Michael Levitt's Blog, page 56

How To Get Your Business Noticed

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One of the most important pieces of a business puzzle is getting the business brand noticed in the first place. You could have an amazing idea, fantastic amounts of funding to back you and a killer business plan, but if you don't have a way to get your brand noticed, none of that is going to matter. You want to put your brand out into the world, and you need as much help as you can get to do that. 

A part of that is knowing where the best help is to be noticed in your brand. You would use companies like Wefunder Marketing Agency to help you to market your funding campaign, and you would use the best web agencies possible to get your site noticed in the search engine results pages. But how can you really get your brand noticed by others? Here are some tips that you might not have considered before:

Get yourself on the radio. The radio in your local area is the best place that you can be interviewed - and you might not have had a clue of the possibilities! You can get so much coverage, local, targeted coverage when you choose to be interviewed in the media. The more you know about the opportunities to talk about your business, the better response you’ll receive. If you can broadcast your name out there quite literally in the form of online and media advertisements, you will be able to show off your name to others. 

Get on social media. If you’re not already, you need to get your business onto all social media platforms. A Facebook page is a good start but TikTok is an up and coming platform that really is making a difference to others. You want your audience to see you, so figure out a way to be seen that makes sense for your business genre. No matter your niche, there’s a way to get in front of your audience with the power of social media. You just have to find which one will work for you!

Start offering yourself as a guest poster. You can really market your brand when you look at linking strategies. If you want your business to rank on the right websites, you need to approach others and guest post. You can do the same for the opposite business, too, and then you can work together to get noticed.

Sponsor a local school team. A great way to get your business out there is to approach local schools and sports teams and offer to be a sponsor. You can raise money for these teams and schools and get your name on a sports jersey. It’s a great way to promote your business and it makes you look like the kind of business who cares about others!

When it comes to your business, you want it noticed 100% for you to build something and earn more money on it. You want a profit, you want the marketing and you want the success, too!

Ways To Cut the Monthly Expenses of a Hair Salon

Hair salons are one of the few small businesses we haven’t been able to automate, make virtual, or otherwise disrupt. The fundamentals of cutting hair haven’t changed. What can change, however, is how much it costs to operate a salon. We’ve come up with a few ways to cut the monthly expenses of a hair salon—no pun intended—so that you can continue to thrive.

Stop Renting Furniture

Many companies who specialize in salon furniture will make their goods available for rental as well as purchase. This promises decidedly lower upfront costs without the fear of what to do with specialized furniture that, for one reason or another, you find that you no longer need. The downside, however, is that those monthly rental fees can keep coming without the promise of eventual ownership. If you have the funds to pull it off, consider biting the bullet and buying your furniture outright. It’s a move that will pay off in the long run—and if you maintain them well, you may be able to resell your chairs when it’s time for replacements.

Walk-Ins Not So Welcome?

When you accommodate walk-in customers at a hair salon, you need to have more stylists on call to handle customers who may or may not walk through your door. This can mean wasted hours—a situation that’s not good for you as an owner and no great boon to your stylists, either. It may take a little spin-doctoring to sell the allure of a reservations-only salon, but doing so will allow you to streamline your expenses, coming out ahead of what you lose in unsustainably scant walk-in business.

Embrace E-Commerce

In a world where more and more money and goods change hands virtually, hair salons, with those stylist-recommended product purchases, have been some of the last bastions of brick-and-mortar specialty retail. You don’t have to give that up altogether, but by pivoting to e-commerce, you can better control your inventory and prevent fine salon products—which have quicker expiration dates than drugstore counterparts—from going woefully unsold in your lobby. In this win-win situation, you can ultimately expand your offerings to your customers while cutting back on what sits in your store.

Have a Green Attitude

In your place of business as in your home, utility costs can sneak up on you if you’re the slightest bit careless with your allocation of heat, air conditioning, and light. One of the simplest ways to cut the expenses of a hair salon is to take a greener approach to your electricity usage. Ask yourself: do you need every light on all the time? To say nothing of the effects on your ambience, you’re wasting wattage. You may not be able to cut down on your water usage for obvious reasons, but you can trim costs on other utilities.

