Small Business Answers

Online Video Production Software for Small Business That ‘Wows’!

Administrator — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 05:11:09 +0000

Web-Based Video Production Software
Anyone that has ever put a video together, whether professionally or for fun knows that it is a time-consuming process that you have to plan for if you are going to do it right. Fortunately, companies have begun offering video production services via the web. More importantly for those of us constantly pressed for time, some of these services are automated, meaning you save huge amounts of time by leaving the production and editing of the video to the software.

The best of these web-based, video production tools can create professional-quality videos through an automatic process, from the photographs that you upload. Some of these tools are so effective and efficient that I jokingly refer to them as video slot machines; deposit your photos to the site, state a few preferences, press the button and out pops a fully-edited, fully-produced, professional-quality video! It is something that has to be seen to be believed.

If you like entertaining your friends or… let’s face it, showing off your fun-filled life to others, you can take photos from a recent event or a special time in your life and turn them into an exciting video that can be shared with friends and family. I have found that there aren’t any limits to the ways that you can share your videos once they have been made: email them, upload them to Facebook, store them on your computer and more. All you really need is a collection of photos and then go!!

The Benefits of Automated Video Production Online:

A great way to store your memories

Fun way to share an event

Saves heaps of time in video creation

Videos are entertaining

Makes your memories last longer

Videos can be used in all sorts of ways: they can be used on a personal level just to have fun and make memories last longer and they can also be a great way to entertain family and friends. They can also be used commercially too. Professionals like photographers and realtors are always looking for visual ways to convey their product. Some of the high-level, video production tools now offered online can provide businesses with strong, commercial videos at an extremely low price. The fact is, that as broadband speeds get faster and faster, more online businesses choose video as a way to promote their products and services, so Internet marketers can also benefit greatly from technology like this as well.

It is no longer hard work to put an interesting, fun-packed video together. Although traditional video production is a lengthy, time-consuming affair, online software that automates the entire process, can give you quality videos with very little effort and very little time.

How Easy Making a Video Has Become:
1. Upload your photos to an automated, video production web site
2. Choose a soundtrack or upload a music file from your computer
3. Add subtitles or text narration
4. Video is produced!

Once your video is complete, you can review it, email it to friends, download it to your computer, or choose to do a variety of other things with it. The options are limitless. Not only that, if you do not like the video that comes out, you can change a few things around and submit your files again for another spin! The process of making videos becomes so easy that you won’t mind experimenting at all.

When using video production web sites, you can save yourself time by checking out the features they offer. Some web sites will offer more features than others. In addition to this, always keep an eye out for what people that have used the web site are saying about the service. Getting feedback from other consumers is one of the great things about the Internet. Finally, check out any fees involved with using the software. Most commonly, sites will offer a free version of their tool with minimal features and then various paid versions with varying levels of functionality. Read these five tips on marketing with video and be sure to read the impressive statistics.

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How to Build Your Blogging Profits: Basics of How to Make Money Blogging

Administrator — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 07:20:48 +0000

From personal endeavors to business trends, are new ways of getting in touch with others while relaying pertinent information. One of the growing opportunities that is available comes from online blogging. This particular trend is one that is inviting millions into the world of profit and leisure, while creating new ways to connect to others in the world of virtual reality. Amazingly, it continues to grow. Understanding the concepts linked to this particular online craze and understanding how it can affect your future is the beginning to enjoying this form of writing and income.

Blogging is designed to provide small excerpts of information related to your personal life or business. As you do this, others have the ability to follow your posts or can get the information desired from your interests or expertise. Within this platform are not only ways to get the most out of blogging, but also combine profit with pleasure through the various tools available for blogs. This includes options for building your reputation in search engine rankings, combined with ways to get found via networking and visitor recommendation.

The growing fad of blogging is one that is beginning to reach millions of individuals on a yearly basis. In the year 2008, there were more than 12 million individuals in the US alone that maintained a blog on a regular schedule. There were also more than 57 million Americans that would take the time to read blogs on a regular basis. Of these, 1.7 million adults were using blogs to make money, with 89% of companies and corporations noting that this trend is the most effective way to market and connect with others, with an expectation for this communication vehicle to grow in the next five years. Blogging has reached a global level of more than 70 million blogs that have been created (with 22/100 blogs working as popular websites).

