A Guest Post by Noah Rue

The baby boomer generation has had an incredible impact on this country. Now, those born between 1946-1964 are creating yet another impact. Between the years 2011 and 2029, about 10,000 baby boomers are expected to reach the age of retirement each day. While that number is fascinating in terms of just how concentrated the generation was/is, there is something else to consider as more baby boomers start to retire; how it will impact your business, especially in technology and IT industries. 

The loss of experienced workers can create big problems for certain industries. Those in the utility industry, as well as financial and accounting firms, are going through 15 years of staffing shortages. 

When it comes to tech and IT industries, technology is moving at such a pace that it can be hard to “teach experience,” so as the baby boomer generation continues to retire, finding adequate replacements without giving them additional training that costs time and money. This has been referred to as the “Retirement Brain Drain.” 

So, what does brain drain really mean for business, and what can your company do to combat it?

What is “Retirement Brain Drain?”

Because baby boomers are retiring at such a rapid rate, they are taking years of knowledge and experience with them. That’s exactly what this kind of brain drain is; the loss of either technical, institutional, or personal knowledge from a specific company or industry. It impacts a variety of different careers. 

For example, most truckers in the U.S. are middle-aged or elderly men. There is already a trucker shortage, and with long driving hours, new rules and regulations, and a seemingly poor work-life balance, there aren’t enough incoming drivers to replace those who are leaving or retiring. On top of that, drivers can expect to see their tonnage increase by 25.6% by 2030. So, with heavier loads and longer hours, the industry may not be appealing to the younger drivers who are needed to replace retirees. 

The healthcare field is another great example of how brain drain can impact an industry. If a nurse, for example, works with several particular patients and learns about their likes and dislikes, understands their personality, and those patients come to trust her/him, once that nurse retires, a replacement won’t automatically know everything about the patients the previous nurse did. That could cause a lack of trust, and could even cause those patients to go elsewhere. 

In the technology/IT industries, informational and institutional knowledge is something that takes years to build. A technician might know hundreds of different programs and can master them all, but that likely took years to learn and do proficiently. When they retire, it could take someone new just as long (if not longer) to reach that point. This learning process can end up costing your company time and money. 

Preparing Your Employees for the Future

Thankfully, there are things you can do now to help with brain drain so your business doesn’t suffer as the baby boomer generation continues to retire. 

First, talk to your older employees about their intentions. If you have a better idea of when they plan to retire, you can work with them to make an exit plan that will run smoothly for both of you. When you have a timeline in place, you can help your less-tenured employees with some of the following solutions: 

• Mentoring programs to reduce training time.
• A knowledgebase that captures information from long-standing employees. 
• Contextual guidance tools.
• Phased retirement allows an individual to take on less work overtime until they fully retire.

All of these options will help to make the impact of an employee’s retirement less jarring to your company and your other employees. Keep in mind that some of your employees might feel overwhelmed with the influx of new responsibilities or work they will have to take on after someone within the company retires. Keeping good employees on board should be your top priority. You can do that by offering both small perks and big benefits packages. Small skills competitions, “family-style” events, and get-togethers with one another can make your entire team feel closer and more appreciated, which makes everyone want to stay on board. 

Benefits packages don’t have to be so standard anymore. Instead, try to get an idea of what your employees really want. Listen to their major concerns and make sure you’re addressing their needs as you consider which benefits to offer. While things like health insurance and a solid retirement plan are still important to most employees, it’s also relevant to consider offering more flexible working hours, more vacation time and paid maternity/paternity leave to keep employees satisfied. 

Can New Hires Fill in the Gaps? 

In addition to keeping your best employees on board, replacing your retirees means hiring new people into your company. It’s important to trust both your instincts and all the data and information you’ve collected into your overall business intelligence when it comes to the hiring process. Business intelligence can help you to determine: 

• What skills are necessary for positions being vacated
• Which candidates match those skillsets
• Interview questions for the hiring process
• Collated answers from top candidates

Business intelligence can also make more productive use of your time and allow you to focus on your key goals. 

Pay attention to the candidates you’re interviewing, and invite them to spend time with your team before offering them a position. Their aspirations and goals for themselves should be on board with your own. But, understand that they likely won’t be able to fully replace the experienced employee you lost in every way. In some cases, when you’re forced to hire new employees, you’ll have to expect that it will take time for them to catch up and gain the experience their predecessor had. 

So, while this era of baby boomer retirement can be trying on many different industries, everyone started somewhere — including the retirees you’re letting go. Don’t be afraid to look to your other employees or take a chance on someone new to give them their start, too. 

The Surprising Ways Retirement Can Affect Your Business originally appeared on The Daily MBA on March 12, 2020.

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A Guest Post by Megan Ray Nichols

Material handling may not seem like a big deal, but it can be risky if not done properly. If you’re not careful, you could put unnecessary strain on your muscles and bones, causing any number of health problems. But sometimes it’s tempting to be a little sloppy.

If there’s an outgoing shipment or it’s the end of the day, you may want to speed things up. In trying to finish sooner, you could ignore safety guidelines and end up hurting yourself. But no amount of efficiency is worth putting yourself in harm’s way.

You should be efficient, but not at the risk of injury. Focus on safe conduct and you’ll naturally get faster the longer you work. To help you with that goal, here are five quick tips for handling materials safely.

1. Practice Good Posture

The easiest way to stay safe while lifting and moving materials is to practice good posture. Bending over is the leading cause of back injuries in workers. Poor lifting techniques can cause severe damage, but they’re easy to avoid.

