Small Business Tips and Ideas - BizSieve.com

BRAND PSYCHOLOGY: Why Psychological Factors Matter

Are you inside the mind of your potential customers? When it comes to branding, you have to be. Think of branding as a Jedi mind trick. In order to do it right, you have to know what to present and how to present it, as well as why it’ll work to get people to convert. Is it easy to do? Of course not! That’s why you need to bring on a team of experienced professionals to handle your branding, logo design or rebranding.

Let’s say your spouse wants you to clean the garage out. You hate doing it. However, it was presented as an offer you can’t refuse. In fact, somehow you were not only convinced to clean out the garage, but sell your old “junk”, as your spouse calls it, which has dashed your hopes of finishing that long-neglected project tucked away in the corner. How did it happen? That’s the type of magic you need to use to create a logo that will, in many cases, become your brand.

Every detail of your brand and logo design plays a role in its success or demise. That includes colors, design and naming. As your spouse likely did, sit down and plan out how to get what you want. Then, use the professionals to make it happen.

3 factors to remember about branding

There are three main components to remember when it comes to creating your brand. These are the most important factors to consider in terms of the psychological impact it will (or will not) have on your potential customer.

Set the standards

The first thing you need to do is to sit down and design brand standards for your logo design. In other words, you don’t want to walk into a local business print shop and ask them to design a logo for you. That’s not enough. You need to have a well-considered plan that outlines what this brand will do. Consider:

—     What it does and doesn’t tell the customer.
—     What is says about your company.
—     How it describes your service or product.
—     How it represents you.

Having a plan like this helps to give the designer more information about what you actually want and expect from this process.

Get your name right

You may have a company name at this point, but even if you do, reconsider it before you launch into logo design. Think about all of the combinations of your name, how it will be used and any questions it may put in the mind of the customer. What’s your tagline? How do you want people to instantly think of you? If you don’t know, don’t worry. If your budget allows, your logo design team can help you to create both.

Think color

Colors have meaning. When it comes to choosing brand colors, consider the following:

—      Yellows engender optimism.
—      Blues are great for gaining trust and are seen as dependable and strong
—      Reds are excitement inducers, bold and youthful.
—      Purples are seen as creative, wise and imaginative.
—      Pinks are friendly, confident and cheerful.
—      Green conjures thoughts of health, growth and peace.
—      Light colors, including grays and pastels, create calm and balanced emotions.

The factor to remember here is that every component of your brand needs to communicate a message to your audience. For that Jedi mind trick to work, you have to think about the psychological aspects of your brand’s design. That’s why having experts can help.

Is Outsourcing Your Accounting To An Offshore Company A Good Idea?

Tracking your business’ expenses is an important part of keeping your financial goals on track. For this reason, it becomes important to hire a team of professionals that can help you and your business stay strongly footed for a successful financial future. Quickly it will become apparent that part of your financial success team will need to be an accountant. There are many great options you will have including those in your local community as well as offshore options. Offshore accounting options are a great way and option to keep costs low. The following explains what you will want to consider, however, before answering the question of whether or not outsourcing your accounting to an offshore company is a good idea or not.

Accessibility

One of the most important items that you will want to consider when outsourcing is whether or not you will have sufficient access to the offshore company. This is one of the biggest downfalls of using any company that is not locally, regionally, or even internally, connected with a company. An offshore accountant may not be available on a consistent basis. They may have many clients and could find that they are not going to be able to deal with the mass amount of work that comes in in an equally divided way. For that reason, it becomes important that you choose a company that will work for you as and when you need them to. This can help you to make sure that you get the most from your experience and ensure your work is completed on time. Those with lots of accounts will be better off sticking to local based companies.

Cost

One of the greatest advantages of outsourcing your accounting to an offshore company is the cost. You do not want to spend too much on accounting and yet, want the work to be done efficiently. An offshore company can be a great way to achieve this desire as a low cost option for your business. Again, though, be sure to evaluate quality over singularly looking at price. Just because it is cheaper does not mean it will meet the same quality of service that you require. It does not necessarily mean you will not either. For that reason, weigh the cost and the service quality promised against each other and make the best decision for your business.

