When your business is not doing well, it can be not easy to know what you should do. You might feel like there are no reasonable solutions available to you. But the truth is that there are many things you can do to help get your company back on track. This blog post will talk about five different ways to help revive your business and get it running smoothly again.
Embrace New Changes
Change is inevitable in business. If you don’t embrace new changes, your business will eventually become irrelevant. Embracing recent changes can be difficult, but it’s necessary for the survival of your business. To welcome new changes first, you need to be open-minded. That means accepting new ideas and suggestions with an open heart and not becoming defensive or resistant about them.
Secondly, don’t be afraid to try new things. Your business will never grow or evolve if you’re always playing it safe. Instead, take risks and experiment with new ideas. Thirdly, anticipate change. Anticipating change means being proactive instead of reactive; it’s preparing for future changes rather than dealing with them when they happen. Lastly, don’t be afraid to pivot. A pivot is a change in business strategy that can help you adapt to new changes in your industry or environment.
Align Yourself With the Law
There is a reason why businesses adhere to the law- it’s because following legal guidelines can help revive your business. When you comply with all regulations, customers feel more comfortable doing business with your company as there is an opportunity of holding them accountable. Additionally, you protect yourself from costly litigation and penalties by obeying the law.
To ensure your business follows all applicable laws, consider working with an attorney who can help you create and implement a compliance program. Having a comprehensive plan will help keep you organized and on track while minimizing your non-compliance risk.
Use New Marketing Techniques
It’s no secret that marketing strategies are constantly evolving. The way you have been doing things up until now may be working, or it could just not be what people want anymore. Likewise, what worked five years ago might not work today, so try to get creative with your product and marketing.
You need to use new tactics even to know that you exist. For example, if you’re a small business, start using social media platforms like Snapchat and Instagram. If you’re unsure where to begin, reach out to marketing professionals for help.
Hire the Best Team
No business can succeed without a great team. So, when you’re looking to revive your business, make sure you hire the best people possible. This will help ensure that your company is in good hands and headed in the right direction. A good team will also help to boost morale and encourage productivity. So, take the time to find the best candidates and bring them on board.
Reevaluate Your Business Objectives
One of the most important things you can do when looking to revive your business is reevaluating your objectives. Take a step back and look at what’s working, what isn’t, and how you plan on changing that to get ahead. This will help ensure that everyone within your company is on the same page and knows what they need to do to achieve success.
Conclusion
When it comes to reviving your business, there are many options available. This post outlined five strategies to help you rejuvenate your company and get back on track. One of the essential things for any entrepreneur is having realistic expectations about what they want their businesses to be in the future. It’s also vital to have a clear vision and plan for achieving that vision.
Whatever steps you take, always remember to keep your customers top of mind. They are the lifeblood of any business and should be treated as such. Implementing these five strategies can help revive your business, but it’s essential to stay flexible and constantly evaluate what is working and what needs to be changed.
We don’t like to think of the home as a place that’s fraught with potential danger. After all, it’s there to keep us and our family safe, right? However, accidents and emergencies do happen so it’s vital to make sure that you’re equipped for just such an event. Here are a few things that you should make sure go into your household emergency kit.
You never know what food or water you might have access to during the worst kinds of weather events or blackouts. You can’t assume that you’re going to have a fridge. As such, you should make sure you have a supply of dry and canned food that you can safely eat even if they haven’t been chilled or can’t be cooked (and don’t forget a can opener.) A supply of water is highly recommended, too, but you might also want to keep a portable water filter at the ready if you run out.
A first aid kit
Never underestimate the importance of being able to treat wounds, especially in situations where an injury is more likely due to poor visibility, bad weather conditions, and so on. You can buy full first aid kits quite easily, but you might want to stock up extra on the most vital resources, such as a wound cleanser, which can be vital for preventing things such as infections if you do have to treat a wound. At the very least, you want basic wound treatment supplies, ice packs, and OTC medications to help alleviate pain in the event of an injury.
Access to power
If you’re able to stay in the home, such as during a long blackout, then being able to access all of your appliances are going to be such a relief from the kind of hardships you might go through otherwise. Setting up alternative power sources such as solar energy panels or an emergency generator for the home might be the best solution but they’re not the most affordable. A small portable generator and fuel to keep it running might be enough to keep the essential appliances for your comfort and safety running.
The right numbers
A lot of the time, there are things that you can’t deal with yourself when it comes to household emergencies. Having the right numbers in place for whatever emergency service that you need can make all the difference in the world in helping you get things back to normal as fast as possible.