No matter how tempting it may be, never bend to pick something up. Even improperly picking up smaller items can be harmful if you do it enough. To avoid unnecessary back pains, crouch down and lift things with your legs instead of using your back.

Other things to keep in mind include carrying items close to your body and not twisting to move materials. Make sure you have enough space to crouch and turn, too.

2. Use Lifting/Carrying Equipment

There’s an abundance of machines out there that can carry things for you. Some loads are too large or too heavy to lift on your own, so you can use equipment to help you out. If you’re a manager or safety officer, consider talking to someone about buying these tools if you don’t already have them.

Forklifts are ideal for larger loads or moving multiple objects at once. You can use lift magnets to move metal materials like bundles of tubing or steel coils. If you have to carry several items over a longer distance, consider using a conveyor belt system.

In today’s world, you’re spoiled for choice when it comes to equipment. It’s easier and more affordable than ever to acquire the tools to help you or your employees handle materials quickly and safely.

3. Gear Up

Large machinery isn’t the only kind of equipment you should consider. Sometimes you have to handle things manually. When you do, you’ll want some safety gear. No matter how experienced or confident you are, you should be wearing personal safety equipment.

At the very least, you should always wear eye protection and a helmet. Your head and eyes are vital but often vulnerable, so you want to ensure you protect them should something happen. Gloves and long sleeves are also a good idea so that you avoid cuts and splinters.

If you do a lot of lifting from the ground, you might want to wear a lumbar support belt. These belts will help you maintain a healthy lifting posture and protect your back. Steel-toed shoes are a good investment, too. They keep your feet safe if something falls on them.

4. Don’t Lift Alone

Some items don’t require a forklift but are a little too heavy for you alone. Maybe you can lift it, but it’s uncomfortable or strenuous. For these situations, ask a coworker to help you out.

You should never lift more than 50 pounds on your own. Carrying things with two or more people doesn’t eliminate all risks, so make sure you still practice safe techniques. You and your coworker should raise items together, take steps together and lower at the same time to avoid straining yourselves.

Getting help from a buddy doesn’t just apply to objects that are exceptionally heavy or awkward. If you can lift something comfortably but can’t see over or around it, ask someone to guide you so you don’t run into anything.

5. Take It Slow

If you’re going too fast, you’re going to get hurt. Ensuring you lift and carry things with the proper techniques is always worth the extra time it may take. Being quick won’t do you any good if it causes you to make a mistake or hurts you or damages materials.

Even if you have good posture, hoisting heavy objects too quickly can lead to injury. Avoid any sudden, jerky movements. Sometimes you’ll feel pressured to get things done as soon as possible, but you should never prefer speed over safety.

With proper techniques and equipment, material handling can be a perfectly safe job. If you follow these tips and make sure others do as well, there’s nothing to worry about when lifting or carrying anything.

Quick Tips for Safe Material Handling originally appeared on The Daily MBA on March 11, 2020.

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By taking a proactive approach towards the daily upkeep of your business finances, you can attentively witness the flow of cash entering and leaving the business. An approach as such can help develop a deeper interest in the everyday financials and the daily running of the business. The task of bookkeeping is an essential part of the business as without this; there is no regular stream of financial data entering the system, leading you to slack in the reporting of your finances. 

Separating business from pleasure 

If you are a sole-trader, you are an embodiment of your business which means that you are not required to separate your finances from your business. On the other hand, if you are a limited company, you are legally obliged to separate any business funds from your account as your limited company is classed as a separate legal entity. By keeping this separate, you can easily distinguish between which transactions personally belong to you and which belong to the business. This simplifies the task of bookkeeping as there’s no blurring of lines between business and pleasure.

Taking the long-term approach 

If you’re familiar with the tasks associated with bookkeeping, you may require a little more training to set you on the right track. This is a longer-term approach; however, it could save you money as this gives you the ability to carry out bookkeeping in-house. By dedicating a portion of your time to learning the tricks of the trade, you can understand the methods behind basic accounting, such as calculating income and expenditure. 

If your bookkeeping tasks begin to build up and bite into your working time, this may be a sign that it’s either time to pass on the baton by teaching other members of staff how to carry out routine bookkeeping jobs or turning towards outsourcing the job. 

All-in-one package 

As part of your accountancy package, you may already have access to bookkeeping tools through your online subscription to accounting software. If this is the case, save money by taking advantage of the software available to you to streamline the link between your bookkeeping and accounting. 

For example, FreeAgent Time Tracking software allows you to use their stopwatch to track billable hours spent on a project for a client. This can then be generated into an invoice and sent directly to the end party, speeding up the process. Automatic mileage trackers can also help you accurately account for the number of miles traveled for business purposes. 

As part of your all-inclusive accountancy package, you may receive discounted services for the likes of financial advice, insurance or in the event that your business falls into financial difficulty, you may want to access information about winding up a business.  Check with your accountant if they have any partnerships or referral schemes in place with other service providers, saving you time looking for a trusted recommendation.  

Digitizing bookkeeping process 

As part of your accountancy package, you may be able to take advantage of the software for bookkeeping purposes, such as Receipt Bank for Xero users. This cuts down the process of rummaging through receipts and sending these to your accountant or bookkeeper. If you have a subscription to cloud accounting software, you may be able to simply take a photo of the receipt and upload it to your online account, giving automatic access to your accountant. If you are required to retain your receipts for a specified time period, storing them in your online account can spare room and make them easily accessible.  

