Michael Levitt's Blog, page 63

So You Want To Be An Entrepreneur

Source: Image Credit

The term 'entrepreneur' was first used in 1727 by French economist Jean Baptiste de Gournay. Entrepreneurs are the ones who start a business from scratch without borrowed money or any financial support. Entrepreneurs are known for their imaginative ideas like working in coffee shops, having cheap hosting, and capitalizing on free marketing platforms. They usually have no experience running a company before taking up the challenge of starting one themselves. Entrepreneur startups do not always result in substantial success stories – some fail very quickly due to lack of support. In contrast, others fail after a few years.

Be Patient

Entrepreneurs should take their time and learn what does and doesn't work in the business world before they jump into anything headfirst. Entrepreneurs are not only running a startup from scratch – but they are also responsible for coordinating all activities within the company and providing direction to other employees. Entrepreneurs make tough decisions and have to deal with a lot of pressure. Entrepreneurs do not appreciate their work until they generate income, which can take a long time. Entrepreneurs are not always seen as the creative brains of the company – that role is usually taken up by the 'Chief Executive Officer', who may or may not be an entrepreneur themselves.

Think Big

Entrepreneurship is also about the development of new ideas for businesses and startups. Entrepreneurs may be limited to a particular field they are familiar with, but being an entrepreneur means thinking big! Entrepreneurs should have enough knowledge and experience in their field of work before they can call themselves entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs like to go where no one has gone before – they dream big and are ready to take risks to achieve their goals. 

Be Innovative

Entrepreneurs should not only be focused on making money; in the process of running a business, entrepreneurs also aim to make more efficient processes for the future. Entrepreneurs are always studying how things work and looking at ways to improve current approaches to help more people and society in the long run. Entrepreneurs are usually passionate about their work; the drive to make the company successful keeps them motivated. Entrepreneurs have to be ready for hard times when they might not see any profit coming into their company. 

Be Frugal

Entrepreneurs should always watch how things are going financially and work hard to make things better. Entrepreneurs will have a lot of debt, but entrepreneurs must keep their expenses low so that they don't end up with more debt than they can handle. Entrepreneurs are always looking for ways to expand their companies and get products out as quickly as possible. Entrepreneurs should know what the market wants and ensure that they are providing it in the best way possible. Entrepreneurs are driven by money; they set a goal for their company to create financial growth. 

Be Creative

Entrepreneurship is more than just creating an opportunity; entrepreneurs should capitalize on this opportunity and use it as much as they can. Entrepreneurs must be creative enough to develop new ideas and have the guts to implement them. Entrepreneurs can achieve success in their company if they can overcome all challenges that come their way. Entrepreneurs should be well acquainted with the financial aspects of running a business to know when to expand, when to cut back on spending or whether it is best to relocate their offices. 

Be Selfless

Entrepreneurs should always keep in mind that it is not all about them – they are trying to build a company that will impact society as a whole, whether by providing services or creating products. Entrepreneurs must be adaptable and ready for change – they will usually feel the effects of evolution long before anyone else does.

3 Careers Where You Can Lead

Image sourced from Pixabay. CC0 License

Are you tired of feeling like a drone who is just working for everyone else all the time? Are you ready to make a change where you can lead a team or be in charge of your own destiny? That is the dream for most people, but you can make it happen with a career change doing what you love. There are several careers out there for those who want to be in a leadership position and here are three careers where you can lead the team. 

Restaurant Manager

It takes a great leader to be able to lead an entire team whose sole purpose is to make other people happy. Many people go out to eat assuming that the restaurant process is easy when in reality it is one of the most stressful jobs in the world. If you want to be an effective leader and direct a team to their full potential to reach a goal, running a restaurant is the job for you. You will have up to fifty people under your watch and they will all be counting on you to ensure that you are leading them to victory. If your team does a good job that means they will get tips, which means they will be able to make the money they need to make to survive. It takes a special kind of leader to put a system in place and stick with it.

Airline Pilot

The ultimate leader is the one who is in the cockpit, and being a pilot is a true leadership career. You will not only have the knowledge to safely get hundreds of people to where they are heading, but you are the captain of the ship. You will lead your co-pilot and flight crew across thousands of miles as you have the controls in your hands. Enrolling in aviation school will give you the skills you need to change your career from follower to leader. Although it is a rigorous program, in the end it will be well worth it when you are staring out the cockpit window as you sail across the sky leading an entire team to perfection. 