Stay dry, safe, and warm
If you have to leave the home or it is somehow compromised, then staying dry and warm is crucial for your long-term health. As such, there are fire-starting kits that come with things like waterproof matches. However, you also want to make sure that you have waterproof backpacks, as well as emergency sleeping bags and supplies of dry clothes. If you have the space, you preferably want to pack both warm weather and cold weather clothes to make sure that you’re equipped for any kind of climate you might have to deal with.
You don’t have to be paranoid to have an emergency kit ready to go. Most of us are going to face some kind of emergency, be it an injury, some kind of weather event, or even just a blackout that lasts longer than a couple of hours.
If you’re familiar with the industry events known as trade shows, you will know how valuable they can be to your business. Trade shows offer a lot of opportunities, from raising brand awareness to networking with potential clients and making sales.
Trade shows need a lot of planning, from staffing to stunning trade show displays. Start your preparation two to three months in advance. Don’t just show up and hope for the best. There is a lot of competition, and it’s easy to get lost in the sea of booths and attendees. Use these tips to nail your first trade show.
Find Out Who Will Be Attending
Attendee lists are usually available in advance. Check the list to work which contacts might be interested in your business and send them a short introductory email.
Think about reaching out to them to let them know that you would love to meet them and encourage them to stop by your booth. Be careful not to go straight in with a sales email. Keep this first contact light and personal. You’re introducing yourself, not trying to sell your products yet.
Bring Your A-Team
The team that you take with you to staff your booth can have a huge impact on how the event goes for your company. There are two options. You could use an event staffing agency that has experience working at trade shows, or you could bring an in-house team. Whichever option you go for, remember that the people working will be the face of your business. They need to be friendly, motivated, and professional.
An in-house team is usually the better choice, as they know your company best. Don’t fall into the trap of only sending your marketing team, or sending junior team members because you don’t think you can spare anyone senior from the office. Think about what attendees are likely to what to know and who can best help with that. Send a team with complementary skills. Someone from PR can deal with the press, a salesman can convert leads, and a tech specialist can answer any technical questions.
Prepare Your Staff
Be prepared to answer questions. Everyone staffing your booth will be asked specifics. Everyone on the stand needs to be an expert in your company and your product. Make sure your team is ready by preparing a list of anticipated questions and role-play before the show to get some practice in.
Ask people who come to the booth questions too. Your goal isn’t to sell, but to build mutually beneficial relationships. Do you offer something they will find useful? The only way to know this is to ask questions. If your product isn’t a good fit, they might know someone who would want it.
Be Ready To Give Product Demos
Display your product and be ready to let attendees test it out. Before they buy, people want to see, touch, or taste something. Product demonstrations can be a big help at a trade show.
With the trend of homeworking expected to continue, it’s more crucial than ever to stay productive and maintain your health. To assist you in doing this, we’ve compiled a list of 15 top recommendations for feeling well and performing well at work while working from home.
As comforting as working from your bed or favorite spot on the sofa sounds, selecting a space specifically for work will increase your productivity. If possible, choose a separate room with a good source of natural light, which can become your dedicated home office. Using different spaces in your home, like this, can help to create a physical distinction between working and relaxing, making the boundaries between home life and work-life much clearer. If this option isn’t available to you, opt for a space in your home that is furthest from household noise and distractions. If you can’t do this at home, you may want to consider looking for a coworking space.
Set Your Desk Up Correctly And Maintain Good Posture
For employees who spend several hours each day at their desks, looking into the ergonomic factors relating to your desk set-up is a must. Making small enhancements to workstations can have a wealth of benefits, from reducing the likelihood of lower back pain and tension headaches to increasing energy levels and boosting confidence. Try to follow these steps from the NHS for setting up your desk to improve comfort, posture, and productivity whilst working from home.
Try To Limit Distractions At Home
While there are many benefits to working from home, it can introduce several new distractions to contend with. It might become tempting to start household chores during work time or to turn on the TV whilst at home. To overcome these potential distractions, try to allocate a certain time for completing housework and ensure that your workspace is clean and tidy, ahead of the working day. Instead of turning on the TV, try listening to music instead. Research from Harvard Medical School explains how listening to certain types of music at different times can boost your mood, reduce stress levels, and enhance cognitive performance. Not only will you overcome a distraction, but you will discover a solution that boosts productivity instead!
Incorporate Decompressing Into Your Routine
For a lot of people, getting off of work is just the start of their day; they still have a lot of things they’ll need to do, such as chores at home, running errands, picking up the kids, and maybe even going to a second job. It all depends. But regardless of what choice you make, you’re going to have to keep in mind that you’ll need to decompress and find ways to just let go and relax for a bit. It doesn’t have to be long, either. Ideally, something like fifteen to twenty minutes can massively help! For example, during this time, you just do things that are good for your health, such as playing a game of Mahjong on your phone, doing some breathing exercises, practicing meditation, or even consuming positive content But overall, you just need to keep these in mind.
