Small Business Tips and Ideas - BizSieve.com

How Google+ Local Can Improve Your Business

When it comes to your business, you are always looking for great way to help it improve. Whether it’s a new product or service, a new marketing campaign or even a new company process, there is always something you can try to make your company more successful.

One of the latest crazes that businesses are implementing is the use of online review sites such asGoogle+ Local. There are many benefits to claiming your business page on different review sites, but claiming your page on Google+ Local can greatly improve your business in the following ways.

It can help you learn what your customers think about your company, products and services.

Knowing what your customers are thinking about your business as a whole as well as your products and services is important to your overall success. When your customers leave a review for your business on Google+ Local, it can help you learn what your company is doing right and what you’re doing wrong. You can then use this information to ensure you continue to provide everything your customers love as well as try and fix the issues your customers don’t love. This will help your company remain successful.

It can help your company’s SEO strategies.

You know that having a successful SEO strategy is important for the success of your online efforts, and claiming your business on Google+ Local will greatly improve your SEO strategies. Having your business page claimed on Google+ Local will allow you to provide additional keywords about your company online. This way, when a search query is performed on your company or on the products or services your company provides, your actual website and your Google+ Local page will appear in the search engine results page (SERP). Now, your customers will be able to visit multiple sites about your business to learn more about what you have to offer, and having multiple sites with strong keywords helps ensure your online efforts are visible.

It can generate traffic to your website.

When you create your profile on Google+ Local, it’s very important that you add a link to your website on the page. You may also want to add a link to your Google+ Local page on your own website. These links provide your web visitors with an easy way to travel between sites, which greatly improves your web traffic on both pages. Plus, linking between each other provides valuable backlinks on both sites, and this is another SEO benefit.

It can generate more business.

Because Google is such a large search engine, most people use it to find the information they’re looking for. Google changed the algorithm it used to perform searches, focusing more on local results instead of general results. Because of this, companies that are using Google+ Local and have a complete profile will end up having their businesses appear in the maps section of the SERP. Since this map shows up at the top of a SERP, it gives your company a better chance of being found and earning business.

The Evolution of Organization: How Project Management Became a Thing

If you’re wondering how exactly business defines project management, you wouldn’t be wrong in thinking it’s a little vague. Project management is amassing the right group of people to accomplish a shared goal, and in that way, it can take many different shapes and forms across many different industries. You can see the philosophy of project management throughout history in everything from the building of the pyramids and the Great Wall of China to the expansion of the railroad across the United States. But the modern idea of what a project manager actually does is fairly recent. How do project management teams fit into businesses today? And what does the future hold for the industry?

1. The Project Management Institute

Many business experts will tell you that project managers simply didn’t exist before the new millennium, or at least that they were never known by that title. But project management as it is known today began with the creation of the Project Management Institute in 1969. PMI set the standard for project management as an official industry, promoting research and education and offering training programs, seminars, and certification. They teach project managers the different elements of the job, such as project estimating, risk management, and how to allocate work to the right people. Around 400,000 business professionals hold one of PMI’s many project management credentials, which serve as the gateway to a host of different jobs on a project management team.

2. The Rise of the Personal Computer

In the 1980s and 1990s, project management shifted towards globalization and internet technology. It began with the rise of the personal computer and the invention of project management software. No longer was it all about gathering workers in a meeting and presenting stacks of paperwork with cost projections and risk factors. All of these variables could be presented digitally, meaning that larger-scale projects could be understood and directed in record time. In addition, the computer age created its own project management niche. Developing software, testing for safety and effectiveness, and marketing the release of important new products helped computers gain some leverage in the business world. With new technology invented all the time, project managers had to learn how to adapt their standards to a changing world.

3. The Future of Project Management

So what’s next? U.S. News and World Report names project management as one of the top 5 skills you need to ensure job security, and it’s a skill that’s increasingly virtual. According to the Gallup Business Journal, 30 percent of workers are individual, virtual laborers which means project managers can reach across the world and across the spectrum to create their teams. It’s never been easier to find the right man or woman for the job than it is with the internet so easily accessible. And that’s why more and more businesses, from local establishments to giant corporations, are hiring project managers. It’s the easiest way to guarantee the most success, no matter what your company might be planning.

Project management is a tool to fight the competition through the power of organization. A great team can make or break an important project, and these days, project managers aren’t jobs you can shave off your roster. With their ability to use the internet to reach all the talent in the world, they’re trained professionals that any competent business owner would want to have on their side.

About the Author: Writer Brett Harris is an avid blogger. Interested in project management as a career? Check out project management degree online.

