 years. This can change due to the condition of the building and how well it is maintained.

The last thing you want is for your building to fall into disrepair quickly or become worn down and look uninviting to visitors and employees.

Plus, a poorly maintained building can damage internally, meaning your stock or your equipment can become damaged. Expert building cleaning can help your premise look good and quickly identify any issues that you can get resolved quickly, such as damaged windows, broken roof tiles, or cracks in signage and fascias allowing water in.

What Companies Can Do To Prevent Profit Loss

Businesses run on profit, and keeping that profit safe is one of the most important things a business can do. No one can perfectly protect their profits, as many external changes can cost lots of money. However, there are many steps you can take for the protection of your money, which is why you should learn what companies can do to prevent profit loss.

Training

One of the best ways to prevent profit loss is to improve your workers’ skills. Training is great for raising the efficiency and safety of employees on a broad scale since you can use it to teach your entire staff. This can help prevent profit losses from mistakes or injuries while increasing morale and productivity at work if you implement them correctly.

Protecting Supply

Supply is one of the biggest factors of profit gain and loss. Bad supply won’t meet demands. That’s why protecting the supply routes is so vital for every company. Your company should work on preventing future supply disruptions proactively instead of just reacting to changes. This is how you can best protect your supply and profits.

Improving Communication

One of the major things that companies can do to prevent profit loss is to use clear communication throughout the whole business. Promoting interconnectivity between departments, workers, and management is key for a successful business. Good communication helps prevent potential mistakes and enables quick reactions to any bad situations. All this helps protect profits for companies.

Tracking Inventory

Poor inventory management can lead to profit loss, and item tracking becomes more important and more difficult as a company grows. That’s why investing in technology and techniques that help track and manage your inventory can really protect your profits. Although there’s an initial investment, you end up saving much more money than you pay with a good inventory system.

These are some of the best ways a company can protect and increase its profits. Each of these steps can massively benefit your business and help you grow as a company if you implement them correctly.

5 Effective Ways To Improve Worker Safety In A Manufacturing Plant

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Manufacturing is one of the most fundamental parts of many companies; without it, products can’t be created. It’s also one of the most dangerous parts of business, however.

Accidents can happen; things can go wrong. Taking as many steps as possible to minimize the risks of these is vital. Figuring out how to improve worker safety in a manufacturing plant can be difficult, however.

That doesn’t mean it’s impossible. While there’s a wealth of things you can and should do, some are much more important than others.

Implementing and maintaining them is crucial for your manufacturing plant’s safety. A few effective strategies are paramount for this.

How To Improve Worker Safety In A Manufacturing Plant: 5 Effective StrategiesUp-To-Date Information

You’ll need to ensure that all employees have up-to-date information about procedures, policies, safety instructions, and more. Using the visual factor principle - which you can find out more about here - is recommended.

Doing so will ensure that employees know exactly what they need to do and wear. It’ll make sure that they’re educated about all necessary areas.

Keeping these as visible as possible is vital. While you’ll need to find the best places to put this information, it’ll be time well spent. Once you do, you should see employees follow safety instructions and similar areas more effectively.

Ongoing Training

An untrained worker is an unsafe worker. You’ll need to ensure that everyone in your manufacturing plant is as highly trained as possible.

While that means putting a significant investment into their training and development, it’ll keep your company as protected as possible. The investment should minimize the risks of injuries and workers’ compensation claims.

You shouldn’t see this as a one-and-done approach, however. You should have regular safety training sessions with your employees.

Ensuring that they have up-to-date skills to do their job is also a priority. Once you’ve done this, you should improve worker safety more than you’d think.

Layout & Design

When a plant is first designed and built, it’s done so in as safe a manner as possible. It’s designed to ensure that workers and equipment can get around safely and easily.

If there are plant upgrades and expansions, however, that could change. If safety isn’t considered when planning out the layout and design, then you could create risks.

That could include blind spots, among other issues, which could threaten inattentive workers. You should aim to minimize these as much as possible when you’re designing any upgrades.

Failing to keep this in mind could end up in more issues in the future.

