WinWeb

Small Office Tips

August 26, 2010

Small businesses all require space in which to conduct their business activities. Here are some great tips on how to make the most of whatever space you have to work in:

Maximise Storage: Ensure that you avoid silly errors when storing stock, stationery or files. Always fill boxes to capacity before filing them away, and do not over or under-fill them as this will lead to them tipping or collapsing. Make sure to clearly label them so that they can be found in the future.

Encourage flexibility: Although whenever it is possible you should plan your office to take into account the number of people you employ, sometimes you will have to change plans, especially if your company is growing quickly. Consider ‘hotdesking’, where employees are able to set up their workspace at any available position and then move on when they finish work.

Share resources: The smaller the office, the less rent your small business will have to pay. This is why it makes sense for you to share resources with the other employees of your company whenever possible. Especially for items such as printers which can be networked, there is no reason to waste space by having duplicates.

Consider ergonomics: Ergonomics is the science of work. It is important because human bodies were designed to move and being sat at a computer desk all day is totally unnatural. Ergonomic seating and workstation design is essential to avoid long-term injury risks.

Homeworking: The ultimate solution for any small business is to ditch the traditional office altogether and connect with staff and customers online from the comfort of a home office. It has never been easier to work without a central office, all you need are software applications like the ones that WinWeb provide.

Finding The Best Employees For Your Small Business

August 23, 2010

At some point, the majority of small businesses will all have to hire at least one employee in order to keep the workload manageable. Selecting the right people to become a part of your team is one of the most difficult management decisions that you will have to make as a small business owner.

Unfortunately, entrepreneurs often have a very negative approach to the hiring process right from the very start. Because they dislike the entire time-consuming procedure, they try to spend as little of their time on it as possible and instead focus on tasks that they consider more important. What they they often fail to remember is that hiring is actually probably their most critical task.

When a small business grows quickly, the recruitment process will soon become routine procedure. Don’t forget to set aside a specific budget for recruitment and selection, because finding the right person often ends up costing you money. You will need to advertise the position and if you choose to hire through an agency there will be fees involved.

One key decision for any small business owner to make is whether they want to hire full or -part-time staff. Only a minority of small businesses actually need full-time employees. Part-time employees can be very useful, particularly if you operate a seasonal business that will experience predictable peaks and troughs of demand.

Being open to the possibility of hiring on a part-time basis will give you access to entire markets of applicants that you would otherwise not be able to employ. There are many people who are extremely highly-skilled but can only work on a part-time basis because of their personal circumstances. People with young children or those who have retired from their primary career are ideal candidates for part-time work. You could perhaps even have two such people sharing one role, especially if you wish to retain key staff.

Learn from Business Mistakes

July 15, 2010

Sometimes it is only possible for a small business to learn by making a mistake. A small mistake often serves as a warning that something might go seriously wrong in the future and provides an opportunity for you to make a change before that happens. Here are some of the things you can learn when it all goes wrong:

Re-focus on Priorities: If things go wrong it often makes you realise that you have strayed a long way from your original business plan. It is sometimes for the best if your business gets back to basics, even if it is just on a temporary basis.

Overcoming Fear: Often you will find that the irrational fear something might go wrong is much more damaging for your business than when things actually do. Fear is a large psychological barrier for many people and it can paralyse the progress of your business.

Forget ‘perfection’: Once you make your first mistake it will help you to realise that however hard you try, your business will never be perfect. This should help you to relax a bit and enjoy running your business a bit more.

Get real!: Small business owners often have unrealistic expectations for their business. If you re-evaluate what your company is potentially able to achieve, you may decide that what you initially thought was a failure was really not that bad.

Learn and move on: Don’t dwell and obsess on the mistakes that you make. As long as you are able to learn from it, failure is just another step on the path to success.

Top 5 Social Responsibility Basics

June 17, 2010

Small business owners are increasingly starting to realise that their actions have an affect not just on their customers, but on some level also have an impact on the local community and society in general. To be more socially responsible:

Invest in people: Your employees are one of the greatest assets of your business. Try to identify their learning needs and provide them with training opportunities to become even better. They will really appreciate this and should feel greater loyalty to your business in return.

Reduce energy consumption: It doesn’t take much effort to start dramatically lowering your energy usage. Not only will this make your business more eco-friendly, but it will also lower your bills. If necessary, introduce a meter system to identify where savings can be made.

Support your community: The local area surrounding your business is the key battleground for success. Therefore, it makes sense to do things that benefit the community and the people who live there, either by contributing financially or volunteering your time.

Reduce waste: Whenever possible, you must try to reduce the impact that your business is having on society. Use recyclable materials and reusable bags, even if they cost extra. Encourage employees to think of less wasteful methods of completing tasks.

