Category: Business

Do you remember when, on live TV, a professor was famously interrupted during a news broadcast by his toddler walking in? Then his wife ran in to take the child away, and it was all captured by his camera and viewed live by the world.

The reaction to that interruption was understanding laughter, and that same scenario has been repeated in many a Zoom call since. Sure, there have been other kinds of slip-ups and mishaps, and that’s to be expected when working from home.

We’ve all struggled with the transition to remote work in 2020. But there’s a more dangerous force operating here, too. The loneliness that remote work causes can be isolating to an unhealthy degree. Company leaders must acknowledge the isolation and the effect it can have on employee health.

Trading a bustling office settling for a home office is a difficult swap. However, company leaders have the opportunity to keep their employees’ morale high by breathing new life into the remote company culture.

And what better time to try something new than in the new year?

New Year, New Habits

Studies show that, if you want to develop a new habit, the best time to start is at the beginning. Whether that’s the beginning of the week, month, or year, is up to you. Approach the day or the task like it’s a fresh, clean, blank page.

You don’t know what 2021 will bring. No one does. All we know is that it’s a clean slate, a fresh beginning for everyone to do better given the circumstances. So it’s the perfect time for company leaders to begin new cultural practice for remote work.

Chatterboxes

No one likes a chatterbox when they’re trying to work hard. However, the change to remote work has de facto eliminated all casual conversation between coworkers.

This is one way that company culture has fizzled out in 2020, but many companies have already taken steps to bring back casual conversation into the work-from-home setting.

Slack channels dedicated just to non-work conversations are a good option, as they help make sure informal conversations live on in a remote work world.

But it’s time to do more than that. Follow the lead of tech companies like Slido, which hosts special virtual get-togethers for team socializing. From Coffee/Tea(m) Time Tuesdays to Monday Morning Meetings, Slido prioritizes keeping their employees connected.

Make Meetings Great Again

Many companies have decided that there should be meetings for specific teams, for the whole staff, and, interestingly, for small groups. Conversations between small groups of random employees who might not have any reason to talk are an important way to keep company culture alive.

While they might not meet in the elevator, employees on different teams can meet through a pre-arranged Zoom breakout room or through Slack’s Donut feature.

The frequency of these meetings is up to you, but once a week team meetings are a must. Through polling, companies have discovered that video conferencing is an extremely important way to keep employees feeling connected.

All The News That’s Fit To (Digitally) Print

Keeping employees informed about how the company is performing is essential. While it used to be easy for a manager to drop in and tell a team member how things are going, now those updates get lost, either because of a lack of opportunity for that conversation to happen or because other tasks are prioritized.

Don’t let your employees feel like while they’re putting in the hours from home, they don’t have any idea about how the company is doing and therefore they aren’t really a part of it. Employees will feel disconnected and unmotivated to perform to the same levels they used to before remote work if this is how they feel.

Instead, send out a weekly newsletter with information about the progress the company is making. Status updates on important projects, as well as summaries of events and customer feedback, will show employees how their work fits into the big picture.

In Conclusion

By starting fresh with the new year, opening up channels for informal conversation, holding multiple video meetings a week for different groups of employees, and sending out a company newsletter, you can breathe new life into your company culture.

Remote work makes life difficult, but it doesn’t have to be isolating. Your employees will appreciate you taking steps to keep your company culture alive.

As female entrepreneurship is on the rise, women are climbing into the ranks of being savvy business owners, all due in part to seeing an opportunity. The encouragement by markets and industries ready and willing to seek a woman’s expertise will only continue to grow as more and more women strike out on their own. However, knowing which is the right path and when to leave your day job behind isn’t always so obvious. 

Here’s a peek at how women can find their ideal business idea and take control of their careers.

Where To Start

Have you ever considered being a happiness and life purpose expert? Anything’s possible, right? An aspiring entrepreneur should start a business that’s meaningful to them. It’s a rather archaic model to tell a woman to go into a specific field, mainly because it earns more money or helps them gain recognition. 

Instead, invest in ideas you’re passionate about and tap into what you’re good at to make yourself feel great while also earning a living. It could start out as a side gig and blossom from there. Or, if you’re already entrenched in a 9-5 job, you could start a small business on the side and go from there. There are no guidelines to the types of companies women should begin, as a woman’s strengths are so diverse that the opportunities are endless.

It’s helpful to start a business you know something about so when you’re ready to launch the business you’re most passionate about, you can consider your limitations. The last thing you want to do is quit a really good job to start a business you actually hate. Try not to let the fantasies of grandeur about running a business get the best of you, as it’s no picnic out there. 

A good rule of thumb is to save 20 to 40 percent per paycheck and tuck it away, before you quit your steady job. Do your research, and make certain you understand who your paying customer is prior to announcing an entrepreneurship. You always have to check and ensure your business model makes sense in an industry that’s growing not sinking. Your business needs to be relevant three to five years down the road. 

