Tips for business growth: Reading, planning and wasting money!
Did you know that reading, planning and wasting money are three things that you may not have thought of when trying to grow your small business? When is the last time you picked up a book on business or even a biography of a successful business person? I am not talking about sitting down and reading a book cover-to-cover, but reading key chapters that could influence you on ways to improve your business. This could be a book that is new to you, or one that you want to re-visit and learn more from, or simply to get another perspective that you did not get the first time you read it. While my preference is reading a printed book over reading an e-book, the options of available online e-books can sometimes be more convenient. Purchasing a physical book or an e-book can be great, but also consider visiting a public […]
Ten tips that entrepreneurs young and old should follow
It is often said that being an entrepreneur means that you’ll often have to blaze your own trail and find you own way. Being an entrepreneur means not having career guides, counselors or road maps that will guide you from one step to the next. Sometimes you will just have to make it up as you go. For this reason, whenever possible, up-and-coming entrepreneurs are encouraged to seek out established entrepreneurs to request their help through mentoring. There are many established entrepreneurs who want to help the next generation of entrepreneurs who are seeking insight and insider education. Here are 10 tips that you will often hear veteran entrepreneurs share with the next generation of business leaders. 1. Keep your focus on the big picture. Far to often, fist-time entrepreneurs are driven to jump at that next big opportunity. The problem is that these opportunities may not be offered for […]
How to start a retail business from home
This blog is the third in a series about home-based profitable businesses that you can start without having to carry large inventories or to have a full-time presence in a physical office or storefront. It is often mentioned that small businesses employ more people than all large businesses combined. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play a major role in the Canadian economy. Industry Canada says that 99% of businesses in Canada have fewer than 500 employees and they employ 64% of workers in the private sector. A great deal of those businesses are retail based. In the USA, the retail industry provides a way of life for the more than 24 million people who earn their livelihood from it. Regardless of the type of retail business you want to start, you cannot ignore the power and reach of the Internet. Each type of retailing has strengths and weaknesses, so you […]
Why is Cyber Monday so important to small business E-commerce?
So what is Cyber Monday? Basically, Cyber Monday is to online retailers what Black Friday is for brick-and-mortar retailers. These online events have been around for a decade and can help level the playing field for small businesses. According to Forbes, Cyber Monday online revenue for 2014 reached $2.68 billion – a nearly 20% increase over the totals in 2013. It is important to note that more than one-third of these purchases were made via mobile devices. This shows the amazing evolution of online sales. Lets go back to the beginning. According to Wikipedia, “Cyber Monday is a marketing term for the Monday after the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States. The term “Cyber Monday” was created by marketing companies to persuade people to shop online. The term was coined by Ellen Davis and made its debut on November 28, 2005 in a Shop.org press release entitled “‘Cyber Monday Quickly […]
How to create a series of seminars for small business owners and consumers
In our previous article “How to Create a Series of Seminars” we primarily focused on creating seminars and training sessions for larger businesses, but what about seminars and training sessions for small business owners and consumers? As a small business owner, what skills or wisdom do you have to share with other small business owners or consumers? Hundreds of thousands of people pay to attend meetings, seminars, workshops and training programs every year. By creating and conducting seminars or training sessions, you could bring additional income to your business – you just need to find the topic that your audience will pay you to learn about. The most popular training topics include customer service and creative problem-solving. But they can also include team building, leadership and sales motivation. So, where are you going to start looking for your audience? Professional and local service organizations are always on the lookout for […]
How to create a series of seminars
Over the past few decades, the seminar business has become quite big because the demand is high. The demand for seminars is not only important with some consumers, it has also become in demand by small businesses and giant corporations alike. As a small business owner, you might be able to get in the game to show off your skills and the skills of those around you. Conducting seminars could result in additional income for your business – because there are hundreds of thousands of people paying to attend meetings, seminars, workshops and training programs every year. Some of these people are sent to these types of events by their employer, while others attend them for personal growth and knowledge. There are thousands of topics being taught each year – from sales and management techniques to managing stress and building financial growth. When you are setting up your seminar series, […]
