Many people can agree that they are not quite as productive as they would like to be. After all, it’s easy to find yourself distracted with so many things going on on a day-to-day basis. However, if you’re consistently finding yourself wishing you had gotten more done at the end of the day, then you may not be reaching your full potential in your career. If you are looking to become even more productive, then take a look at some of the most practical tips for doing so.

Don’t Take On Too Much

One of the most common reasons why people become distracted is because they have too much on their plate. If you give yourself too much to do then you may find yourself dragging your feet to get started on a task. Before giving yourself too much to take on alone, ask yourself what you can realistically commit to. Decide when to outsource to a third party, and when it’s practical for your schedule. Finding a balance between what you can realistically take on and what you’d like to take on. You’ll find that you’re much more capable of getting things done by only giving yourself what you can do.

Reward Yourself

Rewarding yourself for hard work is a wonderful way to stay motivated. Working in spurts with the promise of a reward at the end can be incredibly motivating. Consider giving yourself a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow so to speak. By focusing on a positive reward at the end of hard work, you’ll be more inclined to perform even better.

Love What You Do

Sometimes you can’t force yourself to be productive when you simply don’t care about what it is you’re supposed to do. If you find yourself frequently falling behind on your work, it may have to do with your level of interest. When you find pleasure in your work, it never feels like you’re actually working. Consider changing careers if it means you’ll be better at what you do

Take Breaks

It may seem counterintuitive, however, taking breaks is a wonderful way to boost your productivity. When you give your brain a break, then you’ll recharge your battery and be able to work even harder when you get back to work. Productivity experts recommend taking several breaks of at least 10 minutes throughout the day.

It’s important to note that when you are working outside of a break, that you don’t allow yourself to succumb to any distractions. You should take full advantage of your breaks so that you can benefit fully from your work time. Ideally, you should get rid of any distractions when you’re not on a break to avoid break time spilling over into your productivity time.

Josh Melick has worn many hats throughout his career. First, as an engineer, he worked on some of the earliest mobile phone apps for managing field service operations. Then as a startup CEO, Josh wore the product leadership hat and helped grow Broadly into a ten-thousand user SMB CRM platform that Smith-Micro acquired in 2010. In the years since Josh has been a venture capitalist and startup founder in residence. But right now, he’s helping other entrepreneurs bring their ideas to fruition as a mentor in the Founder Institute, an early-stage incubator that helps entrepreneurs launch companies with sound business models.

We recently caught up with Josh to ask his advice for founders who are looking to hire their first employees.

Q: What do you base new hires’ salaries on?

Josh: “The most simple rule is that salary should be based on fair market value for the industry, skillset, and location of the role. Let me explain a bit further, though. I think there are many ways that founders can go about fair market value. One is to look at salary data on websites like Glassdoor or Salary.com. However, this can be challenging in early-stage companies without a lot of data because often the salaries are missing pieces of information, especially when you have an early-stage company that has raised less than $5 million in outside capital.”

“Another way to look at fair market value is by going to your local staffing agencies and seeing what they would charge for a candidate with the same skillset as the person you want to hire. If both options aren’t available, I think it’s okay to use a number you feel comfortable with based on research and personal knowledge. Still, I suggest that founders always err on the side of being generous.”

Q: How do you think about salary caps for new hires?

Josh: “I don’t know much about salary caps. Each time we’ve hired someone at Broadly, we just set the cap based on our current revenue and profits. Sometimes it was more than what we were paying a candidate, and sometimes it was less. It all depended on how much money we had in the bank (or more accurately, how much money we projected to have) at the time.”

Q: What’s your approach for bonus or equity incentives?

Josh: “My personal opinion is that bonuses are used best when you feel like you’ve really nailed the compensation number. This is especially true for higher-level roles like sales or marketing where you feel like you can show revenue goals and know what the bonus should be if the goals are met.”

Q: Anything I haven’t asked that you think is important to mention?

Josh: “I think that equity incentives are great but should be reserved for the very top talent. I also think it’s important to give a minimum amount of cash upfront, even if you have to take a small percentage away from the equity incentive.”

