The Characteristics of a Good Leader

Every good leader has a series of characteristics that are great for business and even better for their employees. Looking through each item, it’s easy to see which characteristics are already present in us, and which ones that should be worked on and cultivated via leadership development. Honesty Every leader must be honest with their employees, charges and themselves. The honest leader admits when they are wrong, helps people by being honest about how things are going in the office and allows for people to be honest with them in return.…

How to Streamline Your Small Business Inventory Management

Using computers to bring efficiency to every part of the business used to be something that only large corporations did. Today, though, reviewing every process for efficiency is something even small businesses need to do to stay competitive. While the tools are easily available, many small businesses still casually ignore the need to fine-tune every process. It’s traditional for small businesses to not take inventory management too seriously, for instance. Many small businesses, though, can make significant savings when they employ modern inventory management practices.…

Mobile Marketing: Opportunities, Challenges, and Trends

Mobile marketing includes any promotional messaging delivered via mobile technology, such as text messages, apps, mobile websites, banner ads, and supporting technologies like QR codes. Simplicity and immediacy are essential for successful mobile marketing. Consumers need to be able to easily understand and instantly react to the information coming across their screens. According to the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA), mobile marketing pumped $139 billion into the United States economy in 2012. Included in this figure were both consumer and business-to-business sales generated via mobile messaging.…

Top Tips for the Fledgling Business Owner

If it’s your New Year’s resolution to finally get a business venture off the ground, you should be prepared for ceaseless hard work, seemingly endless sleepless nights, and the very real prospect of failure. Of course, it’s not our intention to kick you before you’ve even started, but it’s prudent to be aware of the potential pitfalls, with statistics showing around one in three start-up businesses in the UK fail in their first three years of operation. Typically, these failures are very rarely due to lack of effort on behalf of the business owner, but rather crumbling under the pressure of attempting to cope with the day-to-day stresses of running a profitable company.…

Stand Out from The Pack with Customized Business Signs

Standing out among your competitors is an often overlooked aspect of the business world. One way to set yourself apart from the pack is by utilizing advertising signs to promote aspects of your business, such as a specific product or service. Get Your Message Out Many sign shops offer customized design to their clients, allowing them to have the final say on all aspects of design. Getting your message out there can be extremely important to your overall success, and personalized business signs are an affordable way to do so.…

Consumer Connections: The Six Deadly Sins of Social Media

We’re living in a social media economy. Companies that don’t have an online presence will disappear into the business woodwork. While most companies are starting to realize this, not all of them know what to do and what not to do. Here are six rules that apply to businesses of all sizes, from giant corporations to lone entrepreneurs. Don’t overshare. You don’t want to give away your company secrets. Don’t post any information on social media that you wouldn’t want your biggest competitors to have – because they’re watching.…

How Rural Businesses are Getting Better Internet Connections to Aid Growth

Although it might not seem quite so valuable on the outside, the UK’s rural economy has quite a significant role to play in the overall financial health of the country. The agricultural and energy sectors, not to mention cottage industries and many micro-enterprises which provide services and products largely for rural audiences all add up to a rather significant share of economic output. As the rural economy accounts for roughly 20% of all activity, it would seem almost criminal to leave all those businesses operating away from urban environments without all the necessary transport links and communication tools needed for them to thrive.…

Kick Off Your 2014 Marketing Campaign on The Right Foot

It’s amazing how quickly 2013 has ended. You are probably still reeling from the 2013 Christmas holiday shopping frenzy with consumers snatching up so many of your products that you could barely keep up with the demand. Yet now is the time to move forward and think about your 2014 marketing campaign so you enter the new year with stellar sales profits. So dust off your marketing strategies, get the sales analysis from your mobile advertising agencies, and let’s figure out what type of marketing campaign to try out for 2014 so you can build off the positive sales growth.…

Best Tips for Marketing to Millennials

Many baby boomers and members of Generation X have a difficult time understanding the millennial generation. However, big businesses are starting to realize that they can’t afford to ignore this demographic. Over 80 million people were born between 1982 and 1993, which makes them a very large consumer market. You will need to understand how to relate to this demographic if you plan to sell products to them. Don’t Underestimate Their Savviness as Consumers Millennials are probably the most tech-savvy generation ever.…

Point of Sale Systems for Retailers and Restauranteurs: The Basics

Whilst the sound of a cash register might hold a certain nostalgic value for many ‘old-school’ business owners, the days of the conventional cash register have long since been and gone. Even the smallest businesses will now have their ’tills’ linked to a computerised system that tracks sales, inventory and more besides, these systems are referred to as ‘point of sale’ (POS) or ‘electronic point of sale‘ (EPOS) systems. POS systems have become the standard for a reason; they are not only more reliable than conventional cash registers but they do so much more than just ring up sales.…