Uncategorized

If you plan to or already operate a business from home, consider these factors to successfully develop your company.

Enjoy what you do

For a project to be successful, it is important that you like it, believe in it, and enjoy it. When a person performs a job that excites them and makes every effort to get it right, the customer perceives this clearly. This, over time, becomes steady cash flow.

Look like a pro

If you are a selling beauty products, look flawless daily. If you market or represent a health food company, it is best to have a good figure and let people see you eat your products. This earns the trust of your prospects and will keep captive to those who already bought your products. No matter what you do, you should always have a good appearance. That makes the difference between a professional and someone who is just trying their luck, especially when you run your own business.

Prepare to be the best

If you work independently, subscribe to specialised publications and newsletters. Investigate how to develop your own strategy of sales, administration, marketing, and advertising. Analyse your competition.

Design and build your space

If you live in an apartment, for example, you do not have to invest huge amounts of money. Choose a separate space to have as your own, be it an office or warehouse.If you market your clothes or have a cosmetics case, it is best to keep that clean and tidy so that your customers feel they are dealing with a professional space. Do not forget to ask your family to respect your work area.

Take your office wherever you want

Virtual offices Services are a growing trend. Renting a smart phone with unlimited Internet will range from £30 to £80. This depends on the company that you contract with. Mini-computers or notebooks market for £500+ and are equipped with basic tools such as word processing, spreadsheets, and wireless Internet.

Customise your offer

One of the advantages of having a home business is that you have the ability to provide a service tailored to each person. Since you are delivering orders under the specified conditions, send emails announcing packages designed exclusively for each of your customers. Anything goes.

Add value to your offer

We are in an era where people value their time—a car wash in 15 minutes, 30 minutes or the pizza is free, and so on. Therefore, it is important that your current and potential customers see your products or services as the way to solve a problem and make life easier.

Sell only benefits

When you talk about your product or service, always begin with the testimony of your current customers. Market flyers, websites, blogs, newsletters, and social networking profiles to include feedback from your satisfied buyers.

Create personal ties

Make your customer feel that your concentration, effort, and creativity are on the project for which you were hired, just so you stop being a supplier to become an expert advisor.

Organise your time

One of the recurring problems of entrepreneurs operating from home is lacking a working method. Results: work late, delayed deliveries, holiday and time off at midnight. Hence the need to set working hours, as if they work for a company. You also have to design efficient processes to eliminate unnecessary steps in your daily operations.

Put a price on your work

If your product sells or lends items to catalogue services, calculate how much you invest to produce or generate your offer, then check the prices of your competitors and you'll have an idea of the correct rate. Even if you work on your own, remember: you're a professional, and your work has added value. When setting the price, you should consider your studies; you've invested in your preparation and accumulated experience to become the best.

Learn to collect

It seems obvious advice, but in practice not all know it. For starters, sell your products or offer your services among your acquaintances, friends, and family. Design collection strategies according to each profile. Set deadlines for receivables; they must be 15 to 30 days maximum. Remember that as you find new consumers, this work will be easier.

Make a self-sufficient business

A big mistake is to finance projects of your customers with your own resources. It is best to ask for a deposit—usually 50 percent of the total—and the rest in cash once the contract concludes or the goods are delivered. On the other hand, to make an inventory, the bank applies for a microcredit. Even one of your suppliers should always have enough units to meet the demand of your customers. Rule of thumb: one thing is the business money, another your money and another destined to your home.

Design multiple forms of payment

You will not have to go to the office or home to charge your customers. One option is to open a bank account intended only for revenue of your business. Your customers can deposit or make a transfer via electronic banking. Another way to ensure steady cash flow in your business is to design different payment schemes, for example, weekly, biweekly, or monthly payments. It is better to not give extensions, but this is just the exception, not the rule.

Pay your taxes

Receipts of fees can work for large companies. Just do not forget to pay your taxes on time and at the end of the fiscal year, you can even get a refund for what you are due. To streamline this task, hire the services of an accountant to help you keep your accounts in order.

With a virtual office, you can operate your business from virtually anywhere.All you need is a laptop and an internet connection. A virtual office is an online work space that allows you to manage business using an internet connection and take advantage of different communication technologies, such as chat, video conferencing, and fax.