It feels like there have never been more ways to market a business than there are in 2021. Paid ads, content marketing, email lists, influencer campaigns—the list goes on.

Yet search engine optimization (SEO) is still the most consistent form of marketing. Organic searches create 53% of trackable website traffic.

Getting SEO marketing can be the difference between filling your hotel and selling rooms at rock-bottom prices. So what are the benefits of SEO marketing for your hotel?

Read on to learn more.

1. Enjoy Increased Visibility

People might consume travel content on social media. Yet when they want to book a hotel, they turn to search engines.

That’s why SEO marketing is so important. It boosts the visibility of your hotel online, right where potential guests are looking.

A smart marketer can get the website to appear higher in the search results. This leads to more traffic to your website and thus more bookings.

2. SEO is More Cost-Effective than Paid Ads

SEO marketing is more profitable than advertising. After all, you’re getting traffic without paying for it. This pushes up your profit margin.

Killer content is key to the success of your hotel marketing. That might include articles about places to visit near your hotel. Perhaps you delve into the attractions of the area.

This means you can target keywords of other things potential guests will search for. This hotel SEO broadens your reach beyond hotel listings. It puts your hotel in front of people who are actively interested in visiting the area.

3. SEO Marketing Gives a Brand Awareness Boost

On average, people need to see your marketing seven times before you make a sale. The higher you are in the search results, the more often people will see your brand.

This improves your brand awareness and makes it more likely that people will book with you. Using smart marketing lets you beat your competition to secure bookings.

Such great brand awareness can also lead to customer loyalty. The more users see your site in the top-ranked results, the more they’ll associate your hotel with high quality.

4. Improve Your Credibility

Better brand awareness also has a pay-it-forward effect on your marketing. When more people have heard of your hotel, it appears more credible in the search engine results.

This is particularly the case when paired with reviews. Creating a Google My Business listing lets guests leave reviews. These reviews show up in Google Maps when people search the area.

When people see how much others have enjoyed your hotel, they’re more likely to book with you.

Better SEO Leads to More Bookings

You can see how each element of SEO marketing works together to make SEO the best option you have. More visibility in the search results leads to more traffic. More traffic means more bookings, which means more reviews.

Better reviews also mean more traffic and more bookings. Over time, this increased traffic pushes you up the search results leading to more traffic! It’s a great self-perpetuating system once you get it set up right.

Keen to make more money and improve your marketing? Check out my business articles for more advice.

 

If you run your own business in heavy industry, you probably know a lot about your pumps and manufacturing equipment. But if you want to reduce expenses and increase profits, it will help if you follow some of these tips:

Leverage Advertising

When you send out invoices and other business material to your clients, remember to include advertising, such as promotions and flyers. This allows you to accomplish two things at once, which saves you money and may make you more, as well.

Try Free Software

Eventually, you will need to purchase the best software for your industrial company, whether you work in oil and gas, chemicals, or another sector. But did you know that you can try all kinds of software for free at www.download.com?

This handy site offers free versions and limited software versions to try with your employees before you invest.

Use Lean Management Principles

Businesses that want to make more money and attract investors should use lean management practices, such as hiring only necessary managers and combining responsibilities when possible.

Lean management also means cutting down on wasteful practices in your office and facilities and only hiring necessary managers.

For example, get rid of extra inventory that ties up your extra cash. Automate every task possible so you can save your money for the vital parts of your operations.

Minimize Meetings

The Harvard Business Review reports that meetings can reduce productivity and waste money. You can cause problems when you have so many meetings that it’s difficult for your staff to get their essential work done.

There is a time and place for meetings, but a group can wind up sacrificing their work for the whole, which can cost your company money.

Purchase Bulk Supplies

Most products are less expensive when you buy them in bulk. So unless your industrial company is just starting and you need to pinch pennies, you will usually be better off when you purchase office supplies in large quantities.

Push Energy Efficiency

You can spend a lot of money on utilities at your office. However, if you can boost energy efficiency with your staff, this can save you hundreds of dollars per month or more, which is more money you can put back into the company.

One of the high costs is heating and cooling. So it’s wise to invest in a smart thermostat so you can program your heating and cooling system to cycle off at night and on the weekends.