Management Tips Gleaned From The Harvard Review
The Harvard Business Review (HBR) is a highly regarded general management magazine published by Harvard Business Publishing, an organization that is a wholly owned subsidiary of Harvard University. Harvard Business Review’s articles cover a wide and diverse range of topics that are relevant to different industries, management functions and geographic locations. A great deal of their articles focuses on such areas as leadership, organizational change, negotiation, strategy, operations, marketing, finance and managing people. Recently, Harvard Business Review released a book on their top management tips that were very insightful and should be shared. But the best tips were the ones that can easily be taken and put into action. While a lot of the tips may be more focused to managers of larger businesses, we found the tips that are best suited for small business owners and managers. One chore many people do not finish is to actually get through […]
Getting Virtual Teams Right
First let’s talk about “Virtual Teams” as some people do not know what the term means. Basically, Virtual Teams are people that work together on various projects, but are located in different physical locations. This concept of people collaborating from various locations is one that is on the rise and has become easier as internet and telecommunication technology advances. These dispersed teams rely on shared work spaces, public WiFi, libraries and other places that they can connect to the Internet and communicate with their coworkers. Basically, they can work from almost anywhere and still be able to interact with other team members. We don’t need discuss the appeal of this type of work environment for employees, or their satisfaction in working in a flexible environment that speaks for itself. Most remote workers will tell you that they are happy to work alone, but they are most happy when they are […]
Where to locate your business
It is often said that the three most important factors in making sure a business is successful are ‘location, location, location.’ Even if your business is not retail and does not rely on walk-in traffic, your location is important to your customers and prospective clients. Yes, you prospective clients will often research your small business to find out if you are local and if you at a real business address. You may not need to maintain a physical presence near your customers, but your business address should be where your customers are – or where they expect you to be. You could have a head office location at a prestigious business address and have a majority of your production or staff working from another location that better suits the work that is being done – or where you are paying less rent. You want your customers to see your primary […]
Characteristics To Look For In A Remote Worker
When you are looking for remote workers, you want people who have experience with little supervision (well, little in-person supervision) that are able to show results from the work that they are being asked to do. Your business has to be able to count on them, without you standing over their shoulder and making sure that they are getting the job done correctly and efficiently. Even though they are working remotely, they have to be team players. If an applicant does not demonstrate the ability to work with other team members or understand the concept of constant communication with head office and other team members, they might not be suited for your team. Because wherever your team members are located, holding daily meetings can keep them united and working towards one goal. You need a remote worker who can also check in with other team members a few times each […]
How to Gain Trust for Your Home-Based Business
As we mentioned in our previous blog “How to Gain Trust for Your E-commerce Business,” trust, in general, is the key to the success of your business. You not only have to build and maintain trust with your clients, customers and vendors, you need to have the trust of employees and freelancers. Some say that if you lose that trust, you may just as well pack up your business and go home. But what if your business is a home-based business? How do you gain trust? As business owners and marketers, the assumptions you make about your target customers and the purchasing motivations you think they may have, will have a powerful affect on the health of your business. As a small business owner, your reputation means everything and you cannot afford to damage your personal brand. But trust is also very fragile. If you lose it, it’s very difficult, […]
Advantages of Live Seminars Over Virtual Seminars
As we have written about (along with many others who have likely giving you small business advice), one of the best new ways of talking to customers and potential clients is by doing seminars and webinars. But what are the advantages of having live seminars over virtual/online seminars and training sessions? Having the choice available for attendees is key. First, having your attendees in the same room as you are gives you the chance to truly interact with them. But it also provides more networking opportunities for your attendees with others. People are more likely to network more closely with others in person rather than online. We are, after all, social creatures. When you have people coming to your seminar or training session, you have a greater opportunity to gather more information about them and potentially turn them into long-term customers for your business – simply because of the information […]
Are Business Centres the Office Workplaces of the Future?