Some tips for opening a virtual office:

• Define the needs of your business. This is essential before you look for the elements to create your virtual office. For example, any computer you choose to use must have enough memory and be quick enough to cover all the tasks that you require. Video conferencing is also vital to a virtual office, so a built in camera and a quality microphone are must haves.
• Make a list of activities that would usually happen in a traditional office. This list may include conferences or meetings, faxing, making copies, using the phone, or having an assistant.
• Investigate online services that help create virtual offices. Decide whether you should design your own virtual office or whether it is better to hire a service. This decision may be based primarily on the requirements and needs of your business. If you need something very specific, it may be better to do your own office. If your needs are more general, you should hire a services and investigate different types of virtual offices.
• Create an email account for your business.
• Find out which service best fits your needs. Many businesses need to receive and send faxes. As an extra tip, you can use portable scanners if you're a person in constant motion.
• Investigate different Internet service options. Choosing a service depends on where you walk or stand most of the time.
• Explore the options of a smartphone. If you decide to use a phone, research to find the best one and an appropriate service provider.
• Know the options for sharing information like images or documents.
• Investigate the option of a virtual assistant if your business requires the use of one.
• After identifying your needs, establish a website so customers can contact you.

Advantages of a Virtual Office Model

In this section, we present the advantages of virtual offices, a new concept that has facilitated and revolutionised business.Virtual offices are advantageous for both small businesses and businesses that are just beginning. Small start-up companies may want to exhibit the highest levels of professionalism through expensive offices in excellent locations in the city, and thanks to virtual offices, all this can be achieved without paying the high cost of rent.tThose who offer space for a virtual office also offer different virtual office services. This way, all your business can be conducted from the comfort of your home.

The cost is minimal compared to a fixed office.

It will also provide an address in a good location so you can have contact with your customers, suppliers, and other outsiders. You can give your virtual office address your customers and be operating all your business from home in a totally different direction.The virtual office model works very well for those who do not need a fixed office or expensive installations. They can have the same level of professionalism as any other business by hiring the services of a virtual office.A typical virtual office includes: an address located in a good area; a professional receptionist who answers calls to be redirected to your phone, manages e-mail, receives and sends emails, and delivers messages that need to be presented personally; and a videoconferencing room.

Virtual offices can be helpful for both small businesses and professionals.

Types of companies using virtual offices include: financial consultants, brokers, mortgage advisors, marketing agencies, advertising agencies, architects, lawyers, accountants, writers, analysts, and people working from home.With a virtual office, all employees, associates, and partners can work from their homes. They will be registered in the virtual office software to access personalized services and make reservations.Facilities for people who use virtual offices strengthen customer relationships and business management. For those who are always constantly moving to conduct business, make the most of this model office by synchronising schedules before making a reservation.In conclusion, the concept of a virtual office is very advantageous for business owners who want to reduce their expenses or who may not find physical spaces necessary when people run their business from home. This concept is growing rapidly and builds a great development for modern business.

Want to start your business before signing a lease for office space or getting a mortgage for a building? If your employees are willing to work from their homes, cars, or other moving objects, a work environment within virtual offices may benefit you.Naturally, there are some issues to deal with when establishing a virtual office, such as the integration of office equipment, in order to provide the best service to customers and make the business function smoothly. Consider the following:

Where to Work

Technically, your office is everywhere. With the technology currently available, you can conduct business almost anywhere. The office could be in your home, in your car, at the airport, on the beach, or even on the top of the mountain.When your office is based in your home, you need to have a good office set up. This includes a quiet area away from distractions like food, TV, children, or housework. Put it in a place where you like to be, and use a room that is most appropriate for the job.

Office Address

What happens to your business address? If you are running a business from home, you probably do not want to use your home address as a business address.Depending on the type of business, you have two options:

• Rent a Post Office box
• Use a commercial email receiver that gives a corporate address and telephone number

Each option has its downside and may require another place to manage your email. Post Office boxes have the disadvantage of not allowing you to receive packages by mail or make deliveries, but this can be solved with the use of a service company specialising in sending and receiving packages. Many of these services send notifications when a package has arrived, no matter the time of day.These aspects are just the beginning of creating a virtual office. It also requires the introduction of certain virtual office services, including basic furnishings, and it is very important to know if the work environment offered by a virtual office suits you.

Software for Virtual Offices

When choosing software for virtual offices, there are several options to consider. Here are some tips for virtual offices in terms of software you may need:

Email

Programs such as Microsoft Outlook or Eudora provide good email features.

Word Processor

Programs like Microsoft Word, Word Perfect, Lotus Word Pro, or even Google Drive provide adequate word processing capability.

Spreadsheets and Database Programs

The most popular is Microsoft Excel, but you can also use Lotus 1,2,3 or Intuit QuickBase.

