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The handmade ethos and how it is revitalising British retail

With more and more products being made by individuals and by small businesses run from home, there has been a huge difference in how the UK is seeing ways to buy products. What was once a standard of quality as a mass-produced product has now changed. The internet has made buying products from small businesses easier, and you can now find pretty much everything you could ever want online. It is no longer necessary to purchase generic, low-quality products from large companies.

In the past, it was easier to buy mass-market, and often the only products you could find were created by factories or by big corporations. However, times have changed. You can now find some truly unique creations and anything that you need. It might not always have been possible to purchase an item that no one else had or that would support a small business, but now you can end up finding exactly what you want, spend less, and help someone with an innovative idea. More and more, the value of a product is the quality of it being handmade rather than machine-made.

This not only changes certain products but also changes how you view food. With more and more individuals and small farms deciding to produce their own foods and choosing to export them to local markets, you can be sure that the food you are getting is free of hormones and preservatives. The same idea of choosing products that are made by hand has been a huge influence in the produce you can now buy at your local market and some grocery stores. With times changing and the availability of what you can find now improved, it’s possible to live a healthier lifestyle because of it. Not only can you limit this to food, but there are also now plenty of different kinds of craft breweries where you can find a large selection of homemade wine, beer and ale.

Traditional skillsets are now taking the place of mass-market, machine-produced items. Many are finding that the traditional way of creating a product creates a higher-quality item than something that could be made by a machine. This is especially true with glass blowing, and Dartington takes that into account when making their hand-blown products, which are available for sale. When you are looking for high-quality champagne glasses, it is desirable to know that they are being made with the same care and skills that have been used for decades. These champagne glasses, crafted using traditional methods, are the sort of items you can be proud to have in your home, and you will want to use them again and again.

Uniqueness is hard to come by, but with the markets changing, you can see how now more than ever it’s easier to find a gift or product that will be loved for years to come, and that you know has been made with loving care and traditional values.

Strategically Fund Your Business Without Losing Momentum – Here’s How

By Marcela

Whether you’re firmly established on the high street, online, or somewhere in between, you have to think about how you’re going to take your business to the next level. It’s not like you’re going to be able to just hope that you’ll always have the capital to move forward. When you find that your business needs capital, you need to find the most strategic option that will not only give you the money but also help you reach the next milestone in your business. If you want to look at things from that perspective, then the road forward is clear: check out EzBob, a leading business lender that specializes in helping businesses with the flexible business loans they need to truly grow well.

Is this option for every single business? Not at all, but there’s a reason for that. You see, capital for capital’s sake isn’t the answer. Infusing a very new business with capital that they can’t use effectively is a drain on the business owners, as well as being a drain on the service. That’s money that could be and should be better allocated elsewhere. In order to qualify for EzBob’s services, your company must be a registered UK business with at least 12 months of verifiable trading history. A valid business debit card is also required, and the applicant needs to be a director, owner, or partner of the company. However, the field is wide open. You’re not judged on the industry you’re in, nor are you excluded automatically for being a sole trader. This means that virtually any business can get what they need to grow well.

The strategy comes in from another angle: timing. You need to ensure that you are looking at getting a loan quickly, so you can put the money to good use. Have you already considered where you would like to apply the funds within your company, pending final loan approval? Knowing where the money will go cuts down on unnecessary business expenses. The nice part about working with EzBob is that you know upfront how much your interest rate will be, as well as how much the payments will be. You also know the term of your loan. Paying back your loan on time is the first step in building as well as maintaining a strong relationship with the lender.

Today’s business environment is anything but guaranteed, and every business owner has to plan things to their advantage. Before you conclude that a business loan is out of your reach, why not talk with a company representative? They are literally in the business of helping other businesses succeed, so it’s highly unlikely that they wouldn’t have answers for you. Be sure that you ask questions until you’re satisfied, and then go back and consider your business plan again. Once you’re ready to move forward, the application process is very straightforward. In fact, did you know that you could have a decision back in minutes regarding your loan? You don’t have to wait forever to know when you can take your business to the next level. Good luck!

Business Insurance Is a Requirement, Not an Option

By Marcela

Have you heard that business insurance within the UK is more or less an option? While this is true in some cases, it can leave your business wide open for liabilities that you haven’t thought about.

Slip and fall accidents alone are on the rise, with many people getting injured on business property. When it comes to defending against such a case, you may be surprised to find how expensive a solicitor will be. Also, it’s best to settle these cases out of court. Brought before a jury, you look insensitive and unwilling to put people above your company. This can leave you open to heavy fines and damages awarded to the plaintiff. Your legal costs can eat into your profits, slowing you down from expanding your business, taking out loans, or just being able to enjoy life. Do you really want to give up your dream home because of legal threats?