PPE

Personal protective equipment (PPE) is essential for manufacturing workers. They’ll need more of these than you may be aware of. Hard hats, gloves, and glasses are the tip of the iceberg.

Precisely what they need could depend on what the plant creates. You’ll need to ensure that your workers are fully protected against any hazards they come up against.

Regardless of how minor the hazard may seem, your workers need PPE to protect against it. Though that’s an extra cost per employee, it’s something you’re obliged to provide.

Should you not, it could end up leading to lawsuits and workers’ compensation claims.

Ergonomics

Musculoskeletal issues are some of the most common injuries in a manufacturing facility. It’s responsible for a large percentage of workers’ compensation claims.

Also known as repetitive stress injuries, these are problems that workers develop from repetitive or awkward motions. These can be common in a manufacturing facility.

Educating employees about ergonomics is a recommended way of avoiding this. While this could be a part of their training, it’s something that deserves a significant amount of attention.

The better educated workers are about such injuries, the better able they can avoid them. That’ll not only protect them, but keep the company safe from any workers’ compensation claims.

How To Improve Worker Safety In A Manufacturing Plant: Wrapping Up

While figuring out how to improve worker safety in a manufacturing plant may seem complicated, it doesn’t have to be. Focusing on a few key areas is recommended.

When you’re doing so, keep in mind that it’s an ongoing process. You’ll need to continually work to improve worker safety. That doesn’t stop once you’ve ticked off a checklist.

There can always be equipment that needs to be repaired or updated, and small areas that need to be addressed. Keeping an eye out for this and addressing them as they come up is vital.

Once you do so, you shouldn’t have a problem improving your worker safety.

Most Common HIPAA Violations To Know for Your Business

One of the most crucial aspects of running a business is understanding and complying with HIPAA regulations. It can be daunting, but understanding the most common HIPAA violations to know for your business can help you make sure your business is on track.

What HIPAA Is and Why It’s Necessary

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was passed in 1996 to respond to the increasing number of health-care data breaches. This act set national standards for protecting electronic health information, otherwise known as PHI (protected health information).

The goal of HIPAA is to ensure the privacy and security of PHI while allowing for the flow of information between providers, insurers, and patients.

Becoming HIPAA compliant is a process that takes time and effort, but it’s necessary to protect your business and your patients. The following are some of the most common HIPAA violations to know for your business.

1. Failing To Take Reasonable Steps To Protect Electronic PHI (ePHI)

Protecting ePHI should be a top priority for any business that deals with patient health information. Protection means using physical, technological, and administrative safeguards to protect ePHI from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure.

2. Disclosing ePHI Without Patient Authorization

Another common violation is disclosing ePHI without patient authorization. Some examples include sending an email with PHI to the wrong person, leaving PHI in a public place, or failing to properly dispose of PHI. Allowing ePHI into the wrong hands can jeopardize the security of your patients’ information.

3. Failing To Provide Patients With Their Rights

Patients have certain rights under HIPAA, including the rights to access their PHI, to request amendments to their PHI, and to receive a notification in the event of a data breach. This ensures that all patients are treated equally and that their information is protected. This also can warrant their right to take action if they feel their rights have been violated.

4. Failing To Train Employees on HIPAA Regulations

Employees need to be adequately trained on HIPAA regulations to ensure they’re aware of their responsibilities and how to protect PHI. Employees also need training on handling PHI, using encryption, and disposing of PHI.

HIPAA is a complex set of regulations, but understanding the most common violations can help your business stay on track. The offenses we’ve listed are just a few that companies need to know. Having comprehensive security measures in place and training employees on HIPAA regulations ensures you’re compliant and sets the foundation for your company’s survival.

Expenses You Need To Reduce or Remove To Stay in Business

Expensive costs are always the enemy of a business. Whether you’re doing well financially or going through a rough patch, decreasing spending while increasing profits should be your primary goal. If you’ve been struggling with that first part, though, you’re in luck. This article is all about the expenses you need to reduce or remove to stay in business and avoid financial failure.