Become an Educator

The ultimate role model is a teacher. When you are educating minds, you have the power to mold the future. When you are a teacher, you are helping children and adults reach their full potential, and you are helping them open their minds to information they never knew existed until they met you. You will be leading a classroom and dictating how these minds learn and how they can retain this knowledge. There are also so many different areas of education to be a part of that you can help children with special needs learn in a loving environment, and you can help seniors or adults gain the knowledge and degrees they need to get better jobs and better lives.  

Becoming a leader is an exceptional choice, and you have the chance to change many lives.

4 Steps To Becoming A Better Teacher

Source: Pexels

Being a teacher is an excellent and fulfilling career to have. You’re making a difference in people’s lives and applying your skills in a gratifying way.

You may be doing a good job currently but want to continue to improve over time. In this case, you must take the time to learn four steps to becoming a better teacher and getting ahead. This way you can truly excel and stand apart from the rest and be happy with your job.

1. Focus on Learning & Be Prepared

One step to becoming a better teacher is to always keep the focus on learning. Your job is to teach your students and help them grow and develop and gain new knowledge. It even starts from the young age of first grade. Do a better job by being prepared each day with new and exciting lesson plans such as those from https://studentreasures.com/teachers-lounge/lesson-plans/first-grade/. You’ll find that your students perform better and you aren’t as anxious when you come ready and prepared for each day and lesson.

2. Take Time to Self-Reflect

Sometimes all it takes to do a better job and reach your goals is to do a little self-reflecting. Think about your strengths and weaknesses and in what areas you could be improving. Gather feedback from others and then listen to what they have to say and make appropriate changes based on these remarks. Become a better teacher by putting your ego aside and concentrating on developing yourself and your skills and challenging yourself by stepping outside your comfort zone.

3. Find A Mentor

You can also become a better teacher by finding a mentor to look after. Pinpoint someone who has performed well over the years and who you look up to. Use this mentor as a sounding board to help you overcome your insecurities and build more confidence in your teaching abilities. Have meetings with your mentor and discuss your questions and concerns and listen to what advice they have to offer you. Take what knowledge they’re willing to share and then apply it in your classroom and see what a difference it makes. Be sure to thank your mentor for taking the time to guide you in your teaching career.  

4. Manage Your Stress

Take care of yourself and your health and practice emotional intelligence if you want to become a better teacher. Your students are depending on you to show up each day with a lot of energy and enthusiasm. If you’re always stressed out and tired then you’re doing your students a disservice. You want them to be excited about having you as a teacher and about coming to school each day. Therefore, follow through with daily self-care activities and do what it takes to help youbring down your stress levels. Being a teacher can be overwhelming at times but you need to have ways to center yourself and find your happy place so you can be a good role model. The better shape you’re in to teach the better job you’ll do each day.

Mistakes To Avoid When Outsourcing Your Business

Image Credit

Outsourcing is instrumental to business productivity, as it saves time and reduces costs. Moreover, it increases workplace efficiency while leveraging high-level expertise. It’s no wonder that 300,000 jobs are outsourced annually in the United States. Despite its benefits, you could still make outsourcing mistakes that could harm your business. That said, here are some outsourcing mistakes to avoid. 

Unwillingness to spend on quality 

While outsourcing is meant to reduce costs, it's not advisable to opt for the cheapest option. It's not uncommon for small businesses to leverage more affordable options to save more money. However, you risk dealing with inexperienced people who would cause your business more harm than good. What's more, you could get low-quality work, which could cost even more to fix. Therefore, you should only outsource to firms or freelancers after being convinced of their credibility. Business experts also advise that you create a feasible budget for outsourcing and avoid compromising quality for cheap labor. 

Not prioritizing communication

While it's essential to hire experts, you'd also want to prioritize communication. A service provider who doesn't align with your company culture may be challenging to communicate with, diminishing productivity and wasting time. Therefore, it’s best to work with people or companies that share your core values and vision. Suppose you are a financial firm and are outsourcing the services of digital marketers. These marketers need to understand what your business stands for and develop a practical way to communicate with you. This will help them effectively promote your brand to consumers, leading to more sales and business credibility. 