Because technology is always looming front and center, you don’t want the technological advances to take over your business and leave you in the dust. Surround yourself with people who will help you succeed, whether it’s through support of lending a hand in getting your business started.

Remember that being a leader doesn’t mean you have all the answers, and the more open you are to learning from everyone around you, the more you can grow into your role as entrepreneur. It’s okay to ask for help and collaborate with other people.

Love What You Do

Becoming an entrepreneur and building a business from the ground up is challenging no matter how you look at it. However, the end result should boil down to actually loving what you do. Feel encouraged to be strong and work hard at what you love.

Starting and running a business is by no means easy, and there are going to be a lot of hardships and emotional setbacks, but you have to put yourself out there, believe in yourself and your purpose. In other words, just do it.

It’s Okay To Be Afraid

Having the will to try speaks volumes in this day and age. It’s not so much you need to be ready, but you need to overcome your fears. If you succumb to feeling scared about the onset of entrepreneurship, you’ll never pursue your dreams or get the business off the ground. 

Being afraid is just part of the big picture. In other words, you have to start your business while you’re scared. Once you master that hurdle, you’ll rise to another level, and that will come with yet another level of fear. You’ll learn and adjust and keep moving forward. 

Before you know it, your earnings will begin to tumble in and you’ll be making money doing what you love.

A Few Ideas That Can Help

The following are some innovative ways to dip your toes into entrepreneurship:

Cooking

Is creating meals from scratch a passion of yours? Do you have access to proper cookware that can withstand several dishes on a dime? Launching a cooking business, whether catering or as a gourmet chef, can be a real winner. Think of all the people who love to eat good food, and go from there. 

If you know friends who are willing to be your guinea pig for a few demonstrations, that’s a good place to start. Expand your horizons and create dishes that titillate the senses and entice the palate. Or, you could concoct in-home delivery menus that cater to individuals in any setting that suits your fancy. {insert image here}

The key is to use your cooking skills that people want. Traditional cuisines, family style recipes, or simply home-cooked food are always the meals most sought after. 

Fashion

If you’re a fashionista who loves to put clothes together and knows how to color coordinate based on skin tone and style, welcome to running a clothing business. Whether you venture into a small boutique or engage in marketing platforms such as Spotify, Instagram, or Facebook, chances are you’re already spreading your brand and messaging. Reach a bigger audience and showcase your designs with online payment gateways that make the entire process so much easier. {insert image here}

Go with an approximate initial investment estimate of between $5,000 and $10,000. Plan for production, space to invent your fashion creations, and get to work designing clothes for people. If you have good customer relation skills, all the better.

Social Media Influencer

Social media has become one of the biggest places to generate brand awareness with millions of eyeballs to be caught every second. Becoming a social media influencer is a great idea for a business with a low investment. Any talent that you are passionate about can help you become an influencer. {insert image here}

Brands associate with influencers who can engage their followers, so reading and keeping up with trending topics will help connect with more people and build larger audiences. The key remains regular creative and value-adding content that you enjoy. A successful influencer takes about one to three years to gain popularity, as a lot is dependent upon the quality of content.

Wrapping Up

The sky’s the limit with women-owned businesses, and this is merely touching the surface. If you like to walk dogs, start a pet-sitting enterprise. If you have a passion for writing, enter the digital content creation space and go to town! If you want to turn your hobby into something grand and glorious, ensure that you’ve done your research, you’ve set aside enough funds to invest in supplies or a workspace, and you absolutely love what you do.

There’s no reason to become an entrepreneur unless you’re comfortable in feeling the initial fear and overcoming the obstacles along the way. The world is your oyster, and it’s time to make a pearl necklace out of a single gemstone.

Ah, the holidays. It’s the season of giving and gratitude, of chilly nights and short days, of lights and parties. Unfortunately, parties have become somewhat tricky due to the global pandemic. Although gathering in person may be off the table, you can still enjoy an amazing holiday party.

Whether it’s for your family, your friends, or your office, there are tons of ways to celebrate the holidays virtually. With the development of so many video conferencing platforms and many companies offering more online options, you can throw a holiday party that’s just as festive and fun as ever.

Here are a few areas to consider when planning your holiday party. To make your party feel complete, consider picking something from each category. You can also have a themed party using one category or simply pick one event for your virtual holiday bash.

Activities

One of the best parts about holiday parties are all the activities that go along with it. Even virtually, you can still enjoy these activities together. There are the holiday classics like an ugly Christmas sweater fashion show, for instance. You can also try something a little more unique, like taking an online class together.

If you’re planning an office holiday party, use this time to toast your team, acknowledging their hard work during an especially tough year. You could also have a team awards show. With a little planning, you could even send a small trophy or certificate to each member of your team with the award they’ve won.

For a party with friends, you might consider a gift wrapping party. This will help you all get those presents wrapped in time but do it in a fun, communal way. Another fun interactive activity is an at-home scavenger hunt, with points awarded for how many items a person can source from their house. The winner could win holiday cookies or a gift card.

