1. Covid And Small Business
Although mom-and-pop businesses may not be the most important part of the economy, small businesses collectively are an important and influential segment. The majority of U.S. businesses that can be considered small, and employ almost half of the private sector.
They’ve been among the most affected sectors of the economy during the pandemic. The CARES Act and the new budget proposition have all been designed to help small businesses get back on track.
Many Texas businesses have responded to covid by making changes such as offering online shopping experiences and working from home options.
Since many people have experienced higher Oncor Energy bills while working from home it is important to practice energy efficiency to offset those increased energy costs
2. Transitioning To Working From Home
In the past few years, many companies have encouraged their employees to start working remotely from home. The success stories have spoken volumes as to the power of being a remote worker-to-be. Businesses like PayPal, Amazon, Expedia, and Yahoo! have seen tremendous growth despite tough times by allowing their employees to work remotely.
The most important thing for any successful business is getting started, and this can be accomplished by working remotely from home. The internet has created a very large user base for businesses, and finding customers is much easier than in the past. Another advantage is that the cost of starting a business is so low that it is not affordable to many people. With the right research and strategy, any entrepreneur can start working remotely with minimal costs and without a lot of initial overhead.
The remaining questions about working remotely all center around productivity and accountability.
One way to ensure optimal productivity while transitioning to remote working is to build a team of people around you. There can be many challenges associated with transitioning to remote working; it is best to have people on your team who understand what this transition means to them. By building teams, members are more likely to be accountable for their own tasks and are able to make changes when necessary. By having a core team, you can reduce the risk of your work being outsourced, which can ultimately save your company money.
Once you have a group of people who understand the implications of this transition and who are accountable for their own work, it is time to start planning the implementation of your plan. The first step is to build a Trello board for your teams. Using Trello to manage project management is highly recommended. You can create boards for individual members, team members, project managers, or dedicated team members. If you are planning to use Google apps, then using Google Docs makes it easier to collaborate and communicate with all of your teams.
In order to remain productive while transitioning to working from home, you must ensure that you have a number of projects that are relevant to your target market. By using the Google apps platform, you can not only make it easy to communicate with customers and partners, but you can also track your productivity in a centralized location. This approach allows you to stay organized and keep track of the projects that are most productive, which will ultimately increase your profits as a business owner.
3. Financial Resources And Money Saving Strategies For Your Small Business
Contact vendors to save money on office supplies. You should look beyond your traditional vendors. Many large discount suppliers, such as Amazon and BJ’s can beat traditional office supply vendor pricing.
You are always on the lookout for ways to reduce costs and maximize your resources as a business owner. Here are some suggestions:
- Instead of sending your cardboard, paper, and metal to the recycling center, you might consider selling it. You might also consider using your scrap to make another product.
- You want to get the most from your production space. Ensure that you consolidate or centralize the production space. You can lease space that isn’t being used to another company or individual. It can be as small or large as an office.
- To optimize and adjust the use of resources, track and measure your company’s operational efficiency. You can set performance goals that are consistent with your efficiency goals, and reward those who meet them.
You can save money by looking at your financial accounts and insurance policies.
- Compare insurance providers to find the best rate. Ask your current lender or insurer to match this rate.
- If possible, consolidate your bank accounts or insurance policies.
- Examine your insurance policies to ensure you aren’t over-insured, or have duplicate coverage.
- Compare your utility costs. If you live in an unregulated electricity state such as New York or Texas, you have the ability to choose your power supplier. If you compare rates and plans, you will likely be able to come up with some real savings.
You don’t have to stop paying advertising that is effective. However, it might be worth looking at cheaper alternatives.
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- Create an e-mail database for your customers and set up a referral program. Referring a customer to you is more likely than traditional marketing to make a sale.
- Network more, advertise less. A business with a familiar face is more likely to be hired by clients.
- Marketing costs can be reduced by working more in-house.
- Use social media more often and less traditional marketing