Insurance

Obviously, this is an expense you can never remove because you need to have your business and the people who work for it insured. However, most companies simply go with whatever they find first that works for them. While this saves time, it can end up costing you much more money down the road. You should really shop around for insurance rates. You’ll be surprised at how many deals you can find without compromising too much on the coverage.

Paperwork

If you’re still printing out tons of paperwork for filing or communication purposes, you need to stop and ask yourself, “Why?” We live in a technological age where you can do everything online in some capacity. Some of the biggest arguments against going completely paperless include the fear of data corruption, theft, or simple mistakes eliminating large portions of your company’s vital data.

While that is something to keep in mind, you can almost entirely fix it by copying all of your files to another location. Cloud services are an excellent tool for this kind of thing. Plus, many providers offer services that help monitor and control cloud costs. You should really consider alternatives like this because even back in the days of paperwork and filing cabinets, a simple fire could cause you to lose all your important data as well.

Extra Office Space

If the global pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that we can simply replace many meetings with emails and messages. Being forced to work from home has taught us that it’s really not that bad. We’ve streamlined most processes by now, and not having to pay for office expenses is excellent for your budget.

While many companies need to go back to the office eventually to return things to some level of ordinary, there’s no need to force everyone to go back. If people can comfortably perform their jobs from home, let them stay there. This will allow you to downsize your office, saving you on rent, insurance, and energy bills.

Paying the Premium

The biggest expense you need to reduce or remove to stay in business is probably the amount you pay for premium programs and products you don’t need. While there are some that you won’t be able to remove altogether due to how helpful they are to your daily operations, you can certainly find ways to reduce their overall costs. One way to do it is to avoid paying for name-brand products. Off-brand products are usually just as good and, in some cases, better than the premium stuff. The same goes with insurance; you just need to do some shopping around before buying.

Tips To Keep Your Office Clean As Employees Return to Work

As offices and companies invite employees back to in-person work, management and employees alike might have concerns about working conditions. Fortunately, there are ways to keep your building clean and healthy while maintaining a productive in-person work environment. Learn these tips to keep your office clean as employees return to work.

Sanitization Stations

One of the biggest challenges of welcoming employees back to the office is making sure that they feel comfortable and healthy while working in person again. One way to maintain a healthy environment that everyone will feel comfortable in is to set up sanitizing stations throughout your building. This could include items like cleaning wipes for desks, hand sanitizer, and disposable gloves. One common misconception about hand sanitizers is that they all work the same, so make sure you choose the sanitizer you stock with care.

Update Your Trash & Recycling System

More employees back in the office means more trash and recycling. You may need to schedule more frequent trash and recycling pickups through your local waste removal service. Make sure that you’re emptying waste receptacles regularly so that they don’t start overflowing. Many business owners forget about these minor changes until they become issues, so don’t forget about your trash system.

Restock Hygiene Supplies

People are conscious of cleanliness and hygiene now more than ever. With an increased volume of employees returning to the office, you’ll need to refill and restock your soap dispensers, paper towels, bath tissue, and cleaning supplies. If you utilize a cleaning service for your office, make sure to reschedule any paused services. You should also encourage employees to be considerate about keeping their own spaces clean and sanitized after use.

As your office or other workspace reopens for in-person work, utilize these tips to keep your office clean as employees return to work. When management and employees work together to keep the space clean and healthy, everyone can work in comfort with peace of mind and enjoy being back in the office.

3 Qualities Of A Good Business Owner

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What makes a good business owner?

Some cynical people might argue that money is all a business owner needs to be good. Sure, having strong financial backing can help, but you also need to possess some key traits and personal qualities. 

Which qualities should you be keen to possess?

Well, business owners can be completely different individuals with different personalities. However, the successful ones always have the following qualities:

Patience

All business owners and leaders need to be patient. The worst business decisions are ones made in haste. You can’t afford to rush into things as it can mean you end up making mistakes that cost your company a lot of money. 

A patient owner is one that’s calculated in everything that they do. They recognize that they must wait a few months before a product launch is absolutely perfect. They understand that success doesn’t happen overnight; it’s a process that can take time. If you’re not patient, you’ll never run a successful business. 