Don’t Be Consumed By Social Media
As more time is spent on devices, one of the most popular sources of distraction comes from an increase in social media use, which can become addictive without the usual boundaries that limit access in an office environment. If you’re losing too much time to social media, our team suggests logging out of your accounts during working hours or turning off notifications, especially on mobile devices. In addition, removing social media links from your desktop browser can help to reduce temptation and encourage you to make a more conscious decision about when you would like to browse and publish updates there.
Set Healthy Boundaries With Your Household
It’s easy for family members, friends, and flatmates to forget that while you’re at home, you’re also working. To maintain healthy relationships and minimize disruption, have a conversation with your household in advance so that they are aware of your working hours and appreciate the type of environment that will support your arrangement. If it isn’t possible to follow your usual pattern, depending on individual circumstances, modifying your working hours and responsibilities might be an option. Discuss this with your line manager in the first instance and communicate any changes to your colleagues and professional network, where required. If your hours do change, we would also recommend updating your diary to manage expectations and help you maintain the boundaries between your work life and home life.
Introduce A Homeworking Routine
Whilst there is no pressure to ‘get ready’ when you’re working from home (unless you have video calls scheduled), it’s a good idea to change out of your pajamas and maintain usual levels of grooming and hygiene. In the same way that setting aside a space for work helps to establish boundaries, getting ready in the morning will help you to adopt a professional mindset while signaling that your working day is due to begin.
Create A Schedule That Suits You
Having a schedule helps you to manage their workload, complete allocated tasks on time, and recognize when they can take on more work. While there are many templates available to help you plan your day, and we would always advise using one, have you ever considered how to optimize a schedule for you? Informed by genes, age, and environment, each person has their biological rhythm (chronotype), which determines when they feel most awake, ready to get up in the morning, and fall asleep at night. An article in Business Insider outlines the best sleeping times and work schedules for Dr. Michael J. Breus’ four chronotypes: dolphins, lions, bears, and wolves. Identify your chronotype and combine this with the flexibility homeworking offers, to create an effective schedule, tailored to the needs of your internal clock.
Develop A Short Routine To End The Working Day
Without the journey home to mark the end of a working day, it can become more difficult to switch off afterward and get the rest that’s needed to stay productive and maintain high standards of well-being. To combat this threat, we recommend introducing a short routine at the end of your working day, to replace the usual endpoint that traveling home provides. As the end of the day approaches, review and update your to-do list, check tomorrow’s schedule, and try to finish on a positive note, so you feel more relaxed and prepared for the next day. Before switching off, say goodbye to your colleagues, so they know that you’re leaving, and tidy your workspace, ensuring that all equipment is packed away. This last suggestion is particularly important if you don’t have a dedicated room to work in, as it will help your house to become a home again.
How Often Should Break And For How Long?
Without the refreshment breaks, conversation, and in-person meetings that naturally break up the working day, employees may need to learn when to schedule breaks, so that they can stay productive and feel well. A long-established time management method, that improves focus and productivity, is the Pomodoro Technique. This method advocates breaking your day into 25-minute intervals, which are followed by five-minute breaks, known collectively as Pomodoros. After completing four Pomodoros, take a longer break of 15-30 minutes, and repeat this process throughout the day. By giving a task your full focus for a manageable amount of time, it allows you to concentrate on completing it and rewarding yourself with a break afterward, to stay refreshed. Use this technique to stay productive, schedule adequate breaks, and feel a greater sense of achievement at the end of the working day.
How Can Breaks Boost Your Productivity?
When a break begins, one of the most beneficial actions you can take is simply moving away from your desk. Remaining in the same workspace all day can become tedious while stepping away during break times allows you to take stock and return with a fresh perspective. Making a healthy lunch or drink, reading your favorite book, or catching up with a friend are all great options for making the most of your time out. However, with more time spent at desks, carrying out physical activity is fast becoming a crucial part of the working day. Activities like stretching can reduce aches and pains while attending a virtual fitness class or going outdoors for a jog or brisk walk can raise energy levels while reducing feelings of stress and loneliness. To get you started, BUPA has a selection of desk stretches for homeworkers, while the Guardian has reviewed the best virtual fitness sessions on offer.