5 Ways Employees Try To Beat Their Drug Tests

Announcing a drug test can cause workers to panic. They may try some underhanded methods to test negative. Here are five ways employees try to beat their drug tests—and why they shouldn’t bother.

Shaved by the Bell?

A hair follicle test requires about 100 strands of hair for an adequate sample size. Obviously, the galaxy-brain response to this would be not to have 100 strands to furnish: you can’t fail a hair test if you have no hair, right? Thus, we sometimes see a surprising number of employees showing up completely devoid of hair. Maybe they’ll claim that they’re training for a triathlon and need to become more aerodynamic for the swimming leg—a likely story, in some cases. Alas, the logic that leads one to go hairless for a hair test is faulty: there’s no legal loophole here that grants the subject a free pass. It could even constitute a failure to submit. In these cases, employers can ask for nail samples instead.

A Dye-r Situation

Another common way that enterprising employees have devoted their talents to circumventing a test is to arrive for a hair test sporting a brand-new hair color. The idea behind this is that the pigments in the dye will cover up any indicators that the test looks for or that bleaching the hair will destroy them altogether. Many people wonder how hair dye affects hair tests, but testing technology is more sophisticated than what’s on the shelf at your local drugstore. It’s tough to bleach your way out of a test for the same reason you can’t shave your way out.

pH Modification: A Basic Trick

An important property in chemistry is puissance de hydrogen, or pH: the measure of how acidic or alkaline a substance is. Some test-takers believe that by modifying their urine sample’s pH, they may fool the lab. In this spirit, they might try contaminating their sample with cleaning chemicals or excreting more acidic urine by drinking a lot of orange juice or pickle brine. However, urine tests are more sophisticated than a mere pH reading.

Switching Out the Sample

Rather than guzzle pickle brine, some subjects may just use synthetic urine or even have their pet furnish the sample on their behalf. Labs are used to these tricks. Testing protocols include stages that detect non-human, non-natural samples, rendering this subterfuge ineffective, embarrassing, and dangerous to continued employment.

Crash Detox Diet

Upon the announcement of forthcoming testing, one of the most common ways employees try to beat their drug test is to do some physiological cramming. To purge any remnants of drug use, they go on a mad dash of overhydration and overexertion, hoping to flush out and sweat out the toxins. Opting for hair tests doesn’t just provide the longest and truest window of drug use; it also protects subjects from themselves—none of these potentially dangerous measures will trick these tests.

Creating a Productive Home Working Space

Photo by Kari Shea on Unsplash

Millions of people all over the globe are finding joy in a home working environment. It does take some adjustment, though, if it hasn’t been the norm. 

For freelancers and small business owners, working from home has been enjoyed for many years - and often, a dedicated creative space is a must. 

But if you are yet to have that space, then here are a few tips that can help you kick up your productivity and enjoy your home working environment to the max.

Silence

Finding somewhere quiet to work in a busy household can be one of the most challenging things. Many people try to use a spare room in the home, but you might need to consider either a loft or a basement renovation if you don’t have an extra room. Choose a company that is experienced in turning these spaces into offices like the Capable Group.

Neaten up

Is your work desk cluttered and messy with things you just don’t need? Well, it’s time to take control of it! 

Look at what you need available to you, and the chances are you will only need a few items on the desk at any time. 

When a mess surrounds us, our minds are drawn away from what we should be focusing on, and instead, we begin to pay attention to the chaos around us. 

At the start of every day, decide what you will need for the list of work you have to do, and set those things out only. 

Artwork & Plants

Adding artwork on the walls or in frames can provide an endless source of inspiration - even more so if you have carefully chosen the item yourself. 

Choosing quotes, photographs or paintings that incorporate things that you find naturally uplifting can be perfect. 

Adding plenty of green into your space by using plants has a positive impact on mental health. Green is shown to help us focus for more extended periods as well as feel productive. 

If you can’t keep plants alive or there isn’t enough natural light, opt for faux plants - they have the same type of impact. 

Wall space

If you need to sketch or create frameworks or simply need a visual to-do list, your wall space is ideal for this. Add a whiteboard to the wall, and at the start of each day, add to your to-do list. 

