Small Business Tips and Ideas - BizSieve.com

3 Creative Ways to Use QR Codes in Your Marketing

All businesses must use a diverse mix of marketing strategies to attract new customers and increase sales. A business doesn’t need to be a big corporate entity though to utilize some of the best cutting edge strategies available with recent technological advancements. Quick response codes are one of those technologies you can take advantage of today!

A QR code is a special barcode that people with smartphones can scan using an app. They are an engagement tool that allows you to attract the public to your business and products/services by sharing in a “scavenger-hunt” fashion facts about your company or industry, such as new product/service or job offerings, latest industry news or upcoming events.

The Look of QR Codes

Gone are the days when a QR code had to be a solid color on a white background. A QR code today can also double as a visually stimulating printed advertisement. Instead of two contrasting colors, your QR codes can be many different colors. Additionally, you can customize a QR code by inserting your logo into the center of it or by designing it to look like your logo. You can also use individual images as tiny blocks that make up the barcode. For example, you might use product images and link to your e-store, or employee pics and link to a video about them.

The Other Paper Options

It goes without saying that you should have QR codes printed on advertisements and product packaging. You might not have thought though to print QR codes on the back of business cards, receipts, sales slicks and correspondence letters or envelopes. These codes might link to a special message from you thanking customers, discount or details about a future event. If you sell or give away gift tags and wrapping paper, you might print Quick Response codes on them that link to an app that permits the buyer to create a personal message for the gift recipient.

The QR Code Arts

A QR code on its own already looks like artwork, but you can actually attract more people by creatively presenting codes as artwork. For example, if you sell food products, you might offer new food items shaped like Quick Response codes or print codes on different foodstuffs with edible ink. If your a fashion designer, you might create code-inspired designs on clothes. If you have a brick-and-mortar store, you might hang QR codes in frames on the walls or code-shaped objects from the ceilings; or display an entire wall of Quick Response codes. Outside your shop, you might use chalk or painted QR code designs on your building, sidewalk or parking lot, or create QR-code-shaped sculptures. You might even invest in a sculpture that doesn’t look a Quick Response code, but that creates a scannable shadow at a certain time on a sunny day.

Your opportunities to creatively use QR codes are only limited by your imagination, presentation space and budget. Even if you have limited funds, there are numerous low-cost, creative ways to engage the public with QR codes!

About the Author: Amanda Sozak is a car nut who loves to travel and talk about small business. She’s also a regular contributor at www.rittersprinting.com, and loves spending time in the Miami and Fort Lauderdale area.

Spotting A Good Cleaning Company For The Business

Maintaining a clean and presentable office is essential in creating a good first impression to clients. After all, a clean establishment is said to reflect the quality of work and performance a company does. Moreover, it also showcases the amount of care a business has for its employees’ well-being and comfort.

Finding the Perfect Cleaning Company

Luckily, there is no shortage of cleaning companies available. From taking out the trash every day to carpet cleaning, there is a suitable service for each type of business out there. Before jumping into the bandwagon and hiring a cleaning company, there are a few factors to consider to ensure the partnership goes smoothly.

List down the cleaning services needed.

A company has to identify the type of cleaning service they need. This would depend on the usage of a particular area. For instance, if the lobby of an office experiences heavy foot traffic within the day, it might be ideal to have a cleaning service assigned to clean it at hourly intervals in order to keep everything spotless.

Consider the budget as well as the needs of the company.

Find out how much the company is willing to spend to hire a cleaning service. It is advisable to gather information from different establishments and compare what they have to offer. Note down the services they have and whether they carry appropriate equipment.

Take into consideration the special cleaning needs of the business, would they require a dehumidifier? Maybe they need a carpet cleaning machine to clean up their office floors? Questions like these should be addressed ahead of time to prevent confusion and to se
t expectations.

Qualified staff and products used.

Check staff have been trained and certified, especially by Interactive Training International and that they are using the latest chemicals and products, such as environmentally friendly products and microfiber cleaning technology for better results.

Conduct background research and inquire about previous clients.

Once a cleaning company has been chosen, find out about them by contacting their past clients. Conduct research on whether they provided excellent service to their previous customers. It is also advisable to check reviews to see if anything is said about them.

Finding out how they treat their clients should be a helpful factor in deciding whether to hire the said company or not.

Understand the contract and inquire about insurance coverage.

Always read the fine print and ensure that the cleaning company has a reliable insurance coverage. In case a steam cleaner damages a portion of the office carpet, for instance, it will be easier to know that reparations for such will not be a problem.