Build trust: The best way of building trust with employees, customers and the local community is to actually do what you say you are going to do. There must be transparency and openness in your dealings with stakeholders, or else you will destroy your reputation.

What’s In An Email Domain Name?

May 11, 2010

While free webmail services may seem like a viable option for your small business to send email to clients, there are many issue that arise when using email clients such as Hotmail, Gmail or Yahoo. By using one of these services you are missing a vital opportunity to promote your business and expand your brand every time you send an email!

The greatest disadvantage of using a free email service is that usually you will be stuck with the domain name of the service provider as part of the email address. This has the unfortunate effect of making your company look less professional than it actually is. Free providers will also often insert advertisements into your email message that might confuse your customers.

It is far better for a small business to send email messages that come from their own domain name. However, if they are using free website hosts they are unlikely to be given the option of doing this because they will not receive a personal domain name as well. Customers are normally reassured by seeing that any communication that you send them is definitely coming from your company by checking the domain name on the email they receive.

If your small business has its own email domain name when you email your clients or potential customers you offer the people you are sending email to a sense of security and professionalism. When an email from your business lands in an inbox you are immediately advertising and promoting your business brand.

Why advertise Google, Yahoo or Hotmail when you email your customers? With WinWeb.com you can promote your business and expand your brand, for less than you might think.

How we can help…

WinWeb.com knows the importance of small businesses remaining professional in all its correspondence. We are also aware of the necessity for each small business to promote their own brand, and this is why we provide the following services:

BusinessEmail – Our BusinessEmail Application allows you to keep organised while promoting your own business through your email correspondence. With our BusinessEmail App your small business receives its own domain name – allowing you to easily build your brand.

Email Marketing – Our Email Marketing Application allows you to deliver correspondence to a large database, quickly and efficiently. You can keep all your customers up to date while at the same time remaining fully in control.

To find out more about WinWeb Apps, visit our new look website. Or contact us for further details.

Stay Positive To Have A Successful Small Business

May 6, 2010

Starting a new business from scratch can be extremely stressful. It doesn’t matter how much planning or funding your business has, because without a positive outlook your business will struggle to succeed. Even the best SEO or a brilliant online store is not enough to reverse the damage that having a negative attitude will cause to your business.

There are a number of ways in which small business owners can try to stay upbeat and positive regardless of the external factors that are bringing them down. The best way of navigating through difficult periods of your working life is to set achievable short-term goals and work to complete them. Attaining these goals will give you a great sense of achievement and allow you to feel in control of your business.

Your planning should also set a path for the long-term success of your business. Work out weekly and monthly goals so that your focus is not disturbed. Use an online calendar to keep track of these goals and also to avoid missing appointments and then stressing out as a result.

If you are setting deadlines to complete tasks, try to ensure that you do not underestimate the amount of work that is involved. Spending longer than you anticipated on a task can mess up your schedule and cause you much unhappiness. Allow yourself more time than you expect, just to be on the safe side.

To be successful, it is important to avoid procrastination. When it comes to completing tasks just get on and do it. If you find that you are constantly putting something off, you need to investigate why this is the case. You many simply feel overwhelmed about the large amount of things that need to be done – if this is the case, try breaking down tasks into small increments and tackle them this way instead.

Don’t be afraid to take on new challenges, because even if the end result is not a complete success, you will still learn a lot from the experience. Above all, try to have fun running your small business – if you aren’t enjoying it then you are doing it wrong!

How we can help…

WinWeb.com strives to put the smile back on small business owners’ faces. That is why we provide the following services:

Planning Software – Get in control of your cashflow and conduct a SWOT analysis. If you haven’t planned where you want to go, then how can you expect to get there? Our BusinessPlanning software is affordable and easy to use.

Accounting Software – Easy-to-use affordable online alternative to traditional software. Store all you accounts online and share them with your accountant. Simple, yet comprehensive.

Bookkeeping Service – Outsource your bookkeeping to our Business Support Services team and give yourself time to focus on running your business, instead of your paperwork.

WinWeb’s software can help your small business to succeed. Visit our website for more details, or contact us today.

Improve Your Cashflow Management

January 30, 2010

Cashflow is often described as being the lifeblood of small businesses. Without careful management of cashflow a business can quickly get into financial trouble. A lack of cash can be hard to remedy, especially if the business needs to purchase supplies before it can make further sales. Without additional investment or a bank overdraft to help out the business, it will often lead to disaster.

However, there are number of small things you can do to avoid this situation occurring. The most important of these is receiving payment from customers as soon as possible, because until you have the money in the company account it is useless to your business. It is advisable to offer small incentives for swift payment to encourage customers to pay their invoices as soon as possible.

You should also be trying to do the exact opposite when it comes to paying company bills. Take advantage of a 30 or 60 day due date and use that time to set aside enough money to pay for it. With careful cashflow management you can make far more efficient use of your money.