Introductions

It is essential to use software that lets you make presentations, especially if you need them in a professional manner. The basic program is Microsoft PowerPoint, but you can also try Astound or another of the endless free options available on the internet.

Antivirus

For anyone who uses a computer, it is essential to have an antivirus program. Use McAfee, Norton Antivirus, or computer maintenance programs such as Symantec Norton Utilities, McAfee, or TechTool Pro.

Audience

Having software for reading PDF formats is very useful, as it lets you view documents formatted as brochures. Try using Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Graphic Design and Editing Tools

It is always important to have software to help you with the design or editing. You can use programs such as Deneba Canvas, Adobe Photoshop, Macromedia Freehand, Adobe Illustrator, and CorelDraw. You can even accompany your scanner with software for editing images.

Internet Browsers

The internet is essential; no person may carry out virtual office activities without the help of internet platforms such as Microsoft Explorer, Google Chrome, or Netscape.

Opening your own business is a challenge that requires motivation, determination, and discipline. Before starting any endeavour, you should consider factors that will affect the decision before committing to starting a business.Ask yourself the following 10 questions to lay the foundation for the success of your business:

Do I have what it takes to be a business owner?

Being an entrepreneur is not a job but a lifestyle. It not only takes commitment, passion, and conviction for your enterprise, but also skills, energy, money, staff, and knowledge to start a business.It will be important to know your strengths and turn them into engine of your business. It is imperative that you feel supported by your family, as many successful entrepreneurs have recognised the support and encouragement they receive from their families as a key to business success.

Why do I want to start a new business?

Either because you had an innovative idea, because you want to enhance an existing service, or because you want to take control of your life. You need to define what you want to do and what is the end. One of the essential characteristics of successful entrepreneurs is that they all wanted to change the world, improving it with their business idea. In any case, you should be prepared to spend time, money, and resources to start your business.

Is my idea feasible/viable?

Identify the business you want to start. Describe the product or service you're trying to sell. To be on the right path, enter your product or service in a market where demand exceeds supply, fill an unmet need, or be competitive based on quality, price, and location.

Who will be part of the business?

Before adding people to your project, you should be clear whether it is really appropriate, if skills are complementary, and if you can work together. It is important that the entrepreneurial team is aligned in objectives and expectations to be able to pass through difficulties. After all, the main factor that will determine the success or failure of an enterprise is the people who run it later.

What is my market potential?

Before investing time and money in the business, know your market. To acquire knowledge of the market you have to analyse it. The market analysis is to obtain information about potential customers and determine the demand for your product or service. The more information you obtain, the better you can promote your business and the better your opportunities to capture market share.

What is a business plan and why do I need one?

Knowing where we are going and how we will get there is essential to guide us in difficult times. The business plan is a basic tool of management, acting as a compass to lead. This plan establishes a commitment to the actions of the company, allows tracing operations, the organisation of people, material resources, tasks to be carried out, and how results will be measured.

How much money do I need to start my business?

When companies are taking their first steps, they require significant resources. Entrepreneurs must first define up to how much they are willing to risk, whether in money, time, contacts, or resource utilisation. You must consider that future business will not generate immediate returns and accounts must ensure that you have sufficient financial reserves to keep your family and business for eight months at least.

How can I finance my business?

The most common way is to use equity or borrow money from relatives and/or friends. Another way is to borrow money from the bank or other financial institutions. Another option is a partner who wants to share the business risk. If you go to investors, make sure you stay with most of the shares. A final option is to participate in contests on business projects developed by government agencies, universities, or other means, where the best business idea is awarded with full or partial funding of the project.

Have I sought advice on the legal and accounting aspects of my business?

Be sure to select a solicitor and accountant to determine how you will manage your business, where you will situate you company, and how many employees are needed. You might need accounting software and other computer systems. You'll have to keep sufficient records to support your business in order to generate financial statements and file tax returns.

How do I incorporate my business?

Define which legal structure suits your company. The scenario will be different if you're planning to work as an independent contractor or as an entrepreneur and business owner, if you will join with family and friends, if you want to formally establish a partnership, a corporation, or other legal entity.Answering these questions will allow you to begin to launch your own business. They are basic and general points to start a business. As you evolve the business plan, you can think about more detailed aspects directly related to the type of business in particular.

Developing a successful online business is not an easy goal.

In this article, we present 13 key points to increase sales in an online store and improve performance. These 13 useful tips cover the different aspects that must be taken into account when designing a successful online store

• Title

The title should reflect the content of the web page. This way the user realises immediately if they are interested in the product or service offered.