Generosity

The best business owners are generous ones. This relates to their generosity towards employees, but also to the wider community. Philanthropy is a very important part of being a successful business owner. As noted by award-winning entrepreneur Krissy Jones on her blog, philanthropy can support underfunded causes, benefit communities, and create a snowball effect where more good things follow. 

Thus, business owners should look to be philanthropists and be generous. Donate to charities, start foundations, etc. At the same time, be generous to your employees - give them raises, promotions, bonuses, extra time off work, and so on. Generosity improves professional relationships and also benefits your brand image in the public eye.  

Flexibility

The ability to be flexible is such a key trait for a leader to have. Essentially, this means that you are flexible in your approach to things. You aren’t against the idea of switching things up or listening to new ideas. You’re open-minded and willing to change. 

Too many businesses fail because the owner is stubborn. They refuse to be flexible, meaning they miss opportunities to pivot and take the company in a new direction. Stubbornness will get you nowhere in the business world. No matter how clever you think you are, or how great you believe your idea is, you need to be flexible to adapt to different things. A flexible leader can change things on the fly and be open to new concepts that improve their business. 

To summarize, a good business owner will be patient, generous, and flexible. On their own, these qualities are super important and can make your business more successful. When combined together, they make you an incredibly business owner that’s on the right path. 

Patience is the key to making better decisions and avoiding careless mistakes. Generosity builds faith in your business, develops better working relationships, and boosts your public image. Finally, flexibility ensures that you don’t get stuck in a rut and become too stubborn, allowing your business to adapt. 

Work on obtaining all three of these qualities to be a better business owner.

4 Ways Businesses Can Expand Without Spending a Lot of Money

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According to a recent survey, 62% of small business owners feel that their business needs top-notch marketing to grow. Luckily, there are many ways to grow your business without spending a lot of money. This blog post will explore some of the best ways to expand your business without spending much money. Whether you're looking to grow your client list, increase your visibility, or secure more customers, you can do it without spending too much money. This blog post will explore some of the best ways to expand your business.

Move into new markets.

The most effective way to grow your business without spending money is by moving into new markets. By targeting new segments of the population, you'll be able to reach people who are not familiar with your business. For example, if you have a cake shop in New York City and want to expand without spending any money, you can try expanding into Philadelphia or Boston.

Setting up in a new location or even country can help you to expand your reach and build a whole new customer base as well as tap into a fresh pool of talent as far as employees are concerned; make sure you have done your research and know what regulations you need to follow, how best to get up and running and what technology you need to facilitate your new set up such as managed IT for improved cybersecurity or PEO for improved employee organization.

Expand your offerings

Adding additional products and services to your business's offerings is a great way to expand without spending much money. For instance, if you sell clothes, you could offer shoe polish as an add-on service. If you provide haircuts, some customers might want their eyebrows threaded. You can also offer classes or workshops on topics related to your business—even if they're not related directly to what you sell.

Move into a niche market.

The first and cheapest way to grow your business is by expanding into a niche market. Niche markets are smaller than the general market and provide unique products or services. You're not going to cater to the niche market exclusively, but you can create marketing campaigns that target those groups of people. For example, if you're a fitness company specializing in prenatal fitness, you could develop advertisements that target pregnant women interested in prenatal fitness.

This will not only grow your client list but will also create more brand awareness. If you specialize in something unique that not many other companies do, you'll have an easier time attracting new clients because they won't be able to find what they need elsewhere.

Partner with other businesses

One of the best ways to grow your business without spending a lot of money is to partner with other companies. When you partner with other companies, you can offer complementary products or services and increase your visibility for both companies. For example, if you're a photographer who needs holiday cards, find a graphic designer on Elance or Freelancer who specializes in that field and has an extensive portfolio. Offer to trade services, and each company will benefit from expanding their skillset.

7 Tips For Building A More Sustainable Business

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In the present day and age, it’s impossible to ignore the growing climate crisis - signs are all around us. There are many reasons why you should be thinking about building and growing a sustainable business - not only is it good for the planet, it’s good for customers and investors. That is because it’s in everyone’s interest to create and foster respect for the planet, to protect the future. 