On the topic of security, industry-standard accounting software typically adheres to strict security measures in line with those adopted by banking providers, ensuring that your financial data is safely fortified under layers of encryption. 

In addition to security and accessibility, digitizing the bookkeeping process can make it easy to process your information and convert it into the desired format following relevant accounting reporting standards. By taking steps to update your data regularly, you can benefit from instant changes through the live view. 

Putting a price tag on reputable service

If you decide to engage the skills of a bookkeeper, save money by contemplating whether you can complete this in-house or train yourself on the skills needed to carry out this job accurately. If you are unfamiliar with how to handle the complexities of bookkeeping, turn to a skilled specialist. Prior to signing an agreement, ensure that you negotiate a reasonable rate. Many bookkeepers charge by the hour which can amount to a more expensive rate in comparison to a fixed monthly payment. It’s vital to note that by turning to an inexperienced individual, it may cost you even more in the long run due to the inaccurate input of data which could skew your balance sheet. You may be left forking out double, once to rectify the mistakes of the first bookkeeper and second, to employ the skills of a second skilled bookkeeper. 

Depending on your operating structure and your associated reporting duties, you may be able to satisfy your needs by employing the skills of a bookkeeper, over an accountant. The difference being that a bookkeeper will gather the relevant data and record it for use by the accountant. The accountant will then translate this data into helpful guidance for the business concerning performance and strategy and compile this into the specified reports for the relevant bodies. 

Bookkeeping hacks as such can help you save money in both the short and long term through the use of innovative tools to simplify the existing journey and making the accounting data more digestible. By making the most out of existing tools available to you, you can use technology to assist you through the bookkeeping journey, making time and cost savings along the way which can help you reorganize your priorities to your business. 

About the Author

Keith Tully is a partner at Real Business Rescue, a business recovery expert specializing in company liquidation and business rescue options such as company administration. His specialties lie within negotiating Time to Pay Arrangements for businesses struggling to pay tax liabilities to HMRC.

Bookkeeping Hacks to Save You Money and Time originally appeared on The Daily MBA on March 11, 2020.

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Albeit a bit challenging to figure out, there are a lot of advantages to gain through the use of ads. For one, you can target the customers that you want and filter out those that you don’t. Online advertising is one of the most effective means of advertising today, and that’s thanks to the advent of technology. Times have certainly changed, and gone are the days when ads could only be seen on TV or print media, or be heard on the radio.

Ads are very important as these can help your business grow. For small and local businesses like yours, ads enable you to attract new customers and sell more of your products and services to the loyal customers that you currently have. Furthermore, ads can create good perceptions about your business.

Having said all those, here are ways on  how you can grow your local business with the help of ads:

1. Use Keywords To Your Advantage

While it may seem like all-too-common, overused advice, it still makes a lot of sense to use keywords to your advantage. Keywords are still one of the best ways to grow your business as these can help you reach more prospective customers. When you have an Internet page, the keywords can help improve your website’s rank on search engines. The same principle applies to ads.

Even with the smallest advertisements, putting keywords helps a lot. These keywords are important so that search engine crawlers have words to skim through whenever an Internet user searches on a particular niche, in which you belong.

Here are some tips you may follow when using keywords for your ads:

• Choose keywords that are highly relevant to the particular business niche to which you belong.
• Craft the right text or phrases to go alongside your keywords.
• Always spend ample time researching keywords that are most relevant to your business ad.
• Group keywords into an organized hierarchy.

2. Post Promotions On Your Ads

Promotions refer to the deals or products that you’re currently selling at a discounted price. These can as well refer to other promotional activities that your business may also have. Especially when your business is still small and localized, you can use these promotional activities to your advantage by posting them on your ads. It has the effect of generating excitement on the Internet user that views your ads. For example, Mr. A is scrolling through their Facebook page. Then, suddenly, an ad showing that your products are on promo pops up. This can help drive Mr. A towards your brick-and-mortar shop or even to browse through your website. You’re making your business grow with this strategy by merely bringing in more visitors to your store or your virtual page.

Here are other great reasons why you should incorporate all promotional activities your business has to your ads:

• Creates awareness of your brand
• Informs your target audience about the existence of your business and your products
• Reinforces a favorable attitude in the minds of your audience
• Persuades customers (online users) to buy your products
• Reminds other Internet users that your business does exist

3. Measure Your Performance

Yes, you may have had online ads up and running for a long time now. But, how are you confident that they’re effective?  Do you have metrics in place to show that the goals of your ads are attained? An indispensable part of using ads to grow your business also involves optimizing these ads. By this, it means that you regularly check your ads to ensure that they’re performing well. That way, you’d know whether or not it’s time to change or revise your ads to better reach your goal of growing your business.

Here are some of the best ways to go about with measuring your ads’ performance:

• If you have Facebook ads, log in to your ads manager platform. That way, you can get better started with measuring and studying the numbers and performance of your ads. 
• Study the relevant analytics that is needed to ensure that your ads are doing well.
• Find out what is and what isn’t working in your ads.

4. Advertise Across All Platforms

By advertising across all platforms, this means taking advantage of all areas across various media and sites for advertising. It means making sure that your ads are visible no matter where your target customer is also signing in from. For example, whether Mr. A is browsing from a laptop, desktop computer, mobile phone, or a tablet, they’d still see your ads. 

One of the best ways for you to ensure this is to sign up for Google Ads. When you have Google Ads, you can easily sync this with whatever kind of device a person on the other end may be browsing from.