• Teaser

It is important to put the products and the most popular and relevant categories in the foreground. The more visible they are, the more likely that the user considers them the most important information and therefore comes to it more directly

• Simplify the Structure

The basic structure of the website must be configured for the user to navigate through it quickly and easy. It should be very intuitive and communicate clearly through images, indexes, and bullet points. Only if the user shows real interest you should have access to a more in-depth explanation.Navigation should be set horizontally and highlight the main categories. The golden rule is: the fewer clicks needed = less discouragement to continue visiting the web = lower bounce rate = higher conversion rate

• Less is More Design

In this regard, both the quality of the images and the texts are very important. It is essential to maintain a clear and simple design. Do not overwhelm the user with unnecessary information; less is more! It is essential that the colour, contrast, shading, font, size, and shape are in tune.

• Post Customer Reviews and Elements of Trust

We recommend using the website elements of trust as seals, certifications, and customer reviews. You need to convince new customers they can buy safely. For this reason, it is important to place the elements of trust in a visible place

• Benefits and USP

Avoid the Unique Selling Proposition (USP), competitive advantages, and differentiating values. What makes you better than the competition? What makes your store unique? Note the deals; these products help increase your level of visibility and recognition among customers

• Limit Product Availability

Consumers have been always found products or services with limited or poor availability more intriguing when compared to those with easy accessibility. If availability is limited to a specific offer, the potential customer feels the need to buy the product as soon as possible

• Use the Thank You Page to Increase Sales and Cross Selling

It is important to try to cross sell complementary products. Cross selling, or upselling, increases the value of the sale. Promote similar products on the Thank You page displayed after customers have made a purchase.Customers especially like discount codes, and this is a formula for reinforcing shopping on subsequent visits.

• Chat Support

You can increase conversion rates by offering immediate assistance through web chat. Use personal conversations to sell in an active way. Customers are more likely to make a purchase when they have the chance to interact with a person. Also, the purchase dropout rate is minimised.

• Telephone and Contact Information

Company information and contact details that are clearly visible on the website are vital. Users should see that they can easily contact the online store.

• Purchase Facility

The purchase of the product must be quick and easy to avoid abandonment. The user must make the fewest possible clicks to carry out the purchase.

• Payment Options and Shipping Cost

Having a wide range of products increases the likelihood of purchase, but it is also important to have various payment options. Many customers buy only when they have made several alternatives to pay. In addition, these payment options must appear highlighted in the web and inform the user clearly about the order, shipping time, and costs. It can be negative if a customer discovers additional charges not clearly disclosed on the website.

• Site Optimization for Phones and Tablets

The usability of the online shop must be global, and not only in the process. The online store has to be adapted to any type of device, either through the Responsive Web Design (RWD) or adaptation of the device itself, as you never know how potential buyers will access the store.

Having a virtual office is the best way to make your business transcend borders. Likewise, virtual offices give your company the presence you need to gain the trust of your potential customers abroad.A virtual office is a workspace that a business professional can rent for a certain period of time to use as a professional office, fully equipped and ready to develop commercial and entrepreneurial activity.You can buy a business presence immediately, only paying a fraction of what you would pay for a physical office. Also gain tax addresses, virtual addresses, and a business address, which ensure an excellent image to its customers and control over their movements, contracts, and negotiations.Hiring a virtual office is easy to grow your business in other countries without spending money on travel and full-time employees. We provide virtual secretaries responsible for carrying out agendas and keeping books. Bilingual receptionists are also available.

Characteristics of a Virtual Office

Virtual offices are a convenient alternative when you want to rent an office space.Some specialise only in one specific area, while others combine two, three, or four areas to provide virtual office services with full features. The following are those features:

Physical Office Service

A virtual office provides physical office services such as conference rooms and a reception area, plus office equipment such as printers, projectors, telephones, and computers. Customers can usually either rent office space on the site and share these services with other tenants, or they can work from elsewhere, such as home, and use these services only when necessary.

Correspondence Address

Guests can rent office space on the site and share these services with other tenants, or can work from elsewhere, such as at home, only making use of these services as needed while using the physical address as a mail forwarding service for customer correspondence only.

Answer and Call Forwarding

Many virtual offices offer a telephone receptionist to answer calls in a professional manner with a personalised greeting on behalf of the client. Messages and calls can be sent to the home or office, depending on customer requirements and availability.