As you complete each task, cross the items off the list. Crossing items off your to-do list is one of the most important ways to keep your motivation and productivity high. 

The key to creating good to-do lists is to take items off that aren’t urgent and put them in a different list for another time. Items on the to-do list should only pertain to the work that you need to do that day. 

So by that measure, keep your whiteboard to-do list short. 

Remove the clock from the wall though, as you work, you will be less tempted to keep checking the clock. Instead, implement a Pomodoro timer to help you track break and working time. 

And finally, make sure that the furniture in your working space is ergonomic - so that backaches and shoulder pains aren’t impinging on how much you can get done. 

Need some more tips for being productive? Read more: Boosting Productivity Post-Covid .

Why You Should Care About Your Commercial Landscaping

As a business owner, you should explore this list of why you should care about your commercial landscaping. Your business should always try to make the best impression possible. In this article, you will see how a superb landscape will help to accomplish this. Don’t let your business suffer because you choose to ignore your responsibilities to your commercial landscaping. Whether you work with a landscaper or do the job yourself, you should never let it fall to the wayside.

Improve Your Impression

As any intelligent business owner knows, every inch of your commercial space must exemplify the best possible image of your company. When clients or potential clients see well-trimmed grass, beautiful shrubs, and a clear walkway, they can gauge the level of professionalism and class you bring to your work. When your customers have a great impression of your space, they will be more likely to return and work with you in the future.

Safety

The last thing you want is for your commercial landscape to cause harm. But if you do not take care of your space, you might be responsible for all kinds of slips and accidents. To avoid liability, make sure your landscape is as safe as possible. That means smoothing the pavement and creating leaf piles, moving branches and filling holes. You could also improve your commercial landscape with LED lighting, which will certainly make the area brighter and safer.

Beautifies the Area

Another reason why you should care about your commercial landscape is that a beautiful landscape does more than just make your business look good; it also improves the surrounding area. As a business owner, you are a leader in your community. When outsiders look at your town, they will wonder how industrious and conscientious you and your neighbors are. A well-maintained landscape tells them that this is a strong place for commerce. A run-down landscape tells them that the town is in decline.

How To Keep Your Business’s Physical Records Safe

Anyone who works in management knows the sheer amount of paperwork a business creates every month. Now, this paperwork is necessary for the business’s functions, but it quickly becomes a hassle to store. Additionally, because the paperwork is so important, you need to keep it safe. That’s why you should learn how to keep your business’s physical records safe in storage.

Lock Them Up

The first and most obvious thing you can do is lock up your records behind some security. Even something as simple as a filing cabinet with a lock can greatly increase your records’ safety. Look for storage options and solutions that don’t just store as much paperwork as possible but rather prioritize keeping it safe from others.

Follow a Retention Schedule

Every record you keep should have a shelf life that you legally follow. Certain documents, such as employment records, are extremely important to the company but can be dangerous when in the hands of others. That’s why you should follow these retention schedules, as it ensures you destroy any risk of the records falling into the wrong hands once they aren’t useful anymore.

Track and Limit Access

A good system won’t give access to every employee and random visitor. Limiting who can see the information and tracking any access to the records will help keep them safe. This can be very useful no matter the type of physical document storage solutions you use.

Use Digital Records

One way to avoid a lot of the issues that come with physical document storage is by uploading them to a digital storage system. If you want to try this method, you’ll need a system that’s safe enough for important document storage. In the long run, this method is more space-efficient and prevents physical access to the documents.

Implement Offsite Storage

A lot of larger companies produce staggering amounts of paperwork every day, which quickly fills up any storage space they might have. That’s why a lot of these places store the less important documents in offsite storage or third-party storage companies. These storage methods typically offer great document protection and use fewer resources than trying to store the records yourself.

If you follow this guide on how to keep your business’s physical records safe, you can rest easier knowing that you’re protecting your business from a lot of potential harm. If you properly execute this advice, you will increase your record safety and improve your storage space management.