Trust

If you are going to choose an offshore company, one way to assess whether or not they will be able to work well with you is to really focus on the reputation and recommendations from past and current customers. Reputation for success and trust is important when you are trying to get a good service from a company, no matter what service or product they offer. Be sure that you look into the reputation of the business as this can help you to better understand whether or not outsourcing to them would be a good idea. This is an important step in any assessment of an accountant or accounting company, no matter whether they are local or offshore. Choose and plan wisely.

About the Author: Laura writes for www.liptrottandwoosey.com, a highly reputable accounting firm based in Manchester.

Does Your Company Need a PEO?

Owning a business requires time, patience and a great deal of effort to ensure its success and longevity. A professional employer organization (PEO) will spend time researching your business needs and deliver a cost-effective plan to meet them. Instead of endless piles of paperwork, staying current with employee regulations and interviewing, you can focus your attention on running your company.

*Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/76657755@N04/7214600922/*

PEO FAQ

1. What is a PEO?

Professional Employer Organization may be an unfamiliar term, but they are extremely valuable. A PEO provides a variety of services that includes human resources functions, payroll assistance, safety and employment resolutions, regulatory compliance, professional orientation and much more.

2. How can a PEO Benefit Your Business?

Improve the safety of the workplace environment through seminars and training workshops.
Oversee worker’s compensation issues and follow-up on injuries or claims.
Control spending by focusing on their primary duties instead of tedious work.
Reduce payroll and wasteful accounting expenses.
Implement and structure human resource services such as company policies, employee handbooks and vacation scheduling.
Refocus the attention on revenue generating tasks such as sales and marketing strategies to help the company grow and flourish.
Manage employee health and dental benefits.
Stay on top of current regulations and compliance in regard to end of the year reports, state laws and filing any necessary documentation pertaining to the guidelines.

3. How will a PEO Improve my Workplace Environment?

In addition to the many benefits a PEO can provide for your business, the remainder of the employees in your workplace will reap just as many rewards through their outsourcing.

Efficient and timely payroll services – No longer will you have to worry about payroll and getting paychecks out to your employees in a timely fashion. This is part of a PEO’s job and can take the headache out of tallying up regular, overtime and salaried hours for the employees and making sure everyone gets their check when they are supposed to. Managing the correct deductions is just as important when it pertains to insurance, expense and tax related issues.
Improved employee/employer communication – Proper communication is necessary for any successful business and a PEO can ensure that a company stays on top of important dates such as employee reviews, insurance deadlines and other relatable items.
Maintain a peaceful environment – A professional and knowledgeable PEO can take all of the worry out of managing a proper business by providing guidance on legal compliance, safety and risk management services for your company.

If you’re company is having trouble staying on task with their benefits, unable to set a budget for monetary compensation to your employees or having issues with human resource maintenance and employee hiring, it may be time to hire a professional employer organization. A PEO can get your business on the road to effective planning and help the company stay focused on growth.

About the Author: Researcher Shelby Warden writes articles to help small business owners reach their goals. Since 1997 Midwest HR has been identifying new, cutting-edge ways to positively affect the bottom line and overall growth of businesses of all sizes. Read their extensive PEO FAQ for more details on how a PEO can help with payroll, tax administration, risk management, worker’s compensation and legal compliance.

Lone Star Liabilities: When The Company Truck Causes an Accident in Texas

Business owners that are required to maintain business trucks as part of their company face different liabilities than those with storefronts that only require a client to enter the establishment to make a purchase. The very second that the ignition is started in the truck opens the door to new responsibilities and liabilities. The business owner must take into account that they are responsible for the driver and all of their actions on the road. Additionally, if the driver of their vehicle acts in a manner that causes an accident, the business owner is held liable for any and all damages they cause, even if the driver was not following company policy at the time the event occurred.

Legal Issues A Business Faces With Company Trucks

• Driving Records. You must diligently review the driving records of your company drivers. Drivers that have tickets or convictions off the clock can reflect poorly on your company. Insurance rates can soar if you employ a driver with a personal DUI conviction, and in the event of an accident, their personal driving records will be held against your business.
• Maintenance Issues. You must follow a routine maintenance schedule on your company fleet to ensure the safety of your employees and others. If an accident is caused by equipment failure, you can be held liable for the injuries to your employee as well as others involved in the accident.
• Employee Safety Training. Your company should establish a training program for all company drivers that is on-going. Safety issues relating to driving and operating the vehicle, road condition training, and defensive driving should all be included. As part of this training, you should also include company policies about how long a driver can be behind the wheel each day. Limiting the amount of time a driver can be behind the wheel each day will help avoid accidents and liability issues surrounding drivers that are too tired to operate a vehicle safely.