To help you even further, here’s how you can get started with Google Ads:

• Before starting with Google Ads, you first need to have a Google mail address for your website and your business.
• Then, sign up for Google Ads. Enter all the necessary information that Google asks about your business. Through this information, you can also begin with creating your first campaign.
• Set up your billing methods.
• Start advertising!

5. Get Seen On Digital Maps

A part of growing your business with ads also necessarily involves getting seen on maps. That’s why, for one, you need to learn how to add your business on Waze.

Because of advancements in technology, people all over the world have also made significant changes as to how they go about using maps. With just a few clicks on their mobile phones, there are now apps that can help drivers navigate through various locations, even though places they’ve never been to before. As a local business, therefore, it’s also important for you to take advantage of this platform. Make sure that other people see you and know you exist by being present on these maps.

When your local business can be seen on these digital maps, there are many other features that you can utilize for your benefit. For example, you can provide virtual tours of your business through a feature on Google Maps, as well as you can add photos, feedback, and recommendations. That way, even when other Internet users are not going to your business at the moment, they can still learn and know much about your business through the information presented on Google Maps.

This kind of presence can help strengthen your popularity, thus helping your business grow. Here are other advantages that you can gain from using ads to be present on digital maps:

• Enables you to engage with your customers for free
• Strengthens the overall profile of your business
• Expands the ways through which your customers can reach you
• Allows you to see and study the different ways by which your customers connect on business listings or maps

6. Re-organize Your Team’s Structure

For instance, you already have ads in place all over the Internet. Naturally, these ads didn’t just pop up there for no reason at all. They’re a product of all the hard work and effort that your team has exerted. However, this isn’t to say that just because you now have ads up and running, you won’t need to make certain alterations to how your team moves anymore.

In one of the examples above, it was mentioned that a part of growing your local business with the help of ads is in studying whether or not these ads are indeed performing as well as they should. As you study and go through your metrics, you may also want to make regular changes in the organizational structure of your team assigned for your online ads. In doing so, you prevent stagnancy. Remember that digital marketing is a very fast-moving space, so it also needs effort from your part to keep up with these changes. Else, the failure to do so may yield negative results. You’re only wasting time and energy on ads that don’t add any value to your growing your local business.

Here are some tips to follow in managing a team assigned to your ads:

• Analyze all the data that comes from all the metrics that you employ.
• Brainstorm, create, and make regular changes to your ads depending on the location (e.g., different ads for websites and social media accounts).
• Employ members of the team to serve as community managers, meaning individuals that keep an open dialog with your customers and the company as a whole.
• Design all your ads, such that they’re always relevant and competitive.
• Don’t forget to manage your online reputation.

Conclusion

If you’ve long been in the business, by now, you may have already heard a lot about ads and their advantages to any type of business. But, are you aware of how valuable these ads are to your own?  Since digital marketing came into place, online ads have become even more profitable and effective than ever. As the Internet population continues to grow and multiply, the effectivity of these ads are constantly increasing, too. In toto, ads help your business grow as it increases your Internet pages’ traffic, as well as your revenues.

How To Grow Your Local Business With The Help Of Ads originally appeared on The Daily MBA on March 5, 2020.

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When researching the skills necessary to be a successful entrepreneur I found the following suggestions: ambition, willingness to learn, ability to listen, creativity, assertiveness and confidence, perseverance (that’s an important one right?) and also courage and risk-taking. Interestingly in a lot of the articles that I read, public speaking wasn’t mentioned as an essential skill.  I’m not sure why, as entrepreneurs need to be able to write well when crafting proposals, emails, and briefing documents. It’s also expected that you’ll be able to effectively engage a crowd in a meeting, in a pitch, in an update, and that you’ll be able to facilitate discussion in groups and general meetings. You need to be able to manage your staff, your Board and your client relationships. As well, you know that you’ll also potentially have conference speaking gigs (especially if your business is a success) and plenty of media opportunities where the reputation of your business is in your hands. That’s where public speaking can really help you. 

In the rush to grow your business, you may not have thought too much about adding the skill of public speaking to your portfolio of business tools. In fact, we know that public speaking is actually one of the top fears amongst business people, so you may have even avoided it throughout your career and focused on more informal ways to grow and market your business. In some cases, you may have hired someone else to do the speaking for you and delegated the opportunity. 

I whole-heartedly believe that when you focus on adding public speaking skills to your existing toolkit of business communication skills, you’ll add a whole new level of mastery to your skills as an entrepreneur that will have a life-changing effect. In other words, by mastering the art of public speaking you’ll see a noticeable improvement in your writing, communication, negotiation, influence, and relationships overall. 

We’ve all seen someone tank in a business meeting or presentation!

We’ve all been to meetings that didn’t achieve what we hoped. For most of us, this happens daily! We know what it feels like to sit in a meeting feeling bored, annoyed or frustrated by the presenter and/or their content. Maybe at the time they didn’t grab your attention or they lost control of the meeting at some point. It’s not pretty regardless of whether you’re the presenter or the audience member.

The important question you should be asking yourself if you want to be even more successful in business is, have YOU ever been the presenter who tanked? Have you experienced leading a meeting that ended with you experiencing that sinking feeling that you’ve missed the chance, or you’ve let yourself (and your team) down?  It’s awful when you realize that based on your own performance (and you can’t blame anyone else) there is no way on earth that your client would be willing to establish a business partnership with you. That feeling really sucks. And if your business partners or Board members were in the room while you were crashing and burning, or they just found out about it from your client’s feedback post-the-meeting, it’s a serious career-limiting moment – cringe!