5 Things That Customers Want To See on Your Website

Your company’s website is a massive part of your public face, and it’s often the first thing a potential customer will see of your company before they ever speak to anyone directly. Not taking advantage of this is hurting your business, but not every business owner knows what a great website needs to appeal to visitors. To help you out, here are a few things that customers want to see on your website that build trust and confidence in your skills and experience.

Simple Navigation

If your website is confusing to look at and doesn’t have clear links to where customers want to go, they won’t bother looking for the links—they’ll just move on to a competitor’s website instead. Overdesigning your website so that it’s a jumbled mess of information, photos, and links will only serve to confuse any visitors. With so many websites to choose from, a potential customer won’t waste time on a website that’s difficult to navigate.

Engaging Video Content

Pictures say a thousand words, so imagine how many words a video says. Video content is a great addition to any website because it keeps the visitor’s focus exactly where you want it. You can communicate complex ideas and possible issues through videos that will reassure your future customers. Remember that professionally made web videos are important because a subpar quality one will only make you look bad.

Contact Information

Of all the things customers want to see on your website, one of the clearest things should be your contact information. Whether they want to buy something, set up an appointment, or just have a question you could answer, you don’t want it to be difficult to get in contact with you at all. A good place to keep contact information is near the bottom of every page on your website.

Social Media Connections

Social media is king nowadays; no company survives long without effectively utilizing its influence. Besides creating stronger relationships with customers, it allows people who haven’t bought from you yet to keep you in mind for a much longer period of time. Ideally, this means that your posts are keeping you fresh in their heads for when they need you.

Individuality

Despite all these requirements, visitors to your website do want to see what makes you unique. They want to see what separates your company from the rest. Don’t be afraid to add your own touches of personality to your website to show off who you really are. This makes your website seem a little less clinical and more like it’s run by actual humans who care about their customers.

Creating A Better Work Environment For Your Team

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When running a business for the first time, there are a lot of spinning plates to keep on top of. As a business owner it is so important for you to make changes and improvements to your workplace to provide a productive and comfortable working environment for your employees. 

People will work in your office for the majority of the week, and investing in a comfortable and bright office is crucial for employee retention as well as the morale in your office each and every day. 

Today we want to take a look at some of the different ways that you can make your workplace better for everyone in the company, and provide the most wonderful environment for your staff. 

Create a stunning garden 

One thing that many offices don’t make the most of is the outdoors. If you own an office building that has its own car park as well as outdoor space - you are missing out if you don’t take advantage of this commodity by building a garden. The benefits of fresh air and sunshine cannot be denied and when people are having a stressful day being able to sit out in the sun for an hour can have a big impact on mood, energy, and morale too. You can add some different features to your outdoor space such as a smoking area, a seating area with an awning and outdoor heating, and a grassy area with some benches, flowers, and shrubbery. 

By encouraging a relaxing wild outdoor space near your office you give your employees the chance to escape even just for an hour and refresh their minds ready for the afternoon. This can do wonders for everyone in the office and will be the ideal place to host a yearly company party or barbecue to bring everyone together. 

Display employee artwork 

If you have a large blank wall in the office that just isn’t being used for anything - there is one fun idea to try that will get the whole office involved. Ask everyone in the office to create or choose a piece of artwork they would like to display on the wall. You can then make a collage of different pieces that represent each person in the office and provide a fun talking point for employees that may never have spoken before. By doing this you will also get a laugh out of some stick drawings and doodles as well as adding some fun and colour to a blank wall that needs to be revived. 

Provide food on site 

One of the things you can consider doing as a business is getting some co2 refrigeration systems and providing food on-site in the form of a cafe or restaurant. You can create this revenue stream for your office building and it will help you to make some money back on the costs of running your business as well as giving people an easy place to go for their lunch instead of having to find local stores in the area. You can provide everything from breakfast to afternoon snacks and you’d be surprised how much happier people will be when they can pop downstairs for a coffee and a cake mid morning. 

Build a communal seating area 

If you have an unused and unloved corner of your office that is currently going to waste - it is time to vamp it up with a brightly colored sofa and chairs, some magazines, and a coffee table. A communal seating area is a good place for people to go for casual meetings during the day, for a catch-up, or even on their break to read in peace. There are some very good reasons to have a seating area in the office and it will provide people with somewhere to go should they ever need a quick escape. 