Support Staff and Technical Equipment

Virtual support staff is one of the most convenient features of a virtual office. Besides the reception services, support ranges from secretarial and administrative services to accounting, a library for developing web sites, network administration, and technical support. These services save customers the need to hire employees or outside contractors to handle such tasks and frees up time for the customer to focus on their work.

What Makes Up a Virtual Office?

Most current offices need access to all information and applications on the internet to do their work, and above all they need to do it the more convenient, productive and efficient way. They are in touch with their work from anywhere through phone calls, emails, or connecting to the Internet from their mobile devices. This is part of a phenomenon known as virtual office.

The Next Generation: The Virtual Office

This desire to work from anywhere coincides with new trends that have had a strong impact: virtualisation and cloud storage. Office virtualisation separates the worker from the static desktop to introduce a virtual cloud as a more efficient way to develop their work.

Mobility and "Virtualisation"

In recent years, an operator's desk was characterised by a desktop computer, where the worker would spend hours sitting in front of the monitor. Technology has now allowed these workers carry out their activities from the various mobile devices, allowing them to work from anywhere—not just from a desktop.This is the reason why many offices have innovated with virtual projects that any of their employees can easily access through a password account from any device with internet access. The cloud services offer an almost inexhaustible infrastructure stability and reliability at low cost.

Behind the Virtual Office

Because any kind of virtual office includes all possible parts, functions, and characteristics of information technology, including software, wireless networking, and Internet security and support, it ends up being a whole lot of moving parts.Because of the different tools offered by different technologies, the virtual office can handle any office concept, because it uses tools similar to those used in a conventional office.When you save files and tools in an electronic or virtual support, enhanced security is obtained from the physical and conventional desktop. Files in a virtual office may have a restricted access so only registered users can access.The service of a virtual office not only includes a platform for storing files and editing, but also the possibilities of communication via chat, email, or even video calls.As you may realise, the new generation of office workers can now work from anywhere. By streamlining work, however the change from a traditional office to a virtual cannot be so easy. Specialised help may be needed to determine which platform is more useful for the type of work performed.

Beginning and working a business can be simple in the United Kingdom. Then again, the smallest missteps can complicate the whole process. Individuals wishing to form a company are regularly uninformed of the methods and wind up committing errors that are highly consequential.For instance, some create an organisation limited by shares when they really needed to create on limited by guarantee; others may issue all shares of the organisation in the starting stage itself when they can actually offer just a couple. To keep away from such mix-ups that are monotonous and too difficult to undo, you can decide to employ the services of company formation agents.The real procedure of registering an organisation can be finished within a period of 3 hours after the submission of application. Be that as it may, there are a few stages involved in this:

• Selecting a name for the company – The intended name of the organisation can be looked up via the internet to determine availability. Individuals purchasing an existing organisation can likewise change the name of the obtained organisation to the fancied name if available.
• Registered office – All business within the UK are expected to own a registered office address where all notices from Companies House, HMRC and other document pertaining to the company can be delivered to. This doesn't need to be your physical address where you work, but it is publically available so a virtual address is often preferred.

Immediately you submit your application online, and make the necessary payment through a safe framework, a receipt is created and affirmation sent. The points of interest of the new organisation created are sent via email and duplicates of reports, for example, Certificate of Incorporation, Certificate of Non-trading, Articles and Memorandum of Association and Minutes of the initially meeting held will be sent via a top post.

• Bank Account – It is compulsory that a bank account be opened for all transactions.
• Insurance and Tax registration - every business is mandate to register for national insurance, VAT and corporation tax as well as pay the taxes as at when due.

Finance and accounts – All organizations in the United Kingdom are to keep up appropriate record books and document annual returns to Companies House within a predetermined period, upon a fault at this, a punishment must be paid. It is advisable to hire an accountant to oversee all these paperwork. If you can’t afford it, financial service firms can do it for you.

• Staff – Employing the right employee is critical to implement the planned exercises proficiently and precisely.
• Website – If the organisation has a site, then all points of interest, for example, organisation number, official office location, contact information like, email, phone number etc must be shown.

What is a holding company?