Some people will read this and believe that they will never have to worry about a legal threat. They’re covered; at least they believe that they’re covered. So they feel like there’s no need to worry about any type of legal storm around the corner. But you might be surprised at what people are willing to sue you for, and how often they’re willing to sue. The business in the mind of the average person isn’t a small time operation. Most people feel confident about suing a business because they feel the company has the money; they just don’t want to pay it. They’re not seeing the face of a woman that just wants to have extra money for her children, or a man that looks forward to taking his family on an incredible vacation twice a year. They see a chance to make money and further their own goals.

Getting business insurance from Charles Goodman & Co Insurance is key because the insurance’s lawyers will show up and fight for you. That’s why you’re paying the premiums in the first place. They will fight for you and protect your business property at the same time.

That’s right; you get protection for your property as well. Did you know that your business property isn’t covered by your home insurance policy? Even if you store things at your house, business property isn’t covered. So a fire or a flood could leave you without any way to make a living. You want to get business insurance because it protects you in the event of a natural disaster, fire, flood, or even theft. You will get money to keep you covered while you rebuild your business. [Read more…]

The Right Way to use Promotional Products

By Marcela

Promotional products are a key element to any marketing strategy for businesses. It could be the grand opening to a new ownership, a new product, or a friendly gift for customers kind enough to attend whatever function being held. The main point that needs to be embedded in the minds of every person is the fact that your business will always have what they want available at the highest level of quality. How do you show this to customers through promotional products? There are a variety of ways.

What is the purpose of giving away promotional products? Is´t as a thank you for loyal customers or are you trying to drive customers your way? Depending on your business and the reason for the giveaway will depend on the type of promotional product offered, but the quality of the product needs to send customers away feeling like they something of high quality for free. If you are giving away free quality products, just imagine what you would be selling at your store for low prices.

It is a common business practice to give people some cheap toy with their business logo in hopes that people might stop by. The fact is that it very rarely works, and it shows that the business doesn’t value customers because they won’t spend the money to force them to the location of business. Common promotional products that fall into this category are things like pencils, balloons, and baskets. If you want to show customers that you mean business, give them a piece of what your business is about. If you are advertising services related to computers, give them a demo CD that displays everything that there is to know about your business, as well as tips that can help with their own computer experience. If you provide customers with something of quality, they will come back for more.

The design is the most important part of the promotional product because it is what displays what your business means. The design doesn’t have to be overdone as long as it shows a logo and looks pleasing to the eyes. Promotional T-shirts and hats can really let your design talents come to life. If you aren’t good at designing, outsourcing it is fairly cheap and easy. For big businesses, outsourcing it to several designers should be an easy task. Just make sure to have a clear image of what you want the design to look like and try not to overwhelm the customer.

Promotional products are all about showing the customer that you care. Providing the customer a product that can be useful for the long-term will prove that your business provides a variety of quality products that the customer can enjoy even more.

How can you turn yourself into an investment pro?

By Marcela

When it comes to understanding how to become an investment pro, it’s essential to research what successful investors have done and learn how they do things. It’s equally essential to read widely about investment in general to learn the jargon and the ins and outs of making a success.

Successful investors, such as those luminaries of the investment world George Soros and Warren Buffet, never stop learning. They have a voracious appetite for reading and expanding their knowledge, always prepared to be open minded and conscious that things can change quickly in the business.

Those wanting to follow their example should attend seminars as well as read books, magazines and journals on the subject, and on matters such as personal development.

The knowledge world

Today the internet is awash with information on investing, so it’s a good place to start to develop the basics for becoming an investment pro. The trouble is, where to start? There are many good sites to help, but what’s needed is a really accessible source to get all the latest news and information in the financial and investment sectors.

One such expert source is TheStreet, which is packed full of up-to-date information, extremely useful tips for investing, as well as articles looking at the economy in general. One such contributor sharing his wealth of investment knowledge and experience is Todd Bliman, who has worked for many years at the registered investment advisor firm Fisher Investments.

Good investment characteristics

Would-be investors who think investing is a game at which they can always win probably shouldn’t get into the business. Successful investors not only weigh up the risk but also have an exit strategy in case it is needed. That doesn’t mean that they won’t take risks but they know that markets are unpredictable. They will prepare for the best but are also perceptive enough to prepare for the worst rather than be sucked into a scenario where it’s too late to escape. [Read more…]

Must-have modern furniture for your office

By Marcela

There’s certainly no shortage of office furniture items to choose from these days. However, if you’re to create the perfect contemporary workspace, it’s important to be savvy in your selection of these products. This brief guide talks you through some must-have pieces for the modern office.