But if you have a large facility, it’s probably necessary to buy thermostats with multi-zone capability to address temperature needs across a large area.

Keep these tips in mind if you want to make your industrial company more profitable and efficient.

We live in extraordinary times. Never in history has mankind witnessed such a technological boom as the one we are currently going through. With such phenomenal developments, however, come greater threats to security.

From the cyber world to the real world, security cannot be ignored. Whether you have a business, a family, or both, implementing security strategies in your life can save you from heartache at a later date. Don’t ignore it until it’s too late.

But, you’re probably wondering where to start. Well, fear not! Keep reading to find out 4 tried and tested strategies for your home and business.

1. Upgrade Your Alarm System

Many people have this “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it” attitude when it comes to their alarm system. While your trusty system may have served you well in the past few years, you could be unwittingly making your life more difficult.

Thanks to smart technology, many traditional alarm companies now offer more secure and user-friendly alarm systems that are now very affordable.

So, if your alarm still has those rubber buttons, it might be time to give it a makeover.

2. Get a Security Guard

Nothing beats the human (or animal) touch. If your security strategy involves safety against crime and violence, there is very little technology that beats the effectiveness of living, breathing, guards.

For example, you could hire a drug sniffing dog if you are concerned about drug activity in your business or home. Or using a human security guard serves as one of the best deterrents for any unwanted visitors.

3. Protect Your Passwords

One of the biggest misconceptions about passwords in this day and age is that one password for every account is sensible. The truth is, it’s a piece of cake for a hacker to obtain your passwords if you use one for everything and it’s the same one you’ve had since high school.

Why not consider a password manager that will throw cybercriminals off the scent and ensure that your data has ironclad protection at all times?

4. Regularly Update Software

Updating software can often be time-consuming and seemingly unnecessary. While it is true that it can slow your day down, unnecessary it is not! Along with bug fixes, updates are mainly security-based. The longer you put off updates, the longer you leave a kink your cyber-armor for hackers to exploit.

Set time aside, daily if possible, to make necessary updates. They are far more important than meets the eye.

You’re Only as Strong as Your Security Strategies

In this demanding world, it can be easy to put things off, but it’s crucial to be aware that cybercriminals feed off your complacency. None of these security strategies are foolproof, but that’s not a good reason for ignoring them.

The longer we wait, the more vulnerable we become. So, take advantage of the measures you’ve read above and make sure that your sleep is sound knowing that you’ve done your best in protecting your business and home.

For more informative articles like this one keep browsing our site.

 

Getting a new logo is a significant and scary step for any business. After all, from Pepsi to Pizza Hut, even redesigns on the most famous logos in the world can go disastrously wrong.

However, you can follow some simple tips to make sure you get your logo perfect the first time around.

Here is a quick guide on creating an eye-catching logo that works perfectly for your growing business.

Understand Your Intention

Not all logos serve the same purpose. If you are a small online business, you might only ever use your logo on your website.

However, say you are an events business. In that case, your might need a logo that works well on branded merchandise too.

So before starting any design work, figure out what your logo is going to be used for. This will help guide your design process and ensure you have a fit-for-purpose end design.

Figure Out Your Brand

Branding is more than a color scheme and font. What does your brand say about you and your business? What does it suggest to the average stranger on the street?

Branding is about creating a message with your audience. When designing logos, decide what you want that brand message to be first before you begin thinking about specific ideas.

Find Design Inspiration

Inspiration comes from many places. So take the time to capture ideas when designing a logo. You can collect thoughts together in a mood board.

Don’t forget to collect ideas offline as well as online. Sure, Pinterest might be great for inspiration, but look at what captures your attention the next time you walk down a street in your local town too.

Try Different Ideas to Get an Eye-Catching Logo

The first idea you have for a logo is unlikely to be the final design. And the truth is, the more iterations of a design you do, the better your chances of creating the perfect logo.

So don’t be timid about testing wildly different ideas, even if they seem far removed from your original brief. You never know what logo you will end up falling in love with until you see them on paper.

