5 Productivity Tips for Savvy Small Business Owners Starting your own business is an exciting journey. You’re the boss! You make the rules…and you are largely responsible for setting your own hours, keeping your own workspace organized, and making sure your company reaches scheduled goals. Keeping your employees on track – not to mention staying productive yourself – can be a difficult task. These helpful tips show you how to make a few small changes which will dramatically increase your business’s overall productivity. Set Work Hours – And Stick to Them! Once you step away from the “normal” 9-to-5 workday, you run into a problem: deciding when to work. With the entire day available to you, it’s surprisingly easy to fall into the trap of “I’ll do it later”. Many small business owners find themselves struggling through the difficult early days of company growth working late into the night, battling endless distractions and adopting unsustainable sleep schedules. Avoid this by setting a schedule and stick to it. Work in 3 to 5-hour chunks with time blocked off for breaks in between. Once the workday is over, log out of your business accounts to avoid the temptation to keep working ‘round the clock. Office administrators often do all the behind the scenes work to help your office run smoothly, even in times like these where everyone is fully remote. To show your appreciation for all the work they do to keep things running smoothly and everyone in good spirits, consider getting them a gift for Administrative Professionals Day on April 22nd. There are plenty of remote gift ideas like sending them new home office tools or signing them up for an online meditation class to help them destress. For more inspiration on how to celebrate your office admin remotely, head over to Wikibuy’s blog post. Learn to Love Mornings You may be surprised to find that the average human is much more productive in the mornings. Our brains are awake, we’ve just gotten plenty of sleep, and distractions are less frequent as our friends and family are generally also working. Even if you’ve never been a “morning person,” you should give it a try! Wake up an hour – or even just a half hour – earlier than usual and spend that time working. You might be surprised to find out just how much you get done before lunchtime. Those formerly miserable morning hours can turn into prime productive, business-growing time! Don’t Be Afraid to Delegate Another productivity-destroying trap many small business owners get caught in is the desire to “do it all”. Wanting to be aware of everything that goes on, they waste time struggling through small, tedious tasks such as entering data, fussing with payroll details, and even keeping track of every employee’s schedules. Delegate some of these tasks to partners and employees within your business. This will give you, as the owner, more time to focus on the big picture: setting goals, securing funding and building relationships with clients and customers. This will benefit the entire business – workers will have clearly defined tasks and goals as well as be given chances to develop their own initiative, leadership and organizational skills. Introduce Productivity Tools Today, a wide variety of productivity tools are available, ranging from websites to smartphone apps to good old-fashioned journals and calendars. Take advantage of these tools to keep yourself and your employees organized and on track at all times! Set up a chat client so you can stay in touch with your team without needing to exchange endless emails. Have employees set up to-do lists on a shared web site or app so that you can...

Common Hiring Mistakes to Avoid and Foster a Great Company Culture Mistakes made during the hiring process can cause several negative implications for a business. This is why you must get it right. After all, a single bad hire could have long-term effects on your business. Wendy Dessler, the author of this blog post  is a super-connector who helps businesses find their audience online through outreach, partnerships, and networking. She frequently writes about the latest advancements in HR, digital marketing, tech and focuses her efforts on developing customized blogger outreach plans. One of the first things you must understand is that recruitment is an investment in your business’s future. Not only do you need to find people who have the skills for the open position, but they also need to fit in with your company’s culture. HR payroll systems lets you find the right hires and avoid some of the most common mistakes. You can also keep reading to learn more about the mistakes that may occur and what you can do to prevent them. Posting Vague Job Descriptions If you post a job description that is too vague, you may mislead your candidates. When you do this, it’s as if you are inviting many people who don’t fit the brief to apply. You can avoid this situation by telling the whole truth in all parts of the job description. Be sure to create a detailed job description, a specific written policy, and the concise benefits you offer. When you are honest with job applications, you will begin to foster an environment of trust. Also, by posting the truth, you can avoid lawsuits for making promises that you can’t keep. Trying to Rush the Hiring Process You may feel pressure – especially from upper management – to fill a vacant position as quickly as possible. While this may be the case, it’s dangerous to make a decision too fast. You should avoid the temptation to do this. In some cases, a quick referral from existing employees could result in a good hire, but it may also limit the perspectives in the office. Remember, if you over-rely on inside referrals, it may result in stagnant growth. Avoid hiring the first person who comes along. Instead, remain patient. Sometimes it can take some time to get the right person for the job. Not Performing a Background Check When you believe you have found a perfect candidate for the open position that you need to fill quickly, you will be tempted to skip the background check. However, this is essential if you want to know how a person is going to perform in this position. Be sure to check references to see what past employers have to say. Also, confirm their education, work history, and certifications. Depending on the role, you may also need to conduct a credit check or a criminal background check. By doing this, it also assures you that your valuable company resources, such as credit relationships and finances are being put in good and safe hands. Neglecting Your Company Culture While it is necessary to find someone with the proper skills and aptitude, their resume doesn’t tell it all. You also need to find someone who is suitable for the company and figure out if they will fit in with your company culture. The best way to determine this is by sharing various parts of your company culture, which will help an applicant make the right decision regarding if they are a good fit. The way an employee interacts with clients, customers, and colleagues will impact how the company is run. If you want to ensure you find...

  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...