Stylish yet practical seating

Of course, the seating you choose must conform to all the relevant health and safety rules and be comfortable for your staff members to sit on. For example, it should support users’ lower backs, have suitable upholstery, be sufficiently padded to prevent uncomfortable pressure and enable workers to place their feet squarely on the floor or on a footrest. However, there’s no need to sacrifice style in order to meet these practical requirements. Furniture specialists such as Calibre Office Furniture Limited offer an array of chairs that both look great and function well.

Whether you’re after leather seats that exude classical style or you’d prefer edgier, more contemporary chairs boasting striking colours and shapes, you won’t struggle to find the ideal items.

Desks with a difference

Another mainstay of the office environment is desks. However, the desks of today are a far cry from the dull versions that characterised the workplaces of yesteryear. To showcase your firm’s forward-thinking approach to business, it’s well worth checking out the less conventional desks now on offer. For example, glass versions can give rooms an instant aesthetic lift. These sleek creations come in a variety of sizes, shapes and colours and they can help to bounce light around your office, giving it a more spacious, open feel.

As well as glass, there are a host of other materials to consider and to make a real style statement, it’s worth taking a look at the more unusually shaped versions. Rounded-edged, flowing designs are bang on trend at the moment.

Innovative breakout furniture

Thanks to developments in technology, it’s now possible for many workers to function away from their desks. Using laptops, smartphones and tablets, people can perform their tasks from virtually anywhere. This has led companies to adopt a less rigid approach to office design. By allowing personnel to move around and work from different zones within the office, firms can encourage greater collaboration between colleagues and promote more creative thinking.

One of the easiest ways to achieve a dynamic working environment is to create special breakout zones where people can hold impromptu, informal meetings and discussions. You can populate these areas with your choice of breakout furniture and options include colourful tub chairs and interlinking seats.

These are just some of intriguing items of office furniture now available. If you’re short of inspiration when it comes to completing your workspace, simply browse the web. You should find all the ideas you need online.

Business lessons we can learn from the world of sports

By Marcela

The business and sports worlds are more similar than you might think. Here are some business lessons that can be learned from the world of sports.

Motivation

While professional athletes usually have managers to help keep them on track, they must also possess a high level of personal motivation. This is especially true when a certain level of success is achieved; it is easy to start lacking the motivation that new found success can bring.

Desire to succeed

Sports stars show an incredible desire to succeed. Believing in your dream and pursuing it relentlessly can have profound results. This means setting higher goals each season or business year. This sets a standard of excellence that is worth striving for.

Recognise potential and nurture It

Talented individuals are not always found living up to their potential. Managers both in sports and the business world need to keep a sharp eye out for employees that have great potential. The next step is to encourage them to develop the talents that you need for your company to succeed. This means being patient, providing educational opportunities, and offering constructive criticism. Always acknowledge when an employee excels. Sports managers have long known that encouragement can take a talented individual to the top.

Dealing with tragedy requires tact and compassion

The business and sports worlds can both be risky places. In sports, injuries are often physical, such as the Formula One crash in Japan that injured young driver Jules Bianchi. Max Mosley, the former president of the FIA, the governing body of Formula One, commented after the crash. He managed to express grief and concern without attacking or criticising any of the affected parties (see http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/motorsport/formulaone/11143834/Jules-Bianchi-crash-was-a-freak-accident-says-Max-Mosley.html). Mosley’s comments were taken very seriously because he was instrumental in improving the safety procedures for the Formula One racing circuit.

Gaining confidence

While some may be blessed with a lot of natural confidence, others may need to utilise some strategies in order to gain it. Business and sports require being under the scrutiny of your peers and others. Every positive outcome you have will help you to gain confidence. Networking and interacting with others can help to make you more at ease when speaking to an audience. Some areas may have public speaking clubs where you can hone your skills.

Being a team is more than just “getting along”

Working together means dealing with conflict in a reasonable manner. An atmosphere needs to exist where problems and disagreements are addressed as quickly as possible. When problems are ignored, they can lead to decreased performance and dissatisfaction among players or employees. Great teams go to the top of the business and sports worlds. Of course, you need to be careful who you pick for your team. Putting together a group of people that work well together can take some time. The more a team works together, the better they will be at their job or sport of choice. Mutual hard work and dedication are powerful forces towards the success of a sports team or business.