Why Are Serviced Offices Growing Increasingly Popular?

Over the last few years we have seen the serviced office market quite literally explode in the UK. Although the UK has seemingly come quite late into the serviced office market, with them having been a prominent fixture in the USA for well over 30 years, it seems to be something we are now welcoming with open arms, despite the economic climate.

What is a serviced office?

A serviced office is one such office which is already fully equipped for individuals or businesses to move into. The office is managed by an Operator who is in charge of all services to the office building. For instance services can range from anything like office equipment and internet access through to telephone answering services and reception or secretarial support.

These offices are an extremely attractive proposition for businesses since they do not require any capital investment in terms of buying technical equipment or even office furniture. Individuals and companies can quite literally move into their office and have it fully furnished and ready to receive customers from the word go.

How expensive is it to run a serviced office?

People are often put off by the initial price of a serviced office. However, what many people do not realise is that the rental cost of most serviced offices includes everything you would normally pay on top of renting an office in the traditional manner. Serviced office packages tend to include everything from heating and cooling, electricity, security and maintenance through to furniture cleaning and insurance.

In this way, once you have paid the rent for the serviced office, there is nothing more to pay other than being charged the standard rates for telephone and internet usage, as well as the cost of occasionally hiring meeting room. What is also worth keeping in mind is that most serviced offices will offer short term leases so you are not tied into a contract for months or even years, which is an obvious financial benefit.

What kind of business use serviced offices?

Services offices are used by all kinds of businesses, from small companies run by a few individuals to large corporations. If you have not yet had the experience of using or visiting a serviced office, you are probably under the misconception they are only used by small business who cannot afford their own property. However, this is quite simply not the case.

So many companies, especially in the current economic climate, want flexibility when it comes to their offices. They do not want to be stuck into long-term contracts when they are unable to comfortably foresee what their financial state is going to be in the future. Therefore using serviced offices enable them to expand or shrink as and when needed and at short notice too.

It seems the take up of these offices is growing ever more common as months go by and with good reason. With those in the serviced offices in Milton Keynes freed up from having to manage IT systems, reception duties, answering the telephone and even spending money on furniture, they are free to do their actual job.

About the Author: James writes for Cranfield University. When not writing, he can often be found looking for another office.

Growing Small Business with Leadership Skills

When you are in a small business, every success you get to taste the flavour of, owes a lot to the strong team and the team leader that contribute to the overall success of your business. It is a well known fact that the effective team leaders are largely responsible for digging out the best from their team and out of their colleagues. They play a crucial role in accomplishing the goals that are being set for the different groups working in the team or the organisation. There’s certainly more to the team building and the management that the entrepreneurs and the business leaders are concerned with. A good team work always helps the leaders get to achieve the pinnacle of success and often stay at the top of the game.

business leadership — photo credit: pedrosimoes7 via photopin cc

What really makes a good team stand against all the competition that the business faces in the market? Here we are summarising the outlook behind the entire idea with 4 major points that act as key elements in building the successful business teams. Let’s take a look:

1# Focus

It sounds as simple as it is spelled but it is as easy to lose as it sounds like it won’t. There are millions of questions that appear so easy to talk about and answer such as “what are we doing here?”, “what is our goal?”, etc. It is important for the business entrepreneurs to first define a goal and then measure the impact that all those business decisions are going to make. Do they help the team achieve the goals? Do they bring you any close to the dreams? Are you working in the direction of accomplishing it? If you have logical answers to these, you are probably on the right track. Also, focus on the efforts of your team, doesn’t matter whether you are expanding or simply focussing on growth.

2# Unity

Ensuring that everyone is treated on the same platform makes way for promotion of a no-discrimination policy. This will require you to communicate on a regular basis and ensure that all the team members are aware of their roles and the tasks they are expected to perform. This gives rise to scope for promotion of team harmony and also ensures that the duplication of tasks and efforts is prevented. This is also important while you are hiring new team members; find out whether they fit into the entire chemistry of the team before they are taken in. It’s the unity in the team that not only assures the company of even a most unexpected success but also plays an instrumental role in binding the teams together.

3# Direction

If your ultimate destination is success, make sure that your team knows how they are going to achieve it. Assign them tasks that push you step by step towards the final goal; you will need to support the team wherever they need your assistance. Encourage and assist them and this is exactly where your expertise lies. If you can’t lead your team, there may be people questioning you on your leadership skills and that’s where you seem to fail. Set the direction and help your team walk on the right path. You lead them and they believe in you! That’s leadership in plain and simple way.