This is a kind of business that particularly has to do with investments, resources and administration, as opposed to offering goods and services with a perspective to gain profits from production and sales. A holding organisation will be restricted by shares and its fundamental exercises will include owning resources in another organization (or numerous organisations) for example, real property, intellectual property and shares. Beside these capacities, a holding organisation has no other kind of business activity.Subsidiaries refer to other firms in which resources are held. In the United Kingdom, the company where over 50 percent of assets are held is called the ‘parent’ of these subsidiaries.Contents:

• The legal requirements of a holding company

So as to become a holding company, the Companies Act 2006 (sec. 1159) noted that an organization will be viewed as the subsidiary of a holding organization in these circumstances:

• More than half of the voting rights in the subsidiary.
• The directors of the subsidiary can be removed or replaced by parent company.
• In agreement with the shareholders, the parent company is a member of the subsidiary and it controls a greater part of the voting rights in the subsidiary.
• Tax liabilities of a holding company

A major attraction of this sort of organization is the potential for saving taxes – majority of the dividends and share disposals are free from taxation. On the off chance that a holding organization claims a 'significant shareholding' of no less than 10 percent of the ordinary shares in a subsidiary for twelve successive months amid a two-year period before the transfer, the holding organization can discard these shares without any tax obligation, however, it is mandatory that such holding company and its subsidiary be active for 12 months before and after the disposal.A holding company may also be free from tax obligations if it majorly carries out functions such as:

• Disposing of shareholdings in subsidiaries.
• Defending itself and its subsidiaries from takeovers.
• Receiving dividend payments from these shareholdings.
• The acquisition of shares in subsidiaries.

HMRC doesn’t see these activities as 'taxable '; along these lines, any holding organization that works with these fundamental capacities alone won't be required to pay for VAT. It is impractical for this kind of holding organisation to intentionally enlist for VAT; on the other hand, if the holding company gives, or means to give, taxable supplies to a subsidiary, it will be allowed to deliberately enrol for VAT. Necessary VAT enrolment will apply if the yearly taxable income surpasses £82,000 (2015-16).

• Can I use the word ‘holding’ in a company name?

Modifications were done on January 31st 2015 to the guidelines for business and company names. The word "holding(s)" is no more thought to be 'sensitive'; as a result, you may use this word to register an organisation name.

• How do I register a holding company?

A holding company can be set up in the very same manner as some other privately owned business limited by shares – you should legitimately join it with Companies House and stick to strict statutory recording prerequisites. Your Company Formations provides a variety of formation bundles online for enlisting an organisation limited by shares in only three hours. To register another organization on the web, you will need to give the accompanying data:

• Name of Company
• Official office address
• Details of at least one director
• Details of at least one shareholder
• Articles and Memorandum of association
• Share capital – details of issued shares
• Documents to support the use of certain sensitive words in the company name

You would electronically submit your application form to the Companies House. If everything is properly done, your new organisation will be enlisted in just 3 hours and a confirmation will be sent to you via email along with digital documents to affirm the incorporation of your company.

You can leave the competition in the dust with a good strategy!This then allows you to expand your business. The keys to growing your business are to always keep your customers happy, and to add value to your product offerings and services. To begin, implement the following points:

1.Perspective

Spend time outside the company, look at what you're doing right, and where you can improve. Perform a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) to find new ideas and methods to move your company forward.

2. Reviews

Accept the opinions of other people involved in your business. While it is important that entrepreneurs and managers make their own decisions and actions, it is just as important to have the opinions and ideas of others, both internally and externally. You can get valuable information after talking to the production people that are constantly involved in your business. Your employees and suppliers can be a great source of ideas and contacts, so make sure you take into account their contributions.

3. Mentors

As an entrepreneur, you need a support system to share and discuss new business opportunities or potential problems. It is important that you find and develop a relationship with a business mentor to accompany you during the ups and downs that come with owning a business. Of course, it's not easy to find time to meet with a mentor in the endless cycle of urgency in your business. But for help, you have to commit your own time and energy to meet with your mentor. Think of it like exercise, in the end you’ll be glad about the decision and will feel energised when you finish.

4. Equipment

One of the biggest challenges of the leaders in a business is to build a high performance team. Successful businesses have strong processes of selection interviews to hire staff to ensure only the right people. People have a load of initial cost, and it takes time to develop before they are really productive. To compose a winning team, you must integrate your team members, creating synergy and getting the best of each, in order to overcome the desired results. As the owner of your business you need to think carefully about the type of person you want to attract to your business and establish a recruitment strategy.

5. Customers

Consumers are getting smarter today. Mostly driven by the web, buying habits have changed in recent years. E-commerce ensures customers are well informed and this makes them more demanding. It is essential to understand how the virtual world impacts your business and it serves advantage. It is essential that you monitor how your customers arrive to ensure that you meet your needs.

6. Offer

All products have a life cycle and know when you need to renew your product. Not all companies diversify their product offerings significantly, but those who keep their products a specialised focus, keep your business updated, constantly developing and evolving. To diversify supply and add new product lines and services must invest in market research. Discusses what opportunities are available in the market and how you can excel against the competition.