Outsourcing your core competencies

Your business' core competencies are your products, services, and activities that set you apart from your competition. Therefore, it's a mistake to outsource these aspects to external companies or freelancers. Not only will you lose control of your business, but you would be mitigating your business growth. Moreover, you’d be failing to build your internal team, leading to inexperienced staff and losing your competitive advantage. Therefore, it’s essential to determine what tasks to outsource or leave for your company's team. For instance, you can focus on your product design and development and outsource your document management to credible companies like Parmetech. 

Working with multiple service providers

While it seems feasible to work with a service provider for each task, you'd want to consider manageability. Working with multiple providers can waste your time and slow your project development, leading to loss of focus and disorganization. Therefore, experts advise that you partner with two or three credible providers depending on your company size. For instance, it will be financially prudent to work with one company if you have a small business. 

Misunderstanding your outsourcing costs  

It’s pretty easy to think that outsourcing your tasks is always cheaper. However, this isn’t entirely true. It’s sometimes more expensive to work with external providers, considering the resources and efforts to measure their effectiveness. Therefore, it’s best to train your in-house team to handle certain aspects of your business to reduce costs and ensure efficiency. 

Is Your Business Ready For The Future?

Pexels Image - CC0 Licence

When you’re a business leader, it’s impossible to think only in terms of now and be confident in your success. You also need to focus on where you’re going, and what you might find when you get there. The future is rapidly approaching, after all, and your business needs to be able to adapt to any of the ever changing conditions in the working world. 

You need to be future focused, and prepare every step along the way to operate within it one day. This will start to come naturally once you know what you’re doing, as the future is both years away and also only 24 hours away, and you’ve got to move with the times as they flow.

Focus on Your Tech Stance

The future is going to be a digital one, that’s the only thing we know for sure! Aside from this, we’re moving into the dark and lighting the way with our own technology, which is why you should focus on your tech stance for the years ahead as well. 

Are you working off of your own secure network server, that’ll ensure you only ever need to rely on yourself? Have you migrated to the cloud in the way you see best for your company? Are you happy with the software and hardware you’re making use of? Keep an eye on how trends like these are changing, to ensure your technology capability helps you to keep up. 

Preserving Your Financial Security

Every business should have the kind of resources behind them that prepares them for times when income is low and the chance of securing a steady revenue is also wearing thin. And if there’s one thing we’ve learnt from the global pandemic, it’s that most companies don’t think far ahead, and have either folded or required an institutional bailout as a result. 

Don’t let your own business follow suit. Instead, make sure you have some kind of emergency fund in place, even if you’re using high risk merchant accounts to help make your money work for you. It’s a good way to simply keep an eye on what might happen in the future, and it shows you’re ready and willing to fight for the life of your company. 

Redefine Yourself for the Market

A business can have more than one purpose, especially over time. What products and services you offer now may not always be viable, particularly due to the current shopping generation we’re selling towards, and you may need to refer back to your business plan time and time again over the next 5 years. 

And what does that mean for you? Simply put, you need to keep an eye on how your place in the market fits, with plenty of research and prediction. Think of the market as a children’s shape sorter toy; will your perfectly shaped piece always drop through without a problem? 

Being future ready is a matter of preparing in the now. It’s never far away!

Are you Planning a Career Change? Here’s what you Need to Know

Source: Pexels (CC0 License)

A career change even when you’re in your 30’s is more than possible. A lot of people choose their career when they are still at school, but that doesn’t mean that you will make the right choice. It may be that you have been in the wrong career all this time without even realizing it. If you want to help yourself then the only thing that you need to do is take a look below.

Take the First Step

The first thing that you need to do is know what you want. Sure, it can be easy for you to grow tired of your current routine. You may even think that an overhaul is what you need to try and find the answers to your questions. That being said, if you are not 100% sure about making a change then things may not turn out exactly as you hope. If you want to help yourself then you need to take a big pause and you need to try and think about what isn’t right when you think about the reasons why you’re unhappy. Swapping careers without any serious thinking can be a disaster. You need to know what your non-negotiables are and you need to be clear about your long-term goals.