4# Excellence

Achieving excellence in all the tasks you do makes sure that you are determined to achieve goals. Good teams have a habit of pushing their bars of excellence a little more each time and with each achievement. Set high standards for your team and it will be fun taking up challenges for achieving the goal. Now this does not mean that you will only need to evaluate the success of your team and its progress; seek opinion from other groups, organisations and business leaders that have been inspiring you.

Finally, it’s good to remember that achieving success does not really close the book anyway. If you have succeeded as a leader then definitely there still remains to be a lot of room for improvement simply because nothing is perfect and nothing is stagnant either. Always maintain your zeal for keeping a lookout for that extra bit that can do wonders for your team and ultimately for your business. Keep striving for excellence and promote that essential bit of excellence and focus on your efforts and all that you can do to gain an edge over your competitors.

About the Author: Colin Boykins is a blogger and social media addict. He is currently associated with the UK’s most trusted supplier of security posts – Parking-Posts.com.

4 Small Business Risks and How to Reduce Them

It doesn’t matter what kind of business you run, there will always be risks involved. Whether you’re worried about financial struggles, safety issues, legal pitfalls, or simply the ability to stay afloat in changing markets, managing risk is part of being an entrepreneur. But how much risk is out there? And what do successful businesses do about it? The most important thing to know is that startups are more affected by risks than established companies, which is why 44 percent of small businesses don’t survive their first 5 years. The real strategy behind minimizing risk is to have a strong business plan from the very start. When business owners underestimate or fail to adequately research the potential for things to go wrong, they’re unprepared for both small and large crises. Here are 5 of the most common risks to almost every business and easy ways to make sure you can manage them.

Source:http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5186/5784440333_6a14905f9e.jpg

1. Lawsuits

It may seem like getting sued is more likely to happen to large corporations, but that’s actually far from the truth. Research by Bolt Insurance Agency states that nearly 60 percent of annual lawsuits are filed against businesses making less than $1 million annually. They say that over a third of small business owners has, at the very least, been threatened with legal action. There are many ways to reduce the chance of a lawsuit, including getting everything in writing and following through on customer complaints and feedback. But you may not always be able to avoid them, so finding further information on the right kind of insurance for your industry to protect against personal injury and property damage is essential. And professional liability insurance will pay your court costs whether you win or lose.

2. Overspending

It’s not uncommon for businesses to fall victim to the trap of trying to do too much too soon. Running through your capital too quickly is usually the fault of a bad business plan with too many large goals and not enough short-term ones, and where expenses may be underestimated. Estimating revenue, pricing your marketing strategy, and budgeting for staffing and operating expenses can be a tall order, which is why smart businesses hire great professionals. New companies sometimes think hiring an accountant or bookkeeper is extravagant, but it may be the most important decision you can make. You have enough to worry about with everything else that goes into running a business. Getting help for the complicated financial planning involved will actually save you a lot of money down the line.

3. Skipping Diversification

Most companies have a plan for growth, but not all companies have a plan to diversify. When your business expands, the range of products and services you are willing to offer your customers should expand with it, not only because your success will thrive off of new ideas, but also because the markets are constantly changing. Look at America’s most successful business, Apple. Now that the mobile phone industry is becoming more stagnant, where everyone has a cell phone and prices are quickly dropping, how do they stand out? They offer ipads, ipods, and other products that their competitors don’t offer, putting them at the forefront of expansion. You can take that simple idea and use it for almost any industry or size of business. You never know when prices will fall or a certain product will turn out to be a trend or lose public favor. That’s why it’s important not to put all your eggs in one basket the second the can possibly avoid it.

4. Ignoring Warning Signs

Business requires a high level of proactive behavior from its founders, and no matter what kind of problem you are facing, acknowledging it will help you discover the root of where it came from. Often, businesses will gather customer feedback through surveys or other means, but they’ll ignore the negative responses. When your customers are complaining, listening to them matters. When your employees never last beyond a few months, you need to find out why. And when your sales numbers suddenly drop, it’s worth it to put the research into investigating it. Virtually no companies fail without ample warning signs, and if you can take the right action to solve minor crises before they become major ones, you just might ensure your business sticks around for the long haul.

The greater the risk, the greater the reward, isn’t that what they always say? In business, it can be much more complicated than that. Risk management should be a vital part of your business plan, and you should never more ahead with a company unless you have adequate insurance, accurate bookkeeping, and the right team on your side. There’s nothing you can’t face head on with the right preparation.

About the Author: Author Karen Boyarsky is an avid blogger. You can follow her on Twitter @Boyarsky_kareni.