Work out a trial run if possible.

Ask if it is possible to have a trial period with the cleaning service before fully committing to hire them. This will give both parties a chance to adjust and also work out the details like cleaning time as well as target areas.

With these guidelines in mind, it’s easier to determine whether a cleaning company is the right one to go for. Hiring the right cleaners for a business requires a bit of diligent research before
finally making the decision to commit. Taking these precious steps ahead of time will help eliminate potential problems from cropping up in the future.

About the Author: Debra Wright is a creative and innovative blogger and online marketing specialist. She uses her wordsmith skills to share her ideas, thoughts, and tips to other people about
topics that fascinate her, such as tips on cleaning services. Follow Debra on twitter @debrawrites…

So You Want to Be A Lawyer? – Here’s How

Becoming a lawyer will give you the opportunity to forge a successful career and have a positive impact on your local community. After all, it is important for people to have someone to fight for their legal rights, and you will have this opportunity if you choose the right specialty. Additionally, attorneys are there for people during their darkest moments, and you can play an integral role in helping your clients make wise decisions for their future. For example, divorce lawyers need to be sympathetic to their client’s situation while also minimizing their risk of agreeing to an unfair settlement.

How can I Become a Lawyer?

1. Get the Required Undergraduate Education – Before you can apply for law school, you will need to complete your undergraduate work. Law schools are very competitive, so it is essential to earn the highest GPA possible in order to improve your odds of getting into the school of your choice. It is also a good idea to consider mixing prelaw with other general topics into your course selections because having a well-rounded background can make you a more desirable candidate.

2. Take the LSAT – The Law School Admissions Test is a requirement for being admitted to any law school in the country. Your undergraduate GPA and LSAT score will be extremely important, so make sure that you study hard and place a major emphasis on preparing for the test.

3. Attend Law School – It typically takes students three years to graduate from law school, and the average student accrues $100,000 in debt during this process. However, the average salary for an attorney is almost $131,000, and even lower level lawyers will usually make more than $50,000. In other words, your hard work should enable you to pay off your debt relatively quickly.

4. Pass the Bar Exam – Each state has its own specific additional requirements, but every person who wants to become a lawyer is required to pass the bar exam. Approximately 23 percent of the people who take this exam will fail it the first time, so it is critical to pay close attention to each question in order to improve your odds of passing.
Do I Have What it Takes to be a Lawyer?

Even if you pass the bar exam with flying colors, you will still need to have the right personality to become successful as an attorney. Additionally, you need to carefully consider the many different law careers that are available so that you pick the one that makes the most sense for your lifestyle.

For example, if you are interested in being eco-friendly, you might want to consider finding work with an environmental law firm. On the other hand, if you want to bring criminals to justice, it is a good idea to seek work as a criminal prosecution lawyer. Either way, you need to be comfortable debating a wide variety of topics, and it is also imperative for you to be confident with your public speaking skills.

Attorneys are an important aspect of our criminal and civil legal system, and they serve a vital role in the lives of many people. Therefore, if you have an assertive personality and high grades at an undergraduate level, it definitely makes sense to consider applying for law school. After all, a legal career can be very lucrative, and you will also be able to feel good about making a positive difference in the world. Due to this, whether you decide to help people deal with divorces, family issues, medical malpractice or human rights, attending law school is likely to be a decision that you will never regret.

Freelance author Anthony Joseph shares this article to help inform others of what it may take to become a lawyer. During research for this post, he came across the website of a Las Vegas criminal lawyer that also handles divorce, which helped with some facts for the article.

Meeting Health And Safety Standards As A Business Owner

Those who own and run a company that inhabits an office or retail space and employ a number of staff need to make sure their premises and business practices meet health and safety standards set by local authorities and government bodies so that they steer clear of financial and legal penalties, as well as harm to staff. In order to keep your staff, yourself, and your business safe, owners need to make sure that they meet these standards in the property, or space that they occupy.

To ensure that their premises is safe, accessible and meeting the health and safety standards required, a business owner may need to make appropriate changes to the premises, or their daily routine, to guarantee that their company operates in a safe way.

Security and Safety

Businesses should make sure that their premises are both secure and safe so that they can prevent damage to property and injury to staff and customers. Business owner’s whose offices or retails spaces occupy the upper storeys of a building should make sure that their windows are safe and are only able to be partially opened to prevent serious injury from falling, and have suitable locks to help to help deter criminal activities.