Work out What Your Strengths Are

You have to know what makes you tick. Are you driven by money or are you driven more by material success? What environment works best for you? Do you tend to favor a bigger pay or more job satisfaction? When you have the answers to these questions, you can then get a good idea of what direction you want to go in. You have to understand your strengths, your motivation and even your fit. If you can do this, then you can be sure to make the best decision. If you want to better your strengths, then why not explore things like getting into Stanford law, or going to university?

How to Find a Good Role

If you have finally been able to drill down and settle on what your ideal job looks like, then this is great. Your next step would be to find a job that you love. This doesn’t need to be difficult. Look at every sector and highlight any of the words or the elements that appeal to you. Talk to your friends as well and find out what they love about their careers. Take your time and do some internet research, or even ask your friends for five jobs that they believe you would be good at. This will help you to take the strengths you have listed and apply them to a real-life situation.

Prepare your Money

You may well have decided what your ideal working day looks like, and you may have found a role that has been made for you, but now you need to think about your finances. You have to make sure that you can handle a career change, because you may need to take a wage drop if it means getting into a job you can be truly happy in.

 

 

How to Become A Way Better Business Leader- Starting Right Now

Source: Pexels (CC0 License)

How would you describe someone who is a strong leader? It may be that they are assertive, intelligent or even adaptable. Being conscientious is also very important. That being said, there’s more to a leader than these qualities. If you want to boost your potential when it comes to leadership then this is the guide for you.

Understand your Style

The first thing that you need to do is understand your leadership style. You have to make sure that you know your strengths as well as your weaknesses. One way for you to find out what style of leader you are would be for you to take a leadership test. Once you have completed the test, you can then find out which characteristics you have and how these fit into your role as a leader. When you know the areas that need improvement, you can then find ways to improve your abilities.

Encourage Creativity

Intellectual ability is one of the top qualities that define leadership. Followers have to be encouraged if they want to be able to express their creativity. If you are a good leader then you should be offering a good amount of support and you should also be helping them to achieve the goals that they have set for themselves. One way for you to try and foster creativity would be for you to offer various challenges to your group members. You have to make sure that the goals are within grasp for them, and you also need to give them the confidence they need to reach that next level.

Be a Role Model

Transformational leaders are able to exemplify the behaviors that they want from their followers. They are able to walk the walk, but they also talk the talk. As a result, group members tend to admire leaders like this because they try and emulate their behavior. Research has shown time and time again that leaders need to motivate their team by setting an example, for the best results to be achieved. If you want to boost your personal ability, then consider looking into MBA application consulting.

Be Passionate about What you Do

Would you look to someone for leadership or guidance, if you knew that they did not care about the goals of the group in general? No way. Great leaders tend to be focused on getting group members to finish a task because they care about the result and not just the deadline. As a leader, you have to show passion and enthusiasm for what you do. You can develop this quality if you take the time to express your zeal. Let your team know that you genuinely care about them and the progress they are making. When someone shares something with the rest of the group, make sure that you tell them about how much you appreciate their hard work and their contributions in general. If you can do this, then you will soon find that you are able to come out on top.

 

 

4 Steps To Get You Started on Your Engineering Career Path

Image Credit

Engineering is a challenging, but rewarding profession. It requires discipline and dedication to become successful. If you are looking for a career that will allow you to utilize your creative skills and be an innovator, then engineering might just be the perfect fit for you! This blog post will provide some information on how to get started on your engineering career path.

Earn a Bachelor's Degree in Applied Engineering

When you're looking at earning a Bachelor's Degree in applied engineering, it is important to know what kind of engineering career path you want. For example, if your goal is to become an aerospace engineer, majoring in aeronautical or astronautical engineering will prepare you for that work. 

Obtain Licensure

In the United States, individual states regulate engineering licensure. Engineers with all levels of experience are eligible for licensing as long as they meet a state’s requirements and pass their exams. In order to qualify for an examination in most states, engineers must first complete four years of satisfactory work experience under the supervision of a licensed Professional Engineer (PE). 