Contests & Games

A little competition can provide a ton of fun to a party with very little extra effort. With so many people making holiday cookies this time of year, why not turn it into a contest? Have everyone decorate some holiday cookies and then vote on which looks the best. A variation on this would be an ornament decorating contest or wreath making contest.

Depending on the size of your group, you could also have a holiday-themed talent show. This will make sure that everyone gets involved and you never know what you might learn about someone in your group.

For a more traditional game night, you could try holiday-themed charades. Have everyone submit their ideas ahead of time and have a moderator send out the suggestion. If you have the time to plan it and know your holiday trivia, try holiday-themed Jeopardy. You will all learn something and have a ton of fun doing it.

Exchanges

A favorite part of the holiday season for many people is the chance to give. Presents and gifts are an excellent way to show someone you care, whether it’s virtual or not. Consider organizing a Secret Santa gift exchange. Especially for an office party, this can be a great way to bring your team together. For a little tongue-in-cheek spin on Secret Santa, have a White Elephant gift exchange. You never know what you could end up with! If you try these, make sure you have everyone send their gifts in advance.

A less expensive way to have everyone give a little holiday cheer is with a recipe exchange. Just like you would a Secret Santa, have everyone send a recipe to another person. For added enjoyment, have everyone make their recipe to enjoy it during the party. Tasty goodies are characteristic of the season, so why not enjoy them together?

Food & Drink

The holidays are a time for food and drink. Everywhere you turn there are treats, rich foods, warm drinks, and spicy beverages. In a real-world party, food and drink would be an obvious thing to provide, but that can often be forgotten in a virtual party. Consider sending out a couple cocktail or mocktail recipes for everyone to enjoy during your holiday party. It will bring a little warmth during this chilly season.

Another way to incorporate drinks into your holiday party while also enjoying a fun activity is with a wine tasting. Because of the pandemic, many liquor stores are offering delivery. Send out a couple vintages to your party attendees and taste them together.

For a family-friendly virtual gathering, try having a hot chocolate and s’mores party. You could send out the ingredients to make the hot chocolate and s’mores before the party, then make them together. The simple act of enjoying something delicious with the people you love is so iconically part of the holidays that it will really accent any party well.

Entertainment

Whether it’s the Hallmark channel Christmas movies or the latest holiday movie on Netflix or a favorite holiday classic, movies are an important part of the holidays for many of us. Luckily, many streaming services are offering party features where you can stream the movie together.

To really make your holiday movie night special, send out some seasonally specific treats, like candy canes, cookies, hot chocolate, popcorn, or cake. Really, any little treat will add that extra touch to the festivities.

Takeaways

We all miss getting together to celebrate, whether for the holidays, a birthday party, or the weekend. But you don’t have to celebrate the season alone. With a virtual party, you can enjoy some of your favorite holiday traditions and with a little creativity, you might find a new holiday tradition that will last for years. Make the season bright with a virtual party and you’ll have a beautiful memory to hold on to forever.

Think about your ideal workplace. What are the people like? What is your direct supervisor like? How do you feel being there? How do you feel going home?

The fact is, we all want to work somewhere we are appreciated, treated like a human being, and encouraged to be our best. And no one likes leaving work feeling completely emotionally drained, nor the feeling of waking up dreading the 8 to 10 hours you’ll spend at the office. So, what’s the main difference between the ideal workplace and the worst case scenario?

It’s whether a company and leadership can put their employees first or not.

Why It’s Important

In the traditional workplace, there was a straight forward transaction: an employee clocked in and traded time for money. It was as though the company rented someone by the hour. As business and people have evolved over the years, more is expected of companies and their leadership. Rather than simply lording over employees, managers and supervisors are expected to actually care about their employees.

But why? Why should it ever be more than the transactional relationship of yesteryear?

Because the old model didn’t work nearly as well as the new age one. The old model existed with a culture of fear and anxiety permeating offices. People were afraid to mess up because they had anxiety about being yelled at and the terrifying possibility of losing their livelihood. While this might keep someone on the clock, it doesn’t necessarily make them more productive.

Finally, we started paying attention to what motivates people. It turns out people are motivated more by loyalty and a feeling of appreciation than the feelings of dread like before. Keeping your employees in a constant state of uneasiness only manages to distract them and make them less productive.

They’ll also be more likely to quit and move on to a company that values them. That means more turn over and more wasted time and money on your end.

Benefits Of A People First Work Environment

Think back to a time you felt truly appreciated. Did it make you want to quit or did it make you want to keep trying your hardest? Likely, it was the latter. When we feel appreciated and valued, we try harder to do better. As you put your employees first and work to improve the business environment they’re in for 40 hours every week, they’ll prove to be more productive and have better output than before.

Another benefit to this environmental shift is that your employees will start working together as a team. The days of cut throat business cultures aren’t necessarily dead, but it’s phasing out and that’s primarily due to all employees feeling valued rather than pitted against each other.