With this staggering growth in blogs, many are trying to find ways to get into this market for income purposes with their own blog. Few do it dorrectly and most fail. When you have a blog, you are able to do several things for your business or for your personal needs. This includes:

reaching targeted individuals who are interested in your topic or services

share your expertise

connect with others who have similar experiences or blogs

link to individuals or other commercial entities including your website / store

If you are blogging, or just beginning a blog, then there are certain concepts you want to keep in mind to make sure you get the traffic and visitors you desire. The first is to make sure that you have a profile that is connected to your blog, as well as some static pages that explain the blog and why it has been created. If you are using Word Press, Live Journal or Blogger, these pages are easy and are included in the basic layout. Be sure you create an identity first though because most people feel more comfortable if they know they are dealing with a human.

The next piece of information to keep in mind is related to the movable content that is on your blog.

Make sure that you have posts ranging between 400 – 1,000 words for quick and easy to read information. Adding pictures can also help with interest. Make sure they are relevant. Around 600-700 words is preferable.
In addition, learn to understand and add tags so individuals can find your blog posts on your specific subject.
Include an excerpt to make sure you are able to provide a quick summary for those people gleaning through your content. The more information you have, the easier it is to get found.
You should also post on a regular basis, such as every day or every other day, every week at the very least.

After you get passed these basic concepts, you will find the traffic for your blog will begin to flow. Press on, and it will start to pick up even more. Make sure you understand the different networking elements that are a part of blogging. You can then work with other like-minded bloggers who are also in the same market. This ensures that you get the best results.

To be successful with blogging you need to first understand whether you just want to blog for the fun of it or blog to earn an income. If you are unsure what attracts and keeps people coming back to your blog and whether you have chosen the right market, you need to find a guide, mentor or preferably reliable step-by-step instructions which continually show you the way. This is one of the most helpful I know if you want to make a reasonable income from blogging and have the potential to reach six figures. Before you do any thing else, read this blueprint. It’s a very helpful free guide and can help you make good early first decisions in blogging.There’s nothing worse than having to do things over because of a lack of knowledge or guidance when it is there for the taking.

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Building Your Business Success: How to Succeed With Your First Business

Administrator — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 01:58:52 +0000

Learning the “ropes” of being in business, especially if it is your first business, can sometimes seem like a walk in the dark. If you want to make sure that you avoid some of the most common short comings, then understanding what steps to take and knowing what to do to prevent basic mistakes ensure that you are able to move into complete business success.

There is an average of 27.2 million small businesses in the United States alone. In 2008, this consisted of almost half of the work force, with 52% of those running businesses being involved in a home business venture, such as affiliations or work from home opportunities. More than 97.3% of these businesses were known to export goods and 40% were known to be involved with a high level of technology as a part of their work.

With the increasing amount of opportunities and decisions for small business owners to begin their own venture, are also continuous divisions between the success of businesses on a year basis. On average, there are 637,100 businesses that open each year. In this same year, an average of 560,300 businesses will close and 28,322 bankruptcies will be present in the small business arena. For small business owners, there is a continuous rise of businesses that are closing with more competition in the work force for businesses.

If you don’t want to be a part of the growing number of business closures, then defining basic steps to keep your business up and running ensures that you are able to succeed with your endeavor toward personal success. You want to define a complete strategy for your business and want to make sure that you have steps and plans to move toward your success. Before you begin your business, you should have the following in hand:

● a business plan
● a strategic plan (five years)
● marketing plan
● a financial plan

Having these plans allows you to set practical goals and options that help you to work toward success. If you follow these plans, they can work as a safety net to ensure that you are able to continue to grow with your business, instead of having to go back into the work force outside of your desired small business ideal. The more you are able to plan and work with these different aspects of your small business, the more likely you will be able to stop being a part of the statistics of failure.

Usually, the first step any beginning business takes is to step into the business plan. This gives the overview of the business, the goals that wish to be achieved as well as specific services that are a part of the business. The strategic, marketing and financial plan move into more specifics with the business plan. The strategic plan usually focuses on building the business and what steps will be taken to work toward success. Marketing plans are based on finding individuals that will be drawn toward the product or services offered, while the financial plan projects the amount that will need to be spent and earned to continue to succeed.

Once you have the various levels of planning together, you can continue with looking at specific steps that you can take to slowly grow your business. Whether you are looking at online opportunities or a brick and mortar business, there are certain things you can work toward to ensure that your business succeeds. Working your way up toward a sustainable business that is able to offer services and products to the community can then become a main staple for your success as a business owner.

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Can Anyone Market a Small Business Niche on the Internet?

