Michael Levitt's Blog, page 61

Safety Items Every Warehouse Should Have

Warehouses are productive environments, but they’re dangerous too. Luckily, the right preparations can help business leaders oversee safe, responsible warehouses every day. After all, workplace productivity and safety go hand-in-hand. Below, we’ll details a list of safety items every warehouse should have at all times. Read through the list to ensure your workplace is as professional and responsible as it should be.

Sufficient Safety Signage

Proper signage is a must-have for any warehouse. First, it makes employees aware of nearby safety hazards. For instance, labeling forklift work zones shows personnel they should be aware or turn back if they’re in the wrong place. Additionally, having the right signage keeps business operations productive. For example, if an employee accidentally wanders into the forklift zone, not only are they in danger, but they’re wasting time they could be spending on completing the task at hand.

Fire Extinguishers

One of the most important safety items every warehouse should have ready is a fire extinguisher. In fact, your warehouse is likely big enough to warrant multiple extinguishers in key areas. Like any workplace, warehouses have various fire hazards, from the dust coming off machines to the chemicals employees must handle.

All warehouse fire hazards differ slightly depending on factors such as routine cleaning quality and the types of products employees handle regularly. So, always ensure your warehouse has clearly labeled fire extinguishers that sit within proximity of potential hazards. Furthermore, you should routinely inspect fire extinguishers to ensure they’re all full and free of dust or physical damage.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Employers are responsible for providing their employees with PPE in accordance with OSHA standards. Carrying PPE isn’t a suggestion; it’s necessary for keeping everyone healthy and shows personnel you’re a responsible professional.

For example, providing the right PPE is one of the essential methods for protecting employees from dangerous chemicals. Besides making the workplace more dangerous, neglecting proper PPE opens the door to OSHA violations, a situation no reputable business should find themselves in. Although the specific type of PPE any given workplace needs varies, seeking the right materials and providing them consistently is crucial.

How To Ensure Employees Remain Happy And Healthy

Image Credit

It starts with leadership. Happy, healthy workplace culture has to come from the top down. If you are a business owner or manager of staff, there are many ways that you can ensure your employees remain happy and healthy while on the job. Below are some insights;

Create Wellness Programs

Wellness programs are an excellent way to ensure employees remain happy and healthy. You can tailor these programs for individuals or groups, such as a wellness plan that requires bi-weekly physical activity sessions with attendance incentives.

There are numerous reasons why employers should implement wellness programs into their organizations:• Promotes longevity in the workplace • Decreases healthcare costs • Enhances productivity in the workforce.

However, creating these plans is not easy, and it takes time and resources to do so correctly. So, prioritize your goals by consulting professionals specializing in human capital or HR before beginning any program development. 

Provide Training Opportunities 

This ensures that your employees stay sharp and remain relevant in the market. Your training programs should be able to help them achieve their goals and those of the company. 

Make sure you have a budget so that your employees are not spending money on developing themselves with no returns later on down the line. 

Provide Bonuses and Advance 

Many companies provide bonuses for outstanding work or when employees meet targets. 

This can motivate employees to do their best, but if the company is not careful with how it does, others could see it as unfair or discriminatory.

Ideally, you should only give out bonuses in extraordinary cases and never discriminately. 

Recognize Good Work

The best way to ensure employees remain happy and healthy is to recognize good work.  This can be by giving bonuses or a raise, allowing them time off for personal days, and sending them on trips that take their mind off the job. 

If an employee knows they are valued, it will benefit both the employer and themselves in many ways, such as reducing turnover rates and increasing productivity within company hours. It may sound like common sense, but employers should never underestimate the impact of saying thank you to staff members who do well.

Involve Them In Decision Making

Involving your employees in decision-making will encourage them to take ownership of their work. This will help increase loyalty and improve morale.

Employees who feel like they are part of the company's decision-making process will become more engaged with their jobs. They'll have the motivation to do well because it is crucial for them too.

Motivate and Empower Them

One way to motivate and empower your staff is by allowing them a certain degree of control over their work. When employees feel that they have some say in what happens, they will feel motivated to go above and beyond for the company.

You can empower your employees by giving them the power to make decisions regarding their work. This will allow them a sense of control over what they do and how they do it.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is crucial for an employer to constantly monitor their employees’ happiness and health. 

