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Tag: business practice

  • 5 Common Tech-Related Causes Of Downtime

    5 Common Tech-Related Causes Of Downtime

    When disaster strikes, a business may be temporarily unable to continue operating. This period of non-operation is known as downtime. There are many incidents that can cause downtime, some of which are hard to predict (such as the recent pandemic). One common cause of downtime is tech failures. These can come in all different forms – below are just some of the main forms of tech failure that can lead to downtime.

    Cyberattacks

    Cyberattacks are a common cause of downtime. A ransomware attack is often the most serious type of cyberattack – a business may be locked out of a system until they pay a ransom. There are cyberattack recovery specialists that can help you in the event of such an incident. Backing up data on the cloud, updating software regularly and training employees to detect digital threats could meanwhile prevent a cyberattack from causing damage or even from happening at all.

    Software corruption

    When software becomes corrupted, it becomes unusable, potentially restricting access to important information. An expert may be able to still extract information, but it’s never a guarantee. There are lots of different causes of software corruption which are detailed here https://www.bestcomputersciencedegrees.com/lists/5-factors-that-can-trigger-data-corruption/. Older software is more likely to get corrupted. Make sure that you’re regularly rebooting your computers and maintaining hardware to reduce the risk of crashes, which is a major cause of corruption. 

    Machinery failure

    Your business could be reliant on a single machine to function during a certain period. If this machine breaks, it could result in downtime. This could include a coffee machine breaking in a coffee shop or an agricultural machine breaking during harvest. Quick repairs may be necessary to get your business up and running again. Sourcing your own parts at sites like https://gpi.net/product-category/pumps/chemical-pumps/ could help you to save money on repairs. Of course, the best way to reduce the cost of repairs is to prevent them from being needed at all. Keeping your machinery well maintained and regularly servicing it can prevent faults from occurring as frequently. 

    Power outages

    Almost all businesses are reliant on electricity. A power cut could stop you from temporarily carrying out any work. Most power outages are out of our control – it could be a snapped cable or power station fault. Fortunately, you can restore power by investing in a backup generator. If this is too expensive, an alternative solution could be an uninterruptible power supply – this could give you power for a few minutes after so that you can safely shut down machinery (useful for preventing software corruption and hardware damage).

    Network connection loss

    Loss of internet connection could also result in downtime. This may only be for a couple minutes, but it could still affect business – especially if it happens regularly. Investing in a strong internet connection can help to reduce this problem. Make sure that your internet connection has enough range to reach all parts of the building.

  • Your Packaging Is So Important – Here’s Why!

    Your Packaging Is So Important – Here’s Why!

    When you walk into a supermarket, your eyes are drawn by the bright colors of the packaging. No matter which aisle you tend to walk down for your shopping list, you will take notice of the packaging and food that looks good – it’s what prompts you to buy it in the first place. If you don’t think that your packaging matters, then you may be setting yourself up for complete failure. 

    The packaging of your product is not just a bag or a wrapper: it’s your brand and the message that you want to send out to the world. If you do make products to be sold on the shelves, you need to ensure that you stand out with incredible pet food packaging so that you beat out the competition. Some people would argue that the packaging is just as important as the product it holds – and those people would be right! So, we’ve got some of the clear reasons that tell you that your packaging is important.

    1. You Stand Out. Whether it’s pet packaging or paper bags that are branded for fruit and vegetables, you will stand out from your competition if you have the right packaging. It’s all about grabbing the attention of the customers and looking better than the competition. If your packaging is interesting, clear in ingredients and instructions and bright, people will take notice and pay attention.
    2. Swaying Customers. Did you know that the color of the packaging that you design is going to be an important piece of the consumer puzzle? The color is going to be what people notice first, and if you ensure that you have the right color language, you can convey the message that you want to convey to the customers that you want to appeal to. The packaging shape is just as important, too, as that can capture the attention of the audience.
    3. It’s A Marketing Tool. Your packaging is going to play a part in how you market your business to other people. You need to consider the way your packaging is marketed to others, and it’s wise to consider how your product packaging and logo look to the outside world. You don’t want to choose packaging that doesn’t reflect your brand message.
    4. You’ll Be Recognised. When you consider your favorite brands, their logos will pop into your mind the moment you think about their brand names. You know that your name needs to convey an image to customers, and the packaging you choose is going to have the ability to get customers to recognize you and what you offer.