Don’t Be Afraid Of White Space

Simple is undoubtedly beautiful. Many amateur designers make the mistake of thinking they have to create a big, bold logo. Still, you can get some stunning results by taking a more subtle approach to design.

So when thinking about how to design a logo, start small and use white space around the font and graphics to create a more elegant finish.

Get Honest Feedback

You might love a logo design, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that one will be the most suitable logo for your business. After all, you are not your customer.

Allow plenty of time to get feedback from friends or customers on about 5-6 shortlisted logos before you settle on the final design. By doing this, you will end up with a far more effective logo.

Take Your Time

An eye-catching logo is an ideal way for your business and brand to grab the attention of your target customer. So it’s worthing taking your time with the design to get it absolutely perfect.

What is your favorite big brand logo? Share in the comments below.

2020 was a year not so many people were happy about because of the pandemic. This affected many sectors, including real estate.

For instance, people were more concerned about saving their lives and loved ones than checking out a home. This dropped sales and investment for the year and has dragged on since.

Now that the world is beginning to get the hang of the virus, things are beginning to change across all sectors. For the real estate sector, many people are eager to know what 2021 holds for it.

This is why real estate entrepreneur Winston Deloney has been invited to speak about investing predictions in 2021.

Tell us about your love for real estate and investment.

I often get asked about my love for real estate, that I fear I might one day fail to find words that adequately express it. My life is built around real estate investment, and I always encourage people to dive into the sector.

Though sometimes it can be volatile, with the right knowledge you will know how to salvage bad situations. This is one reason I maintain a blog where I explore the art of real estate investing. My blog is a great resource for anyone looking to go into real estate or just seeking robust knowledge.

2020 was not a year that many people were happy about. Do you think the pandemic of last year affected real estate?

If you look around, I doubt you can point to any sector that was not affected by the pandemic that engulfed the world. Of course, the real estate was affected. Sales drop drastically, and investors couldn’t commit funds to the sector since it was rather too volatile to do so.

Are these effects recoverable, or has the real estate recovered from it? 

Like before, real estate will always bounce back. I believe that despite the negative effects of the pandemic on real estate, there are still many prospects to expect. So, I believe that these effects are not something that real estate cannot recover from.

What are the investing predictions for real estate in 2021?

There are some predictions for the real estate sector for 2021, especially regarding investment. After considering some available information, these are my predictions.

• In 2021, the real estate mortgage rate may remain around 3%. This is due to slow economic growth and the growing trade war between China and the USA.

  Since Covid-19 has not been defeated, there might be less expectation about the growth of mortgage rates beyond 3%.

• The retail sector may continue to suffer a decline. However, the medical sector will be the hot Commercial Real Estate (CRE) in property, while the industrial sector will follow.

  The basis of this is the shift the pandemic gave to the ways things are being done. For instance, there’s a greater focus on health and building more health facilities. In the same way, there is a de-escalation of the need for physical offices due to remote jobs.

• Housing prices will likely stay high in 2021 due to the boom in residential construction. It can be relatively seen in the Chicago real estate scene.

Do you envisage any changes that could affect these predictions positively or otherwise?

These predictions are what they are—guess works based on available evidence. If nothing changes these, then there are likely not going to be changes in the predictions.

Depending on the kind of change that happens, the effect might be positive or negative. But then, I will say let us keep our fingers crossed and be hopeful for the best.

You Might Also Like: Real Estate Expert Winston Deloney Shares Common Mistakes All Landlords Should Avoid

 

When you’re just starting in the investment world, you may think that investing is just a matter of depositing money and buying the stock you want. The truth is that investing is not too complicated, but you need to have a strategy and write out an investment plan.

As time goes by, our brain tends to play tricks on us, especially when it comes to decisions we made in the past. This concept is especially true of the investment market. After all, your choices might change or grow, and you’ll want to know where you started.

Investing

It’s always fun to notice the prices you buy a stock at and the amounts they grow over time. For example, if you had invested in AMD in the early 2000s, it might be pleasant to know that you bought that stock for about $7 a share, and now your AMD earnings are well over $75 per share.

The stocks you invest in will depend on your goals and your risk level. If you need money in a few years and don’t want to risk too much, then that will influence your plan. A year later, you might have changed your plans and be willing to take a few more risks. Just remember, diversification is key.