I have a client who is a serial entrepreneur. He’s a guru in artificial intelligence. He presented at a revenue-raising event over cocktails one night with his Board and colleagues there to support him. He, unfortunately, did such a horrid job of his pitch that he not only didn’t get many investors, but he was also told he needed to immediately fix his public speaking or he’d have to step aside as CEO. Hence, a call to me for emergency training!

It’s undeniable. If you are pitching, networking, raising capital, managing people and/or closing sales then public speaking is an essential skill for you and if you want to be able to inspire your team, delight your customers and grow your empire you need to master it now! 

How do great speaking skills help you grow your business? 

Improving your public speaking skills will help you in all sorts of ways:

1. You’ll be the go-to person. When people think of you as the guru it has so many benefits. You’ll be seen as more credible than your competitors, you’ll be the person people want to spend time with, and you’ll be the person people want to do business with. 
2. Time management. My friend and business advisor Dale Beaumont talks about the incredible amount of time you’ll save when you bring all your clients into one room at a time instead of scheduling meetings after meeting with one client at a time. It’s simple time management, isn’t it? And of course, when your clients are all the room together and they hear one another complimenting you, talking about how much they love your products or services and/or actually buying from you, it’s contagious. The law of social proof states that when one person respects and values you enough to do business with you, others will follow. 
3. Feel Confident. It’s really amazing how much more confident you’ll be in business and life once you master the art of public speaking. When you know what a great communicator is supposed to do, and you just do it, you’ll automatically be more confident in the way you speak and write (everywhere in your life) because you know you’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing to be successful. So you’ll find that you naturally negotiate better with suppliers, you’ll speak up more effectively in meetings, you’ll be more likely to volunteer for things and opportunities because you’re not fazed by the idea of having to address a crowd and you’ll carry yourself with authority in general. You’ll look like you walk the talk!
4. Networking. When you’re a busy entrepreneur you have to be careful with how you spend your time, and with whom you spend it. Mastering your public speaking means that you can choose which industry events you attend, who you connect with while you’re there, what you talk about and you’re going to be able to nail your elevator pitch. An added bonus is that you’ll often even have the opportunity to be a speaker on the night if the organizer knows you can speak well. 
5. General Communication. Accomplished public speakers know how to write well, speak well and are generally very high functioning individuals. When you know how to speak in public you’ve developed good research skills, good message creation skills and of course good delivery skills. In addition, public speaking helps you develop both attractiveness and charisma, which are essential skills for networking and relationship management.
6. Involvement. When you believe in yourself, and you know you can do it, you’re more likely to jump in when an opportunity arises and ‘seize the day’. One of the top skills for entrepreneurs is risk-taking and perseverance. When you are more confident in your speaking and communication it makes you more confident in life, which in turn helps you feel more confident to make decisions and back yourself. You’ll be more likely to put your hand up for opportunities as they arise and you’ll be fully ‘in life’. 
7. Close more business. You use the same skills for public speaking as you would in a sales meeting. You may not have realized that you use a similar method for closing a sale as you do for calling an audience to act in a speech. The model for asking for the business is transferable across the two contexts.  When you can speak in public you’ll make more appointments and you’ll close more business.

Where to start?

I encourage you to read widely, attend some training and possibly even join a speaking group to get some practice at speaking. 

In short, as entrepreneurs, we present to people with the intention of influencing them every single day.  We present to our colleagues, our staff and Board, our suppliers and potential clients. You are presenting yourself every day whether you realize it or not. When you master the art of public speaking you’ll be able to consciously pick the words to say and establish a connection with people. You’ll be able to show them who you are and what exactly you can bring to the table. Public speaking skills give you the opportunity to step up and be noticed for what you can offer. Public speaking provides a unique opportunity for you to showcase your professional expertise and accelerate your business and career. So please do embrace the opportunity to develop these life-changing skills and I’ll be right there with you celebrating your successes.

About the Author

Michelle Bowden is an authority on presentation & persuasion in business. Michelle is a CSP (the highest designation for speakers in the world), co-creator of the PRSI (a world-first psychometric indicator that tests your persuasiveness at work), best selling internationally published author (Wiley), and a regular commentator in print, radio, and online media. Sign up for Michelle’s FREE How to Present magazine TODAY

Entrepreneurs here’s how public speaking can help you originally appeared on The Daily MBA on March 2, 2020.

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In our increasingly interconnected global economy, the knowledge of how to handle commerce across nations is critical to a company’s lasting success. To that end, there’s been a surge in degree programs focused on business management in an international context, tackling topics like marketing in other countries, the legalities of operating internationally, and handling finances for multinational organizations. Deciding exactly which degree program to go with can be difficult, however, especially if you’re looking for an online degree that’s both affordable and respectable. For that reason, we’ve put together a shortlist of some of the best options out there when it comes to online degrees in international business.

Florida International University

With “international” right there in the name, it’s no surprise that Florida International University takes international business degrees seriously. Consistently rated as one of the best online schools for business across several rankings, Florida International University provides a comprehensive education in international business topics. Students can take courses specializing in particular regions of the world, focusing on issues like policy and the relationship between government and business in international contexts, and more. They also have the option to focus further on areas like marketing, banking, and management through a variety of extensive electives. 

Minot State University

This small university in North Dakota places an emphasis on quality of education for its students. Their international business degree program, available both online and on-campus, is built to help you break into the field of international business and find a job after graduation. With international internships and study abroad opportunities, even online students can be set up with real-world learning experiences that put them in the kind of business situations they’ll work in every day. Aside from the expected classes in international marketing and accounting and the like, their program allows students to study geography, history, and culture, to help them interact and strike deals with their counterparts across the globe. 

