Working in business is a promising career path because there are a lot of different directions you can go. The opportunities are endless if you continue to work hard and are dedicated to improving your skills over time. Be glad to know there are a few actions in particular that you can take if you want to quickly advance your business career. This way you can get on the right path to becoming a successful and productive employee with the potential to grow and learn over the years. It’s going to take time to get ahead because of all the competition, so be patient with yourself as you develop into the leader you know you can be. Further Your Education A good first step in the process of advancing your business career is to focus on furthering your education. For example, take advantage of your down time by studying for a Suffolk University Online MBA and earning your advanced degree. In this program, you’ll learn the skills and abilities you’ll need to solve complex problems at a global level and how to better analyze data. It’s a great way to polish up your resume and make sure you’re keeping up to speed with the ever changing landscape of the business world. Find A Mentor You may also find it useful to secure a mentor to help you advance your business career. You can bounce ideas off of this person about your performance and ask questions that will help you become a more desirable employee. Pinpoint someone who’s been in your shoes before and has been able to work their way up the corporate ladder. This way you can follow in their footsteps and also hopefully avoid any same mishaps or mistakes they made along the way. Set Goals & Track Your Progress You’ll get a lot further in your business career when you set goals for yourself and what it is you want to achieve in your profession. Not only write down your objectives, but then construct a timeline for how quickly you want to meet each goal. Monitor your progress as you go and don’t be afraid to make adjustments based on your results. For example, aim to go after a promotion at work or complete an online class in an area where you find you struggle the most. Having goals in place will help you to move forward in a promising direction instead of getting stuck in one place and lacking the motivation to advance in your career. Speak to Your Boss In addition, be open and honest with your boss about how you feel about your job and career. Let them know if you’re bored and how you feel they can help better support you and succeed. Discuss chances for you to showcase your skills and abilities in your performance reviews by setting goals together that you want to meet in the upcoming year. Talk about what they feel your strengths and weaknesses are so that you can apply this information while going after the next big promotion opportunity. Always be Networking It’s also in your best interests to always be networking and meeting new people inside and outside of work. Be proactive and use your network for support whenever you’re feeling lost or confused about how you should proceed. It’s possible someone you meet will have good career advice for you or know of a job opening that will be a better fit. Advance your business’ career by staying in touch with those you meet and helping each other out as you each work on getting ahead professionally. Take on More Responsibility at Work...

It’s well known in the retail industry that happy customers turn into repeat customers, which leads to a more sustainable and prosperous business. However, what’s less well known is that many customers would actually be willing to pay a higher price if they received superior customer service at a store. This turns customer service from preventing complaints and minimizing loss to actually maximizing profits. By re-examining your customer service strategy and improving the experience your customers receive in your store, you can take your business to the next level. Here are 4 ways to keep your retail store customers happy and coming back time and time again. Stop upselling, start educating There is a misconception that customers do not want stores to upsell to them and would rather be left to browse on their own. However, the situation is not so simple. A surprising number of customers are actually frustrated with stores that do not offer advice or support, especially those which are selling technology or appliances. There is so much choice on the market that customers regularly feel overwhelmed and confused, so take the opportunity to impart knowledge and genuine advice when it arises. You should not be attempting to sell the customer items that they don’t want or need, but by educating and advising, you can naturally maximize sales when appropriate. For example, by highlighting one product’s advantages over another or recommending other items that may be more suitable, you can help the customer without being too ‘salesy.’ Personalize the customer experience Consumers expect personalized service from the adverts they see and communications they receive to the service and products they buy. Take the time to find out as much as you can about your customers before making recommendations to them. Offer a selection of products that might be suitable rather than trying to push a particular solution. Customers should feel supported and guided, not pressurized or manipulated. Train your staff to go the extra mile to ensure customers get the very best advice for their unique requirements. Gather and analyze customer feedback You may not know where to begin in order to improve your customers’ service, but your customers can provide you with this essential information. You could provide them with a retail customer survey either within the store itself or online. Some brands will invite reviews and feedback via receipts or follow up emails. You may also choose to offer entry into a prize draw or discount offers to incentivize participation. By allowing your customers the opportunity to voice their opinions, you show them that they are valued and can gather the data you need to make significant improvements to your service for the future. A smile goes a long way Being served by staff with a pleasant and friendly demeanor should not be a novelty, it should be a basic standard of customer service, but unfortunately, too many retail stores underestimate its value. When your staff are positive in their attitude, open in body language and attentive to the needs of customers, they are far more approachable. This increases the likelihood that they will establish a rapport and the customer will feel able to ask questions. Rude or disinterested staff are a big turn off for customers and they will not hesitate to take their business to one of your competitors. Invest in your staff training and morale through regular one-to-one meetings, requesting and listening to their feedback. You may also want to run bonus or reward schemes which recognize exceptional customer...

