Every Small Business Should Have a Procedures Manual
You may already have a disaster recovery plan that will keep your doors open by using alternative office spaces. But do you also have a procedures manual that details all the important plans for keeping your business going? The creating of a procedures manual is often overlooked in disaster recovery plan strategies – but it can sometimes be even more important because minor emergencies are more frequent than disasters. A procedure manual lets everyone know how everything is done, just in case the person who normally takes care of those things is not available. When a problem needs to be solved or a task needs to be performed, others can go to the manual and find the solutions, rather than having to chase down others for answers. A good procedures manual can also be used for training new staffers, especially if they are replacing people who have already left your […]
Small Business Owners Also Have to Remember to be Good Customers
So, we have given our followers advice on branding their product, service, business and even personal branding. But one of our office space for rent tenants told us that we have not touched on tips for being a good customer. In a way, being a good customer is also about your personal branding. Whether you are a customer as an individual or as as a business customer, how you conduct business as a buyer/consumer impacts your brand. The list of how to be a bad customer is long – so long we are only going to talk about some of them. One way of being a bad customer is not keeping up with the terms of payment you agreed to. If you have problems with those terms talk to the vendor before it becomes a problem. Another way to be a bad customer is to give a negative review online […]
As an Entrepreneur and Small Business Owner, are you Taking Care of Your Personal Brand?
Yes, you may have taken care of your business or product branding. You may even have a professional business address and office space in a prestigious office building. Too often what many entrepreneurs and small business owners forget to take care of is their own personal brand. This means that people also want to know who is behind your product or service. They want to trust you and not just your product. Your potential customers want to know who they are working with and why they should be dealing with you. Personal branding is much like social media. It is about making a commitment of defining yourself as the leader of your small business and how your leadership shapes the manner in which your company will serve your customers. Personal branding is very powerful because it is about sending a clear, consistent message about who you are and what you have […]
Places offering small business help that most entrepreneurs do not consider
In a recent blog we told you about the various ways that a small business can get free or low-cost help from the public library, but there are other sources of help that often go undiscovered. For example, local, Provincial/State and even Federal governments have various programs and resources that are often unknown or under-utilized by the small business owners that may need them. In a world of political grandstanding, a lot of myths get spun that are not necessarily true about government and small business. One of the most common is that small business and big government do not mix. This is not true. What is true is that the government can be as much of a friend to your small business as a foe. If you are in need of solid business advice at a crucial moment, the government might be able to help. Governments know how important […]
Public libraries are not usually places where small businesses look for help – but they should be!
Whether you are starting or growing a small business, your public library can be a great resource. Modern libraries are not just buildings full of books. They now have resources that you may not know about. Like other public libraries across North America, the Toronto Public Library offers free programs and seminars on everything you’ll need to run your small business. You just need to ask about them. When you visit a local library branch, you can ask their expert library staff to help you find what you need. Yes, they have books on virtually everything, including financing, marketing, human resources and more. They will also have e-books, e-magazines, videos, directories, databases and more – in addition to a wide range of printed books. Some libraries even have online databases and e-publications that you can access 24/7 from the library’s website. Did you also know that your public library will […]
What is the Coffee Situation at Your Small Business Office? What is it Costing You?
Look around any office space of a business, large or small, and you will see either coffee mugs or paper coffee cups on many of the desks. Coffee is a large part of the business environment, but some business owners often do not consider what it is costing them when they do not provide coffee in the office on a regular basis. Some businesses offer their staff free or subsidized coffee in the office as a perk (no pun intended) of the job. Unless they are using a quality office coffee service, the coffee can be “hit or miss.” When a small business owner offers a coffee maker and the supplies to go with it, the quality of the coffee depends on the person whose job it is to make it that particular day. Unless the person making the coffee each time it runs low is the same person, the […]
Public Cellphone Usage Advice for Business
Have you ever been on public transit or in a confined public place and could overhear the intimate details of a loud cellphone talker? Most of those overheard conversations are about where a person is heading or what some of their private plans are. So, they are simply annoying to hear – not to mention being downright rude! But what if what you were hearing was private information about a company, its clients, its employees or financial information about the company or one of its clients? It happens more frequently than you might think. People tend to forget that sometimes they are prone to talk louder on their cellphone (especially if they are wearing ear buds). Most people will tell you that they cannot stand it when people talk too loudly on their phone in public. According to Microsoft’s Lumia Conversations, 21% of respondents to a poll they conducted on cellphone etiquette […]
Stepping Into a New Office to Begin the New Year
It is this time of year when home-based small business owners make resolutions to take their small business venture to that next step. They are at a point in their business where they can no longer use their home address as a business address. Some small business owners who are looking to get away from using their home address or a P.O. Box will look into getting a virtual office address at a prestigious business centre. They may even get a virtual office package that includes telephone answering by a professional receptionist to make them really look like they are an established business that is not going anywhere. Many consumers and other businesses will tend to shy away from a business that is located in a home residence or through a P.O. Box. This is simply because past experience has shown these types of situations to be either unprofessional or […]
Where and how do you Choose to Have Your Office Space?