Administrator — Fri, 29 May 2009 01:04:37 +0000

The Internet is an exciting yet challenging place to do business. It is fast-paced, varied and constantly changing. One thing has become clear, if you want to enjoy the benefits of large volumes of traffic to your web site and increased online sales, you must be up-to-date on all things Internet marketing.

Years of work in Internet marketing have shown us that the main reasons that people want to know more on the subject of Internet marketing are:

- They have a great idea they want to market on the Internet

- They have an Internet business that is not making money

- They want to give their staff the most effective Internet Marketing techniques to work with

- A job termination has inspired them to try Internet marketing

There are many sources for finding information on Internet marketing. However, there are only a very few good sources of information. If this is true, then how does the budding, online entrepreneur know when they have stumbled across solid information on Internet marketing and not just some well-packaged fluff? Our most recent article, How to Promote an Existing or New Business on the Internet provides you with the key topics that we believe any good material on Internet marketing should address.

The Internet does not stand still. Each year it makes strides in faster delivery and in more effective ways of doing things. This means that Internet marketers need to be on their toes. Standing still in an industry like this equates to going backwards! You must learn how to make the most of everything Internet marketing strategy available to you: affiliate marketing, keyword research, Web 2.0 technologies and a lot more. Your goal is to draw crowds of people to your web site.

Expect the Internet to continue to develop at a rapid rate. Expect yourself or those that market your web site for you to need to educate themselves on a regular basis. Most of all, expect to see marked results once you have found effective information on Internet marketing and once you have got it right.

If you are serious about internet marketing,watch this video!

If you own a web site and want to make a profit, you can not afford to remain in the dark about any aspect of Internet marketing. This will only leave you in the dust of your competitors. Instead, read up on Internet marketing, develop a sturdy Internet marketing plan of your own and instantly begin to increase the profitability and success of your web site.

Internet marketer Ray Baker has provided more information and a brief, informative video for you here on learning the major fundamentals of SEO for beginners.

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Marketing your way out of a Recession

Kym — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 20:32:28 +0000

Everywhere you turn stock markets are crashing – I even heard a reporter say the worst of ‘it’ was over when Wall Street stabilized earlier this week. I actually burst out laughing. I felt it was a really naive comment that gave people around the world false hope. Only 48 hours later the New York market nosedived again. Affecting worldwide markets. World governments are now calling emergency meetings to get the economy going. But this does not need to be a negative for small business. Take a look at what you can do now. Maybe you have already done so because you heard the early warnings.

There are things you can do to increase your marketing strategies to help your small business grow. And, it is a time when you should consider putting in place strategies that complement each other. And, it doesn’t have to cost you much money, especially at a time you can hardly afford it.

Google AdWords Marketing

Give yourself a budget, just what you can afford and start off small. People surfing the web are always looking for something when your ad pops up on a page. Using Google gives you a broad reach of qualified potential clients. Its search engines filter the information from the user and presents your ads on pages that match their keywords. Google also tends to be the cheapest

Partner your Marketing

Seek partnerships with other businesses to refer customers to each other. An example may be a freelance writer could partner with a graphic artist. Just make sure you mutually benefit.

Negotiate Advertising Rates

It is always good practice to do your marketing research. The market is very competitive whether it is advertising on the net or in print. Everyone is out to catch the falling dollar and will negotiate and compete for that mighty marketing money.

Links to your Website

Links. Links. And more links. Good quality links. And, all it will cost you is some time. Article marketing is the latest craze for marketing. But it is not just any old information any more. Good content is what is demanded. It is about providing a service to attract potential clients to your small business. Long gone are the days where any old written material will attract the attention of the search engines.

Website Traffic tips Video

Use Print Marketing

Don’t forget your local customers – use print marketing. Design brochures and direct mail them out to promote your business. Printers are very cheap these days. Look online and you will find out just how cheap.

Do not Sacrifice Quality

Do not sacrifice quality. Sure, get a good price but you still want your marketing material to reflect your small business. Think about this – your marketing material is how potential clients will judge you. Good quality branding and printing reflects a good image. The opposite is true for poor quality material. Cheap does not usually turn out cheap; often you need to get the work done again.

Be Grateful

Take care of your clients. Let your loyal clients know how much you appreciate their continued business. If you can afford to make up thank you packages or offer customer

Yes, the economic climate is tough and is likely to continue for some time. But we can make the choice to sit back in fear or move forward in confidence. You can grow your business through tough economic times – it takes a positive attitude and some good marketing strategies.