Virtual Conferences, Online Training And Nsocializeetworking
A more opportunistic aspect of the shift towards homeworking is that many meetings, conferences, and training courses have moved online, which improves accessibility for all. Whether it’s the cost and inconvenience of travel, or funding for accommodation and admission that have stood in your way previously, many of these barriers to participation have now been lowered or removed altogether, so there’s no better time to learn more about your sector, grow your network and upskill. Browse your professional body’s website to discover the range of qualifications, accreditations, and networking forums that could work for you. Meanwhile, sector-specific publications and their social media channels can be an excellent outlet for discovering more informal learning opportunities and virtual conferences, to boost your career.
How To Socialise With Your Colleagues Remotely
Working remotely doesn’t mean that the social aspect of spending time with your colleagues must come to an end. There are many ways to stay social while working remotely, from virtual water cooler conversations and team lunches to quizzes and office parties on Zoom! If you’re searching for an activity to improve health and fitness levels, then setting up a sofa-to-5k running challenge for your team could boost morale, help you all stay connected, and provide a social opportunity as you discuss progress. If you’re looking for an activity with more meaning, then a charitable endeavor could be a great option. Organizing a virtual coffee morning will provide an opportunity for colleagues to catch up and socialize while generating funds for a deserving charity.
These 12 tips should help you to stay productive as well as look at your well-being. Do you have any others that should be included? Please add your thoughts in the comments below.
All good business owners know that adopting a continual improvement strategy is the only way to stay ahead of the game. Even if your company is doing well, that is no reason to stop looking for ways to improve. That fact is, new technologies and better procedures are being created all the time, and if you do not keep up with the research, it is only a matter of time before your competitor is way ahead. So you need to embrace change as part of your company vulture and be willing to make small incremental changes all the time as well as large changes as and when you need to.
If you will be making change a fundamental part of your business that hasn’t been up until now, and if you feel your business needs some large structural changes to improve it, then it is time you wrote a new business plan. A business plan does not only need to be written when you first decide to go on to business. You can write a new one at any time. A business plan will enable you to take a holistic look at your company with an objective view. You will see what is working and what is not, and this an help you decide what needs changing. It will also force you to drill down into specifics to gather a deeper insight into each area; this will also help you identify your company’s weak and unprofitable aspects. It is best you make a plan with as little emotion as possible. Emotion will only muddy your thinking and may prevent you from making the best decisions for your company.
Outsource
Outsourcing has many benefits, especially to the small and medium-sized organizations that do not have the work to employ full-time professionals for certain jobs. Instead of relying on one of your in-house teams to do a complicated task and run the risk of it not being done correctly, you should think about outsourcing. By doing this, you will benefit from expert knowledge. It will free you up to focus on your day job, it mitigates risk, and it takes a lot of stress off yout5 shoulders. So many tasks can be outsourced, such as accounting and I.T security. These tasks are associated with a lot of highly technical risk too, so it makes sense to get a professional to do them.
Marketing Strategy
If you want to make more sales and generate large revenue, then you need to work on your marketing campaigns. By investing in marketing, you will research your customer, develop your brand and company philosophy, create targeted marketing material, and generate more sales. A marketing strategy advises you on how and when you post particular marketing material to meet a specific need based upon relevant KOPIs (key performance indicators) you have set up. This will help you create better material in the future too.
Tasks Audit
If you really want to know what goes on inside your organization, then you should create a tasks audit. Go around every area and speak to all your staff and create a list of all the tasks that are completed. You may be able to eliminate some redundant tasks straight away and then look to automate some necessary but slow manual tasks. There may even be scope to merge some tasks into others. You may also find tasks that are more expensive than they need to be. Perhaps you are using expensive cheques, and by doing a little investigation, such as on cheapochecks.com, you may be able to find cheaper alternatives. When you have the completed list, have a good look through them and maybe discuss with your I.T personal and some key staff to see how you can make these all more efficient.
Motivate Staff
One of the most important factors you need to consider when looking to improve and change your business is whether or not you have the support of the team. Staff that are resistant to change may cause you s problem when you implement any improvements you have in the pipeline. So, you need to motivate them. So, consider your company culture. Is it conducive to a happy and engaging working environment? Does it embrace your staff’s opinion and make them feel valued? If not, then you need to work on developing these things. Also, you need to create a reward system for hard work. Additionally, you need to make sure that your staff a comfortable.
As enjoyable as Christmas is for most people, it takes a lot of work to make sure that everything goes smoothly. With many restrictions still in place because of COVID-19, that’s become much more complicated.
That doesn’t mean that you can’t adjust and still have an enjoyable holiday. Instead, there are multiple COVID-19 Christmas ideas you can take advantage of. While you’ll need to make sure you stay safe, you can enjoy the festive season as much as you did before the pandemic.