Savings

The amount you save is really up to you. Financial experts recommend around ten to fifteen percent of your income, providing you start saving right away from the point of having your first job. However, you might want to look at your plan year after year, to see how your savings rate can put you on track for your goal or not.

It Functions as a Guide

Writing down an investment plan can give you a guide to follow. Plus, it can prevent the emotions of greed and fear from overcoming you at critical moments in the life of your investments. Even a one-page investment plan can be beneficial, and it doesn’t take a long time to write out. Here are a few reasons why your written intentions may come in handy in the future.

Keep from Being Your Own Worst Enemy

As an investor, you can be your own worst enemy. Low points in the market might mean you experience painful losses and cause you to be tempted to sell. But selling might mean missing out on future gains. One of the biggest mistakes beginner investors make is selling too soon.

By the same token, when the market is at higher levels, it can often be too easy to miscalculate the risk and keep the money there when it is time to sell. It can be easy to forget what economic intentions were when you first started in the financial market.

It’s Just One Page

Writing down an investment plan doesn’t have to be time-consuming. It doesn’t have to be involved, and you don’t even have to have the correct wording. It can be just one page.

Update Your Plan

Once in a while, review your old plan and make changes to the one-page plan you had. Keep things simple. Develop your strategy based on a few questions.

What are your financial goals?

How much do you plan on saving each year?

How do you plan on investing your money?

Goals

Your goals might be as simple as trying to save money for a future event or as complex as not having to work by the time you’re fifty. On the other hand, you might have something concrete, like you want to save two million dollars by the time you’re 40. Whatever your goal is, please write it down and review the plan every year. This plan will keep you on track, and it will be fun to see what the differences are from year to year.

When Should You Withdraw Money From Investments

Again, this decision ties back into your one-page investment goal. If you are saving for retirement, you shouldn’t take the money out before then.

Put All of the Ideas Together

The answers to the above questions and the ensuing tips can help you make your plan. Of course, an investment plan doesn’t have to be perfect. But a plan always puts you in a better position than when you have no plan at all.

 

The dream of one day becoming a business owner is shared among many, which is also able to provide a good amount of financial freedom. However, no matter how good you think you would do or how much experience you think you have, you have a high chance of failure because of innocent errors that occur along the way. Being ready and having everything in place prior to opening your business is important. To ensure that you are, there are five critical things you need to be aware of first. Of course, they may not seem like a big deal, but they have caused serious problems for many.

1. You Need to Have a Solid Business Plan Set in Stone

Having a solid business plan is the best plan to have. Unfortunately, many businesses just starting out have nothing at all. This mistake is seen frequently and is actually alarming due to the fact that they are able to point out problems that your business may experience. Employee monitoring software can be your best choice in your business to monitor employee’s work. They may also be used as a marketing tool towards investors who may be interested in funding your business venture.

Prior to getting your business off the ground, sit down with a pen and pad and write down a simple draft of a business plan that will express what you are offering, the marketing required, client base, cost, whether it will be an LLP or LLC, the competition, and, of course, the much-needed funding. Plus, you need to include any practical hurdles that may be experienced.

If you need more guidance, you can obtain it from the Small Business Administration.

2. Throw Frugality Out the Window Because It Won’t Matter

Okay, you have your business plan. Now you will be able to have a clearer understanding of the importance of funding so you won’t under or overspend. A few first-time business owners miscalculate their true costs, and ultimately overspend and throw their budget out the window. Others though do not spend enough to provide a real opportunity. This is all based on the belief that if you remain frugal then your business will still succeed.

Try to get a feel for what your business costs will be as you start the funding process and throughout the first year while in business. Another tool you can use from the SBA involves calculating costs at start-up. This is a great way to calculate the financing needed to get off the ground. Once you know your financial needs, you can begin locating the capital.