A happy workforce is a healthy workforce! Therefore, if you want your business to succeed, then you must keep your employees satisfied.

Tips for Saving Money in Your Machine Shop

Managing a business means that you always have an eye on your budget. In the machining business, a good portion of that budget goes into upkeep and equipment costs, which can add up. If you’re looking for ways to cut down on unnecessary spending, here are a few tips for saving money in your machine shop.

Use the Right Tools

A great place to focus your money-saving efforts is your machine shop equipment. Your equipment has a lot of influence on your shop's efficiency and production, so make sure that you are using all the right tools. Some specific tool can help increase your shop’s production speed. For example, this is one advantage of using a belt grinder. Like the belt grinder, some tools have multi-purpose functions and can reduce the need for buying more tools than necessary.

Maximize Tools and Materials

One of the most effective ways to save money around your workshop is to get the most out of your working materials and equipment. Machine shops will often swap out consumables such as drill bits, coolants, end mills, saw blades, and more before these items are fully utilized. Make sure to inspect your materials closely—if you think you can get even a few more uses out of a blade or drill before changing it, don’t change it prematurely. Although, make safe choices and swap out items when necessary, or you may risk having malfunctioning equipment on your hands.

Equipment Repair VS. Replacements

After making your equipment inspections, you may notice your tools are damaged or slowing down production. Rather than tossing them and ordering new ones, see if you can schedule repairs for them. Often, repairing tools is less expensive than buying brand-new models. On the other hand, sometimes a tool may require so many repairs in a short amount of time that it would save you money in the long run to replace it. Look into a local machine repair service for the best recommendations for each tool.

If you’re managing your shop on a tight budget, try these tips for saving money in your machine shop. You’d be surprised by how much you can save by implementing a few small changes such as these.

3 Means Of Surviving Long-Haul Business Trips

Pexels - CC0 License

There’s a certain amount of pride in being sent on a business trip. This is because not only has a brand chosen you to represent them, but because you likely have some value to add, or something to learn in another location. Yet while business trips can come and serve as a nice change in your day to day working experience, it’s also important to recognize that long-haul travel, coupled with the rigours of performing your job in a new location, can be quite tiring to deal with.

It’s important to be on your A-game when on a placement, if only so that the company might send you again. For this reason, you’ll likely need to take a closer look at the link between your personal and professional needs, how they propagate, and what positive measures you can use for surviving this intensive experience.

With that in mind, we would like to discuss some of the following advice. The more you’re able to keep this to heart, the better you’ll fair, and the more you can enjoy this entire process:

Sleep Where You Can

Get your sleep where you can, because jet lag, immediate business meetings, or seminars and training expeditions can be tough on the body and mind. This might mean taking naps where possible, purchasing a travel pillow to catch some Z’s on the plane, or taking at least a day to readjust to the natural timing of the new country you’re in. If driving overnight to the destination, don’t be afraid to take a stop in a humble hotel just to get some shuteye. Sleep is essential for a successful business trip.

Keep The Indulgences Low

The indulgences you enjoy could be considered quite vast when on a business trip, because you’re away from home, sometimes alone or with your colleagues, and on the company’s dime. That said, going into a meeting hungover in the morning won’t do, or heading out on the town and making a fool out of yourself doesn’t look that great if you’re recognized. We’re not here to judge you of course, but do your best to keep indulgences low so that you can prioritize your time there in a productive sense - this makes the evenings where you can have a little fun that much more enjoyable.

Utilize Smart & Durable Equipment

Even if you’re traveling to a super slick corporate affair, travel can be hard on the body and certainly hard on the luggage you bring. This is why it’s helpful to bring along something that you only have to wash a couple of times a day while also ensuring it doesn’t break or that you don’t have to be without your comforts, such as great bulk travel mugs, or larger durable bags for your laptop that prevent drop damage or the clumsy hands at customs.

With this advice, we hope you can continue to survive long-haul business trips for the better.

4 Tips For Rapidly Growing Your Online Business

Image by Thomas Ulrich from Pixabay

How do you make sure your business is growing? There are many answers to this question, but one of the most important is managing your website optimization. If you want to grow quickly and exponentially, it's better to start with a strong foundation, including on-page SEO (search engine optimization) for your site. In this blog post, we're going to go over four tips that will help ensure that your online business continues its rapid growth!

