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Grow a Small Business

We are bombarded every day by the lives successful people lead through the media – where do they live, what car do they drive, when do they wake up, what do they eat, etc. But what do we know about the habits that have made them into successful financially successful entrepreneurs? If you’re trying to develop your business into a successful one you know that it’s a tough road to take. It requires a lot of knowledge, drive, and dedication in order to manage your money right and achieve financial security and independence. Of course, it is possible, but it would be much easier with some insight from the people who already achieved that. That’s why Dean Willcocks Advisory have put together a list of financial habits that have taken them to success.

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Most people can only dream of working from home, but if you have managed it then you will need to set up an office at home. Having a work space in your home will allow you to switch off when you leave your designated work area, because it is essential to switch off after a long day of working. Here are four things you need to do before setting up a home office.

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BURNOUT. It’s the seven letter word that every employer dreads encountering. As businesses push to meet productivity needs and illicit the best results, employees can become overwhelmed, overtasked and burned out, sometimes without even realising it. Employers then become unwitting participants in the detection of subtle cues that suggest a need for change. Often burnout presents in seemingly disconnected ways. Small gestures that may, on the surface, look like behavioural or emotional anomalies, are sometimes indicators of a burnout silently brewing into an all-out raging inferno.
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A massive 50% of small businesses say hiring new employees is their top challenge. According to Wasp Barcode’s annual State of Small Business Report it is the number one challenge for businesses with fewer than 499 employees, even more challenging than the traditionally-mentioned issues, such as increasing profits and cash flow. So, Yuliana Topazly from BuddyWith explains how flexible working can help.
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The number of people deploying professional apps to help run their business has exploded in recent years. With the rise of iPad POS systems, mobile accounting applications, and integrated ecommerce platforms, SMEs have capitalised and prospered, even despite the fact that not too long ago the only reason one would use an app would be to send angry birds flying into buildings.

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New research has shown that 46% of UK businesses identified at least one cyber security breach or attack in the last 12 months. May is fast approaching and with it the implementation date for the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), so it’s time to start thinking about whether you are up to date with your data management.

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There are many different ways to increase customer loyalty in the logistics industry, with one of the most important methods being through your shipping strategies. Loyalty is essential in every sector to guarantee returning customers and revenue, so you need to do everything in your power to ensure this happens. Poor domestic and international deliveries can lead to all sorts of problems, but having a strong shipping strategy will lead to happy and loyal customers. This can be achieved in three easy ways.

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There may be a time that you have to say goodbye to your small business, whether it’s because you’re a serial entrepreneur and want to make money from your successful business or you simply want to get rid of your struggling business. The key to successfully selling your business is to devise an exit strategy. An exit strategy will help you decide how much money you can make from a profitable business or how much of your initial investment you can retain from a struggling business.

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When you are a small business owner, going international and expanding your business into the global market may be a distant dream. However, if you’re hungry for the international success, then you will need to get prepared for the challenge ahead. Your home country will seem small compared to the big unfamiliar global market, and you will be leaving behind those home comforts and familiarity, therefore you will need to tread carefully. International growth can be both daunting and rewarding and you will have to see if the positives outweigh the challenges.

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If you buy an existing small business, it may be easier than starting from scratch and it may be ideal if you’re new to entrepreneurship. However, as with any business, running it is never easy. Being a small business owner comes with its own hurdles, whether you are starting from scratch or buying an already existing enterprise. To make sure that you don’t get yourself into unexpected problems, make sure you consider all options and research fully to make an educated decision.

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Often success is measured by increasing profitability of a business, if the profitability isn’t increasing, it can make a business feel stagnant. You don’t have to make dramatic, big changes or cuts such as increasing prices or laying off staff. There are other ways in which you can make small changes that will benefit your business and increase your profits. Being a small business owner, if your year-on-year profits aren’t increasing, or even worse are decreasing, then you will seriously need to look at different strategies to increase your profits.
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When you think of New Year’s resolutions, you probably think of failed attempts at getting fit or travelling more. However, New Year’s resolutions can actually be useful and you can even set some that you can achieve. The whole idea of a New Year’s resolution is to make a change that will have a positive impact on you and your business, so why not take the opportunity to do so.

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With the year coming to a close, it’s time to look back and reflect, as well as looking ahead. 2017 has been a great year for small businesses which have thrived and stood strong despite uncertainty bought on by Brexit. From the Autumn Budget being small business friendly, to the huge success of Small Business Saturday, small businesses can allow themselves to be optimistic about the upcoming year.

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Providing the best customer service can almost always be a deciding factor of the success of your business. Building a client base that is loyal can really help your business thrive. Therefore, providing customer service should really be a prominent part of every business’ goals and objectives. Proving a good service means that you can bring the customers back as well as sending them away happy and satisfied.

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In business we need to give successful presentations and pitches. I’ve realised through experience that focusing on content alone leads to failure. I’ve learned the hard way. Over the years I’ve given countless presentations to business audiences small and large and also spoken to ten thousand. As a result I now have my own methodology which I will outline for you here, writes Bret Freeman from Toastmasters International.
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The self-employment sector grows continuously in the UK. More and more people are taking the plunge of becoming their own boss and it’s not an easy decision to make. To leave the security of being an employee, which provides regular work and pay checks, it can be daunting. Being your own boss and running a business can be glamorised, but in reality it can be quite difficult.
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Did you know that the power that comes out of your plug sockets and other outlets can vary in quality? It is true that there are strict rules governing the quality of power to ensure that individuals, businesses and organisations receive consistently high levels of power. However, sometimes errors can occur within systems that bring power quality down significantly. Multiple different power issues can end up costing your business money.

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Running a business is no small feat, though with the right finances, support, and expertise, most challenges can be overcome. But while small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) owners might possess proficiency in their specialist field, how do they secure sufficient cash flow and support to setup a long-term and prosperous business model? These are the biggest challenges businesses faced in 2017 – but technology is making it easier to solve them.

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One of the main balancing acts over the festive break is ensuring that as many staff as possible can have time off to enjoy Christmas and New Year with their families, whilst still maintaining customer service.
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The end of the year is often a quiet time for non-retail focused companies, as staff and management look forward to Christmas and the New Year and begin to wind down in anticipation. This can mean that big decisions are left for January. By and large this makes sense; there’s little reason to institute changes which won’t really go into full effect until January or beyond.

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