Recruiting is an important process for any business. The way that you seek out and bring new talent on board can play a pivotal role in determining your success. Below are some simple tips for streamlining and standardizing your recruiting process so you get the right applicant every time. Establish a Consistent Process Having a consistent process that you and any other recruiters within your business are able to follow will ensure that you get consistent results as well. Whatever your particular criteria for hiring workers, it is important that they represent a set of tests that you can apply equally to all applicants. A consistent process will ensure that everyone involved is on the same page regarding what differentiates a good applicant from a bad one as far as your business is concerned. The clearer and easier to follow these criteria are, the easier it will be to consistently hire applicants who fit the bill. Define Your Key Indicators Exactly what it is that you are looking for in new recruits will depend entirely upon the type of business you run and the industry that you are operating, as well as the specifics of the job that you are hiring for. However, regardless of all of these factors, you should know what your key indicators are for every position that you interview for. Your key indicators are the things that will mark out the worthwhile candidates for you instantly. This may be particular aspects of their personality, or it may be a specific set of qualifications that all of your recruits need to have. It is vital that everyone is clear about what these are once you start the interview process. Look Beyond the Resume Your applicants’ resumes will be useful for getting some idea of what they’re like, but they will not tell you the whole story. The best resumes will come with some kind of personal statement, not just a list of qualifications and degrees. Look out for resumes that give you some information about who the people you are hiring actually are. You don’t necessarily have to only hire people that you get along with, but it is a good idea to make sure that everyone you hire is going to be a good fit for your business. Try and use applicants resumes as a way of formulating questions to ask them in order to dig beneath the surface and find out more. Consult with Other Employees Consulting with other managers and team leaders within your business will help you to identify any job requirements that are not immediately obvious to you. For example, if you are handling recruitment for an electronic business, you might know that you are looking to hire applicants who are proficient in PCB design, but you might not know that they specifically need to be able to use the PCB importer function in Altium. Talking to the members of your business who new applicants will be working closely with will enable you to identify any extra requirements beforehand. Once you have worked out a consistent recruitment plan, you should have no trouble hiring the best applicants for the job every single time. Recruitment isn’t rocket science, but it is easy to get wrong if you aren’t paying...

How to File a Patent for Your Invention Inventors are highly prized in any market, since their work is often the focal point that other infrastructure, marketing, and production coalesce around. But as an inventor, whether in a startup or independently, it is important to make the most of any invention you create. This means protecting your original work legally. In this article, we look at one of the primary tools at the disposal of any inventor: the patent, and how to file one.     Why File a Patent? Patents provide a level of economic security and market edge for their holders. They are specifically designed to incentivize invention and innovation, offering an avenue to significant potential profits for an invention that is patented quickly and correctly. Patents fall under the category of intellectual property (IP) law, and are one of four kinds of IP protection, the others being copyrights, trade secrets, and trademarks. Copyrights cover original creative work, trade secrets involve confidential information that benefits a company competitively, and trademarks protect branding and brand identity. However, patents may be the most powerful intellectual property tool. Holding a patent grants a twenty-year monopoly (in the United States) for the development, production, and sale of the invention in question. This means that no other companies can compete via imitation for this time period, allowing the best possible version of the invention to be produced and sold, gaining more profits by being a unique entity in the market. Filing a patent can make the difference between being swallowed by competitors who have the infrastructure to take your idea and produce it more cheaply or more quickly, and having the time and resources to perfect your invention and get rewarded for its genesis. Sure, the patent filing process is time consuming and costs money, but the potential benefits are immense. Is Your Invention Eligible? The United States Patent & Trademark Office, or USPTO, outlines what is and is not eligible for patenting according to the patent statute codified in