    Packaging envelopes everything about your product and your brand, so ensuring that you have created your packaging to maximize the way people view you is so important. Your brand deserves to be seen and with the right thought put into it, you will be able to pull in the customers and impress your clients, too. Keep in mind what you want for packaging shape as well as colors, too!


  • How To Save Money On Equipment For Your Business

    How To Save Money On Equipment For Your Business

    There are plenty of business owners out there that know that a budget is important. Without a careful budget, you will not be able to run your business successfully, and one area of your business budget that is important is the equipment that you need for it. 

    The problem? So many business owners overspend on their equipment – whether that’s office furniture or C&B Equipment for your industry. Keeping the costs down is so important, and saving money where possible in your equipment is vital for success, too. So, let’s take a look at the ways that you can save money on equipment for your business.

    1. Look at the many second-hand manufacturers that could offer what you are looking for in terms of business equipment. Used equipment is always going to be the cheaper option and while it’s a good option, you should always be aware of the condition the equipment is in before you purchase it. You want to make sure that you spend less money, but that the equipment you buy is still of a high quality. Buying from companies that have gone into liquidation will help!
    2. As much as possible, search for sales. Those dealing in new and used commercial equipment will have sales throughout the year and buying at the end of the season will help you to save some cash.
    3. As a business owner, you don’t want to spend your money on gimmicks. Buy the equipment that will be appropriate for your needs and not just sit in the background not doing anything. The money you spend on equipment means that you need to buy things that are valuable. 
    4. Where you can, hire the equipment that you only need to use once. It’s going to save you a ton of money to only hire the things that you use once or twice, as you won’t invest in something that sits around doing nothing.
    5. How energy-efficient is the equipment that you are using? You need to ensure that when it comes to buying machinery, you can still afford to run it as well as invest in it. Energy efficiency is so important if you want to maintain your ethical business status.
    6. You should have a budget to buy equipment, but you also need to have a budget for repairs and replacements. You have to insure your equipment, too, so that when things break down, you can get it fixed and replaced quickly.
    7. Speaking of insurance, you should shop around for your insurance and get the right policies that make sense for your specific equipment. 
    8. Equipment maintenance is so vital to keep your equipment working for longer. Knowing how to fix the equipment and knowing you have the right warranties on your equipment is important. Take the time to do the research here, before you decide to make any purchases. This way, you can be ready for anything that happens with your working equipment. 

    Save your money and plan ahead, and your business will not be in a financial hole because of the wrong decisions.

    https://anchor.fm/s/f7d1d88/podcast/rss
  • Creating a Virtual Office with Teleconference Software

    Creating a Virtual Office with Teleconference Software

    How many people do you think dread going to the office each day for work? There are actually quite a few numbers of people who dislike going to the office for work each day and many people feel that it would just be easier if they were allowed to telecommute from their home offices. Even though it would be much easier, safer, and possibly even cleaner if virtually everyone were able to telecommute from their home to work each day, there probably would be some things during the work day that just wouldn’t get done. However, if you have your own business and need to hire others to help out then it may be quite possible to succeed with teleconference software in order to get things done that need to be accomplished.

    Consider what all is involved when you decide that you need to hire more people for your business. This often not only involves advertising for the position, but also involves interviewing applicants, too. And if you are looking for someone to work virtually then there is a whole other dimension added to the dilemma.

