Archives for March 2018

What Business Continuity Looks like for Trades

Fancy terms like business continuity are often thrown around at the corporate level at strategy meetings, but what does it mean to a self-employed tradesman or a small business owner?

In simple terms, business continuity is the ability for a company to continue operations if something were to disrupt the regular day to day. An example would be continue taking orders even if the online store is down or continue to service your plumbing customers if your car was out of service in the shop. It’s about rising above the issues at hand and keeping your customers happy despite the difficulties you are dealing with.

Trades like electricians, welders, plumbers, roofers, and more will have drastically different business continuity measures than a bank or a tech company. However, that doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t be making their own business continuity plans.

Equipment

Tradespeople usually rely on their tools to get things done. From simple items like hammers, to more specialized equipment, having something broken, lost, or stolen can paralyze your ability to do work. This won’t just create delays, but it can also ruin your reputation as a dependable business owner. Create a backup plan for each of your tools, whether that means carrying around extras or knowing where to rent a replacement until yours can be repaired.

Vehicle

Many tradespeople depend on their vehicles to get to their worksites. While that might be a slightly bigger sedan or a full-out van, having a last-minute break down means that you can’t get yourself or your equipment to the site. Have a back up plan for such circumstances, such as a fiberglass truck box for protecting your professional tools which you can put onto a rental or secondary truck, or a system in which you can quickly and safely move the contents of your vehicle to another one.

Communication

According to stereotypes, tradespeople already seem to have an issue with communication, and having one actually pick up the phone every time is a gem worth keeping. Don’t mess up what you already have worked so hard on by having your phone malfunction and losing that line of communication with your clients and potential clients. Buy a heavy-duty case for your phone, keep it safe on your belt or another designated location, and try to keep it from getting damaged. But to really cover all your bases, you should carry around an old, back-up phone that you can always slide your sim card into if your primary phone was to “take a break” for some reason.

Weather

Extreme weather events are often busy times for some trades, with HVAC, plumbing, and electricity often malfunctioning. When you see that there’s a possible weather event coming on, prepare to be called out, meaning your car is suited to the weather, with winter tires, etc., your back up generator has fuel, and your equipment is primed for what it will need to deal with. Having extra parts on-hand is always a win, as deliveries can become long and difficult when the weather is being off. If you yourself are prepared, then you are more likely to be able to cover the areas in which others weren’t or deal with a large volume of emergency calls.

Business continuity is what no small business owner really things about until something happens that leaves them scrambling for solutions. Make yourself even more competitive by preparing for likely disruptions to your business and brainstorming ahead of time what can be done to prevent them or deal with them as best as possible.

Tips on the Importance of Social Media in Business

How many social media platforms are you involved in on a personal base? How about on a professional base? Is your business even represented in the social media realm? Are you aware that social media is one of the faster growing trends around? Do you also realize that your business is people driven and that people hang out on social media platforms? Do you get it now or do you need a picture drawn? Your business is people driven therefore, you should not underestimate the power social media has for your business. According to an article on Forbes, social media marketing could very well be the ‘the next big thing’ in fact, it is the next big thing trending. Many businesses are currently taking advantage of social media where others are still confused and unwilling to move into the social media realm. What are some of the ways that social media marketing can your business grow? Some of the potential elements that social media can have on your business include: improving your brand loyalty, increasing your brand recognition, larger conversion rates, more chances to convert people, increasing traffic, bigger brand authority, happier customers, and decreasing marketing expenses. Perhaps you are one of those who have to do everything in your business and don’t have time for social media. According to an article, there are plenty of social media management tools available to you that will help you take care of your business’ social media needs. These management tools will allow you to schedule posts and manage your various accounts without having to hire someone else. Some of the best social media management tools out there for your business include: Buffer (cost: free to $399 per month), Hootsuite (cost: free to $499 per month), Everypost (cost: $9.99 to $99.99 per month), Agora Sendible (cost: $49 to $499 per month), Pulse (cost: $49 to $299 per month), and Sprout Social (cost: $99 to $249 per month).

Looking for a different way to make some extra dough? Have you ever considered vacation home rentals? If you are interested in renting out property than you need to look into VRBO. With Vrbo.com, you will get all the resources and tools that you need to get your start in the vacation rental marketplace. Enjoy the benefits of being able to reach travelers in 190 countries and across fifty plus states when you use Vrbo.com. With Vrbo.com, you are in control and with their partnership with Groupon Coupons you know you will be saving a small fortune as you search to make a big fortune. Find a great Vrbo.com coupon from Groupon Coupons today and save more than before.

Use Vrbo.com and get access to the property management business. Be sure to find a Vrbo.com coupon from Groupon Coupons first for more money saving coupons and promo codes. Act now and save with codes, promos, and sales from Groupon Coupons. Use this promo code and enjoy renting a vacation home for half the price of a hotel. Save more with vacation rentals. Enjoy $50 off Monday – Thursday when you use this code. Enjoy vacation rentals starting as low as $55 per night when you use this code. Get all the property owner resources you need here and save when you use this code. Save on summer bucket list getaways with this code. Spend winter by the sea with this code and save. Enjoy vacation rentals in Florida with savings when you use this code. List property for free here with this code. From saving on the top 30 summer festivals to savings with promo codes you will always be saving when you visit Groupon Coupons first.

When it comes to property management you have to try Vrbo.com. Remember to find a Vrbo.com coupon from Groupon Coupons first for money saving deals.