Northern State University

Northern State University’s bachelor’s in international business aims to give students a wide base of skills to enable them to succeed in foreign countries. Courses like business ethics, principles of accounting, and international finance make up the core of the curriculum, but they aren’t all you’ll be required to take. Culture, politics, and geography make up a substantial portion as well, and students are required to take a foreign language that will help them communicate with colleagues abroad. Northern State University also helps find internships that might be available to online students and is a major proponent of studying abroad.

These are just a few of the online international business degree programs out there, and can at least offer you an idea of the kinds of things you should be looking for when it comes to choosing a college. A good program should provide general business skills, specialized lessons designed to facilitate international commerce, and the necessary cultural and political context for operating in a foreign country. Internships and study abroad opportunities can be particularly valuable to international business majors, however, these can be difficult to find for online students, and adults studying online may not be able to set aside the required time for these in-depth activities, so you’ll have to decide for yourself what’s the best path. International business degrees can lead to a number of possible careers in business management, as well as other areas like marketing and finance. For those who want to travel the world, earn lucrative salaries, and experience other cultures, there are few better majors to choose than international business

Top Online Bachelor’s Degree in International Business in 2020 originally appeared on The Daily MBA on February 27, 2020.

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What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is the practice of being present in the moment. It’s all about focusing and being aware of what you’re experiencing. The purpose is to allow people to calmly deal with their thoughts and appreciate the things around them.

These are the basic steps of mindfulness:

1. Set aside some time in a suitable space.
2. Engage with the present. Pay attention to the details of the moment, the environment around you, your thoughts and feelings.
3. Observe your thoughts and allow them to pass through your mind. Make a note of any distractions but don’t let them carry you away.
4. Keep returning your focus to the present moment.

Benefits of Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a method of training your mind to focus and filter out distractions. It makes sense that this would be useful in a professional environment. Research has shown there are many benefits to mindfulness. It can help reduce stress, prevent burnout, improve attention span, and even encourage compassion. It’s also been shown to improve decision-making and problem-solving. Utilizing mindfulness and prioritizing the wellbeing of your team can go a long way in creating a healthy and kind work environment.

Tips to Encourage Mindfulness and Kindness at Work

Make Time

It’s important to provide your team with the necessary time for mindfulness. It only requires 5-10 minutes. You could do it as a group exercise, or give everyone the time and space to do it on their own. This shows your team that you value their wellbeing. It allows you to set a good example of what it means to be kind and considerate to others.

Take a Break

Stepping away from a problem for a few minutes is a great way to recharge. Research has shown that taking breaks can improve performance and productivity. Use your break time as an opportunity to take care of your wellbeing. You could practice mindfulness, do some stretches, take a quick walk outside or have a healthy snack to re-energize. Encourage your team to take a few minutes for themselves when needed, and ensure they’re taking their full lunch break.

Practice Gratitude

Showing gratitude towards your colleagues can help with team morale and engagement. People will be motivated to produce better results if they know it will be genuinely appreciated. Showing gratitude is as simple as saying “thank you”, but there are other ways to show it. Recognize people’s achievements and efforts by thanking them in person or praising them during a team meeting. Take your team out to lunch/dinner, or provide a treat at the office as a gesture of gratitude. As a leader, you create the culture, so acts of kindness and recognition are important for a healthy and happy workplace.

Be Mindful of Your Behaviour

Mindfulness can teach you to be more aware of your behavior. By making a note of your thoughts, you allow yourself to look at them more objectively and not be controlled by them. This can help you identify habits that might be holding you or your team back. A common struggle for people in leadership positions is resisting the urge to micro-manage. Micro-managing can cause teams to feel disengaged and prevents them from learning and growing. Be mindful of how you lead, and empower your team to make decisions and think creatively. This will keep everyone motivated and passionate about their work.

Mindfulness is an excellent tool to promote wellness and kindness in the workplace. You can use it to grow into a better leader. You can teach it to your team to create a culture of kindness. It only takes a few minutes, and there are many benefits. By using mindfulness, you can build a healthy work environment where people feel engaged and appreciated.

Author’s bio:

Based in Wellington, New Zealand, Johanna Cider has been reading and writing her way through university. She especially enjoys covering topics about entrepreneurship and lifestyle. See more of her published works on Musings of Johanna

How to Encourage Mindfulness in the Workplace and Create a Culture of Kindness originally appeared on The Daily MBA on February 19, 2020.

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A Guest Post by Megan Ray Nichols

Despite advancements in industrial safety technology and new regulations, accidents remain a big problem for the American industry. In 2018, there were nearly 3 million reported workplace injuries, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

At the same time, industrial regulators agree that good lighting can make workplaces safer. OSHA regulates industrial lighting, and poor lighting has been identified as a potential safety hazard by a few different regulatory bodies, like the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety. 

As a result, adequate lighting systems remain extremely important for workplaces that want to keep their employees safe. 

Here are some of the safety benefits of adequate lighting, and how you can tell whether or not your workplace has the right lighting setup.

How Lighting Can Improve Safety in Industrial Workplaces

Poor lighting — which can be too dim, too bright or inconsistent — can make factory floors harder to navigate. It can increase the difficulty of operating complex or dangerous machinery, put workers at greater risk of accidents or collisions, and make it difficult to perform any kind of work that requires sustained attention to detail. Over time, lighting that is too dim or too intense can also tire out workers’ eyes more quickly, leading to eye strain, headaches, and short-term vision difficulties.