Another important thing to remember is that your inventory is not cash until is sold. You may think that you will save a few pennies by ordering in large quantities, but if it cannot be sold then it is essentially just dead weight for your business that you may end up selling at a discount.

It is also advisable to make use of a Cashflow management tool like the one within OnlineOffice in order to make the process far simpler; it is fully integrated into the Accounting module and will give you much greater control over your business finances.

Try WinWeb’s cashflow management tool free for 30 days, just by visiting www.winweb.com !

The Importance of Networking for Small Businesses

January 23, 2010

The importance of networking must not be underestimated when you are starting your small business and this holds true whether you are opening a restaurant or an online shop. But what is networking?

Entrepreneurs often hear, and even use, the term ‘networking’ but in order to network effectively it is important to understand the principles of networking and that it isn’t just a case of merely having a chat will the right person; what you say, how you say it, and how you follow up the conversation are all vital.

Networking, in the traditional term, is attending an event or presentation on a matter relevant to your business where influential or like-minded people will be present. So, you are at an event where there are people who are all interested in small business, but where do you go from there?

Top five networking tips:

• Make sure you do your homework- be knowledgeable about your industry and those attending the event.

• Exude confidence in both yourself and your business, without seeming arrogant!

• Memorise a 60-second marketing pitch for your company. Try and be able to explain what you do in a few sentences, making it engaging and interesting. Sell yourself!

• Give your business card to everyone you speak to, and ask for theirs. Be sure to ask what other people do, too.

• Send an email to the people who you felt could help you, preferably within a week of the event, being sure to say how much you enjoyed meeting them.

Most of all enjoy it, be passionate about your business and have fun!

Save Your Small Business Time- Just By Being Online!

January 20, 2010

The old saying goes that “time is money” and this is true for no-one more than the small business owner.

In the modern society in which we live time is an all too precious commodity, with there being far more drains on our resources than we can possibly manage; whilst all the time trying to squeeze our precious family and friends in to whatever time we have spare at the end of the day. This isn’t why you started your small business, right?

When you set out on your small business adventure you envisaged flexible working, with time dedicated to your customers, and enough leftover to still be able to spend quality time with those nearest and dearest to you. It is well documented that having a stressful work life not only affects the balance of society but can also have a detrimental effect on the health of the workforce; increasing work pressures and stress can lead to an increased risk of heart attack and make people more prone to illness. You got out of the rat race to set your own pace, but why does it still feel like you’re on the treadmill with someone else controlling the speed setting?

Time is our greatest commodity and yet it is the resource that is in greatest demand. WinWeb realise this and have developed the OnlineOffice system that aims to take the daily admin pressures off of you, the small business owner, allowing you to focus on what is really important: your customers, your family, and your friends.

Try OnlineOffice here , it’s free for 30 days and could make a huge difference to your small business.

Small Business Set-Up

August 29, 2009

Now you’ve decided on your business idea, recorded your business goals and started planning your cash-flow you need to set up some essential areas of your business. The 6 steps below with give you a brief insight into what you will need to set up to get on track for running a successful business.

1. Website. Setting up your website should be one of the first things you do as it establishes your company online to help promote your products and services. Customers can use it to keep up to date with your latest offers and give you another way to interact with them. Gone are the days of only expecting customers from the 30 mile radius of your chimney. Publishing your website online will allow you to be seen and found by an international audience of customers and ‘keep the shop open’ long after you have finished your working day. We like to refer to it as the globalisation of the kitchen table/study desk that you may currently be operating from!

2. Domain Name. You will have already established your small business’s name so it is important to purchase the domain name as the home for your website. Purchasing a domain name will help your customers remember the address of your site and help establish an online brand for your business.

3. Business Cards. Everyone’s heard of Business cards but many small business owners view them as a luxury item for big meetings. Having a well designed, unique business card will give your customers something else to remember you by as well as helping your business retain a professional image. Don’t be afraid to hand out more than one to each customer, if they are talking about you to other people you should be very pleased with the free advertising!

4. Custom Business Logo. A customised logo will help your customers remember you and help with the branding of your business. This branding will give your business a ‘personality’ and distinguish you from your competitors.

5. Form a Company. Forming a limited company – LLC or Ltd. – will not only give you a legal name to trade under, it will prevent anyone else from copying or using your company name and damaging your reputation. Make sure you don’t violate someone else’s trademark!

6. Account/Business Adviser. A good accountant will act as a business adviser or ‘virtual finance director’ for your company, providing advice on cash-flow and business decisions, not just on tax once a year. Many accountants run their own small businesses and are very well informed when it comes to helping you through situations you may not have faced before. Picking the cheapest accountant may seem a good option in the short term but making sure you trust and can work with them is most important for the long term success of your company.

Completed all of the above? Congratulations, you are open for business and you’re another few steps closer to running a successful company!