Create a coffee machine space 

If you don’t have the ability to bring food into the office, you can at least create a coffee space where people can make their own favorite brews. Layout a few coffee machines on a table as well as different pods, teas, and sugars. You can also have racks of mugs with your company logo on them that people can use for their morning brew. This is such a simple idea but will give people access to great coffee every day without having to stop off at Starbucks on the way to the office. 

Keep offices open and bright 

When creating the perfect office space for your employees it is important to pay attention to light as well as space. Don’t shove loads of desks together like sardines or partition every section of the business off from one another because this creates a cramped and dark working area that is no good to anybody. Instead make sure that you install floor to ceiling windows, space desks apart for the comfort and safety of your employees, and also be sure to allow an open plan space where everyone can see each other and talk when they need to. By creating a space that feels more communal, people won’t get shut off in their own world and the overall communication and rapporte across your office will improve and people will be much happier. 

Allow desk customization

One of the things you can do to help create a positive atmosphere in your office is to allow people to decorate their own workspaces. This can mean artwork, figurines, trophies, photos, candles, plants, and even blankets. Once you make the decision to allow people to customise their own desks, you’ll start to see more of their personality and they will be more comfortable at their desks. Comfort equals productivity in the office so allowing that touch of home into the workplace will be beneficial for everyone. 

Don’t shy away from color 

Gone are the days where the only office color palette to exist was grey walls and blue carpet. Don’t allow yourself to be bunched in with every 00s office space and instead show some personality and decorate your office as you would decorate a home. Add colored feature walls, lights, plants, and more items to bring the space to life and make it feel like a more inspirational environment. 

Make a communal meeting area 

One clever way to make the most of a spare room in your office building this year is to consider turning it into a cafe-style set up with chargers at every station for laptops. Some people struggle working when stuck at their desk all day and allowing people to head off for some peace and quiet or to go and have a project meeting with another colleague can make your workplace much more efficient. Consider bringing this communal way of working across your office building and allow hot desks where people can simply sit down wherever they feel like. Offering a more flexible way of working such as this is great because it will allow people to work at their own pace, where they feel comfortable, and will promote building relationships in the office. 

Offer weekly fitness classes 

Fitness is so important for our health, and as an employer, you might want to invest more in the health and well-being of your workers. If you have a spare room that isn’t being used or you have a sizeable car park, you can offer to bring a yoga or fitness instructor in once a week in the morning to get everyone moving and their hearts pumping. Encouraging your workers to get up and move will be great for their health and the healthier they are, the fewer sick days they are likely to take. 

Tips on How To Ensure Your Employees Are Fit for Your Organization

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Employees are essential to any organization. You can't run a company without them. First, however, you want to be sure that the people working for your company are suitable for it. If not, they will likely do more harm than good. But how do you know what qualifications an employee needs? Here are some tips on how to ensure your employees are fit for your organization:

Only Recruit Those With the Right Skills

If you want to build a company of highly skilled staff, they must meet the requirements needed for your organization. Recruitment at this level requires extra care and attention because their lack of experience could leave your customers dissatisfied with the service provided once onboard. Ensure you recruit only those who have been taught best practices by asking the right questions during the recruitment process.

Invest in Employee Care Service

Fit employees are not only more productive, but they also tend to stay at your organization longer. That is why companies need to invest in employee care services. It will ensure that you have a team of physically and mentally healthy people, which can lead to better performance all around. 

Investing in the right kind of help doesn't mean that you must break the bank. Instead, try looking into independent care service providers like chaplain organizations; they are more affordable than you might think and can get your employees back on track in no time.

Create Wellness Programs

It will help to cultivate a culture of wellness and promote healthy habits. Employees who work well with colleagues, feel valued, have competitive salaries, and enjoy their jobs are more likely to be fit and productive for the organization. In addition, employees who take care of themselves tend to be happier at work, leading them to be more productive and ultimately more likely to stay with the company.

Schedule for Benchmarking

Maintain a regular schedule for benchmarking. The best time to perform your annual employee health check is during the fall, so you have enough time before year-end to get all of this done, but if that doesn't work with your organization, then don't hesitate to do it any other time of year. Just be sure you schedule it.