Statistically speaking, small businesses are defined as being companies with under 100 employees. But those numbers are not often broken down by the number of office staff or staff who may work in manufacturing, distribution or other areas of the business. So, where and how do you choose to have your office space? Depending on the business model or type, you will probably find that in manufacturing, small businesses have less than 10% of the workforce in the office. Service industry companies, on the other hand, have a much higher percentage of their staff working in the office, likely because they’re closer to their clients. Most manufacturing-based small businesses will try to keep the sales, marketing and administrative staff in office space that is within the manufacturing facility – to save on costs by having only one facility to maintain. Service-based small businesses that need to be closer to the […]
Know What you are Looking for in an Office Rental
Renting office space is considered one of the highest expenses that a small business will incur, so making the right choice and getting the right deal is very important. A small start-up cannot afford to make the wrong choice and sign up for a long-term agreement in the wrong space, with possible “hidden” costs involved. Don’t make an impulse decision when choosing office space; make it rational and choose the right space that works best for you and your company. Far too often this major financial decision is made with emotions without considering the long-term implications. Many small business owners forget that the space they are considering is going to be a place they will spend half, if not more, of their waking hours in. What looks great today may not suit your needs tomorrow – and being locked into a lease might also restrict business growth. Choosing an office […]
Keeping Your Office Organized is More About Mental Organization
It seems everyone wants to get organized, but no one knows quite how to do it. There are plenty of articles about ‘de-cluttering’ your home or home office, but very few about organizing your office space. So we decide to gather some of the best ideas. Of course, we found plenty of practical suggestions about filing, eliminating junk mail, paper, time-management etc., but few that actually addressed changing your way of thinking and feeling about clutter. Computers have a great deal to offer organization in terms of paperless storage, but their power is often underutilized and misapplied. Even when we get bigger hard drives, better searches and even better organizing software programs, we still get computer clutter. Clutter-proofing your business is about changing people, not the way you organize things. Things don’t clutter, people clutter. The things that make up your office aren’t disorganized, it’s the the people who handle […]
Keeping Your Office Space Organized is Important
Organizing your office is not something too many small business owners do, even those who have a small business office in a professional office business centre. It often strikes you when you cannot find a file or that software license and declare: “where the heck did I put that?” As overwhelming as it may seem, keeping your office space organized can be as simple as 1, 2, 3. Ok, maybe there are few more steps to organizing your office, but lets start with 5. Purging, clearing the bulletin or message board (better yet, purge it too!), clearing your desktop, and choosing a file drawer to clearing and organizing a desk drawer (one at a time). When you look around your office space, there must be a few items that are just taking up space. These are things you have acquired and placed in your office space, but they have no […]
Location, Location, Location – But What About Having More Than One?
In the world of business (not just real estate) you often hear the phrase “location, location, location.” This is because where your business is located is not only important to how your business runs, it is important for the convenience of your customers. Depending on your business and your need to be in multiple markets, you could have multiple business addresses without needing to staff them. A virtual office situation could make you appear local, even when your head office is actually on the other side of the world! The concept of having a head office in one city or country and smaller branch offices in other cities or countries is not new to big business. But what about your small business? Small business owners are realizing that a virtual office at a business centre with a prestigious address can give them the appearance of being local, without the need […]
A Cheap Day Office or a Cheap Meeting Room – Without Looking Cheap!