The basics of company branding

By Marcela

We live in a world where image matters. In order to stand a chance in today’s highly competitive marketplace, your company must set itself apart from rivals and reach out to consumers. Branding plays a major role in this process. It lets people know what they can expect from you. Precisely because it’s so important, branding can be a difficult and daunting prospect. However, help is at hand. This introductory guide will help you get to grips with the basics.

Create the perfect logo – and use it!

First things first, you’ll need to create a logo. This must be visually appealing and it should perfectly encapsulate the essence of your organisation. Don’t panic if you don’t know the first thing about graphic design. As long as you have some basic ideas and know what statement you want to make about your business, you can pass the tricky task of creating your logo onto specialist third parties. Of course, there’s no point in investing time and money on an emblem like this if you don’t actually use it. To bolster your branding efforts, make sure you feature your logo everywhere. It should appear on your signs, website, promotional material and correspondence. You can also take advantage of FireLabel bulk t-shirt printing services to help you showcase the symbol on your staff uniforms.

Be coherent in your communications

Another top tip is to be coherent in your communications. Bear in mind that, in effect, your brand represents a promise to consumers. Whether you promote yourself as a premium, high-quality company, a reliable but low-cost option or anything else, you must be consistent in order to build consumer trust.

To help with this, create guidelines for your written and visual communications. It doesn’t matter whether you choose to be traditional and formal or contemporary and conversational. The important thing is that you always stay on message. It also helps to have a catchy tagline that encapsulates the essence of your firm. [Read more…]

Why you Must Choose Transportable Buildings

By Marcela

Mobile Buildings were structures created to be movable rather than to be fixed. They are also called demountable or modular establishments. All these structures offer a massive amount choices for those who want to widen their own company or those who wish to add square footage on their current building. Portable structures have lots of advantages. For a point in fact, you must consider acquiring a movable building as opposed to renting one.

Portable buildings are made from metal and they resemble shipping containers. The best part is the fact they are fitted with portable toilets. All these features are obtainable at an affordable price. Once you buy your buildings, you could potentially resell it at a future date at a revenue. Most of all, in case you had placed the transportable constructing in your property, the resale cost of your home could possibly raise earning one additional profits.

Portable buildings were vacant shells. Therefore, you’ve got the liberty to personalize it by any means that you see fit. If you wish to use it as an office, you may add racks as well as other accessories which are usually available in a business office. There are companies that focus on personalization of portable buildings and they may create it look like an ordinary building. One important thing is for sure though, if this was to rent, you would not have the liberty for you to personalize it according to your needs.

The best thing about these properties is that they are movable. You may carry it with you wherever you go and use it as you want. Having the ability to take the transportable establishments with you makes several individuals feel at ease.

Most of the portable buildings come built in with everything you need to begin with. Because of this, if you’re managing the remodeling of your house or maybe your office section, you can use the portable building being a business office as well as your transient house.

They will simply be incorporated into latest structures making it way much better to stretch your property. If you wish to extend your office, all you need to perform is get yourself a compact building and you will be all set.

Finally, if you’re constantly on the move and you prefer to take your home or office along with you, the best option will be to purchase a compact premises. It’s less expensive as well as valuable in the future.

After a Brainstorm – How do you Pick the Winning Ideas?

By Marcela

We’ve all experienced the value of running a structured brainstorm or idea generation session to come up with some new ideas. There are some excellent books on the subject to help to get those ideas flowing, such as those by Edward De Bono. You may well have come across his 6 hats. But more often than not the session generates lots of ideas. You discuss them as a group to attempt to filter them down, but everyone seems to have different favourites. For product ideas, there are two key questions that you need to answer. The ideas that tick the box for both of these are those that have the most potential to take forwards.

The first question is “has it been done before?”. Even if selling ‘me too’ products is part of your company strategy, you still need to be sure that if you were to proceed you wouldn’t infringe another’s patent rights. The only way to answer this question is to do your research. Browse product catalogues of all of the companies that you think might sell something similar. Google the idea and Google the problem that it solves. This should flag up other people’s solutions to the same problem, and indicate whether it has been done before. Wouldn’t you rather find out now than downstream when you have made a big commitment in both time and money?

The other way to find out if the idea has been done before is to do a patent search. This will determine which ideas are novel and inventive and could warrant patent protection. It will also help you to see if your competitors are working on anything similar, and flag up any possible infringement issues.

The second question to ask is “will it sell?”. You need to test the market and understand your ideal customer before you’ll be able to answer this question. Again it comes down to doing your research, and making a fair guesstimate of market size.

Answering these two questions provides you with two filters to help whittle down the results of your brainstorm to just those ideas with the most potential.

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