Even if the lighting doesn’t seem like it could have that much of an impact on workplace safety, many studies have established that even modest improvements can significantly reduce the risk of injury.

For example, one study found that having the right lighting in place can significantly reduce workplace injuries. The study also found that quality lighting can also provide other benefits for factory and warehouse managers, like boosted productivity, along with improved employee attentiveness and health.

These findings are backed up by just about every piece of research on industrial lighting. A review of the literature written on proper workplace lighting found that, in general, it reduced accidents, improved worker accuracy and boosted employee morale. The report also found that the costs of installing new lighting were often less than what employers were already paying as a result of inadequate illumination.

If you are unsure whether or not your current lighting system is the right fit for your workplace, there are a few different ways to estimate its effectiveness.

Simple methods of investigation can reveal a lot about lighting conditions. Consider asking workers whether or not they experience eye strain, must squint to see in certain areas or if they’ve ever been forced to work by touch instead of sight due to lack of lighting. You can also look for shadows, especially if they fall over heavy-traffic walkways or workspaces. 

If possible, you should investigate as much of your workplace as possible. Just because the lighting is effective in one part of a factory or warehouse doesn’t mean it’s adequate throughout the site.

It’s also possible to measure the illumination in a workplace using a light meter and compare current levels to industrial lighting recommendations.

Safety Advantages of LED Lighting

Certain light types — like LED lights — can also provide lighting that’s safer in certain situations.

LED lights can provide stronger and more consistent lighting using the same amount of energy as a dimmer fluorescent bulb. This can be especially beneficial for workers who need to perform tasks that require visual precision over a long period, like quality assurance work on extremely small parts or hand alterations to minuscule and sensitive electronic components.

However, LED lights do have some disadvantages that will need to be considered if you want to use them for safe industrial lighting. Because LEDs contain sensitive electronics, they can be more vulnerable to damage from power surges and dirty power — subtle variations in energy flow that is not uncommon in industrial workplaces.

As a result, factory managers who install LED lights will also likely need to source some kind of power surge protector for their LED lights, like ballasts. These products control, regulate and stabilize the bulb’s output. You should also consider other surge protection devices, which use protective components like metal oxide varistors (or MOVs) to suppress fluctuations in voltage and prevent surge-related damage.

Even considering this disadvantage, the benefits of LED lighting — lower costs and better illumination with less energy — can easily make them a safer alternative in the right situation.

Adequate Lighting Can Make Industrial Workplaces Safer

Workplace safety has advanced significantly over the past few decades. However, inadequate lighting is still causing injuries in American workplaces. Luckily, it’s possible to identify lighting issues and invest in systems that improve worker safety. These systems also provide several benefits for employers — like increased employee productivity and less downtime.

Depending on a given worksite’s needs, certain lighting types — like LEDs — may be more cost-effective and generally a better lighting solution. Once you determine where improvements can be made, you can make the switch and reap the benefits.

How to Reduce Accidents by Installing the Proper Industrial Lighting originally appeared on The Daily MBA on February 19, 2020.

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Every website owner wants to draw more people to use their site or get more visitors or traffic. However, with millions of similar niche websites in search engines, like Google, it’s a real challenge to stand out among the rest and get noticed from the piles of search results.

Whether you’re into e-commerce or promoting a brick and mortar store, getting more traffic means more potential customers and higher sales or profits for your business. That is why it’s important to know how to increase your website traffic and find effective ways to maintain it. And, that’s what this article is all about. 

1. Link Building: Gain More Authority Bridge

Link building is a search engine optimization (SEO) tactic. It involves the process of linking one web page to your website and vice versa by embedding target links to anchor texts or relevant keywords on your website. 

But, what is search engine optimization or SEO?  It’s a long-term and constant process of optimizing a website and its web pages using commonly searched words or phrases and links to increase visibility in search engine results, and draw more organic or unpaid traffic to the website. In SEO, keyword research and link building play a crucial role in attaining a successful web presence. 

There are many link building strategies you can use to signal Google and other search engines that your website is a trusted, high-quality online resource that is worthy of citation. Link building bridges any information gap, giving your visitors additional helpful information from credible sources, as well as direct them to consider using your products and services.

Here are some examples of external (from other websites) link building strategies: 

• Quora Link Building: It’s a great question and answer platform to link your keywords to your blog site’s anchored content. Make sure to provide detailed answers to relevant questions and avoid spam.
• YouTube Video Tutorials: If you want to drive free organic website traffic, consider using the world’s second most popular search engine and gain exposure by uploading useful helpful videos. It will add more value to your content by linking your videos to your website content.
• LinkedIn Publishing: Publishing a high-quality, relevant, and unique post on LinkedIn can help deliver an immense amount of value to your visitors by linking that content to your blog’s anchor content. By doing so, it will help you gain authority bridge, linking your blogs or articles to an authority website.

2. Social Media: Actionable Tactics To Make Connections 

In 2019, there are about 4.388 billion Internet users worldwide, and 3.484 billion are social media users. Using social media as an avenue to implement actionable tactics to connect with customers is very effective. 

By implementing effective social media strategies, you can draw more traffic to your website. There are many ways you can accomplish this goal, such as the following:

• Posting User-generated Content: User-generated content or UGC is any content form, such as text, image, audio, or video, posted by users on social media and other online platforms. People tend to have a higher level of trust for recommendations provided by their family and friends on social media, thus take advantage of this fact so prospective customers would go to your website or online store and buy your products or avail of your services.
• Strategic Targeting: Run promotional campaigns through paid social media ads to your target audience. 
• Working With Influencers: Influencers are personalities with hundreds of thousands (or millions) of social media followers. You may collaborate with them to reach and connect to your target audience. Influencers can help encourage people to visit your website and check out and purchase your offerings.