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Practical Tips for Surviving the Recession

Kym — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 21:50:20 +0000

The subprime mortgage crisis of 2007 has hit the world hard. Rescue packages have been rolled out in numerous countries to help their economy’s’ survive and lessen the recession effects. Australia’s Reserve Bank has dropped that country’s official interest rates by a massive 1% in recent days. I wonder if this foretells what is to come and how it will affect the communities of the world in the immediate future.

With all this happening in the world arena you must be wondering how you can tighten your belt and help yourself survive what is going to be a difficult financial time. Here are some very simple tips that can help you save money and survive an economic recession.

Become Power Hungry

Cut your power use. You can do this by switching your light bulbs for ones that save energy. You can also save power by turning the thermostat on your heating and cooling system up or down so it is not running all day. Or, adjust the thermostat to automatic so its use fluctuates during the course of the day when it is most needed.

Make sure all lights and electrical appliances are turned off in rooms that are not being used. By turning off the standby power to all your appliances, you can save yourself quite a bit of money over a year.

Watch this video
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=gwBV9df7KmI

Ban the use of Paper

Use your computer instead of paper. There is little use, these days, to print much out when you can use your computer system to send information and as a storage system. You can even burn your information onto DVD or CD discs. You have now eliminated the need for much paper and the need for storage space, filing cabinets thus saving yourself money.

Cut Back your Opening Hours

Another survival tip during a recession is to shorten your business hours. Take a look at your business and determine which day of the week is your quietest and close on that day. This will save you money in overheads on a day that may not bring in enough money to cover costs. This can work for all sorts of businesses. In many cases staff can work from home a couple of days a week to also help you cut utility costs. If you own a shop you can probably use a day off and it even cuts staff wages for the day.

Conserve Water

Cut your water usage in your business, and at home. Install more efficient appliances to help you conserve water. Also regularly check for any water leaks and have them fixed straight away. You don’t want to waste money on water you don’t use. Do you?

Do Deliveries One Day a Week

If you deliver to your customers cut down to delivering only one day a week (if you can). Plan your delivery routes to cut down on wasted mileage and extra gas costs to help you survive the recession.

Market Online

Use the internet to market your goods and services. Even consider setting up an online store you customers can access to save them traveling costs as well. This can help boost sales and may cut your labor costs. It may even bring you customers that could not access you before. If you do not sell products but services, then the internet is a must for you as it can open up the world to potential clients from across the world.

Consider Hiring Virtual Assistants

Hiring a virtual assistant is a great way to cut costs. You can a hire a virtual assistant for all sorts of help either on a project basis or on an ongoing basis. Do some research online and you may be surprised at just how affordable a virtual assistant is, especially during times of an economic recession. This can then eliminate the need for permanent staff. Virtual assistants work on a contract basis and all you pay is an agreed rate or price per project.

You may see these recession tips as very basic but, try them for 3 months and see how much money you save. It just may be the difference between surviving the recession or not.

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Will your Small Business Survive the Recession?

Kym — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 10:56:50 +0000

As the United States financial situation worsens have you wondered how you will survive the recession effects or how it will affect your small business? Is it going to put you into a tail spin where you watch every move on the financial market hoping for a quick recovery? Will your business crash and burn thanks to the American housing crisis? Or, do you just need to make small adjustments to help get your business through the tough times ahead.

Now is probably a good time to stop ignoring the recession in America. Be realistic, the stock market prices are falling and everyone is in fear. Already a few major banks have closed their doors in America after depositors panicked in fear of the recession 2008. People rushed to the banks to withdraw their money before the recession worsened.

While governments may put rescue packages together to help bail out people struck by crisis, it is still every single person’s responsibility to do what they can to avert financial disaster within their own lives.

Take steps to boost your productivity no matter how good or bad the economic situation is.

Watch this video
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=2EnaU7D80oM

Seven ways to Recession Proof your Small Business

1.   Build a reputation for excellence. Excellent products, excellent service, and excellent customer service. In today’s climate of fluctuating stock markets and financial uncertainty, your products and services reflect your business and services. Excellent service and products will guarantee your customers will not only come back to you, but talk about you to everyone they know.
2.   Instead of just putting your prices up, add value for money so your customers leave feeling satisfied.
3.   Stand by your products and services. Offer a guarantee that others in your industry may not be able to match. And deliver on your guarantee. This is a sure fire way to get your small business noticed.
4.   Develop good relationships with customers who you enjoy an understanding with, and with whom you share similar beliefs and interests.
5.   In your small business take the attitude of what you can give to your client. Think about how you can truly offer your customers service, rather than thinking about what you get from your customers.
6.   Take time to create what you want for your business. Setup and achieve your own goals rather than what another person may see for your small business. Stay ahead of the fluctuating stock markets rather than relying on someone else to keep you informed or do these things for you.
7.   This is a new year so forget about last year – whether you had a good or bad year it is over. This is a new year with new goals to meet.