Security measures also need to be applied to doors, and businesses that possess valuable items may want to make use of pin entry system as a precautionary measure. A business needs to also consider how they would evacuate a property and therefore management need to adhere to a building’s fire evacuation procedure, or create one of their own that will allow customers and staff to exit safely should an incident occur.

Access for All

Businesses in any industry need to make sure that their premises are accessible to all. In the UK, businesses need to comply with The Equality Act 2010 and make appropriate changes that allow for those with disabilities to easily enter and use the property and
space. Installing ramps and automatic doors will help those less able gain access to the premises.

Regulate Breaks

When employing individuals, businesses should adhere to the legal requirements in regards to regular breaks and working hours. Anyone who is over 18 and works more than six hours a day or shift is legally entitled to a 20 minute break, but businesses whose employees work in manual labour or spend their day using a computer may want to provide longer, or more regular breaks to avoid reduction of productivity and health issues.

Clean Work Space

The area in which your business operates should be kept to a high standard of cleanliness so as to avoid illness, contamination, and pests. An unclean premises can lead to serious problems in regards to employee performance, customer satisfaction, and even building structure if neglected for an extensive period of time. All of these problems can leave a business failing and unable to make a profit. By ensuring that your workplace is regularly cleaned and tidied by a professional office cleaner, your business can avoid any financial and legal problems that may arise from an unkempt office space and ensure that daily running and productivity is maintained at a high level.

Trained First Aider

Having a trained First Aider who is employed by your business means that should any incidents occur that require medical assistance, there is instant help available. Businesses will want to provide First Aid training courses for a select amount of their employees so that accidents and incidents that happen in the workplace can be quickly taken care of and assessed as to whether further medical assistance is needed.

About the Author: Beth Stubbings thinks that it is important for all businesses to be conscious of health and safety not only because they need to meet legal requirements, but also because of the effect it has on profits and staff productivity. She would recommend Bristol Cleaners to companies that require an office cleaning service for their business.

Building a Surveillance System on a Budget

Building a decent surveillance system for your home or office doesn’t have to cost thousands of dollars. In fact, you may already possess most of what you need to build a small network of cameras around any areas you’re interested in surveying. You don’t even need special training or a technical degree to implement a cost efficient and effective system; byusing wireless IP cameras and your computer, you can watch and record streaming video directly to your system.

1. Cameras – There are many brands of IP cameras thatcan work well for your needs without requiring an expensive investment. Cameras like the Airlink 101 SkyIPCam1500W offer a range of features and can easily connect to virtually any wireless network. Loaded with night-vision technology, these cameras are inexpensive and work well for monitoring doorways, rooms and other areas you may want to cover.

2. Router – Unless you have custom settings entered into your router for DHCP or other connections, virtually any wireless router will work with these IP cameras. As default settings go, the entire setup can be as easy as plug-and-play. However, keep in mind that you’ll have greater wireless coverage for your network with more powerful routers.

3. Computer Software – Many of these cameras utilize software that you install on your computer. This software can control most of the recording aspects of your surveillance system, including support for multiple monitors. Each camera saves its recordings to individual folders on your computer for ease of use. While this software may be a quick and small installation, each camera folder can take up a lot of hard drive space. If you have a desktop computer or a server, it would be wise to install a separate hard drive for nothing more than camera recordings.

4. Monitoring the Cameras – While most camera software will allow you to watch all of the cameras in unison, many of them will also support the ability to connect to them directly. By using the camera’s IP address in a web browser, such as Internet Explorer or Firefox, you can directly access the camera and view the live stream. This kind of access will also allow you to change different settings of the camera, such as wireless network access, night-vision, motion sensing and other features the camera might have.

5. Easy to Install – Depending on the model of your camera and where you buyit,it’s possible to start running your own single camera surveillance system today for less than $100. Although setting the camera up may take a little work, the camera can typically be plugged in and set up in its location in less than an hour. Since many of these camera brands are stackable, you are able to add the same model of camera to your surveillance system later and manage the recordings from a single piece of software. The software included in cameras such as the Airlink 101 SkIPCam can support up to 16 simultaneous cameras.

For those on a tight budget, this may be a more ideal solution for an affordable way to build an effective surveillance system. As long as the cameras can connect to your wireless network, you can place them in virtually any locale that power can reach. Day or night, monitor your home or business from the convenience of your own computer or laptop.

About the Author: Ken Myers is a father, husband, and entrepreneur. He has combined his passion for helping families find in-home care with his experience to build a business. Learn more about him by visiting @KenneyMyers on Twitter.