3. Mobile Technology: Activate Your Mobility Solutions 

If you’re serious about driving more traffic to your website, it’s high time to make it more mobile-friendly. Google’s Page Insights Tool can be used to check your mobile layout’s friendliness if it conforms to the guidelines. 

Check these helpful ways to generate more mobile traffic:  

• Don’t Post Interstitial Ads: These ads block mobile online visitors from seeing or reading your content whenever they land on your web page. These types are perceived as intrusive pop-up ads that can potentially cause harm to your search engine rankings. 
• Be Visible In Local Directories: Your business and website should be visible on Google My Business, Yellow Pages, Bing Places for Business, and Yelp. Add your contact information, store, or business hours, and a relevant link to your site. Whenever online shoppers search for your business contact information using their mobile devices, they’ll easily and quickly see it.
• Use Multiple Calls-to-action: Mobile page content needs more scrolling, so include multiple CTAs to your content to drive more clicks to your web pages and boost your conversions. 
• Offer Flexible Payment Options: Mobile users should be given flexible payment options when shopping online, such as credit or debit cards, PayPal, and Payoneer, to keep them from abandoning their shopping carts.

4. Web Design Strategies: Improve User Experience And Gain More Traffic

It’s not too late to assess your web design even if you already have an existing website. You can improve and update it to improve user experience and drive more traffic to your website. Improving your website means improving its usability or function. 

Here are some ways to help improve your website:

• Use White Space: It’s also called negative space in web design. This refers to empty sections of your website, which promotes balance, making it look clean and professional.
• Optimize Your Speed: Making your website load fast can retain more users because they tend to get answers fast and avoid waiting.
• Use Images Wisely: Make sure to use unique photos, preferably professionally taken, to improve user experience and drive your website’s curb appeal.

Conclusion

You can drive more traffic to your website by identifying what strategies work for your business. If you want to gain unpaid or organic traffic that can benefit you in the long run, then search engine optimization through link building strategies is highly recommended.

On the other hand, you can gain more traffic and get quick results with paid ads through social media, and connect and engage with your target audience at the same time. Of course, always make sure that your website is mobile-friendly, too, because more and more people are using smartphones and other mobile devices to shop or do business online.

4 Ways To Get More Traffic To Your Website originally appeared on The Daily MBA on February 18, 2020.

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No one likes to feel unprepared when starting a new job. It’s expected you’ll have to learn about the new responsibilities your job entails, but oftentimes, a sheet of paper or a manual explaining your duties isn’t going to cut it. Training is one of the key factors in retaining good employees, but what happens after they master their duties and responsibilities? It’s not discussed as often but continuing with the development of your employees is one of the aspects that make happy and satisfied employees. A good employer should help shape the future of his or her employees’ careers and this can’t happen without continual training and development.

An Employee Development Plan

Throughout our academic careers, we’re never expected to stop learning, so why should that stop once we begin our careers? Career paths are filled with their own twists and turns, but the one thing that remains important is the opportunity to continue to learn. Everyone wants to advance their career and without continuing their training and development this wouldn’t be possible.

Without the proper resources, a plan for professional development for employees can be a little tricky. However, many larger companies these days are employing the services of a Chief Learning Officer. Many organizations run like well-oiled machines but it’s often because they have the right people in the right positions to keep things going smoothly.

Taking on the management of employee development isn’t an easy job and not one that can be really taken on as an “extra responsibility.” When someone is hired who is passionate about helping people advance their careers and their sole focus is professional development, this is when the success of an employee’s career really takes off. If your organization is serious about focusing more on the training and development of the employees, hiring a Chief Learning Officer might be the best route to take.

How Training and Retention Rates Go Hand in Hand

When you think of employee retention rates, the amount of training they offer to employees probably isn’t the first that comes to mind. They don’t seem to naturally complement one another. A lack of the right culture fit is one of the top reasons people leave their jobs, but it isn’t uncommon for a lack of training and development to be in the top reasons as well. 

Employees view training and development opportunities as an investment in them by the company. As they continue to further their education about their position, it’s natural to be thinking about the next steps beyond and that means a promotion. When employees feel valued they’re much more likely to want to invest their time in the company as well.

Professional Development Should Always Be an Option

There are hundreds of jobs where a lack of training isn’t an option. When you think about the careers of doctors, nurses and airline pilots, for example, do you really want to consider having someone who hasn’t been trained to handle these responsibilities? Careers such as these are very specific in education and training requirements, and it doesn’t stop once they’re on the job. Nurses and doctors are expected to continue their education and to even play a role in mentoring and ushering in the next generation.

Even people whose occupation doesn’t require such a specialized education can benefit from continuing their training and development, and companies that foster this notion send a clear message that they are keeping an eye to the future. Your employees will clearly understand that you are not only invested in their positions but interested in ensuring the company’s future growth and expansion.

The Broadway play Glengarry Glen Ross is famous for promoting the idea that salesmen should “Always Be Closing.” In today’s world, however, the message can easily be tweaked for expansion to the global workforce as a whole. It’s vital to the health of your business and, more importantly, your employees, that everyone should… Always Be Learning.

Why Training and Development is Crucial for Business Success originally appeared on The Daily MBA on February 17, 2020.

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