You may wonder how these tips will recession proof your small business. Well, it is simple. These tips help to strengthen your business from the inside out. You are completely independent and reliant solely on yourself (and any suppliers) and your own resources to grow your business.

A good attitude and outlook on the world certainly rubs off on the people you meet and they will come back for more if you deliver the services and products that you promise, when you promise – on time.

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Hire a Virtual Assistant to Help Out

Kym — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 23:39:02 +0000

You started to work from home for yourself and thought you could handle everything yourself. But things are busy and getting busier. This is great but the work piles up and you find you work endless hours. You dream of being able to afford an assistant but all the responsibilities and costs put you off hiring help.

Believe it or not, you can afford an assistant. A virtual assistant. Virtual assistants are springing up all over the world and they are an affordable option to hiring a permanent member of staff.

A virtual assistant works online from anywhere in the world and can manage all sorts of tasks for you. It can be on a one off project, full-time or part-time basis. The choice is yours and the arrangements can be made as flexible as you want to meet your needs. Your virtual assistant will work online from home.

Watch this video
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=0E_pN_jSLcA

Here are some things that may help you decide whether you need the outside help of a virtual assistant:

Are you meeting your clients’ deadlines?
Are you happy at your efficiency levels?
Are your clients satisfied with your services and products?
Are you enjoying your work as much as when you started to work from home?
Are you able to grow your business or are you always bogged down with minor details?

If you answered no to two or more of these questions then you need help. And you need it fast to keep you on track and to help you move forward. Consider hiring a virtual assistant who wants to work from home.

What is a Virtual Assistant?

A virtual assistant looks for a work from home opportunity and will offer all sorts of office and administrative skills as well as marketing, writing, graphics and computer skills. There will be someone out there who can meet your needs.

The whole point is you brief them and they perform the tasks for you from a remote destination. It is most likely you will never meet the people who work for you at all.

How to find a Virtual Assistant

It is not hard to find people looking for a work from home opportunity. Make sure you use the same criteria that you would to hire an assistant at any time. Check out references and get examples of their work. Check out their skills in relation to the work you need a virtual assistant to do. There is no point hiring a secretary if you need a web designer.

Before you look for a virtual assistant make a list of the tasks you want them to deal with – what you need:

Think about how many hours each task will take and prioritize them in order of importance. Work out the total hours for each project.
Look at your budget. What can you afford and what does a virtual assistant cost?
When you first start hiring a virtual assistant start out hiring on a project by project basis and try a few different people out. This can give you a good idea of what works and what does not work.
Rearrange your budget to pay for the initial extra expense. In time this should increase your earning capacity.

With the internet opening the world up, more and more we are changing the way we do business with each other. There are many ways to find a virtual assistant and the internet can be one of the most cost-effective ways to find just the right person to help you out. Do your research and check out some of the reputable sites that offer solutions to your employment needs.

Now you know there are simple solutions to your labour hire problems which make it simple to get the help you need, when you need it. And there are no ongoing obligations unless you want them. Alternatively, perhaps you would like to start your own virtual assistant business.

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Use a VoIP System in your Small Business

Kym — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 11:20:35 +0000

The latest, greatest growing craze and money saver is VoIP (voice over Internet protocol) for your small business. All you need is a computer – laptop or PC – some software, a VoIP phone and your business is ready to business using your computer as your communications hub.

VoIP systems are a brilliant idea for small business. Cost-effective, often less than your landline telephone company for international calls. VoIP makes it easy for you to look your overseas clients in the eye. A VoIP system is an efficient, sophisticated way to communicate with your customers. You can even transfer images and video files through the VoIP network.

Watch this video
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=x56j2BRkUME&feature=related

Why turn to VoIP Technology

The best reason to use VoIP technology is you can make as many phone local and international calls you like at a low cost. And, you can access your account no matter where you are in the world. Using VoIP technology, you can:

fax
email
have your calls answered automatically
voicemail
local and toll free numbers with data security
good quality voice transmission.

For businesses, it is a handy, convenient tool to stay in touch with your customers. Some VoIP PBX has an easy click to call feature. This gives your customers more options to get in touch with you. You can put a button on your website for your clients and when they click, they can communicate directly with you.

