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Is this a good time to set up a new business?

December 16, 2020 /

For many people thinking of setting up their own business now may seem like an unwise time to embark on what can be a risky venture anyway, but it really depends on what your business is as some companies are doing very well in these strange times.

If your business is mainly going to be online which means that it is unnecessary to lease a business premise, then the increase in online purchases in recent times is going to be advantageous to you. The overhead costs of leasing a business premises and employing staff eats away into the most successful businesses profits so not having to do these things could result in a more profitable business.

If you can find a demand for products or services that no other business is fulfilling, then a business in that sector could be successful. As non-essential shops are having to close periodically across the country a number of products are difficult to obtain, an example of this is greetings cards. During the first lockdown many supermarkets sold out of greetings cards as the independent card shops were forced to close. A business that designs and makes bespoke greetings cards would be an example of a potentially successful start-up company that could do well at this time.

Keeping your business hardware secure and up to date

November 16, 2020 /

Technology is great but it can also cause issues if it fails or if it falls into the wrong hands. Many businesses use lots of different types of hardware such as tablets, phones, computers, printers and servers. All of these items need to be looked after and maintained to prolong their life and ensure that data is protected. It may be that you store all your customers details on your in house server. It something happened to this server then you could potentially lose your entire database and if that data got stolen, you may be liable for compensation.

Devices such as tablets may be used by members of the sales team to enable them to go through things with customers on a screen. Without these devices the sales staff may find their job really hard or even impossible. It is important than you ensure all hardware is kept up to date in terms of software updates and that if it stores important data, it is backed up regularly.  You may do this yourself or if you have a lot of devices you may outsource it to a third party IT company.

Creating business cards and signage for your business

October 11, 2020 /

When it comes to marketing, advertising plays an important role. When setting up any business you should try and create a logo as soon as possible. This logo should be used on all advertising and across all platforms such as social media, signage, and stationery a long with printed adverts and of course your website.

Having a uniform logo and colourways across multiple platforms will help to build up brand awareness. Ideally you need to hire a graphic designer to make you a logo or you need to use one of the many websites out there that will create a logo for you for a small fee.

When it comes to print, you need to do your research on which company you will use. You may like to find a local printers who you can liaise with directly and go and look at samples etc if needs be or you may decided to use one of the larger companies online that allows you to upload your finished design or use one of their many templates to create your business cards etc. You may also want to think about uniform or signage. This can often be purchased from the same place and you may be able to save money if ordered all at the same time.

Replacing a laptop with a high-end smartphone-is it good idea?

September 21, 2020 /

As the majority of routine computer tasks can be completed on a smartphone whether it be reading and sending emails to doing online shopping many people are questioning whether to replace their bulky computer with a sophisticated mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet however there are applications that do not translate well from a computer to a mobile device so it is important to consider whether the applications that you use most frequently are amongst these.

As had previously been stated for most ordinary people’s needs a mobile device is fine but if you are a person who uses a computer to write more than an occasional letter perhaps because you work as an author or journalist then a smartphone just will not do. The frustration of trying to type on a small keyboard is one of the main problems as is the ability to organise your work and format it appropriately. In the same way If photography is your hobby and you like to manipulate the images you have captured; a computer makes this process much easier although simple changes to images can be made on modern smartphones.

The decision on whether to go along the route of replacing your laptop with a tablet or smartphone should not be taken lightly as high end smartphones are an expensive purchase but if you need to replace an old computer it is certainly worth considering.

Are you struggling for ideas for your business cards?

August 24, 2020 /

Business cards can be very important as they allow you to quickly pass on your details to a potential client, new client or for handing out at networking groups. You may not realise it but your business card has a massive reflection of you and your business as a whole so it is important to get it right.

A business card should clearly have all your contact details on such as name, office address (if required) phone number, email as a minimum, maybe even your Facebook / Twitter address etc. IT is vital that you double check all the spellings and numbers on your business card before it goes to print.

When designing a business card, you should try and keep in line with any existing branding you already have for example, your logo or colourways. If someone is looking for your card amongst a pile of other ones and cannot recognise your logo, then they may well skip past it. You may decide that you want your design to be a little bit more out there. You may want it to stand out from the crowd, but it is important that it stands out for the right reasons.

If you are struggling for ideas for a business card, but cannot afford to pay a designer to come up with one for you, then take a look on some of the print websites.