Competitiveness can be a good thing, but when it’s the primary feeling of your company’s culture, then you stand little to no chance of employees actually working together. This will lead to less work getting done and what does get done won’t be nearly as good as it could have been.

Ultimately, having employees who leave work happy will make for a society of better citizens. When you leave work after an awful day and then run right into traffic, many of us turn to expletives and hand gestures. We go home to our families upset and irritable, making their lives miserable, too.

The problem snowballs and society is the worse for it. In contrast, having employees who feel valued and appreciated will lead to happier employees at the end of the day, so their off time is spent in better moods, spreading the joy rather than the anger.

How You Can Improve Your Company Culture

Changing an entire company’s culture doesn’t happen overnight, but it does start at the top. You have to be the one to start caring. Care about your employees and their lives, what they’re going through, how they’re feeling. Care that they are human beings and treat them as such, rather than treating them as underlings.

Place a focus on employee growth. If your employees feel that you are investing in them, they will invest in you. Doing the same thing every day can become monotonous but offering training or education benefits can motivate your employees with new skills. They will repay the investment ten fold.

You should also consider a company wide focus on wellness, both physical and mental. There’s been a shift in the last few years where people are focusing on their self care. As you start to care about your employees’ wellness, they will start to care, too. This will make for a healthier, happier, more balanced team of people who come to work more days of the year and are willing to work even harder for you.

Finally, learn to put people before business. Say you have an employee who’s just lost a close family member. Instead of having them fill out a bunch of paperwork to simply take a couple days off to grieve and attend a funeral, offer them a couple of weeks.

Do you know your employee is having trouble getting to work on time because they have to drop their kids off at school? Why not figure out an arrangement that works for both of you?

The most important thing to remember is that your employees are just people, the same as you. The only difference is who gets the bigger office. Everyone has issues in their life and everyone is motivated by the same things: feeling appreciated, feeling seen, and feeling special.

As you put your employees first, your company culture will change and this change in environment will have an impact on both your business and the people who devote their lives to it.

The holidays are a time for thankfulness and appreciation, and that goes for your small business as well! Gratitude is more important than ever as we conclude 2020, a year that’s been difficult in many ways.

By incorporating gratitude into your daily routines and business strategies, you can grow your business and strengthen your team. Here’s how.

Take Time To Thank Your Team

Whether due to COVID, an economic downturn, or election anxiety, it’s safe to say it’s been a stressful year for most of your team. People devote a significant portion of their time and energy to their job, so a little appreciation goes a long way toward boosting morale and loyalty.

Set aside time during every meeting to give a shout out to your team members. Try not to make it a competition e.g. “Employee of the Week” or “MVP.” Instead, identify and reward your team’s successes, and encourage them to thank each other as well. Try creating a dedicated Slack channel for appreciative messages, or have people give “awards” to each other. Ultimately, your goal is to increase gratitude and cultivate a sense of mutual support.

Shine A Spotlight

Don’t feel limited to shout outs at staff meetings. Let the whole world know that you are grateful for your customers, staff, clients, sponsors, etc. You can spotlight people in your email marketing, social media posts, and even on the walls of your office.

As with general staff appreciation, don’t make this about competition or who’s “best.” Instead, highlight the person’s individual contributions, unique talents and skills, and how they support your business. Lead with gratitude, and watch morale and loyalty increase among your brand’s community!

Run A “Thank You” Sale

Most consumers are accustomed to receiving impersonal sales messages from companies. During a time when many people are on a budget, being “salesy” can backfire. Think outside the box: instead of simply running sales and encouraging people to spend needlessly, offer a special discount for your loyal customers. Frame it as a thank you gift rather than an opportunity to make money off them. (This is especially important when many consumers are strapped for cash.)

Thank Your Customers For Their Support

Generic “thank you” messages are virtually meaningless to customers, but an unexpected expression of gratitude can turn the tide on customer engagement. Think outside the box: how can you help your customers feel not only appreciated but also grateful for you?

Anything from clever illustrations to personalized thank you videos can be used to show that unlike your competitors, you truly appreciate your customers.

Let Everyone Share In The Gratitude

Gratitude gets even better when you share it with others. Invite your customers and team to share in your company’s success, and make them feel like a welcome part of your brand’s community.

Are you celebrating a major milestone? Send an email blast that thanks your customers and employees for helping you achieve it. Excited about the New Year? Include gratitude messaging in your social posts to help build a community around your brand. Did someone’s purchase benefit a struggling family or a good cause? Send them a thank you note with a photo of whom they helped!

Run A Referral Program

Referral programs aren’t just a nifty marketing tactic. They’re an ideal way to thank your customers for their loyalty, then reward them for referring others to your business. Base your referral messaging around the idea of gratitude. You can design a referral program in several different ways, but make sure that it incentivizes giving and makes people feel special for participating.