Other features of VoIP technology include call forwarding, three-way conference calling, free call forwarding and text messaging, and caller ID. This is a great way for small businesses to cover all their communications needs in one simple system.
If you make the move to a VoIP system don’t forget about security. This is a major concern when changing to this technology but if you keep VoIP security in mind you can protect yourself.

How good is your VoIP Security?

We all know how vulnerable our laptops and PCs are to attacks from hackers and, because it is Internet based it is just as vulnerable. You need to keep in mind, when using a VoIP system, you are open to eavesdroppers infiltrating your telephone calls and stealing your data. You must plan ahead to protect your business from attack before you move over to VoIP. Make sure you understand all the security issues surrounding this new technology. The same measures you take for your internet use needs to apply to your VoIP technology.

Protect your Business VoIP

The best advice to protect you is to set up a multilayer security strategy to protect your VoIP business. You can do this by dividing your VoIP network into secure zones, surround them with firewalls, and use techniques to prevent outside intrusion into your VoIP system. Some of the things you can do include:

Put in place encrypted coding to check the authentication and access into your VoIP system. Encrypt all the data you send and make sure calls made by employees are tracked by tracking software to keep staff accountable for the information they send.
Take a look at your internal security. Keep in mind your employees communicating with each other using wireless phones it opens your business to potential security risks. Encrypt all your internal VoIP data to protect the company from internal attacks and restrict access to the VoIP system. Also, route all incoming calls througha gateway server.

To secure your VoIP network is the same as securing your computer from viruses. Use firewalls and virus software to protect your small business. VoIP is as secure as

the measures you take.

VoIP technology is rapidly taking the way we communicate into a new dimension. We have come a long way from the old days of carrier pigeons carrying our messages. Now, we sit in front of our computers and talk to our clients all over the world. And, if you setup a webcam, you can look them in the eye too.

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Cultivate your Small Business Culture

Kym — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 23:01:57 +0000

Keep an eye on the culture of your small business from they day you start trading. It does not matter whether you are a sole trader or have employees. Your organisational culture is how people see you, and how your employees interact and treat each other when they work for your business.

Through your corporate ethics, your clients and employees will learn what you expect from them in they way they do business on your behalf. This is how people learn to trust you and your business. So if you act in an ethical honest way without bullying or discrimination, then your small business will naturally develop a well-balanced organizational culture.
Corporate Social Responsibility

No matter who you are, what business you are in, or how many employees work for you – your organisational culture will affect your bottom line. Not to mention your legal obligations as an employer to provide a safe workplace free of harassment and discrimination.

See this video
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=92lg7EvwKBE

As the business owner or manager, you must look at your organisation’s leadership and see if this is how you want your employees to behave. You want a happy workplace, which is productive, where your staff wants to come to work each day.

Corporate Culture – What it can Cost

While you may not think your organisation’s culture affects your bottom line – you may want to think about that differently. Organisational culture really does affect your profit margin when you think of it in the following terms:

Poor organisational culture (e.g. bullying disguised as jokes; a culture where everyone watches the clock and reports others for leaving at what they think may be early) affects your staff’s wellbeing which relates to absenteeism, a down turn in productivity and higher workers compensation claims. Your business may even earn a poor reputation for its organizational culture.

Good organisational culture (e.g. relaxed, happy environment where it is not too much trouble for people to help each other) will see your profit margins grow. People work harder when they are happier, and the organisation earns their loyalty.

Always show those who work for you your appreciation. For example, hold a morning tea or lunch to say thank you at the end of a large project or at the end of a busy time. It does not take much to show the people who work for you how much their hard work means to you. And, your organization’s productivity will grow.

Change Management to change your Corporate Culture

Be vigilant to what goes on in your workplace. Are there the sounds of happy voices with good productivity at work? Or, have you noticed rising absenteeism and staff disappearing for longer lunches or taking more breaks?

If you need a culture change throughout your organization, make sure you have a written Code of Conduct. Promote it so all your staff understands that it is their responsibility to behave with respect to all at work.

Let your staff know what you see as appropriate behavior and if there are breaches of your Code of Conduct treat them seriously to keep all your workers safe.

Encourage your staff to openly discuss any concerns they may have. And, if there are any complaints, make sure you follow through with an investigation if informal resolutions do not work. For informal resolutions to work, you need to follow up afterwards from time to time to check any inappropriate behaviour has ceased.

If you treat your staff well it should automatically flow on throughout the workplace. Everyone wants a happy, productive workplace. It all comes down to your organisational culture and the behavior you allow in your workplace.

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