federal law. Eligible areas include a process, machine, “article of manufacture” (manufactured product), composition of matter, or “improvement of any of the above,” as well as specific designations for unique plant patents and design patents that govern the nonfunctional design and aesthetic components of a product. So, if your invention happens to be a machine or a composition of matter, is it automatically eligible for a patent? In short, no. There are additional requirements that must be met for patent eligibility. These boil down to usefulness, novelty, and non-obviousness. To have any chance of being granted a patent, the invention in question must be useful. Usefulness here can be very broad and does not only encompass crucial or definitive needs and benefits. Things like entertainment and enjoyment can also qualify as uses. Novelty refers to being sufficiently unique and new in order to deserve a patent. This can often be an issue of contention, with gray areas existing between what constitutes a slight tweak or variation upon an existing idea versus a truly novel improvement. Lastly, being non-obvious may seem quite easy, but this determination usually helps to weed out inventions that are not really inventions but obvious combinations of previously existing factors. Before delving into the patent search and filing process, it may be a good idea to seek out a qualified patent attorney or law firm to determine what the best course of action is, as a professional will better know how your invention might fare.   Picture Courtesy: Taylorip The Patent Search Now that you’ve determined your invention may be patent eligible, it’s time to hone in on the...

4 Questions to Ask When Choosing A Financial Advisor Research indicates that many people are intimidated by money and are, therefore, not so great at managing their personal finances. That’s because most people lack personal finance knowledge, according to sources. As a result, only 40% of Americans would be able to cover a $1,000 unexpected expense, Bankrate reveals. That means they’re only one emergency away from bankruptcy. About the Author: Michael Deane has been working in marketing for almost a decade and has worked with a huge range of clients, which has made him knowledgeable on many different subjects. He has recently rediscovered a passion for writing and hopes to make it a daily habit. You can read more of Michael’s work at Qeedle. Not knowing the basics about money management can cost you a lot (much more than what you would pay for the services of a financial expert). If you are one of those confused individuals, turning to a financial advisor ike My Wealth Solutions seems like a logical choice. Here are some questions to help you choose the right financial advisor for you.  1. How Will You Help Me Reach My Financial Goals? Let’s start with the basics. You would like to start saving for your retirement or you’re interested in becoming an investor but have no clue how to begin. The first thing you should ask your potential financial advisors is, therefore, this: how will you help me achieve that? In order to answer, the potential financial advisor will have to ask you several questions first. Don’t worry, that’s what they do. In order to help you achieve your financial goals, the advisor must know what your goals are, whether you’re looking for long-term or short-term wealth growth, if you are thinking about early, what is your current financial situation, how much you earn, etc. After receiving this information, the advisor will then recommend the best path for you to follow in order to achieve your goals. Keep in mind that the questions above are crucial for you to know whether to hire said financial advisor. They should not simply give you generic advice before hearing the details about your financial situation. 2. What Qualifications/Credentials Do You Have? Don’t forget to ask the financial advisor you’re talking to about their credentials and qualifications. Why should you hire them? Why is this important? Because there are countless financial advisors out there  and unfortunately, not all of them are equally good at what they do. You want someone you can trust with your finances. As you yourself don’t know much about personal finances, it would be easy for someone to misguide you when it comes to money management. Try to find a way to check their credentials and ask about their previous clients. Perhaps there’s someone you know among them so you can check this information. Speaking of that, if you don’t want to risk it, you should ask a friend or family member to recommend a financial advisor that has helped them before. 3. How Much Do You Charge and How Are You Paid? You have the right to know what this service will cost you so make sure that you don’t forget this question. You should know how much they charge and how they are paid too. Are they paid by commission or is there a flat fee? Some financial advisors charge a percentage for the assets that they manage while others charge an hourly fee. Knowing exactly how much the service will cost you will help you determine which financial advisor to hire. If you can’t afford an expensive advisor, perhaps you should consider...