Tag Archive for entrepreneurship

Hiring for Your Home Business

Business

A home business may provide you perks and benefits such as less commute time, more work time and flexibility, home cost deductions on taxes, and so on. While you can solely manage your own business, it’s still appropriate that you hire a team that can help you get your business off the ground. It may sound cliched, but a great company is made up of great people.

So, how do entrepreneurs like yourself find the right people to assist you with business plans, projects and ideas?

Every business and situation is different, but there are three things you must consider to bringing aboard the best possible team you can have:

Getting business right

People who practice get it right most of the time. And this also applies in business. Searching for an employee that’s dedicated in working hard doesn’t mean that they will come early, work overtime or on weekends just to impress you.  Focus on hiring someone that’s committed on getting business fundamentals right, someone who will help you build your home business from the ground up no matter how tedious the task.

Fitting the culture

In employing new hires, you must seek individuals that will adapt to your culture, These individuals must be passionate about helping you build a loyal client base. Hire someone who’s already accustomed to what your business is into, not someone who is just adapting. New hires must fit into the homebased culture, whether they’re working in your home office, or you’re outsourcing virtually.

Learning from experience

You must also pay attention to the ability of your potential hires to learn from previous work experience. When hiring, it’s imperative to find someone who have actually learned something from their last job position than someone who has an exhaustive resume. When conducting job interviews, you can learn who has the most potential in helping you with your business.

If you need to browse through resumes, a recruiting system can help you. Such a system provide pre-screening questions and capability ratings of candidates. Focus on the exact requirements you are looking for in a candidate to save yourself huge amounts of time.

You can also try networking. Unfortunately, many are not fit for homebased positions. When you’re flooded with resumes for each position you advertise, it’s best if you rely on candidates that are referred to you by friends who are also business owners. Connect with your network, search through social media outlets such as LinkedIn, and you’ll get to encounter the fantastic  players who are seeking for their next job opportunity.

So, get hiring

Searching for the best candidates may take awhile, but the time is worth your investment. Build a team that wants to grow with the company, and ensure that they will fit your company culture and eager to learn new tasks in various fields. Bad hires can cost you thousands of dollars and that’s not really the way you want to spend your money in a competitive market.

If your home business is all set up and you need a team to assist you, now is the time to get hiring. There are exceptional hires out there; you just need to identify your job requirements and do some detective work (preferably online or through your network) to seek out the people who will make your business succeed.

 

Top 5 Marketing Essentials For Your Business

Business-MarketingStumped on how to market your home business? Check out these top 5 marketing essentials that can help you get your brand out there in the market.

Identifying your brand

What is your brand? What products or services are you offering? Who will be your potential customers? Addressing these questions will enable you to quickly classify your business and help you develop your brand.

Identifying your brand informs your business clients about who you are. Your marketing efforts should revolve around building and promoting your story you want to tell about your business. Will you be known for your high-quality products or excellent customer service? Who would be your target audience? Single moms? Young professionals? Small business owners?

In identifying your brand, make sure you take note about what makes you stand out from the competition.

Honing your pitch

When you have identified your brand, you must be ready for all the unofficial occasions when you’ll have the opportunity to present and promote your business. A good, but brief business pitch is necessary, which can open doors for you and enable potential clients to remember you as a sharp, professional and capable business owner.

During this brief pitch, a summary of your business must be delivered on spot and direct to the point. The summary must describe why you are unique and what are your immediate goals.  Tailor your pitch around your target audience and bear in mind the concerns and thoughts of your listener. Once the conversation has ended, ensure that your audience has the right contact information about you or your business.

Using marketing tools

Sure, you’ve identified your brand and created a good, concise pitch. But you still need to promote your business through a range of marketing tools that can reinforce your business identity and provide your target customers something that’s tangible to remember you by.

Check out these tools that can assist you in your business promotional efforts:

Business cards

Business cards are essential marketing tools that can help get the word out about your business. Get creative with your business cards that detail your name, business name, business address, website, email address, business logo, social media profiles and other pertinent information where customers can get in touch with you. Your business cards should be simple, yet appealing enough to make a lasting impression.

Business logo

A professional logo represents your brand identity and style. Your logo will be seen everywhere, in your business cards, your office, and in your website and social media profiles.

Website

Having an official company website is key to informing your customers that you are a valid business. Customers who are looking to purchase something are more apt to check online to see prices and availability. Plus, having a website that has a search engine optimized content is better in ensuring about the online visibility of your business.

Other marketing materials such as posters, flyers, postcards

Who says posters and flyers are outdated? In business, you need all the help you can get. Promotional posters provides the exposure your business needs. These marketing handouts raise awareness about your brand, communicate your goals, and tell your story.

Having a social media presence

Most businesses are already engaged on social media. Social media sites act as platforms for business owners that enable them to have a direct interaction with their customers. It’s a different kind of word-of-mouth marketing that’s easy, profitable and allows for reaching out to people outside of your network. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest are some of the social media sites you can use to market your business.

Getting mentorship

Starting and developing a business still pose challenges even for the most experienced business owner. There are still business obstacles you will experience no matter how prepared or knowledgeable you are in business. Getting trusted mentors is key to helping you go through the daily flow of business.

Whether it’s through your own network or SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives), you can obtain free or low-cost counsel about your business activities and continuing goals. Mentors may provide fresh perspectives by sharing about their own experiences and help minimize your risk of putting your time, money and efforts into something that’s unfit for your business.