7. Honesty

The business is about people and relationships with customers. As old values ​​such as trust, loyalty and transparency are appreciated more than ever before. People like to deal with people. One of the most important characteristics of a successful business is honesty. If you say you will do something, you must comply. Sometimes you must also say "no" but if you have valid reasons people will understand.

8. Social Media

To attract and engage the fans and followers of social media (and always consider converting them into customers) you have to have an effective plan. These are some basic steps to follow for your company on social networks.

Adapt the content to each platform

Certain types of content generally perform better than others in certain social platforms. For example, Facebook, Pinterest, Google+ and Instagram are substantially visual, so striking images of your products, company events and perhaps "snapshots behind the scenes" of employees in the workplace can be effective options for those specific platforms. Text-only updates in the “status” section on Facebook without bonds or links also works, especially when questions are asked.On Twitter you have to find the balance to send tweets about your business and do retweet others, including messages from your partners and industry influencers. LinkedIn is popular to share company news, tips and articles productivity leadership.It is advisable to shuffle a diverse mix of content types (photos, featured clips, tips, links and questions of interest, etc.) through your social platforms to keep things fresh. You will see that when you do, your fans will come back for more.

Consider including the following technological solutions in your current Business Plan:

• Check out your website.

Analyse if your website is still tailored to the needs of your business. Is it time to move to an "e-commerce" solution that allows you to market your products or services online?

• Update your applications.

Move your spreadsheet accounting Software as a Service (in English Software as a Service, SaaS). The SaaS today best known example is Google Apps, which offers basic business services such as e-mail or MS Office Saas service platform with a designation as Microsoft Office 365, which lets you access the software through the Internet.

• Duplicates and archives.

Make a backup of documents and archive them. This is a more complex process than it seems. If we copy redundant data, storage capacity is exhausted, and if we do not make a backup of sufficient data, you might miss critical information. Among the most popular backup programs are ArcServer, ZendalBackup, Cobian, SECOFI, and NortonGhost.

• Take a stroll through the "Cloud."

You must have heard the various applications that give you the ability to place your files in the "Cloud.” Working with files in the cloud will allow your team to interact with the information from different points as being connected virtually, each of the computers can be in different places around the world. It also stores information that you consider necessary and indispensable. The application iDriveSync, for example, helps you create such virtual drives on your computer and gives you a capacity of up to 2 GB in its free version.

• Allow yourself to discover.

SEO is an acronym for "search engine optimisation.” Hiring an SEO can improve your site's ranking in Google and Yahoo; certain keywords can lead you to the top in just a few months. SEO is part of the "Inbound Marketing", a new tool that makes your business easy to find through search engines like Google, the blogosphere, and social networks. This tool improves your ranking in Google to get more traffic, produces and promotes blogs for your business, and also strengthens your community on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

• Turn up your "networking."

It is no secret that blogs, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube, among others, are no longer considered only places for entertainment purposes. These tools strengthen your management strategy and the possibility of attracting more potential customers for your business.

• Learn from others.

Search publications and blogs in your industry and subscribe to them via RSS. Interact with relevant experts, including those that can only be partially related. Follow the opinions of business leaders through Twitter. Monitor industry trends through Twilerts and Google Alerts, or make an RSS feed with information relevant to your industry.

• Make every contact sales opportunity.

CRM software (acronym of the English term, "Customer Relationship Management") is a management model based on customer orientation. The main advantage for a company is to increase the information to your customers and prospective customers, allowing the offer to address their wants and needs, thus increasing satisfaction and optimising its life-cycle. Normally, it produces increased sales and reduces the sales cycle.

• It projects the future.

You have to anticipate and respond swiftly and efficiently to market conditions to keep your business from the competition. To achieve this, you need information systems that perform activities flexibly, including all areas of the company, from financial to human resources. Enterprise resource planning allows you to integrate and automate operational activities or productive aspects of your business.

• United we stand.

This consolidates voice, data, web hosting and other computer service provider. Using this, you only pay one bill and contact one supplier with any questions. This will save you time and money.

8 Digital Tools to Help You with Your Business Plan

Many entrepreneurs know that having a good business plan is the key to carrying out their ideas, understanding the viability of their business, and assessing the financial side, among other issues.The Internet has several tools that help you develop a business plan.

