Skills For Enterprise Blog

How to effectively cut costs.

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Are you facing financial problems with your business cash flow? Find out how to cut costs without cutting your workforce.

Many businesses are facing difficult financial times and are looking into ways to reduce their cash flow. But this doesn't have to mean getting rid of your most valuable asset...your staff.

Here you can get just a few tips on how to improve your financial situation without it having a negative impact on your business.

Invest in people management - this can affect quality, performance and productivity. If you have a happy workforce they are more likely to work harder and produce better results.
Share information - if you communicate more, people can understand the business and where it's going, they may be able to help come up with ideas and solutions to help cut costs. This could be through e-mail, newsletters, notice-boards or even face-to-face, your employees may appreciate a personable approach.
Review your current spending - are you spending too much on stationery? Or do you waste money buying premium brands instead of more economic options? Even the smallest of savings can make a difference especially when it's done throughout business practices and department.
Utilise your current resources - simple steps such as re-using scrap paper, sending e-mails rather than posting or even switching lights off in un-used rooms can help make a difference. Seek ways of improving systems and operations, making them more efficient and cost effective.
Shop around - although you may have been with your current suppliers for many years, sometimes it's not always the cheapest option. Why not research other options and you may find a better deal elsewhere or even negotiate a better deal with your current supplier.
Target your offerings - a review of your product and service offerings will identify your cash cows and dogs within your portfolio. You may be surprised at the findings but it will help you allocate your resources more effectively. By concentrating on the more profitable and successful offerings you can seek to build on and improve them as opposed to spending time and resources on failing products.
Seek new opportunities - Do you have a hidden gem that you could make money from? Check to see what expertise you have that you could offer to customers or add value to your current offerings. You could also improve your customer experience while improving profitability. Can't think of new opportunities? Try asking your customers if there is anything you don't offer but they would like you to, you may be surprised.

Think Green!

Tue, 20 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Think about the world you live in, don't just take it for granted. Here at Skills for Enterprise we contribute by recycling paper, card and plastics, we turn down the heating and switch off the lights when leaving a room. Here are a few things you can do to help and become more environmentally aware.

Reduce

Think before you buy, do you really need it?
leave messages for family members/roommates on a reusable message board
make your own present labels from christmas/birthday cards
use your own shopping bags

Reuse

Do a car boot sale or sell unwanted items on an internet auction site
switch from disposable to re-usable products including food containers, pens, razors, bags etc
donate items to charity shops
when printing, use both sides of the paper wherever possible
create notepads with scrap paper
use the library for books, cd's, dvd's and magazines
use rechargeable batteries

Recycle

sort your recycling and use the bins provided by your local council at home, your local recycling point or at the tip
buy products made from the highest recycled content whenever possible.
make your own compost heap and use grass cuttings as a natural fertiliser

And remember, whenever possible, keep lights off during the day. Encourage family members to get in the habit of turning off lights when they leave a room. Also try to reduce the amount of water you use, old washing up water can be used to water the plants.

Top Tips to Save Money in 2009!

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0000

I often ask myself "where does my money go every month?" We often pay for things with a debit card instead of cash and set up Direct Debits so it is easy to lose track.

If you take a look at what you're spending, you only have have to make some minor changes to save cash. Here are my Top Tips..

Learn to cook

Don't eat out when you can experiment in the kitchen and save money at the same time. As tempting as it may be to get a take away or go for a meal, just think of the cash you could save by eating at home and the satisfaction of eating your own creation!

Take a Packed Lunch

You could be spending up to £25 a week on lunch and could easily save this with a little preparation. You don't have to get up earlier in the mornings, you could make a sandwich the night before and refridgerate it or cook a big batch of food and freeze individual portions.

Cancel your Gym Membership

How often do you actually use the gym? Is it really worth £20-£50 of your hard earned wages every month. Instead you could get gym equipment for your home, workout DVDs or play dancing or exercise games on your games console.

Stop buying a daily paper

It may only be pence but think of the money you'll save and you can read the same articles online, plus they'll be updated regularly.

Take the bus or cycle

Bus fares are usually cheaper than petrol and car running costs, plus you'll be saving the planet, even more so if you cycle which gives you the added bonus of exercise. If you choose either of these methods of transport you may also save money on your car insurance as you'll be driving fewer miles.

Shop around for the best prices

This applies to food, clothes and utility bills. You should shop around for absolutely everything to save cash and it doesn't necessarily mean by traipsing around the shops. You can look online, there are many price comparison websites available. Try to buy food that's on offer and remember you can always buy discounted food and freeze it if it's close to the best before date.

Make your own beer/wine

A great way to reduce costs, beer/wine making kits are easy, affordable and often make 40 pints for as little as £9.99 that's 25p a pint! Patience is required as it can take 4 weeks to ferment but the results and the savings are worth it.

Realise your Potential!

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:00:00 +0000

What do you want to be? Why aren't you doing it now? Get skills with Skills for Enterprise!

Don't let a lack of qualifications or basic skills hold you back from realising your potential. You can be great!

Check out our Find a Course section now.

If you want to start your own business, you've come to the right place. Click here for our Start a Business section

Welcome to SfE!

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Welcome to the brand new Skills for Enterprise website.

I'm really pleased to be able to welcome you to our new website - a lot of hard work and preparation has gone into it and I hope you'll agree it was worth while.

The new site will allow our clients and customers to see the full range of services that we offer and, more conveniently, book courses and workshops online.

We hope you enjoy browsing the site and would be grateful for any feedback you may have to make this even better.