Business is a scary world, one that could ruin your life in seconds if you make the wrong move. You put your life and soul into something that can be taken away so quickly, but that’s just the way the business world works, and it is that constant push you have from knowing that it’s your livelihood that should keep you striving to do better. So to make sure you always are doing better, we’ve got some business hacks that we think you might be missing out on.
Safety hacks
The safety of your business and your staff should always be your number one priority when it comes to actually running a business. From protecting the premises in which your business lies, to protecting the safety of your employees within. One thing that will be able to do both is temporary fencing. It helps to create a barrier between you and where your business is operating. A lot of them are spiked at the top as a deterrent. Here are some frequently asked questions about temporary fencing if you’re interested in using it for safety and protection. You should also consider the safety of your customers as well. For example, there have been so many scandals as of late with regards to internet hackers taking the information of thousands of customers from big brand companies. Hackers are working all the time, even if you don’t actually realise they’re doing it. All they have to do is figure out how to get past a few of your firewalls and they could tap into your database which no doubt has thousands of peoples details held within it. Now, you might not think that it is a big deal, it’s not like they’re taking money right? Wrong, with the details you have stored about your customers, they could take so much and harm their finances rather than your own. Plus, it is a massive breach of data protection that will come back on your company as it being your fault. Which in essence it is. All you need to do is make sure you’re constantly updating the encryption of your firewalls for your website and database. Alien talk to the most of you? Never fear, a web developer should be able to meet your needs in this department. As your company grows, it might be worth hiring one full time to keep your website safe and updated.
Marketing hacks
Marketing is one of the first things you should be doing when starting up your business. But it is often something that people don’t get right the first time round, or any time for that matter. Marketing is such a broad area that you have to play with. There are just so many methods of marketing that you could use that would be effective for your business, whilst others might not be. One that people don’t tend to do is email mass marketing. It is a risky choice because it can really annoy some customers, and you can actually get your website and email banned if you spam people too much. So the main thing to do here is make sure you’re not being spammy. The message has to be realistic, it has to contain key details, and it has to give your customers an option to opt having. Missing that opt out option is one of the main reasons why so many companies get banned. If they do chose to opt out, you most definitely have to respect their wishes and make sure you do take them off your emailing list. However, whilst it does have its negatives, it does have a lot of positives, the main being that you can outreach to thousands of customers at a time. It’s quick and easy to do, and does yield results. It gives you the chance to display any offers you may have, or you could use the technique of offering old customers who haven’t ordered for a while a chance to have a big discount. Having a subject email such as ‘We haven’t heard from you in a while’, will draw them in. Give them the option to give feedback as to why they haven’t heard from you and you’re onto a winner.
Employee happiness hacks
The employees are often the last in the pile when it comes to happiness within the company. Usually you’ll put yourself and your customers first, which is fair enough. But your employees have the power to make or break your company. If you have a good team of employees there is no end to the work they’ll be able to do. Motivating them should be your number one aim, and it really isn’t hard to do so. One of the best ways to do it is by creating healthy competition at work. If someone makes a certain amount of sales within the timeframe you set, give them a bonus, or a gift card, just something that they’ve all got to work towards. The results you have from them will be amazing, and it’ll often boost morale so much. Another hack we’ve got for you that might be against a lot of your views is a 5 minute rest break every hour. Doing the same thing over and over again, especially in front of a computer, is just so hard. That five minute break will allow their mind to take a rest, and it should help to keep them refreshed each hour. Google have gone one step further and installed nap pods in their employees offices. We know a lot of you would be against that, but it’s just something to think about if even the tech giants such as Google are doing it.
So there you go, business hacks that should change the way you run your business, and in turn change the future outcome of the success of your business. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in what would seem like the bigger things of running a company such as finances, when it’s the smaller things that can make such a big difference.