Any.do

• Found in iOS and Android
• Free
• Organize and share your business
• Assign tasks and responsibilities lists dates
• Turn words into written text through a microphone

Basecamp

• Found in iOS and Android
• Free and pay
• Keeping track of each cloud archive, meeting and events that you carry out
• Share the project with the team and assign tasks to all members

BIZPLAN

• Found on the Internet
• Available payment
• Software that allows elaboration of your business plan by following simple steps
• Interface includes templates and models that can be edited

Premier Business Plan

• Can be found in iOS
• Available through payment
• Plan objectives
• Define your target and expectations of your company
• Find tips for drawing a marketing plan

Enloop

• Found on the Internet
• Available for free and pay
• Web application that guides users through every step of creating a business plan
• Sales, profit and loss
• Cash flow and balance sheet projections
• Explanatory graphics and other visuals

Evermeeting

• Found in iOS
• Available for free and pay
• Keep track of meetings, classes, conferences and other events in real time
• Record audio and add annotations
• Store data in the cloud

LivePlan

• Found on the Internet
• Available through payment
• A comprehensive tool that puts emphasis on building the financial model of the business
• Provides examples and counselling service a group of experts
• Free version with examples and templates for business plans on the web

Stratpad

• Found in iOS
• Available for free and pay
• Lets you assess the development of your business
• Data and graphs will show income, expenses, sales, product quality and customer satisfaction

These were some of the applications and software that can help you succeed with your business. Have you used any of these applications and tools? Do you know any other digital resource for business plans?

If you started a small business successfully and are looking for a significant increase in the number of customers or the amount of sales, it means you want to grow your business. There are many ways to do this, but choosing the right way to grow depends on the type of business, available resources, and how much money and time you are willing to invest. Check out the 8 strategies that follow.

1. Open another place

If you feel confident that the current point of sale is under control, consider expansion by opening a new location. Increase outlets and you will expand the number of places where you can sell your products. To increase sales points, you can open new stores or branches, make use of new brokers or dealers, or create new sales channels.

2. Offer your business as a franchise

The model franchise is one of the most successful ways to grow a business. Franchising is a way of doing business, through which a third party is given the right to use a trademark and operate a business. This system will allow you to grow without having to manage a new location. This will help you maximize the time you spend looking for new opportunities and improve your business.

3. Granting the license of your product

This can be an effective and low-cost growth, especially if you have a product or service trademark. Licensing is an agreement between a company that allows another use their trademarks, patents, technology and any other valuable properties. In return, you receive fees for sales of the products or services provided or sold under the license. To find a partner interested in your license, start by researching companies that offer products or services similar to yours.

4. Form an alliance or acquire another business

Two is always better than one. Investigate companies that are similar to yours, or that have deals that are complementary to yours, and consider the benefits of combining forces. Aligning with a type similar to yours can be a powerful way to rapidly expand your company. These partnerships could include agreements to combine resources (financial, human, or technological), functions (production processes or product distribution), share information like market knowledge , share distribution channels or outlets, or customers such as in the case of both companies have different types of products, but similar types of customers, and each company can complement each other’s products.

5. Diversify

Diversification is an excellent strategy for growth, since it allows you to have multiple streams of income that can fill in the gaps of the season and increase sales and profit margins. These are some of the most common forms of diversification:

• Sell ​​complementary products or services
• Teaching on the subject in which you are an expert
• Import or export your products or those of others
• Being a speaker or columnist about your business

6. Address other markets or consumers

In your current market, you are doing well. Are there others? Probably. Use your imagination to determine what other markets or consumers could use your product. Addressing new types of consumers means redirecting your products or services so that they are aimed at different types of markets that they are already attending. It may be necessary to create new products or services, or simply adapt products you already have, so they can also meet the needs or desires of other types of consumers.

7. Seek external markets

To export, a distributor is needed in the foreign country so you can take your product and sell it in their domestic market. You can locate foreign distributors to find out if there is any foreign company in your own city or state with a representative in the United States. Another option is to look for customers who purchase from you directly, for it is the easiest way to create a website and promote your products online. Another way to start exporting is participating in international fairs.

8. Increase advertising

Investment in advertising is another way to grow a business that does not require spending much money. Besides making use of brochures, posters, and cards, participate in trade fairs or give gifts printed with your company name. Remember that the best advertising is word of mouth. A product or service of high quality and excellent customer service will ensure you are always recommended by your customers.Consider advertising on the Internet. Often, customers discover business through a search engine on the web. Make sure your company has a presence on the Internet to maximize their exposure.Our virtual office service can also help boost your business presence, our mail forwarding address in London is a great way of boosting your businesses image. Be sure to contact us if you would like to find out more.