1 Get to Know Your Audience Well

The first step to growing your site is knowing who it's for. It may seem simple, but finding the right audience will become much more difficult if you don't know what people are looking for on your website or how they want to be communicated with you! The best way to get started here is by creating buyer personas. These fictional characters allow marketers and businesses to create content that speaks directly to their target market's wants/needs/etc. There are some great tools like Persona Profiler, where you can generate a persona based on research done online about your ideal customer. This tool doesn't have all of the bells and whistles as other profiling methods do, but it does provide quick and easy-to-digest personas that can help you in the long run.

2 Scale Your Business Month to Month

If you want to grow your business quickly, you must scale month over month. This means taking the time to create an actionable marketing plan that will help guide growth for each future month of the year! Start with a few basic steps like reviewing analytics and optimizing content, then move on to more complex things like experimenting with new offerings or customer acquisition strategies. If you’re a business guru like Jorge Hank Rhon, you’ll know that scaling is all about carefully tracking how much money is being made to ensure there are no dips or surges within your earnings. This fluctuation could affect your bottom line if not accounted for correctly.

3 Increase Your Reach With Paid Social Media Ads 

If you're looking for new ways to increase your site's reach, look no further than paid social media advertising! Facebook ads are an incredible way of targeting a specific audience based on interests and demographics. Of course, you can do this with other platforms as well. Still, nothing is more accurate or precise than Facebook Ads - it's also easier to scale campaigns quickly since there are many budget options available depending on how much money you'd like to spend monthly.

4 Implement Content Marketing

Last but certainly not least, you want to make sure that your site is filled with relevant content that keeps those coming back for more. Content marketing doesn't have to be difficult either! It can take the form of customer case studies (e-books), blog posts, infographics and many other types - as long as it's practical and entertaining, people will flock to read what you have written! Don't forget about adding a few CTAs throughout each piece since this allows visitors to become leads independently if they so choose. A good way of thinking about all of these different pieces is by asking yourself, "What would my ideal reader do after reading this?" If your answer isn't something along the lines of "become a lead" or "subscribe to my mailing list", then your content may need some more work.

Factor To Consider When Buying An Existing Business

Photo by fauxels from Pexels

A business purchase involves greater upfront costs, but less risk than starting one from scratch. The company's financial records are more precise than estimates, and the company can point to a history of sales. Furthermore, patents and copyrights may be acquired, as well as the opportunity to drive an unpromising business into an exciting direction.

Interested in becoming the buyer that helps an existing company achieve new heights? Move forward by following the steps below: 

What Are You Looking For? 

Your decisions of purchasing a business will impact you for a long time to come. It's important to know exactly what type of business you're looking for before you start investigating your options. To consider are the following:

Location

Considering moving or staying close to home? Perhaps you're looking at businesses without a physical location. It makes no difference where you locate your business, labor costs, taxes, and other financial factors will impact the bottom line of the business.

Size

Is your dream of owning a small family business, or one that is large and busy? Larger businesses could mean bigger profits, but also more stress and a higher price tag. 

Industry

What are the areas in which you have experience? Why are you passionate about these causes, or what hobbies do you enjoy?

Lifestyle

Is a job involving a lot of traveling something you're interested in? Would you prefer to work a traditional 9-to-5 schedule, or do you prefer to work odd hours? Think twice before getting involved in business that involves emergencies at 3 a.m. as a business owner.

Research Available Businesses

The first step is to identify the type of businesses for sale you're interested in. However, hold on! There's no need to start Googling "businesses for sale." Not yet, anyway. You need to research the different Buisness sectors available. 

It would be a good idea to start by putting out some feelers close to home. What are your friends' plans now that they have launched a successful app? What is their next project? Is one of your favorite small businesses for sale? Wouldn't it be great if the owner of your favorite local coffee shop wanted to leave to move to Bermuda? Begin by reaching out to your business contacts, then use the internet for research.

Make Sure You've Done Your Due Diligence

A true entrepreneur will dive headlong into acquiring a business that's a good match. Be sure to do your homework before getting too . Businesses that appear great at first glance could have serious issues hiding beneath the surface, making them unsuitable for sale. Gather your acquisitions team before you move forward. A business valuation firm and an acquisitions attorney are essential if you're not working with a broker.

Consider the connection and expertise of the current owner, as well as a business valuation to determine the value of the business. In a business-to-business organization, for example, a business sale may result in clients leaving, reducing the business's worth.