They also have to attend continuing education courses on topics relevant to their specialization at least every two years to maintain license eligibility. In addition, qualifying candidates who earn undergraduate degrees from ABET-accredited schools may be able to sit for qualifying examinations after three years of supervised work experience instead of four, depending on which type or level exam they're applying for.

Gain Practical Experience in the Field

Some people might be able to see themselves working in the engineering field, but they have no idea what kind of career path would be best for them. A person could pursue so many fields and sub-fields depending on their interests, skillset, or aspirations. That's why it is important to get practical experience with an engineer who can help you figure out where your strengths lie before committing too heavily into one specific area.

Here are three practical ways that you can gain experience and prepare to become a PE:

- Ask other engineers for help with your projects. They will be able to offer valuable advice on how to solve problems and provide insight into what it is like in the profession. 

- Find an engineering position outside of academia and work in industry or private practice during school. This gives students practical exposure while still learning theory, which helps them make informed decisions about their future career path. 

- Intern at different companies over time, such as during summer breaks from college courses if possible. Again this allows people who might not know what engineering area they want to pursue more knowledge under natural world conditions.

Obtain a Professional Engineering License (PE)

The Professional Engineering License is the highest form of licensure that an engineer can obtain. It requires earning a Masters in Applied Engineering Degree, taking and passing the Principles and Practice Exam (PPE), accumulating four years of experience with engineering tasks, completing 400 hours of continuing education courses every two years, or any combination thereof. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, the engineering profession can be a rewarding and fulfilling career path, but it is not easy. You must have the right education to get started on this journey. With these four steps in mind for your goals, hopefully, you are now more informed about the process of becoming an engineer!

3 Ways To Boost Employee Engagement In Your Workplace

Image Credit

Employee engagement impacts almost every aspect of your business, such as profitability, sales, performance, customer experience, onboarding new employees, and so on. Employers who cherish their employees will benefit from establishing a motivated, passionate, and skilled team. So, how can you ensure that your business benefits from employee engagement? You can implement various measures to ensure that your employees feel like part of the business. Here are four practical steps you can consider. 

Prioritize employees health and wellbeing

Individuals in any working environment are more likely to be passionate and engaged in their work when their employer is concerned about their general health and wellbeing. You can enhance employee engagement by implementing a lasting company-wide wellness program. It would help if you considered offering fitness incentives as a long-term option to support healthy habits outside of the office by sponsoring gym courses to promote a healthy lifestyle. Encourage your staff to take mental health days when they need to get away from the hustle of office work. Consequently, encourage them to focus on themselves by offering meditation programs and wellbeing coaching. Also, keep a supply of healthy supplies in the kitchen to keep personnel going throughout the day.

Organizing employee engagement surveys

 

Regular employee engagement surveys can help you understand what works best in your company and make your employees feel valued. Giving everyone a chance to express their thoughts and opinions promotes open and honest conversation. Employee input is critical to keeping your employees engaged and maintaining smooth internal operations. You can get ideas from well-known companies, but remember that your team is unique and will respond better to specific employee engagement techniques. Quick pulse surveys provide you with the information you need to do just that.

Prioritize feedback and give recognition

Positive manager evaluations are linked to optimal levels of feedback. Managers who provide constant constructive feedback directly to their subordinates are evaluated higher by their team than those who offer insufficient feedback. Employees seek feedback, and it has an impact on how engaged they are. Recognizing your employees can help them feel valued and motivated to keep working hard. 

If your employees believe they are doing a good job and are being recognized for it, not only will they be more motivated, but they will inspire others to work for the same reward, increasing workplace morale. Successful business managers are open about boosting employee engagement, and they discuss it frequently with their teams. They host meetings in which everyone is "engaged" in the conversation — and the solutions.

Create a flexible working schedule 

Image Credit

Employee engagement is virtually always boosted by flexible work hours and remote work alternatives. This level of adaptability satisfies employees' desire for a work-life balance. Employees expect their employers to help them balance work and personal obligations. To demonstrate that you regard your team members personally, you should implement work hours to fit their various requirements. Employees will be more engaged if they are treated with respect and consideration.

Supporting Your Local Independent Bookstore

Image credit

Despite the prevalence of ebooks and more people accessing more books via digital methods, sales of physical books soared in 2021 by 4%. This might not sound too much, but when you consider the economy and other factors, most notably the rise of a more digital lifestyle, this increase seems to have defied predictions.