    However, if you own a small business and have already hired several people to work with, teleconference software is there to help! There are plenty of ways in which teleconference software can be used to create a type of virtual office from which coworkers and bosses can be joined to give updates and reports about how the work is going.

    But how, exactly, would you set up your virtual office and direct your employees? You may be surprised to find out that there is quite a bit of teleconference online software designed to help your business flourish. These types of teleconferencing software actually allow you to have your own room, which you can lock and unlock. In this way, you can have private meetings with the employees you would like to talk to, as well as hold daily meetings about the tasks that need to get accomplished for the work week or day.

    Here is an example of a typical teleconference meetings that could be used as a daily update for the work that needs to be assigned: the boss would arrive to the teleconference meeting room first and have the virtual meeting room unlocked. The subsequent employees would then “show up” to the meeting room one by one, and the boss could easily see who signs on based on required real names of employees that are used as teleconference usernames. Since there is only one person who usually is able to talk at a time, the boss could inform his or her employees about the tasks of the day. In the process, employees could type questions in the virtual room. At the end of the meeting there would be sufficient time for questions and answers.

    A big advantage to using this teleconference software is that bosses can be “in” the room the whole day so that they are available all the time so that employees can ask questions, as needed. Considering that virtual offices, though, need some type of office solution, a teleconference meeting software is the perfect solution to this dilemma! Online teleconference software is definitely the wave of the future and is now used almost daily!

  • Be the Change

    Anita Roddick said, “I think that business practices would improve immeasurably if they were guided by feminine principles – qualities like love and care and intuition.”

    While men traditionally secure management and boardroom jobs, women are successfully gaining roles in those careers where they can make a real difference to our lives; politics, education and human resources.  These positions ensure that women can actually make significant positive changes in the working environment for all employees, not just women.  We are able to inspire future generations and build a more tolerant society.

    Well I don’t just think that business practices would improve immeasurably, I believe this is true with all my heart.  Women are, whether by nature or nurture, more compassionate than our male counterparts and we feel injustice and need more keenly as a result.  Does it not make sense; therefore, for us to dedicate our working lives to ensuring that we can facilitate change and create a more harmonious culture?

    The Suffragist Movement took more than 50 years to secure votes for women, it was a further 10 years before that vote was opened to all men and women.  Still, the boardroom, which has been the bastion domain of male society, remains very much a male-dominated arena.  Women are slowly making their way in but not to the extent that the WSPU (Women’s Social and Political Union) might have hoped.

    We owe it to ourselves, not only to create the opportunities to mould the young minds of the future, but perhaps to bring about a better future for us all?

    Gene Roddenberry, the creative force behind the Star Trek sci-fi series, envisaged a future society where all men were equals and governed by a society free from religion and mystical thinking and the better for it.  Well, Roddenberry’s Utopian society might not be seen in our lifetime, but I would like to believe we all yearn for a world free from crime, corruption and discrimination.

    The civil unrest we witnessed in August last year proves that we still have a long way to go before reaching such acceptance and support from our fellow human beings, but we need people who can stand up and be counted, people who are prepared to lobby politicians to change restrictive laws so that everyone can experience the benefits of a happier and more productive life.

    Forward thinking, well educated young people will inspire those who are in a position to influence laws and create change, and may even be incidental in actually passing those bills that will shape a better future for all of us.  Education is the way forward – don’t deny yourself the opportunity of learning at a higher standard of education because the social interaction you have with others will benefit both you and them.

    Now, I am involved in this year’s Entrepreneurs 2012 and I do hope that you are able to attend the event.  Perhaps you would be kind enough to drop off some feedback on my blog afterwards?

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I’m Lena Benjamin—global growth strategist and author of NIFTY, expanding into sustainable fashion and film. With 25+ years of experience in over 30 cities, I advise on UK buy-refurb-sell property ventures and have worked with startups, corporates, and SMEs. From Amazon interest to FT recognition—let’s unlock your next move.

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