Make Gratitude A Daily Ritual

Countless studies have shown that practicing gratitude boosts your productivity, so why not make it part of your regular routine? As a manager or business owner, it’s easy to let endless to dos and the nitty gritty details overwhelm your thoughts. When all that noise occupies your brand, you can lose sight of the big picture.

For greater productivity, leadership, and overall planning, take time every day to be grateful. Make a short list of what you appreciate in your life and business. Write or say affirmations of your goals and values. This simple practice results in a powerful mindset shift that will make you a better leader.

Wrapping Up

Gratitude is more than the occasional thank you. It’s a way of life. Incorporate it into your business practices, from marketing to team management to personal reflection, and you’ll cultivate a stronger company culture and brand community. With those in place, your business can grow to new levels.

Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell, post! Social media marketing, and all types of marketing, are essential the whole year long. However, they’re especially important during the holiday season.

The onset of the holiday season means that it’s finally the time of year where we get to fully embrace family, love, and traditions. But exactly how do you combine them all to make sure you’re putting your best marketing forward?

We’ve come up with seven tasks you can complete to make sure your marketing efforts are top-notch this holiday season.

Host Holiday Events

Celebrating the spirit of the season is a fantastic way to involve your customers and show that you care for your community. If you have a physical location for your business, then hosting holiday events is a perfect way to step up your marketing during the season.

These events, which can be anything from special sales to charity toy or food drives, show your community that you are invested in its improvement. Attending events at your business also gives your potential customers the opportunity to check out your holiday sales.

Create A Holiday Hashtag

Brainstorm a creative holiday hashtag for your company. Then when customers attend one of your holiday events or make a purchase at your store, encourage them to take a picture, share the post, and include your holiday hashtag.

This is a fun opportunity for customers to feel more involved and a great way to connect your marketing efforts together across different users and platforms. Make sure that you encourage your customers to use the same holiday hashtag (spelled correctly!) across all their different social media platforms.

Swag Out Your Website For The Holidays

Your website should always remain true to your company’s principles, but that doesn’t mean that your site can’t also embrace the holiday spirit. Many major companies, including Google and Twitter, change their logos for the holidays so that users are greeted with a reminder that there are humans behind the screen. Show your customers your spirit by updating your logo and homepage to reflect the holidays.

When it comes to logo design, consider using bright colors, snowflakes, presents, snowmen, Santa Claus, and other traditional holiday images. However, make sure that the final version of your holiday logo doesn’t deviate too far from the spirit of your original, standard logo and your company’s principles. You want to show your customers that your business is celebrating just like they are, while remaining true to your identity.

Alter Your Newsletter For The Holidays

Once you have an updated holiday-specific logo for your website, it’s time to put it to good use everywhere else. On your email newsletter template, swap out your standard logo for the holiday version. You should also take the time to create a header and graphic that reflects your holiday theme.

Your newsletter is a great place to promote your company’s holiday events and to mention the company holiday hashtag. That way, customers will see that you’re invested in the community and in making a difference during the holiday season. Your email newsletter is a key communication tool.

Transform Your Social Media Presence

‘Tis the season to change that profile pic! Take the time to update your social media accounts with the holiday version of your logo. You should also update your Facebook Cover Photo and Twitter Header with a holiday themed graphic.

When you post to your business social media pages during the holidays, stick to one theme, which should visually tie to your holiday logo. You will have plenty of things to post about if you host holiday events that engage your community. Use all of your platforms to promote your holiday events and sales.

Highlight Holiday Testimonials

If possible, ask your customers for a quick testimonial about why they chose to shop at your business for their loved one’s gift. To make the post, pair the text of the testimonial with a holiday image that fits with your theme.

However, there’s not always time to get testimonials from a customer during the busy holidays. If this is the case for your business, you can still use previous testimonials from customers and pair them with holiday images. The ultimate goal is to make sure that your potential customers know that they can trust your business!

Create A Holiday Gift Guide

A holiday gift guide is a fun, creative way to engage your target market and show off your best products. You can photograph your favorite products surrounded by pine cones, tinsel, bows, or evergreen. You can photoshop in traditional holiday images that are connected to your new holiday logo.

How you go about creating the gift guide is up to you! Whichever direction you decide to take, don’t forget to post your guide to your company website, all your social media pages. Make sure you send out a special edition of your newsletter that highlights just the gift guide!

In Conclusion

The holiday season is an important part of the sales cycle and requires special attention. While you’re already putting in extra hours keeping your business running smoothly and your customers happy (with their loved ones’ gifts in hand!), don’t forget about your marketing. Make sure you choose a holiday theme for all your digital marketing efforts. Keep the spirit of the holidays in your business and in your heart!

The Covid-19 pandemic has shifted the business paradigm like nothing before. Stores across the country and the world have had to close shop and rely on their digital presence to see them through these difficult times.

However, it’s great to know that there are several large companies which are doing all they can to help small businesses stay afloat and perform the crucial tasks they need to ease their administrative burdens. Here are a few services your company can use during the pandemic to help your employees in a variety of ways. (images are also links to the sites)

DocuSign

Everything in this time is done digitally, so it makes sense to have software which allows you to sign documents electronically. This is where DocuSign comes in, and new customers who sign up for the software are currently getting three free months, including one hundred “envelope sends.”