In the UK, book sales hit 2.5 billion in 2020. However, despite this rise, your local bookstore might still be struggling. The spend, it seems, hasn't been equally distributed and of the 200 million printed books sold, the sales weren't equal. That's not to say bookstores aren't thriving. Indie bookstores, in particular, seem to be gaining in popularity with dedicated book lovers who value their local bookstore and want to help it stave off closure. But is that possible, especially with behemoths such as Amazon, who sell not only digital books but physical copies and the allure of the bigger book retailers such as Waterstones?

Sure, but saving your local bookstore doesn't just mean buying books yourself. There are many ways you can support your local store, and not all of them involve you adding to that already impossible to finish TBR pile.

Why Is Supporting Local Bookstores Important?

When you step back and take on the bigger picture, you aren't just supporting your local bookseller, which is an amazing thing to do regardless. You are investing money back into publishing, allowing more authors to have their books published, better deals for indie bookstores, and supporting authors. Authors who release books online typically have to pay a fee to the seller, meaning they don't always get the full cut of the sale depending on where the book is bought.

Especially when books are being sold below the RRP, while Kindle subscriptions allow you to read as many books as you want for a set amount, the authors only receive payment per page read. Meaning if you don't finish the book, they only get paid until you give up and state something new. While this can be a good residual income, nothing beats someone purchasing a full-price copy of their book to support the industry as a whole.

Leave Reviews

Whether you have shopped online or in-store with your favorite retailer or retailers, leaving them a review online can help others find them and support what they do. Find their social media pages and website if they have one and look for how to leave a review, either for the book(s) you bought, the service you received, or both.

Sadly far too many people see fit to leave online complaints at the merest hint of what they perceive to be bad service. So countering this with positive and supportive feedback across everywhere your bookstore is active can help you do your bit to support them.

Participate in Events

A great way to introduce people to new authors or books is by holding in-store or virtual events. The success of these events directly correlates with how many people turn up and support them. Even if you know of the author, read the book, or have no desire to read or get involved, simply showing up can be supportive. Events can be a great income generator for bookstores, and the more popular the events are, the more they will be able to book in. so sign up to receive alerts and make your presence count come event day.

Social Media

Where would we be without social media? The beauty of social media is you can connect with companies and brands easily and for free. Be generous with your engagement and like and share social media posts, chat and engage on topics you are interested in and give feedback if requested. All of this you can do for free at any time, even if you cannot visit in person.

On Twitter, there is a hashtag you can follow to support booksellers #AskABookSeller.

Sign up to receive newsletters or new release alerts to allow you to keep up to date with new and latest developments in store.

Pre-Order

Pre-orders are huge and allow bookstores to gauge interest in new releases and get in the newest books. It can even help them to negotiate better prices too. Always preorder with your local bookstore either in person or online. Making a preorder and paying upfront guarantees them an income, whereas otherwise, they might not have had the money. In hard times, this will always be welcome.

Gift Cards

If you don't need any new books, but you want to give the power of books to loved ones for gifts, why not ask your local bookseller if they have any gift cards you can buy to allow people to buy when they are ready. Noto only does the bookseller get potentially much-needed funds but a guaranteed sale.

Audiobooks

If your retailer has a website, there is always the option to purchase audiobooks if you prefer to listen to a story rather than read them. Audiobooks are becoming increasingly popular, and you can enjoy your favorite stories over again via a new format and hear them in a totally different way.

Word of Mouth

There is nothing more powerful than word of mouth when it comes to supporting small businesses. In fact, getting a recommendation via word of mouth is something many businesses prefer as it means someone thought highly enough of you to tell other people.

So if you have had a great experience in-store or someone asks for recommendations, share your thoughts and feelings on your favorite small bookstores to help support them.

In conclusion, if you are a bonafide bookworm, then making changes to how you buy your new reads and support booksellers and the industry as a whole can help to establish the need to preserve smaller bookstores and appreciate everything they can offer customers and the wider community too.

Even regular purchases, no matter how small, can make a difference, and if you can take on board some of the tips in this post, you can ensure bookstores are around for a really long time.