Upgrade Their Skills and Knowledge

Employees need to adjust and learn new skills to keep up with the constant changes that are happening within an organization. The key is giving them the tools they need and encouraging employees to take the initiative when it comes to learning new things.

Knowledge is power, but only if the employees feel empowered to take on new challenges. Another way to ensure that they fit your organization is by keeping them active and engaged in the company culture.

How? Encourage a healthy work environment where no one feels uncomfortable about going out of their comfort zone and have employees feel comfortable asking questions about learning something new or being responsible for specific tasks.

Organizations need to be able to understand that not all employees are the same. Therefore more effort needs to develop a customized training program for each employee to keep up with their specific goals and aspirations. Employees should never feel left behind but instead empowered by receiving the proper tools they need, both mentally and physically.

Conclusion

People who aren't fit for your organization can cause a lot of harm to it. They put the company at risk and could be harmful physically, mentally, or both. So ensure that they're fit for your organization before bringing them on board.

Fitting Fitness Into Your Work Routine

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Work pressures can cause stress in your work life, but they can also impact the rest of your life. When you’re working long hours or you’re under pressure, your fitness routine can be one of the first things to go out the window. 

Staying fit is important. Not only can it keep your body strong and healthy, but it’s good for the mind too. Having a regular fitness routine can help banish the stress of the office, and can keep you energized to help you through the working day. 

Prioritize your health and wellbeing with the following tips to fit fitness into your work routine.

Exercise early in the morning

If you’re finding it hard to fit exercise into your day, why not start the day a little earlier? Even 20 minutes is enough to do an effective workout that will help get your heart rate up and burn some calories. Whether you work out at home or at the gym, it’s a great way to start your day.

There are a lot of benefits to working out in the morning. And once you’ve got it out of the way, you can start the rest of the day knowing you’ve already done your daily activity. It’s easy to let the excuses creep in once you’ve started the day, so get your workout done early and feel on top of the world! 

Make your commute an active one

Could you make your commute a more active one? There are different forms of active travel, including cycling, walking or running, helping you get fit while traveling to work. Finding alternative forms of travel will help you play your part in helping the environment, but it could help you save money too.

Find a lunchtime routine you can stick to

If a morning workout is out of the question, why not make it a lunchtime one instead? If you usually lunch at your desk or spend most of your break on your phone, maybe it’s time to put your break to good use instead. With limited time to get your workout in, shower and make it back to your desk, you need to plan your workout carefully. Creating a fun and challenging routine will help you stay motivated, and help you achieve your goals too. It only takes a matter of weeks for a habit to stick, so making exercise your regular lunchtime activity will soon become something you can keep up.

Encourage fitness in the workplace

If work is holding you back from keeping fit, why not find ways to bring fitness into the workplace? Having a wellbeing program is an effective way of keeping employees happy and healthy, and can be easy to get started. From organizing fitness classes in the workplace to securing discounted gym memberships and other incentives, you can make exercise a respected and considered part of the workplace.

Schedule it to keep yourself accountable

One of the most effective tips for sticking to a fitness routine is to schedule your workouts. If you make time for them in your day, as you would a meeting or other appointment, you’ll be more likely to stick to it. Creating a schedule can keep you accountable, and you can work with someone else to help you stay motivated and maintain discipline, even on the days when you don’t really feel like it. 

Reassess your work/life balance

When work starts to impact your routine, it’s time to look at your work/life balance. Work is important, but it shouldn’t impact the rest of your life - especially your health. Whether you need to find ways to deal with your workload or boost your productivity, you need to find ways to stop work impacting the other areas of your life.

If work is proving too much, you might need to talk to someone about your concerns to see if your workload can be adjusted. You might also want to consider other job opportunities that have better working hours and are more respectful of your right to a work/life balance. A job is never worth sacrificing your health over. 

It’s easy to make excuses to put off exercise, but work shouldn’t be one of them. Finding ways to fit exercise into your work routine can help keep you fit and healthy, giving you a break from the stress of office life. Make adjustments to your routine to help you keep up your fitness, it’s important for your health and wellbeing.