It’s understood that customers are buying more sustainably than ever before, and it’s part of their decision-making process when it comes to shopping. So, it stands to reason that to ensure your products or services are purchased, you should be thinking about your business’s sustainability credentials. 

As a business owner you might be asking yourself, what can I do? Well, you’ve come to the right place. Read on to learn about how you can start building a more sustainable business. 

1. Do a sustainability audit 

First thing’s first, it’s time to take stock of your current situation by conducting a sustainability audit. This means taking a look at your own business’s practices with best practices for sustainability in your category. This is something you can do in-house with an online tool - it doesn’t have to be an incredibly complex process, but it’s brilliant at showing areas where you can improve. Alternatively, it’s possible to hire an external consultancy who will undertake the process for you, for a fee.  

2. Plan for sustainability 

Now that you’ve taken a look at your business’s sustainability, you can start to plan for future successes and changes. Having a thorough plan can help to keep you and your business focused on the future and enable you to take logical steps to reduce your impact on the environment. This is something that you can do yourself by writing down your goals, KPIs, and the implementation plan for getting things done. Should you need any help, there are a number of online tools that you can use to help you. 

3. Offer staff members remote working 

After the past couple of years, more and more work is being done at home. And for good reason - not only is it good for employees, but it’s also good for the planet. There’s less and less reason to physically be in the office now as lots of work is done from home and video conferencing tools have become so good. It gives your employees more of a work-life balance as they don’t have to commute into the office, which therefore has a positive impact on the environment. This is because it means fewer cars and buses stuck in traffic, and therefore less carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere. Win-win. 

4. Think about your energy usage 

As a first step, discover how much energy you’re actually using by checking your meter or installing a smart meter. This will arm you with information about what energy you use, so you can cut down in the future. There are some simple steps you can take to reduce your energy usage, such as ensuring heating and lighting is on timers to make sure you’re not using energy when no one is in the office. Additionally, when it comes to lighting your office, consider switching to LED lightbulbs, which are a more energy-efficient way to light your offices. 

You can take this process one step further by switching your energy supplier over to renewable energy. This is a simple way to reduce the carbon footprint of your business and it can make a huge difference to the sustainability of your company. 

5. Manage your waste 

Businesses produce waste: fact. What’s important to think about when you’re working to become more sustainable is how you can reduce the amount of waste you produce, and what you do with the waste that you do produce. One simple step is to start recycling simple, frequently used materials such as paper, plastics, and tech. 

When looking at the waste that you do have - consider where it’s going. Is there a special collection service that you can use that will sort through and recycle waste even further? Or is it time to learn more about your waste going into modern landfills that can actually help to protect the environment? 

6. Engage your workforce 

One important step toward becoming a more sustainable business is to engage your workforce. With all the will in the world, you can’t convince staff members to recycle their plastics or to reduce the amount of paper they don’t want to, because you’re not always going to be standing behind their shoulders. So, what you need to do is to get them on board with your sustainability plan. The way you do that depends on the size and culture of your business, but there are some ways to go about it: 

Have an all-staff meeting to kick off initiatives 

Create posters to encourage staff to make sustainable choices 

Appoint sustainability officers to help you with your work 

7. Switch to sustainable materials 

You can make the move to sustainable materials for packaging, products, and marketing materials. In the present day, there are so many exciting, sustainable options to choose from that are biodegradable, recycled, or organic. 

When it comes to packaging, you should also consider reducing how much packaging you send. Obviously, it’s important to ensure that nothing is broken or damaged in transit, but if you can ensure that products are sent carefully, but with as little packaging as possible, this is a good sustainability - and cost-effective - way to work. This move can make a huge difference to the sustainability of your business and is a demonstration of your sustainability credentials when shipping products to customers in recycled packaging. 

Hopefully, this article has provided you with some inspiration for ways to make your business more sustainable. As you can see, by making incremental changes, you can create and grow a successful, sustainable business.