Grow a Small Business

It costs more money for businesses to gain new customers, in comparison to retaining loyal clients. When developing a customer retention plan, you should use some of the following tips. These strategies could keep your clients engaged and coming back for more products and services.

During the last decade, we have become increasingly aware of the need to protect the world around us, which has led to more businesses concentrating on their sustainability efforts. 

Making sure your business is safe and secure is vital for all business owners. Having good security systems is essential but it can also be costly. It is now possible to rent a complete, permanent security system designed for your specific needs, without having to buy a system and then replace them when they get outdated. In this guide, we cover how you can get the latest security system without buying any equipment for your small business.

Over the past decade, we’ve heard a lot about corporate social responsibility (CSR). Take Starbucks for example. Their initiative to donate unsold food to those in need aims to combat hunger and food waste. Toms one-for-one campaign is another example of social responsibility in action — for every pair of shoes you buy, a pair is donated to a child in a developing country.

If you are a small business owner who supplies goods direct to consumers, you undoubtedly pride yourself in the quality of the products you provide. However, it’s inevitable that some people will want to return the items they have bought (or been given). But what rights do they have?

An international study conducted by Unilever has revealed that a third of consumers now favour brands which they feel are doing social or environmental good. Investing in companies who demonstrate an unwavering effort to ‘go green’ has become a key priority for possible clients, making this a crucial consideration for every business.

When the economy is doing well, it’s easy to become too relaxed and spend too much money. Overhead costs like rent, salaries, and travel costs can become bloated as managers ride the wave of prosperity.

Evidence published by Future Workplace, after carrying out their Workplace Wellness Study, suggests that the number one luxury on employees’ wish lists is in fact something very simple – and far from expensive. Rather than elaborate perks and benefits, employees are searching for natural light. The research showed that a substantial proportion of employees wish they had more access to natural light. Intrigued as to why this is?

According to the Office for National Statistics, a “high street” is “a cluster of 15 or more retail addresses within 150 metres”. In other words, the presence of retail outlets is literally what makes a high street and the media often uses the phrase “high street” as a synonym for the retail sector.

Are we surprised that there are still more male entrepreneurs than female entrepreneurs? Maybe not. However, some parts of the world see this inequality much greater than other parts. The majority of females in business say that the further up the ladder they get, there is a lack of female role models that they can aspire to be. In a male-dominated industry, women are not always treated the same as male entrepreneurs.

We all know to recycle paper, turn off a light when we leave a room and choose to walk or take public transport over using the car wherever possible. But there’s a significant threat to the environment that nobody is talking about. E-waste, when electronic products end their ‘useful life’ and are thrown away. This is the single fastest-growing waste stream with 80% off the world’s electronic devices end up in the landfill.

The majority of schools will close on 20^th December so from that Friday the pressure is on! With Christmas Day and New Year’s Day both being on a Wednesday, this holiday season may be proving a bit more complicated to plan than usual.  What time off will you be giving your employees?

Project management is not as easy as you think. There are a lot of things you need to take care of. From planning to final submission, the list is endless. If you have to keep a record of every step you take in your project or to know what all steps are to be taken for the completion of the project, using a Gantt chart tool is the ultimate solution.

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Christmas sales are crucial in the success of a business and is the key period of the year that determines the overall profit margin for the year, so it is vital to implement a strong business and marketing plan for the festive season to make sure that your business will continue to grow and thrive into the New Year.

Strategic planning is a crucial process that often gets overlooked in small businesses, due to a lack of understanding about the process, and a lack of resources available to dedicate to planning. However, a strategic plan can be the difference between staying afloat and being a true success.

As a business owner, you’re probably always on the lookout for easy ways to save some money, whether you’re looking to cut the cost of that lunch out or make some savings on your office electricity bill.

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Starting a company is a risky business. In the early stages, there is a significant chance of failure. One in five small businesses do not last beyond their first year.  Thirty per cent of small business fail in their second year, 50% fail after five years, and 70% fail in their tenth year in operation.

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Artificial Intelligence is changing many of the ways that you can conduct your business. Many of these improvements focus on task management and evolving data collection.

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You’ve gone through the hard work of setting up your business and have built up a list of clients you work with on a regular basis. It’s time to begin the effort of securing relationships and setting the stage for growing your business in the future.

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