Category: Tools and Information

3 Tips for Successfully Managing Your Day-to-Day Workload | Getentrepreneurial.com

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There is so much to do in your business on a day-to-day basis that it’s very easy for time to run away with you. Before you know it an hour has disappeared and you’re not much further forward.

Let me share with you today a tool that I use regularly to help me manage my day-to-day workload.  It’s a simple tool … and everyone has it — including you!

And my tool is … SPREADSHEETS!

They have so many more uses than just calculating figures. They are also a great tool to help you manage your time effectively.

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Should Your Business Use Niche Software | Business News Daily

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When we evaluate software, we consider common use cases, ideal feature sets, ease of implementation, customization options and design. However, competing alongside multi-use CRMs, CMSs, document management systems and e-commerce products are specialized solutions designed with a narrower user-set in mind.

Examples of industry specific solutions include products such as ReThinkCRM, a real estate CRM specifically for commercial brokers; Vinsight, a business software specifically for wineries; mycase, an all in one management solution for law firms; and a bevy of ERPs for everything from food and beverage purveyors to manufacturing companies to design firms. While the starting costs for industry specific solutions vary widely according to feature set and business focus (Enterprise vs. SMB), they generally tend to be more expensive than their broad-use counterparts.

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On Firing Bad Clients: Seven Questions Worth Asking Yourself | marketingforhippies.com

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I’d like to suggest ______ questions you can ask yourself in situations like this to help yourself navigate through.

Question #1: What exactly is it that they are doing that is upsetting to you?

It’s important to get crystal clear on the behavior (or lack of behavior) that isn’t working for you. It’s easy to make it personal and imagine it’s just ‘that person’ and ‘who they are’. But it’s never that. It’s always something more particular. If you can’t identify what it is, then you will lack any power to make the particular changes needed to protect yourself from it in the future.

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19 Ways to Use Creative Thinking in the Workplace to Up Your Credibility | Life Hack

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Our world is changing at faster pace than ever. In order to keep up, we are continually adapting to new technology and the changing industries.

Employers are looking for employees who can solve problems, think creatively and be a leader in every situation.

These 19 tips will help you find ways to develop creative thinking and to use it to gain credibility as a leader in the workplace:

1. Set limitations

In order to increase your own creative thinking, it helps to set limits for yourself, so you have to think outside the box to come up with solutions.

Set deadlines, budgets or any other type of limitation to increase your creative problem solving. This will build your credibility as a creative problem solver as you come up with innovative solutions.

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7 Ways to Attract New Readers to Your Business Blog | AllBusiness.com

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Effective blogging starts by creating an attractive space on your website, then providing interesting content that will keep customers coming back for more. Here are a few things you can do to bring new readers to your blog, which will hopefully then translate to sales.

1. Know your customers

Before you start trying to connect with customers through your blog, make sure they would be interested in reading it. You can tell a great deal about your customers by paying close attention to their preferred method of communication. Some of your clients will communicate with you by email, while others will take conversations straight to a phone chat. If your target audience is constantly on the go, your blog posts will need to reflect that with short, easy-to-digest content that displays well on a smartphone screen.

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The High Tech Gadgets You’ll Actually Want to Put Near Your Face | Elle

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Pros have long harnessed the power of LEDs (light-emitting diodes) for stealth skin enhancing with zero downtime. The three-minute at-home innovation we’re most excited about: DRx SpectraLite Faceware Pro (available in August), the brainchild of NYC dermatologist Dennis Gross, MD. The FDA-cleared mask is lined with the most powerful antiacne blue light allowed in DIY devices, plus four spectra of red light (infrared and deep red to boost collagen; light red and amber to keep skin cells healthy and reverse sun damage). The curvature of the mask around the eyes was carefully designed to fit all face shapes while still precisely targeting crow’s-feet.

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The Importance of Compliance and Regulation for Small Businesses | Getentrepreneurial.com

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As a manager or business owner, it is of the utmost importance to stay on top of industry standards and government regulations. If you don’t, you risk costly lawsuits, might miss out on valuable government grants and tax breaks, and could garner a poor reputation with a jaded customer base.

Review Regulations That Apply Now

It can seem daunting to wade through all the required licenses for your industry and to keep track of when they need to be renewed, but fortunately there are lots of sites that list permits you’ll need for your business by industry or by state. Many government websites also explicitly list rules and regulations for industries such as the liquor and nuclear industries.

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The Best BBQ Menu for Summer Parties | EatingWell

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Nothing says summer like a backyard barbecue! As soon as the sun is shining and the weather is warm—grilling outside is my go-to for party hosting. Not only does it avoid the ever-dreaded kitchen crowding (you know, when everyone is breathing down your neck while you’re just trying to get that one last dish on the table), but it also avoids heating up the house on an already hot day and cuts back on dishes to wash after the fun is all said and done. So whether it’s a weekend afternoon and all your friends are coming over for a shindig or it’s just a regular old weekday dinner party, this is the absolute best BBQ menu. It has everything you need: a quick-cooking main dish packed with protein, in-season summer veggies grilled to perfection and drizzled with a finger-licking-good dressing, plus a sweet, trendy treat: Frosé. Yep, you guessed it—frozen rosé wine. Oh sweet, sweet summertime, please don’t ever leave.

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How to Create an Amazon Alexa Skill for Your Business | Business News Daily

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When Amazon introduced Alexa, it changed how people interacted with devices. The convenience and ease of voice assistance has pushed this technology into nearly every new device, from laptops to even lawn mowers.

While Alexa comes equipped with a wide range of uses, small businesses can also take advantage of this technology through Amazon’s Alexa for Business initiative, which provides resources and support for Alexa in the workplace. Business owners with Alexa devices, like the Echo, Echo Spot, Echo Dot or Echo Show, can use various voice commands to carry out important business tasks, like ordering new supplies or starting a video meeting. Businesses can also create their own skills with Alexa and use Amazon’s APIs to build on existing interfaces.

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