How A Texas Accident Attorney Can Help

When most people think of an accident attorney, they think of a lawyer that helps the injured party claim compensation. However, an accident attorney can also be very beneficial to business owners in preventing liability issues or handling them if they arise.

An accident attorney can help the business can review company policy for the prevention of accidents and make any recommendations that will decrease liability and stay within compliance of the law. They can also review current insurance policies to determine if the company is covered for all liable events.

If an accident does occur in Texas, hiring one of the accident lawyers in Houston to represent your business in any proceedings is also to your advantage. Experience and expertise in a specific field is always beneficial to a case.

What all business owners should remember is that there is a liability to the employees and the public that comes with business ownership. When you put a company truck on the road, you increase those responsibilities. Taking steps before any accident occurs, such as establishing a safety plan, checking driving records, and consulting with an attorney about liability, is the best way to avoid unnecessary problems if an accident occurs.

A former investigative news writer, Ann Bailey posts these reminders for any business doing truck service through Texas. The Doyle Raizner accident lawyers in Houston know every aspect of liability for trucking accidents and work diligently for their clients in all manner of accident fault issues.

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ptrdpictures/182586320/

Virtual Offices – Providing Support For Home Businesses

Many people that work from home find it difficult to manage all aspects of their business by themselves. Unfortunately many business owners simply do not have the capital to be able employ or accommodate an administration team to provide them with support. Virtual offices offer affordable support solutions for people that run home based businesses. Work can be outsourced to virtual assistants who have the skills and knowledge to handle both administration and customer service tasks.

Virtual office services

Virtual offices usually offer a telephone answering service, where a business’s calls will be directed to a virtual receptionist, rather than to the business owner. This enables business owners to get on with other more productive tasks. Using a virtual receptionist will also make your business look bigger and more professional.

They will answer your calls using your personalised business greeting and learn information about your business so they can answer your customers’ queries. If you are not available to speak to a customer, the virtual receptionist will take a message which will be sent to you via email or text message.

Giving out a home address to clients can often look a little unprofessional, giving them the wrong impression about your business. Combat this issue by using a virtual office’s mail forwarding service. You will be able to use the virtual office’s address as your own, which looks far more professional to customers, especially if the office is based in a prestigious area. The mail forwarding service will also help to increase efficiency, as you will no longer feel like you have to wait around at home to sign for important letters and packages.

Virtual offices also carry out other general administration work for businesses such as invoicing, scheduling and faxing. Some companies even offer extensive services such as social media and project management.

Benefits of using a virtual office

Virtual offices provide an affordable solution for home business owners that require additional support. Rather than having to hire an employee who would require a wage and other benefits like sick and holiday pay, you can pay a monthly fee to receive the services of a virtual office. Not only is this more cost efficient for small businesses, but it is also less of a commitment. Virtual offices usually offer small contracts or provide services on a month to month basis, preventing you from having to tie yourself into long contracts.

Working with a virtual office will also help to increase productivity. You will have much more time to spend on sourcing products, marketing your business and planning expansion as you will not be sat at home taking your customers’ phone calls all day.

How to choose a virtual office

When it comes to choosing a virtual office it is important to find one that will take the time to get to know you and your business. It is important that the virtual receptionists and assistants are able to represent your business in a way that you are happy with, as they will be the people speaking directly to your customers. Do a little online research and you are sure to find a company that is capable of representing your company to a high standard.

Outsourcing work to a virtual office will mean you have more time to work on the parts of your business that you enjoy! — License: Creative Commons image source

Conclusion

Virtual offices enable home businesses owners to grow and develop their company with a supportive team behind them at just a fraction of the cost of hiring an in-house admin team. Everyone needs a little extra support sometimes and this is something that virtual offices are there to provide. Not only will a virtual office benefit a home based business in terms of support, but it can also make them look more professional, creating the right impression on customers.

About the Author: Written by Megan Hunt who likes having home business support