How to Effectively Manage Millennial Employees

How to Effectively Manage Millennial Employees

Office and Homeworking
Born between 1980 and 2000, millennials have a reputation for being lazy and expecting a trophy for everything. However, workers from this generation can actually be good for your business. In fact, according to a 2014 survey from Elance-oDesk and Millennial Branding, 68 percent of HR managers said millennials possess skills that older generations don't have. If you learn how to manage these employees correctly, they can do great things for your company. Here are some pointers on how to guide millennials:Allow Group Work More than half of millennial employees admitted to making wiser business decisions when a group of people offered their ideas, according to an IBM study of millennial workers. That's why you should allow these team members to work in groups on a regular basis. In addition to learning valuable…
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3 Ways Exercise Can Make You a Better Business Owner

3 Ways Exercise Can Make You a Better Business Owner

Office and Homeworking
As a business owner, you are in charge of everything from ordering custom business cards for your employees to marketing to new customers. All of those responsibilities will definitely keep you busy and may leave little time for anything else, including exercise. However, it's still important to make time for working out. Physical activity will not just keep you in good health - it is also beneficial for your business. Here are three ways exercise can make you a better business owner:1. It Reduces Stress There's no denying that running a business can get stressful at times. If you experience too much anxiety, however, it can have a negative effect on your company. If you squeeze in a workout in the morning, you will have a calmer mindset at work.…
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How to Craft the Perfect Customer Survey

How to Craft the Perfect Customer Survey

Customer Retention, Marketing, Starting a new business
Customer surveys are a valuable part of improving your business. They allow you to learn what you're doing well (and not-so-well) so you can make changes for the better. It is necessary to spend some time creating your survey in order to be sure you are asking the right questions and are working toward a goal. Here are some tips for crafting the perfect customer survey:Establish a Goal What do you want to learn from your survey? Have you implemented a new billing system that you want customer feedback on? Maybe you're more interested in learning what your customers want so you can better understand your target market. Establish a goal in order to help you decide what questions to ask in the survey. Decide on Distribution Many companies opt to conduct online surveys…
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4 Lessons You’ll Learn From Your First 100 Customers

4 Lessons You’ll Learn From Your First 100 Customers

Customer Retention, Marketing, Office and Homeworking, Starting a new business
Starting a new business is often a big game of trial and error. Everything from creating custom business cards to getting your staff to fully understand your invoicing system is likely to involve some triumphs and a few mistakes. The good news is you'll learn a lot, especially while working toward obtaining your first 100 customers. Here are some things you'll learn during this exciting time:1. Set Reasonable Goals In your first few months of business, you will come to realize whether or not the goals you set for yourself, your company and staff are reasonable. For instance, you may have hoped to make $50,000 in your first two months. When you were just starting out, it's possible you thought this was attainable. Now that you've been handling operating costs and seeing how your…
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4 Job Candidates You Should Never Hire

4 Job Candidates You Should Never Hire

Office and Homeworking
Making a bad hire is a serious matter in the business world. When you choose the wrong person for the job, it can affect productivity and cost your company money. It's important to interview every applicant closely and check references to avoid employing someone who's not right for your company. Here are four job candidates you should never hire:1. The Know-It All It is never a good idea to hire candidates who seem to think they know it all. Nancy Collamer, a career coach and author of "Second-Act Careers: 50+ Ways to Profit From Your Passions During Semi-Retirement," said in Forbes that these types of workers ignore everyone else's opinions, take over conversations and make decisions without thoroughly thinking things through."A 'my way or the highway' attitude often leads to…
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Encouraging Your Employees to Speak Up More

Encouraging Your Employees to Speak Up More

Office and Homeworking
When employees are vocal and share their ideas often, they can help your company prosper. However, some team members may be afraid to speak up and give their opinions on important organization matters. It's up to you as a business owner to create an environment that supports open communication. Here is some advice on encouraging your employees to speak up more:Provide Incentives People tend to respond well to incentives, so consider rewarding your employees when they provide honest and helpful feedback. For example, if a staff member gives you a great idea on how to cut overhead costs, give that person a gift card or more responsibilities at work. If you reward your team members for speaking up, they will know you value their ideas.Foster Team Communication Peter Economy, author…
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Helpful Advice For Starting a Small Business

Helpful Advice For Starting a Small Business

Starting a new business
Have you been tossing around an idea in your head for starting a small business? Once you get that itch it can be all-consuming as you think of the many aspects of potentially running your own company. Don't fret, you don't need to figure everything out at once. Much of being an entrepreneur involves learning things on the fly and adapting as you go. Here is some helpful advice for people considering starting their own small businesses:Thoroughly Develop Your Idea The catalyst for many small businesses is a realization that something needs to be fixed. Perhaps you noticed you can never get all the ketchup out of the bottle or that it's difficult to find pro-bono work as a veterinarian. You saw an issue and thought, "Huh. Maybe I could help!"…
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4 Ways to Help Struggling Employees Succeed

4 Ways to Help Struggling Employees Succeed

Office and Homeworking
Whether they have trouble finishing deadlines on time or are regularly disappointing clients, it's never easy to see employees struggle. However, instead of just standing by and watching your staff members have a difficult time, help them overcome their struggles and become more successful in their careers. If you take interest in your underperforming employees, they will thank you for it. Here are four ways to help struggling employees succeed:1. Determine What's Causing the Struggle The first thing you have to do is find out exactly why a team member is struggling at work. According to Tanveer Naseer, leadership coach and author of "Leadership Vertigo," there may have been changes in the staff member's environment that have affected his or her productivity."Perhaps there's been a change in the team's makeup that…
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Dealing With Disgruntled Customers

Dealing With Disgruntled Customers

Office and Homeworking
No matter how hard you try, it isn't possible to please your customers all the time. Whether they are dissatisfied with the quality of your product or the service they received, dealing with unhappy clients can definitely be stressful. However, instead of letting yourself get all worked up, it's important to stay calm and face every customer complaint head-on. Here is some helpful advice for dealing with disgruntled customers:Don't Immediately Jump to a Resolution When a customer complains about something, it's natural to want to come up with a solution right away. However, doing this may backfire and anger the customer even more, according to Kissmetrics. Before you attempt to fix the problem, take time to actually listen to the client's complaint so that he or she feels like you truly…
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Delivering Negative Feedback to Employees

Delivering Negative Feedback to Employees

Office and Homeworking
Although you'd probably like to give your employees positive feedback every time, it isn't always possible. When a staff member makes a major mistake or isn't keeping up with his or her workload, it's necessary to provide the person with constructive criticism. The good news? It's possible to give tough feedback without scaring your staff members. Here is some helpful advice on delivering negative feedback to your employees:Listen First According to Erika Andersen, it can be helpful to listen to an employee's point of view first. For instance, if a staff member is having problems keeping up with a project, you could ask the person something like, "I'd like to discuss the project you're currently working on. How do you think it's going?" This will let the employee talk honestly about…
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