The future of the workplace is more work and less place, especially given the impact of new technologies and the changing demands of a new generation of workers. Even with some employees working full-time or part-time at home or in other remote locations, there still needs to be an office for the business. One trend in corporate offices today is to have fewer and smaller individual workspaces and a greater portion of the workspace dedicated to interactive and collaborative uses. Companies are changing the functions of the workplace more toward intense interaction spaces. Office space is being optimized for all types of collaboration, including space to bring remote workers into the office on a schedule. Even having remote workers come into the office a few times a month for meetings and team-building exercises requires a flexible workspace that can be changed or reconfigured when needed. Traditional office space with cubicles […]
How to Create a Fantastic Seminar/Training Session or Networking Event
Seminars are a powerful way to build awareness of your company, market your products or services, and possibly create a new revenue stream for your business. Regardless of what type of business you are in, you most likely have knowledge and expertise that others would find helpful and may also encourage potential attendees to use your services. Here is a checklist and some tips to make your seminars ‘fantastic’: Determine the cost of your event. This will help you decide if your content should be more informational or more sales oriented. You do not want a high price and a high-pressure sales event because you will likely discourage possible attendees. When scheduling your seminar, watch for potential conflicts that could reduce your attendance. You do not want to have your event on the same day or time as a competitor’s event – or even another local event that is non-related, […]
Tips to Fill Your Seminar or Training Session
Your seminar is planned and you have a training room booked, now you just have to fill the seats and get people to attend. When you are setting out to create your first training session, your task is to get an audience and gather interest in what you are promoting or training. How are you going to fill your seminar or training session? Here are some tips to help you succeed in getting people to attend. Promote on announcement and Meetup sites! There are plenty of event announcement websites and most of them are free. Social media sites like Facebook, LinkedIn and Google Plus have places to post and promote your event. Besides social media event places, there are sites such as Meetup where you can crowd-source and promote your seminar to people who share the common interest of your training session. Mention it in your newsletter! If you have […]
How to gain new customers using seminars and training
Many small business owners attended seminars and training room sessions when they were first starting out, just to get some knowledge and a feel for what it was like to be their own boss. Even as their business continues to grow, smart business owners seek out training and business seminars for growth – especially free events. Attending these seminars builds trust between them and the trainer/seminar holder, so much so that they may consider doing business with them. Regardless of what type of product or service your business provides, you too can offer seminars and training sessions that can increase awareness of your potential customers. Doing your first seminar or training session will not be easy, unless you have experience with public speaking and are passionate about what you do. The more you do your seminar or training session, the more you become comfortable with presenting. The more comfortable and […]
MBC’s: What’s the difference and why does it matter?
Whether it’s meeting rooms, Boardrooms or Conference rooms (MBC’s), what’s the difference and why should it matter? A boardroom is traditionally a room set aside for meetings of the board members of a corporation or organization. The phrase meeting room implies a less formal space – meaning a room that is set aside for any group of people to meet in. Basically, the same room can be used for various reasons. This might change depending on who is using the space, and the level of formality of the meeting itself. This also depends on the terminology that the meeting’s host prefers to use. Office business centres like Telsec have various types of boardrooms, meeting rooms and conference rooms available, depending on the formality of the meeting and the technology requirements. Some of Telsec’s boardrooms are more formal in appearance and decor, whereas some of the meeting rooms and conference/training rooms […]
Who you hire to do your small business marketing reflects on your image
It is important to know who you hire to do your small business marketing, because their actions and work reflects on the image of your brand and your company. When an outside marketer makes a mistake, your audience will still see your brand and not theirs. Last week after leaving a meeting at my Telsec office, I encountered a poster stapled to a tree outside the liquor store a block away from my office. I could not believe that someone would actually put a poster on a tree in this day and age of being environmentally friendly. Nothing can ruin a company’s reputation faster than being seen as not being environmentally conscientious. I decided that I wanted to let my friends know what bad marketing is and to expose the company on my person social media accounts, not as the writer of this blog. I posted a photo of it […]
Things that anyone who works from home knows all too well
If you have experience working from home, there are things that you know all too well – and the crazy hours we keep is only the beginning. Yes, our home offices are just minutes or seconds away, but that morning “commute” can often get interrupted by a family member calling, or the dog wanting to go for his walk. Not every home office is the same and not everyone has the same experiences, but as someone who works from home, most can all agree on experiencing one or more of these things. Sometimes working from home instead of a traditional office space can put a strain on family relations, especially if you have children. When your kids see that mommy or daddy is home, they assume that it is playtime or that they can ask for help or anything else. If boundaries are not established, your work may suffer. Boundaries […]
Are you paying too much for your unused boardroom?
From time to time we have small business people come to us to rent a boardroom even though they have their own office space. This is often the result of the owner having to make a decision about his or her space because of growth in the business. A small business that has thought ahead and devoted space for a meeting room or boardroom may see two or more new work spaces in that space, rather than a boardroom that gets used only a few times a month. They come to Telsec Business Centres looking to rent a boardroom that is often better equipped and more comfortable than the space that is now the workspace for their two new employees. It is not always necessary for a company to have a boardroom or meeting space. The cost of paying rent on a room that sits empty all the time or becomes an unused “storage […]