Month: September 2019

When you work for yourself, you often find that you have to wear many hats. You can be the maintenance officer one minute, then the receptionist manning the phones and five minutes later, a product designer. It can be enriching taking on so many different facets of the business and it is often part and parcel of running a small business. However, there are some elements of your business that might be a little beyond your area of expertise. There are occasions when you are going to benefit from getting some professional support, and we share these in today’s post, 4 experts that your business needs.

IT consultants

You are going to need to use technology effectively for your business.

Whether you are searching for the best vpn or you are looking to create some bespoke software, IT consultants can be invaluable to your business.

Businesses normally require a website as a minimum, and it can be beneficial to use IT experts to help you with this. They can do anything from designing an internet presence for you to updating it to helping you to improve your SEO to monitoring its security and more. You can work with them to support you with whatever you are not comfortable doing yourself.

Graphic designers

Your business will benefit from strong branding and eye catching visuals. Unless this is a field that you have some experience in, you are going to need to hire a graphic designer to work closely with you to get this right.

Graphic designers can turn your ideas and visions into designs, however abstract your suggestions are. Talk to them about your business, your products and services and what you want to convey through your branding. They will then come up with several suggestions for you to look over before developing one of them further.

Graphic designers will be instrumental in working with you on your signage, logos, packaging, website and social media icons, and potentially any merchandise that you wish to sell or gift.

Accountants

It is essential that your bookkeeping is kept up to date and accurate. You need to meet your tax obligations and there is no room for error. As such, accountants are a necessary expense.

You can work with your accountant to varying degrees. You might use your own software and keep your own books and then have your accountant review and audit them for you. Alternatively you might choose to hand over all accounts to them, which will be a greater expense but less work for you if numbers are not your thing.

Human Resources

Human resources experts can be invaluable if you have a team.

If you have a growing business, you might choose to keep an officer on staff. Or you can consult with them on any matters around human resources, the legalities and looking after your team properly.

You might choose to consult experts when you are recruiting, perhaps using them to help you to interview and assess. They can lend you their experience as well as ensuring you are conducting your recruitment within current policies and laws. You can then enlist their support when managing staff to help you to get the best out of everyone and adhere to employment law.

Solar energy has been harnessed over the years due to its renewability, cheap price tag, and durability. Since its clean energy, many people have started using it for an opportunity to save the dying planet and reduce pollution. Previously, it was only used as a lighting and heating alternative in homes and industries whose power consumption bills would skyrocket, but that has since changed. It is now a viable and dependable power source on its own. This has seen people use solar and stay off the grid for years. It has also brought with it solar street lights that solely depend on it to function. If you are looking to harness this power for your street lighting project, here are a few things you need to keep in mind:

Location

For your streetlights to work optimally, you need to install them in an ideal spot. Avoid spaces with shades or shadows for long hours as they reduce the light and heat uptake. Consider solar street lights by Solar Lighting International as they engage experts before installation. They help you calculate the maximum insolation and irradiance. However, when there are no open spaces, consider using longer poles or placing adaptive solar lights in high spots. Since the lights require spacing, check the space available for your project as this might hinder your plans.

Cost

To start with, you need to have an estimated cost of installation. This figure can be sourced from several companies that handle installations or from different packages within one company. Compare these prices to ensure you get value for money at affordable rates. You should also consider maintenance and servicing fees as these costs could ruin your budget. In areas where there are known calamities and robbery, consider increasing the maintenance funds kit amount to cater for any eventuality.

Power Output

When installing streetlights, start by having a feasibility study on your power needs. Each space requires different illumination, and you need to have yours figured out. For large spaces, get potent lights and vice versa. The study also helps you determine power output, battery wattage and capacities, lighting options, and fixtures. It also helps you determine the expected light hours each day for correct street light installation. This helps you get customized street lights for your space.

Safety

Despite the power source being the sun, the streetlights can be a threat and risk to those around. For streetlights in public spaces, ensure you do not interfere with the layout and hinder movement or transportation. Consult local authorities first to avoid breaking the law or losing your investment if forcefully brought down. Use quality material to avoid breakages and accidents that can be costly to replace and to compensate victims. Additionally, consider the material that does not put those around it at risk through electrocution.

Return on Investment

Before installing the lights, you must have a motive behind it. Most people install them to enhance security while others do it to increase the work hours within premises. Ensure the cost does not outdo the expected returns as this makes it a non-viable option. Consider cost-effective street lighting options to ensure you recoup your investment and even make more out of it.

One of the biggest logistical challenges companies face when expanding across time zones is retaining a team that works in different locations.

One of the top reasons that employees cite as a reason for moving on from a company is that they feel overlooked by management. Not surprisingly, losing your employees is a big risk when you expand your business across more than one location, as your team may start to feel that they are not receiving the oversight, support and attention that they deserve.

If your organization is stretched across several time zones, these strategies offer solutions to help you keep your talent happy.

Embrace Technology Freedom

When your team works from multiple locations, it doesn’t make sense to have your talent tied to a desktop. Your employees may need to travel between offices or work from home or even a hotel room when meetings draw them to far-flung cities.

A useful strategy for managing this mobile workforce is giving your team choice over the devices they use. Thanks to advancements in mobile device management, allowing your team their choice of technology needn’t be cause for worry in terms of security. In fact, MDM is one of the ways that technology can improve security in business. Not only does MDM give you content visibility across your company’s devices, but Electric MDM can reduce business risks and support costs. Allowing your team to use a device of their choice is also a great way to boost retention. Bonus!

Focus on Employee Wellness

Investing heavily in employee wellness is vital, as it signals to your team that you value their contribution. Providing great office facilities with comfortable break-out areas is a great way to demonstrate that you are concerned about the quality of your team’s work environment, wherever they are located.

Prioritize Transparency

When the time comes to expand across time zones, it helps to be as transparent as possible about the future of your business, highlighting what the geographic expansion means for your team. Underlining that expanding your business will open doors for your team in their own careers is a great way to assure them that the transition period and challenges of expansion will pay off for them as well.

Accept Unusual Work Hours

When your various teams span multiple time zones, it won’t be unusual for your team to work odd working hours to cater to the requirements of your business. Some employees may struggle at first, and it’s important to support them if they can’t adjust, ideally offering transfers to other cities as an option. But now and then, one of your staff might embrace the unusual business hours and wish to work all their hours on the 24hr clock. And why not? A nine-to-five does not suit everybody, as research has shown that circadian rhythms vary, so different workers will be naturally more productive at different times. As far as possible, it makes sense to allow your team to work the hours that suit them best. Not only will they be more productive, but they are more likely to want to stay in their jobs, as they will feel supported and valued.

Whether you employ a staff of three or thirty, managing your team across time zones can be tricky. These tips will help you ensure that none of your work (or team members) slips through the cracks, and your business continues to thrive.