Appreciating and rewarding staff’s hard work is the the easiest way to reduce staff turnover and increase morale. Motivate them through these inspirational quotes that are sure to bring a positive change in their mind set.   26 Inspirational Quotes to Motivate Your Employees Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t – you’re right. —Henry Ford My Life and Work: An Autobiography of Henry Ford The sun himself is weak when he first rises, and gathers strength and courage as the day gets on. —Charles Dickens, The Old Curiosity Shop Oliver Twist   If I had nine hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend the first six sharpening my axe. —Abraham Lincoln Team of Rivals   The question isn’t who’s going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me? —Ayn Rand The Fountain Head   When people are financially invested, they want a return. When people are emotionally invested, they want to contribute. – Simon Sinek Find Your Why   Research indicates that workers have three prime needs: Interesting work, recognition for doing a good job, and being let in on things that are going on in the company. – Zig Ziglar Secret of Closing The Sale   You can have all the potential in world, but unless you have confidence, you have nothing. – Tyra Banks Perfect is Boring   Appreciate everything your associates do for the business. Nothing else can quite substitute for a few well-chosen, well-timed, sincere words of praise. They’re absolutely free and worth a fortune. – Sam Walton Made in America   There are only three measurements that tell you nearly everything you need to know about your organization’s overall performance: employee engagement, customer satisfaction, and cash flow. – Jack Welch How to Win in Business and in Life   If you don’t give people a chance to fail, you won’t innovate. If you want to be an innovative company, allow people to make mistakes. – Indra Nooyi Indra Nooyi – A Biography   Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships. – Michael Jordan Motivational Posters   If you think your boss is stupid, remember: you wouldn’t have a job if he was any smarter. – John Gotti Employee Motivation   The best part of going to work is coming back home at the end of the day. Quality is job one. —Henry Ford Ford’s Motivational Quote   If you hire people just because they can do a job, they’ll work for your money. But if you hire people who believe what you believe, they’ll work for you with blood and sweat and tears. — Simon Sinek The HR Quote Book    Motivation is the art of getting people to do what you want them to do because they want to do it. —Dwight D. Eisenhower 55 Inspiring Quotes   “I’m bored” is a useless thing to say. I mean, you live in a great, big, vast world that you’ve seen none percent of. Even the inside of your own mind is endless; it goes on forever, inwardly, do you understand? The fact that you’re alive is amazing, so you don’t get to say “I’m bored.” —Louis C.K Awesome Quotes for Instagram   “Give a man a fish, and you’ll feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he’ll buy a funny hat. Talk to a hungry man about fish, and you’re a consultant.” – Scott Adams Talented Employees Stay Because…   “The best way to appreciate your job is to imagine yourself without one.” – Oscar Wilde 10 Things That will Get You Respect   Minds are like parachutes – they only function when open. – Thomas Dewar Growth Mindset   If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude. – Maya Angelou Promote Yourself in...

Tips to increase your learning efficiency This article is well crafted by Anish Passi, Director at Neostencil, an Ed-Tech startup. Neostencil is an online and unique platform for UPSC Test Preparations where you can access live classrooms from the comfort of your home. NeoStencil offers you expert guidance for Civil Services exams, from doyens in this field, top teachers from popular IAS coaching institutes in Delhi, who have had years of experience in successfully mentoring the candidates to develop a holistic approach to their preparation for the exams. Learning is a continuous process, and one should always be keen to explore and learn more, anytime and anywhere. There is no better investment you can make towards improving yourself than acquiring more knowledge. When you are eager to learn, it will automatically improve your learning efficiency. Many times we have to improve our focus to learn something specific. For example, if an individual is preparing for UPSC examination, then you have to learn or prepare in a structured manner. Your UPSC exam training is time-bound for one. So, no matter what your general approach to learning is, at this particular time, you will need to put in a directed effort to improve your chance of qualifying as an IAS officer. Monitor your routine Now that you are preparing for an exam, your focus and energy must be diverted to achieve more in the given time frame. But, that should not be a cause for worry. You can keep stress at bay if you focus on learning fast and quicker than usual. By that we mean, you should attune your mind to find the value-add at every stage of your preparation. If you start looking for something new or in addition to what you know, you will look for resources, people and interaction with a purpose. You know what you are looking for and this way, you can achieve more than you hoped for. Open your mind You can only learn more if you have an open mind to invite suggestions and guidance. If you think you can do it all on own and don’t need assistance from people around you, then, you are at the risk of enclosing yourself in a closed box. Don’t make learning claustrophobic. It is good to read books, gain insight, but it is equally important to put that knowledge in a practical and constructive framework. It can only happen if you share knowledge and invite feedback, discussions, debates and even healthy arguments. It will make you more confident, and it will help you learn from a fresh perspective as well. Start using online chats, discussion forums, etc. Discover a new learning platform every day. Be self-dependent Since it is you and only you who knows what exactly you need to learn, it is therefore vital for you to be a self-dependent person. Take the initiative to be a part of learning forums like virtual ‘live’ classrooms and do it with the intention of contributing and participating in the discussion. It is essential to be visible in the discussion, reflecting exuberance and confidence. Also, always be inquisitive and interested to find out more, whatever be your source. You can learn by listening to others, and at times, you can learn better by debating on the same topic with others. It is as simple as that. Read and Read more Reading can help you gain a competitive edge. If you have an insight on the topic, then only can you discuss or share your knowledge with others. Reading enables you to understand every subject in detail and takes you in-depth, posing new questions, points and a unique perspective on...