In other words, companies who sign up for soon can send multiple documents to be signed in the same envelope, which is always a nice feature to have. The software is a godsend for law firms and other companies who need to acquire legal signatures from remote locations.

Microsoft

Easy and efficient communications have become one of the most important cornerstones of the new business realm. Luckily, Microsoft has developed Microsoft Teams to become one of the most effective and widely used platforms for connecting teams from home.

When customers commit to an annual plan for Microsoft Teams, they also receive a free six months of Microsoft 365 Business Basic, which is a great way to connect your many communication channels. Better yet, the licensing fee for the products is extremely affordable and includes online versions of popular Microsoft applications such as Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.

GoDaddy

GoDaddy has been one of the premiere businesses for acquiring a domain name, but they’ve recently started to help small businesses during the pandemic. Most prominently, GoDaddy is helping small businesses improve their marketing and advertising efforts due to shrinking budgets and other constrictions brought about by the virus.

Companies which sign up with GoDaddy’s service actually receive a free website, on top of use of GoDaddy’s e-mail marketing resources, which include Google Busines and Facebook. For those companies who already own a site, GoDaddy is also offering great tools for social media marketing.

PayChex

Administrative burdens are always a headache in the best of times, and the pandemic has made them overwhelming obstacles to daily activities for many businesses. Working remotely is extremely different for administrators who need to be up-to-date and cognizant of every detail and problem within a payroll system. There’s good news for companies who are struggling to keep up with their administrative duties, however; Paychex is currently offering three months free for their payroll services.

In addition to the help Paychex is providing through their streamlining of payroll services, they’re also providing State Unemployment Insurances services for three months when customers sign up to their software. As an extra help to small businesses, Paychex is also helping businesses retain and pay their employees until the economy recovers from the shock of the pandemic.

Freshworks

Despite its name, Freshworks actually provides software which eases communication efforts and helps teams everywhere stay connected while working remotely. Business with less than fifty businesses can currently purchases their customer engagement tools for free; these tools include their popular Freshchat and Freshcaller services.

Freshchat is a platform which makes chatting and messaging easier within organizations and Freshcaller is designed to move your call center to the cloud, creating a hotline which can be answered at any time by members of your team working remotely. These services substantially ease the pressures of communicating within your team and with valued customers.

Hootsuite

Social media is more important than ever as customers are accessing companies and their services through digital means. Social media allows companies to engage and interact with customers but the breadth and complexity of social media sites can sometimes be difficult to manage. That’s where Hootsuite comes in.

Hootsuite allows businesses to manage their social media platforms and make posting to Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram easier and coordinated more consistently. It presents your social media sites and presence in one easy-to-read dashboard and makes the creation of an overarching strategy simple and easy.

1Password

Password protection and security is a crucial but undervalued component for many small business owners. Good quality protection for passwords is a great way to ensure security and stability for your site and offer great peace of mind for years to come.

1Password is a great tool to use to generate and manage passwords so your company keeps hackers off balance and unable to access your site through a direct attack. In addition, 1Password is helping small businesses by providing their services for free for the first six months.

Flocksy

On top of all of these great companies, you can always trust Flocksy to handle and execute your media needs with ease and professionalism. Flocksy is a trusted platform which handles the needs of many companies from a media perspective.

Their team of trusted copywriters can create original content, edit your already created content, shoot video, write scripts, and perform many more tasks in all areas of creation and brand management. If you need a partner to help you with your media needs, there’s no better ally than Flocksy.

The pandemic has altered the way men and women all over the country do business. On top of bringing seismic shifts to work and home life, the virus has taken a toll on many peoples’ psyche because of the isolation and loneliness it’s caused over the last seven months. This general malaise often extends into the workplace too, and it’s imperative that you help your employees cope with their stress and sadness in a timely, sensitive manner.

BetterUp has recently released a study which found that lonely workers are less satisfied with their jobs, receive fewer promotions, and, most importantly to your business, switch jobs at a far higher rate than those whose mental health are more stable. These lonely employees are also far more likely to switch jobs within the next six months, which means turnover in your company and the training of new staff and the costs of recruiting.

Epidemic Status

The issue of loneliness isn’t something new just due to the pandemic, even if the virus has expanded the complexity and scope of the problem. Workplace loneliness and fatigue problems have both been of increasing severity in the last decade, as many individuals are feeling disconnected from life in general; the problems have gotten so bad that some experts have started describing them as an epidemic. The virus has worsened these feelings, however, as many are home alone for extended periods of time. In such isolation, mental health quickly begins to degrade, and many are undergoing a sort of extreme form of “cabin fever.”