A decent amount of planning will be needed, especially if you want to stay cozy, but that shouldn’t be too large of an issue. You should focus on several things when you’re planning things out.
Top COVID-19 Christmas Ideas
Stay Inspired
It can be easy to feel somewhat negative leading up to the holiday season. It isn’t the first during the COVID-19 era, after all. Staying inspired by all of the good things happening in the world can be the easiest way to stay motivated and inspired.
Even looking online can give you things to smile about. These can be relatively small things, such as some funny videos, or something larger. Regardless of what this is, it can be an effective way of getting into the holiday spirit.
Treat Yourself
With all that you might have to manage during the holiday season, it can be easy to forget about yourself. One of the top COVID-19 Christmas ideas you can take advantage of is to look after yourself. You can do this in more ways than you might expect.
It could be as simple as learning a new bread pudding recipe for the big day to take dinner to another level. Alternatively, you could plan on spending time with your feet up and relaxing. Whatever way you think you can treat yourself over the holidays will be more than worth it.
Celebrate Online
Many people would prefer not to celebrate in person with many of their friends and family. The reasoning behind this can be understandable. That doesn’t mean that you’ll have to enjoy Christmas without them, however.
You can take advantage of multiple tools and technology to stay connected with them. While you might be in different homes, or even different countries, you can feel as close as ever with each other.
Zoom and other video conferencing software can be more than recommended for this. Though it might take a bit of effort to plan this out properly, that’ll be more than worth it. It’ll feel like your loved ones are right next to you throughout the day.
Wrapping Up
It’s worth making sure that you adapt your COVID-19 Christmas ideas to you and your family. Everyone’s different and will have specific wants and desires during the festive period. Making sure that everyone will have an enjoyable time hasn’t changed from previous holidays.
While this year could be a little different, it doesn’t mean that you and your loved ones won’t have a great time. Trying the above can make sure that that happens. What’s stopping you from enjoying your Christmas?
Grandparents and older relatives often suffer from severe loneliness, especially if they live alone. When you have a family, a job, and other commitments, it’s easy to let weeks pass by without reaching out to a parent or grandparent.
As people grow older, they tend to become more disconnected from the ever-changing world around them. Family and friends provide a crucial support system for older people, and it’s something that they really need.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light how vulnerable the elderly are. Many people have been afforded the time to realize what truly matters in their lives, and time spent with family is one of them.
When lockdown has ended, and our more senior citizens can return to normality, here are six ways that you can care for them.
An unfortunate part of getting older is that you lose friends. What’s more, if you’re in poor health, you may not be able to visit or make social calls.
Social calls and arrangements allow your elderly relatives to have real-life social networks.
2. Teach them or help with technology
It’s crucial to enable the elderly when it comes to technology. We are edging closer to a paperless society, and so, it’s pretty important to be able to send an e-mail. Many of our grandparents can barely use a phone, so why not teach them?
Help them by slowly building on existing knowledge. Explain the relevance, introduce concepts, and avoid complicated instructions. Encouragement is key.
3. Tackle their home repairs
On a visit to an elderly relative’s home, ask if there is anything they need help with around the house. Even if you can’t do the work yourself, you can help arrange it.
Household maintenance can be tough for seniors, so it could be a good idea to regularly check their homes for potential issues.
4. Assist with their grocery shopping
Grocery shopping can be a difficult task for the elderly. From hard-to-push trolleys to small food labels, to difficulties in storing their food, it can be a lot of work. However, many older people enjoy the empowerment and social aspects of shopping, as well as the ability to get exactly what they want.
Assisting or joining your elderly relative while shopping is a nice social activity, and it provides them with significant help.
5. Investigate nursing home well-being
If your relative happens to be in a nursing home, ensure that they are getting the best care possible. Unfortunately, abuse and neglect are far too common in such facilities.
Children and the elderly (especially their grandparents) are mutually beneficial to each other. The elderly provide a sense of history to the youth and can act as support pillars.
Interaction with children can give elderly people a sense of pride and joy, which positively impacts mental health. However, they shouldn’t be relied on as caregivers if they are not capable of it.
7. Find the right care for them
It might seem as though a ‘residential home’ or asking for help with support services to help them keep their homes clean and to check on their medications when you don’t have the chance to can be helpful but make sure that the support you provide for them is actually what they need. For instance, often you’ll find that the capacities and amenities of a certain caregiving service can differ wildly from another. For instance, it might be that your relative needs access to the very best memory care services, those that understand how to properly treat those with the starting process of Alzheimer’s and Dementia.
With these tips combined, you’ll have achieved nothing less than looking out for your elderly relatives with love and attention.