Get The Necessary Funding

It is true that purchasing an existing business can be an expensive option, even if there are many benefits. In the absence of financial backing or your own wealth, you will probably need to raise money to close the deal.

After you have decided on a purchase price and the amount of financing you need, you have a couple of options:

Seller Financing

When a seller allows you to make payments over time to purchase a business, you usually pay interest along with the purchase price. Depending on your seller's openness, it may be the most financially wise choice for everyone.

Angel Investors Or Venture Capital

A partner would be the financial investor in this model, and the on-the-ground operator would be you. Profits will be significantly reduced if the company succeeds. If it fails, however, you will not be subject to paying debts of an unsuccessful business.

Business Loan

A traditional bank or online alternative lender can provide you with a term loan to purchase the business. Purchasing existing businesses that have a revenue history typically brings more favorable terms from lenders. However, your personal financial circumstances will play a large role in whether you qualify.

There are pros and cons to each type of funding, so do your research and seek the advice of an independent financial advisor to make sure you are choosing the right funding source.

You will be able to impact your community, your employees' lives, and your li,fe and the lives of your employees for years to come when you choose to buy an existing business. Your ability to turn a good business model into a great future may come down to the right connection and a lot of effort on the transition.

Ways Small Business Owners Can Manage Multiple Ventures

Establishing new brands and other businesses is an alluring proposition, but it comes with its own set of challenges. The barrier to entry of starting your own business is high, and creating two businesses simultaneously complicates the issue even more. Be aware of the ways small business owners can manage multiple ventures while remaining profitable.

Utilize the Same Space

Often, you can use the same physical space for both of your businesses. You will be able to use the resources and infrastructure already available without having the challenge of leasing a new area and making it a viable work environment. In essence, you save on the cost of space while making more money from your second business.

Know When To Grow

This is not always a long-term solution; eventually, your business will outgrow the confines of one location. Using the same space for two businesses is a great way to get the second off the ground by reducing initial start-up costs, but it can be detrimental once it grows to a certain point.

Deal With the Funding

With a second business, you may be more familiar with how the system works and the reliable ways to attain funding. However, opening a second business can be one of the factors that affect financing. Loan offices may see your second venture as too great of a risk, especially when you have another fledgling business.

Double-Edged Sword

Your first business can either be a boon or an anchor, depending on how successful it is. If you make significant profits from your first company, loan offices will see your second business as a safe investment. Conversely, if your first business is struggling to keep up with costs, that can be a reason you won’t secure another loan for your second business.

Know When and What To Prioritize

One critical way small business owners can manage two ventures is by maintaining the delicate balancing act of administration. Each business will have its own logistical and financial problems, and you need to know what is pressing enough to solve now and what can wait. You need to identify the factors that inhibit business and negatively affect profits. At the same time, you need to keep records of all the small details that, while not critical to facilitating business, can impact productivity.

The Small Details

Getting lost in the minor details of management can kill a start-up business. You need to focus on the big picture and accept that you need to sacrifice smaller problems to solve bigger ones.

Don’t Hesitate To Delegate Responsibilities

Managing two businesses is difficult, and it’s natural to want to manage them yourself. But there will be times when you need to share the responsibility of success and failure. Delegating responsibilities can benefit the business significantly, ensuring everything gets an equal focus and no one person suffers from severe burnout. Establishing multiple ventures is hard, but it’s not something you have to do alone. Recruit trusted and proven individuals to help manage operations.

Steps Companies Can Take To Make Employees Feel Appreciated

Employees who feel valued are more likely to work harder, stay with the company longer, and produce better quality work. Fortunately for companies, establishing a culture of appreciation is not a difficult feat. There are a number of steps companies can take to make employees feel appreciated, including:

Encouraging Positive Mindsets

One of the simplest and most affordable ways to make employees feel valued is to encourage a positive mindset throughout the company. This means that leadership switch from focusing on correcting negative behaviors and results to focusing on behaviors and results that are working well. By highlighting and rewarding the good, employees feel seen and empowered rather than seen and anxious or ashamed.

Asking for Their Opinions

Employees feel appreciated when they know their voices matter. When leaders take the time to seek out, consider, and implement employees’ ideas, employees feel an intrinsic value that goes beyond production and performance.