Humans need interaction and connectivity throughout the day, two essential components of life COVID-19 has invariably removed for most. Employees who are single and childless are at the greatest risk of mental health decline, as are those who are well educated and possess graduate degrees. To improve the lives of your workers and save money and time in the process, you should be tuned in to the mental health of your workers. Here are four steps you can take to mitigate their loneliness and isolation in these uncertain times.

Create Meaning In Daily Life

Undoubtedly the greatest step employers can take is to create a shared sense of meaning for their employees. Many today don’t feel as if their work has purpose or meaning and are struggling to stay enthusiastic and connected to what they do on a daily basis. Managers and other supervisors can counteract these feelings by taking time to speak to employees and connecting them to the work they’re doing.

Employee/manager communications are essential to help boost morale and demonstrate the worth of the work your workers have performing every day. It’s best to foster a shared sense of purpose for all of your employees, try to bring them together and know as a unit that what they’re doing is worthwhile and appreciated. Make an effort to single out many individual employees when they perform well and help unify them around a common goal, such as a project they’re working on. Recognition is a huge part of creating shared meaning and boosting morale for the entire office.

Check In Often

The virus has forced many workplaces to use Zoom and other video communications to connect for work purposes, but your employees want a deeper, more personal connection after work is done for the day. Your managers should take time out of their days to connect with employees on a more personal level, unrelated to work or Zoom. Regular phone calls are still good for connecting with people one on one, there’s no need for a video chat when calling in to ask about an employee’s day or home life.

The call should be totally unrelated to work; just two human beings having a chat about how the employee is doing and if there’s anything the manager can do to ease negative feelings at work. Whoever makes the call should open themselves up to vulnerabilities, just as you want your employee to do. Managers and supervisors have a story to tell during this pandemic too, and they should be free to do so to ease the minds of the worker.

Open Paths To Team Connections

Although difficult, it’s a smart idea to remake the kinds of connections and camaraderie that would be present in the office. Try and allow your employees to connect in the same organic way they would if they were all in the office during a regular year, chatting and making small talk to generally relieve their minds from the stress of work and life. This can be a difficult process, but there are a few steps you can take to create this sort of healthy work environment.

There are channels you can make on applications like Slack that allow your employees to share their feelings and interact with each other in a non-work context. You can also set up “social hangouts,” which are virtual meetings for your employees to join and chat with one another outside of work. Any method which allows them to meet and connect without having to worry about talking about their work is a great start to decrease loneliness and isolation.

Provide Mental Health Help

Your company’s health package should provide some form of mental health aid. It may be costly, but it’s well worth the peace of mind and psychological easing it will provide your employees. People all over the country are dealing with stress levels not seen in a long time and providing them with a mental health option will help them relieve this stress and tension.

Not only is this a generally ethical option to provide, your employees will also work more efficiently and effectively if they’re not mired in stress and fatigue throughout the day. Even if your employees are working from home, you should provide access to remote counseling or another form of mental health help. Do everything you can to ensure your employees are receiving the attention and care they need during these tumultuous times.

Whether it’s financial stress, your relationships, a big work deadline, or just the world we live in, stress is all around us. It finds its way into almost every aspect of our lives, leading many of us to begin to fall in a mental hole: becoming overwhelmed.

While we use one word to describe the feeling, being “overwhelmed” actually includes symptoms of depression, tension headaches, anger, anxiety, panic, even isolation. All together, this cluster of feelings and symptoms can lead to a poor diet, less exercise, and an overall decline in our health and wellness.

Instead of getting trapped in the same cycle you do every time you get overwhelmed, try some of these techniques the next time you start to feel like it’s all too much.

Focus On Boundaries

A commonly known phrase says that fences make for better neighbors. The same is true when we put fences up psychologically in our lives. For example, creating a boundary about what work you will and won’t bring home, or what favors you are and are not willing to do for certain people in your life.

Take some time to identify what things are contributing to your feelings of being overwhelmed and decide what boundaries you need to set up to create more harmony within yourself.

Don’t Be Afraid To Vent

You know that feeling when you just need to unleash all your stress and frustration, so you go to a trusted friend or partner and suddenly it all comes out? That’s the perfect example of venting. We all need to vent sometimes.

Even if you don’t have someone you can talk to, you can still vent to yourself. Get a journal or notebook and spend a few minutes every day venting about the things making you feel overwhelmed. Chances are, you will feel loads better after.

Let Some Things Go

As much as we would like to be able to say yes to everything and do everything, it’s just not feasible. If you find you are constantly overbooked and overwhelmed because of it, consider letting some of the things on your to do list go. You don’t necessarily have to give up on everything.

Consider using the 4D’s method: Delete; Delegate; Defer; and Do. You can simply cancel certain tasks or obligations. Others you might be able to delegate to another person. If you can put off something, go ahead and do that! What you’re left with are your “Do’s,” the things that you actually need to worry about.

Remove Yourself

Just like we do with our children, sometimes we need to put ourselves in a time out. Even a few minutes removed from a situation that is making you feel overwhelmed can help you to gain some perspective and come back to it with a fresh mind.