3. Contact Partners That Are a Perfect Fit

You may experience the same problems when the amount is concerned while searching for partners that are a perfect fit. Oftentimes, it is impossible to start a venture by yourself. This is where having a perfect partner comes into play as they will bring industry knowledge to the table. Make sure that you only involve one to two partners. That way you will not have issues with making profits or having any confusion arise. Hopefully, the business plan will cover these points

4. Completely Understand Your Market and Customers

It is important that you have a complete understanding of your market and customers prior to launch. Knowing that there is a want for your product or service is important. Are there plans to compete with others in regards to product quality, pricing, or service? Quite a few new companies end up having problems in the beginning because they do not thoroughly grasp their market. This will be especially true while expanding and you come into contact with a whole new crowd.

5. Make Marketing a Priority

There are many great services and products that new businesses offer. However, they fail in being able to successfully market themselves. When you are aware of the market you will be serving, you will have very few issues come up.

When you have a firm understanding of your customers, you will be able to cater to them directly because of their wants and needs. Whatever you do, do not leave out any conventional forms of marketing like advertising on billboards.

Starting a business can be a fun experience if you let it, but when it comes to getting off the ground, you have to expect some difficulty if you are not fully prepared.

 

Nimrod Santo is a direct-response marketer and online entrepreneur, traveler, surfer, and business developer. We will be having a conversation with him on how online entrepreneurship has changed in 2021

Nimrod Santo, as a well-seasoned business developer, do you think online entrepreneurship will change in 2021?

In all honesty, it is already changing. Successful brands are doing everything to stand out and maintain their spot.

From my experience, online entrepreneurship will experience a lot of changes this year that brands and businesses should be ready to adapt to. If they do not, they will lose their customers to their competitors and eventually they will go out of business.

Some businesses are developing personal relationships with their customers. Some do this with new customers. Nimrod Santo, do you take this as advisable?

I believe we will see more of this year. If you are into online entrepreneurship and you don’t do this, you might be harming that business and brand of yours.

There are different flexible ways to do this. The Internet has made this very easy. You do not have to go to your customers’ house or call them individually. Do something as little as sending a personalized email, messages will go a long way.

What other necessary things do you think online entrepreneurship should do to improve their business?

Brands will be making customers reaching out to them and ordering products and services in the easiest way possible. I already see this happening.

You should put yourself in your customers’ shoes. If you as a customer find it easy to order and purchase products will you not rather stick with that brand?

No one has the time to be stressing themselves over something as basic as purchasing products when there are easier ways out. To do this, you should tailor your business to:

• Enable customers to order online and have their orders delivered without having to make a phone call.
• Create an e-commerce website or app to sell your goods. You must ensure that your website is mobile friendly.
• Provide all in-store and numerous delivery options.
• Put a customer service Chabot on your website so that customers will not have to be calling you when they have an issue or need to make inquiries.
• Have payment options that will make it easy for customers to pay.

  Related: Expert Explains: How Nimrod Santo Plans to Crush His Business Goals in 2021

A good number of companies have continued to allow their workers to work remotely. Nimrod, do you think online entrepreneurs who have staffs should stick to this method?

You are right. Companies and businesses have told their staff to continue to work remotely even though things are gradually becoming normal.

I believe online entrepreneurs should give their workers the options to choose between working remotely if employees can and resuming physically. Another option is to rotate these options.

The main goal is to create a healthy working environment to boost productivity and at the same time reduce the cost of running the business.

Before you go to Nimrod Santo, what advice will you give to online entrepreneurs?

One very important thing I will say online businesses and brands to do is to have an interactive online presence. Having a website or online social media accounts is not enough. Make sure you put out engaging content.

People are spending more time online than ever before, which means that there are more eyes on your online identity and more competition for their attention. However, this does open the door for small companies to take advantage of online participation in a unique way, resulting in the creation of an authentic culture.

First, you can connect with a majority of global social media consumers by focusing on one or two sites. Second, you must win your users’ interest by creating genuine, customer-focused content that represents your company’s purpose.

Finally, you must represent your social media efforts through all of your digital touchpoints. This includes your website, forum interactions, digital advertising, and any other channel by which your customers can communicate with you.

You must have a seamless, genuine experience that can be viewed from whatever Smartphone that your customer chooses to use.

Also Read: How Direct Response Marketer Nimrod Santo Overcame Obstacles to Find Success