Cheering for Your Team

When a team member knows that their leader is cheering for them, they’re a lot more likely to get the job done well and with a positive attitude. The support also extends beyond the office walls. Life happens to us all, and from time to time, a team member will experience a rough season. Knowing that their manager is rooting for them and cares about them as a human being can make all the difference.

Giving a Reward

From Starbucks gift cards to DoorDashed lunches and a two-hour early release every Friday, everyone loves a reward. Establishing a rewards program is a fun and creative step companies can take to make employees feel appreciated. There are so many options to choose from, whether it’s a small token of appreciation (such as food and beverages) or a large gesture of gratitude (company retreats). And while the reward itself is exciting, the delivery of the reward is just as important. There are a variety of reward-giving tips companies can follow to distribute rewards in a meaningful way.

How To Improve Guest Satisfaction at Your Stadium

Stadiums are an excellent place for families and friends to get together and cheer on their favorite team or jam out to a famous musical artist. But if the location isn’t up to par, it can ruin their experience, and they likely won’t want to visit again. Exceptional guest experience is critical. To operate a successful business, you’ll need to know how to improve guest satisfaction at your stadium.

Make Guest Safety a Priority

The most important factor of any successful business is ensuring guest safety is your top priority. A great way to do this is by increasing and improving security measures. Are all security cameras updated? If so, make sure they’re all working correctly. During events, make sure your security team checks all bags for potential threats. A safe and secure stadium can save a life.

Serve High-Quality Food

All stadiums need to make a profit, and the concession area is great for that! But your stadium won’t make a profit if the food isn’t worth the price. You may think that guests will splurge on a low-quality hot dog if they’re hungry enough—and some will—but most people will make sure they eat before or after the event at a more cost-effective place, leaving you with a shorter profit.

Improve guest satisfaction by improving your food’s quality. People are willing to pay more money if the food is worth the price.

Maintain Bathroom Cleanliness

An easy and cost-effective way to improve guest satisfaction is by always maintaining clean bathrooms. A great way to do this is by making sure your janitorial staff sticks to a cleaning schedule, especially during busy events where the restrooms can get dirty quickly.

Improve Your Parking Lot

When your guests arrive and depart, they need an easy way to get around your stadium. You can adapt specific parking systems to improve your traffic flow. In addition, providing clear and concise signs to direct your guests will significantly improve guest parking.

Improving guest satisfaction at your stadium is vital to the success of your business. Following these easy tips will increase profit and build an excellent reputation for your stadium!

The Importance of an Employee-First Workplace

A people-first company’s goal is to create and maintain a business that employees are proud to work at, want to grow with, and feel the business cares about their well-being. The importance of an employee-first workplace is undeniable, as healthy office culture has graduated from a workforce luxury to a necessity, both for employees and their industries.

Employment Is Currently a Buyer’s Market

As we enter the late phase of the pandemic, more companies are leaving “we’re hiring” signs on their windows. Some are struggling to fill positions as workers becoming more interested in company culture, fair compensation, and pathways for growth. Employees having the power to choose isn’t an inexorable problem for employers; it’s an opportunity.

By meeting the needs and requests of current employees, leaders set their company up as the first pick for potential hires as well. Positive ratings centered on an employee-first workplace will bring new talent to your company’s recruiting pages. In the same way that positive culture will help with onboarding, it is also one of many ways to remain competitive and retain current employees.

Satisfied Employees Will Guide Business

It is empowering to allow employees the schedules, agency, and communication tools they need to enjoy their job and do it effectively. One of the many positive outcomes of empowered employees is an instilled sense of interest in the company’s growth. Workers are more inclined to seek new routes, clients, and possibilities when they believe in the company’s mission and leadership. Those who know your product and service best, with the right motivation, are the ones who guide it through new doors and take the business to the next level.

How Employees Feel Impacts Clients

Creating a workplace culture centered on the wants and needs of your employees has a surprisingly direct impact on your clients. Employees are more productive and capable of creating work that they’re proud of in a positive and meaningful environment. With higher quality products and services, more invested interactions, and genuine fulfillment, happy employees produce happier clients.

You can notice the importance of maintaining an employee-first workplace throughout a business, from the moment a prospective employee reads a company’s rating online to when a customer receives their product. Creating a positive workplace culture is at the top of any business leader’s to-do list.