Be careful of falling into the trap of procrastinating too long or using this as an excuse to avoid your responsibilities. Simply set a timer and let yourself mentally and physically remove yourself from the overwhelming task.

Focus On One Thing At A Time

We all think we are great at multitasking, but science says otherwise. You will never be as productive on something when your attention is split. Instead, let yourself work on a single task for a determined amount of time. Once that amount of time is over, you can switch to the next thing and come back to the first task.

Be Okay With Imperfection

The quest for perfect could be your top reason for feeling overwhelmed. Take the example of drawing a perfect circle. You might go into the task of drawing a perfect circle feeling confident.

You’ve drawn plenty of circles in your lifetime! But once you draw the circle, you notice a flaw. Not a problem, you try again. Then you see another flaw. Soon your whole sheet of paper is filled with nearly-perfect circles and you have to get a new piece of paper and start over entirely!

The same cycle is repeated when you approach your work and life tasks with the same sense of perfectionism. At some point, you have to let yourself be a little imperfect. A nearly-perfect completed task is better than an incomplete task.

Get Out Of Your Own Way

Going along with letting yourself be a little imperfect, you have to learn how to get out of your own way. We all have a tendency to overthink things, especially when they have to do with our professional lives.

The problem with overthinking is that it can stunt you, even damn you, in once place. You could stay in that same spot for years because you are simply overthinking.

The root of this is fear: fear that you won’t be good enough, that you can’t do something, that it won’t be perfect. Instead of letting yourself wallow in that fear, overcome it by acting! Just make one little step toward your goal or the completion of your task and you will find it’s likely not as scary as you thought.

Take Aways

Whatever the reason for your feeling of being overwhelmed, there are ways to overcome it. Instead of letting fear and perfectionism weigh you down, take one step toward the finish line. Let yourself focus on one thing at a time, and if you need to vent then do it! Take a time out and allow yourself to reset. And never be afraid of eliminating some of the causes of your overwhelmed feeling.

In our technology-driven marketplace, consumers are constantly evolving. We are inundated with new products and platforms, and the constant change that comes with it. Because the needs and attention of consumers are always shifting with these changes, businesses must adapt through their own innovations.

When we think about how innovation happens, we may find a few ingredients to help a business that wants to adjust their strategy. There is no set formula for effecting necessary changes, but leading experts tell us that one of the most important parts involved in changing business tactics is also one of the things initiating these movements in the marketplace: technology.

Technology’s role in marketplace changes

To explore how technology spurs these marketplace changes that are requiring businesses to innovate, we can look at the example of print media.

For generations, print media – for example, newspapers and magazines – were the source of our news. These were our main way of staying informed. For local communities, it was how changes within a community were progressing. And then came the internet.

We all saw as print media began to suffer. The new-kid-on-the-block was stealing the focus and the physical products were becoming obsolete. In the last two decades, many people have transitioned from getting the daily newspaper or having a magazine subscription to simply catching the stories they want to read online. They look to social media platforms and digital print.

So, print media adapted. They used technology to adjust their model and innovated their product to become enticing to the consumer. Now, major publications have online subscriptions; they still use ads to bring in revenue, though these are now online; and they use social media to increase their readership.

How technology fits with innovation

As we see with the example of print media, the same technology that could be the reason to consider a change could also be the way you make that change.

In fact, innovation in business could be boiled down to meaning a new way to drive efficiency. One of the hallmarks of technology is its ability to help us become more efficient.

Anyone who has worked in the marketplace has the memory of a time before computer systems were so widely used, when paper was king and stacks and stacks of files were everywhere, even requiring their own room in the workplace.

As technology advances, it finds ways to make our businesses more efficient. A survey by PwC showed that “70% of CEOs invest in IT to reduce costs and become more efficient, and 54% allocate funds to emerging technologies to help drive growth.”

Why is technology so important for innovation?

Technology is improving business in many ways. One that we can’t ignore is how much it improves the human element. More and more technology is being developed to identify and resolve human errors. It also allows us to test out products, our marketing campaigns, our message in a low-cost and at speeds that were once considered a fairytale.

Technology is also helping to create new markets. An example is AI technology. It is becoming a more readily available and widely used tool in business thanks to its increasing efficiency and effectiveness.

According to a Harvard Business Review survey, “25% of the 250 business executives in their survey think AI will help them pursue new markets.” With this we see that technology is helping to forge a path for businesses to explore new avenues.

Finally, technology is innovating the way we reach customers. Social media platforms in the last decade have allowed for lower advertising costs and the concept of “going viral” is the goal of many new companies.

On the opposite side of the coin, customers are using the new advancements in technology to find small businesses they may not have had access to before. Ultimately, technology is innovating our business’s relationship with the consumer.

Take-aways

Technology is here to stay, but not here to stay the same. It will constantly evolve and we can and should evolve with it. It will help us become even more efficient through new methods of reaching customers and new ways for customers to find us.

In the recipe for business success, technological innovation is key