The reason most entrepreneurs or small businesses (who do not have a full-time office) will rent a day office is to impress a client or prospective customer. The trick is to find a cheap day office or cheap meeting room without looking cheap. You also do not want to find the most lavish looking day office that might scare a prospect off by thinking your product or service will be too expensive because of the perceived high-end office. The key to renting a day office is location, as it would be with renting a full-time office. This is especially true if your clients and customers you plan on meeting with (on the same day) are in a specific geographic area. But most often, a central downtown location is the most desired place to have your day office. Besides entrepreneurs looking to impress customers with the atmosphere and amenities of a […]
Office Space Options Mean you do not Have to be in the Office all Summer
As we look around our office space each summer, there are fewer and fewer people around. It is not because there are less office tenants or a lot of people taking vacations; it is because businesses are learning the benefits of flexible office business centres that allow them to work smarter. More and more smart business owners are realizing the benefits of better utilizing services of office-space providers. Having a live receptionist that is included with their serviced office not only saves them the cost of an employee, but gives them options as to how their calls are handled. Being able to change how their calls are handled with a quick phone call or an advance email, means that their calls can be re-routed or sent directly to their voice-mail when they are out of the office. Having options as to how your calls are handled and directed is only the beginning. […]
Ten Ways to Keep Your Office Space More Productive
What can you do to make your office space more productive and reduce the stress level for you and your employees? We reviewed through tips that we had previously written about, and looked to the internet for more ideas. You will be surprised how many are common-sense ideas that many do not even consider. 1. Forget about 9 to 5 for you and your employees. Nothing helps reduce stress more than setting your own hours. Staggering hours to avoid commuter rush periods can really help you get the day started. With some employees starting earlier and leaving earlier and others starting later and leaving later, work gets done and you have a happier workplace overall. 2. Take your meeting for a walk! As we mentioned in our series on the negative effects of sitting and the potential health risks of sedentary working conditions, one of the best ways to counteract […]
Who is Looking After Your Office Space When you are on Vacation?
Regardless of what kind of small business you have, not taking a vacation or recreational time away from your operation will hurt your small business. Almost every small business owner will tell you that they have not taken a vacation in years because their business will not let them. Even entrepreneurs with staff are afraid to take even a day away from the office for fear of losing a client. Far too often you hear about a business person who has had a stroke or heart attack caused by stress. Stress that can be managed and controlled by a number of factors. So try taking some time away from the stress and allowing your body and mind to not think about work or business. Even a “Staycation” in your own city can allow the body and mind to revitalize. A “Staycation” is where you take time away from work and […]
Office Business Centres Renting Office Space are Working to Offer More Natural Light
Studies have shown office spaces that use natural light often have lower absenteeism rates and increased productivity levels from employees, so office business centres that offer window offices and more economical interior offices are always looking to find better ways to get natural light to interior offices and corridors. The logic is that if employees of bigger businesses work better with natural lighting, then why not small business owners and their employees? In a typical office business centre there are a limited number of offices for rent that are window offices, so the challenge is to get the natural lighting to flow through to the interior offices without window office tenants feeling like they are working in a glass bubble. One way this is accomplished is to install small glass panels made from smoked glass, or doors that are constructed with large smoked-glass windows. Then, interior offices can also be […]
Does Your Virtual Office Have a Smiling, Professional Receptionist?
Yes, you did read the headline correctly! We asked if your virtual office has a smiling, professional receptionist, because some virtual offices do not have receptionists. Instead, your calls are answered by a call centre employee that is working nowhere near the physical reception area of your virtual office. He or she may be working from another city – or even another country! When choosing a virtual office, you want the person answering your calls to not only be in the same city or country as your virtual office address, but you want him or her to be answering your calls where you actually get your mail. Some virtual office packages will tell you they offer call answering for your small business, but they do not tell you where the person answering your call is located. An office business centre that offers offices for rent as well as virtual office […]
How choosing the Right Office Space can Make or Break Your Small Business
Some business people will tell you that the right office space can make or break a small business. It is not always easy getting the balance between affordability and the perfect office premises, but not taking the time to do your research can be a costly mistake. Here is checklist of basic considerations for your preliminary search for new office space. It is important to understand that not every suggestion will be relevant to your business type or situation. 1. The location Is the office in an area that is known for doing business? Setting up in an area that is not considered a business area may give your clients a feeling that you are not that professional of an organization. A prime business location that is professional, such as in a downtown core, can have a positive effect on how clients and staff view your company. Is it in […]