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Why It Is Important to Use Architecture and Design to Build Your Brand

We are currently living in hyper-visual age. For modern businesses, everything from the furniture to the décor in the break room has to be aesthetically satisfying. This is because brands and their corporate environments are becoming increasingly intertwined.

Architectural design for branding

Your workspace is an extension of your brand narrative. Since social media has made it easier than ever to share this narrative, the details must be used for maximum value and exposure. While commercial architecture is a relatively new discipline, it is growing in significance for startup companies and non-traditional ventures.

This guide to the benefits of commercial architecture and design will explain why it is essential for the strength of your brand.…

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Q&A with Darren Cassidy, President of Xerox USCG, on Digitization Trends for 2017

Digitization is unavoidable.  Small business owners need to respond to the trend – or die.  However, not many are ready for the changes due to one reason or another.

Accessing digital documents

To help you in your decision making process for determining whether digitization is the way to go for your company or not, we have a great Q&A session with Darren Cassidy, the President of United States Channels Group (USCG) at Xerox, on Xerox’ latest research on the evolution of document workflow processes and business priorities in 2017.

SMBCEO: Hello – please kindly introduce yourself to our readers

Darren Cassidy: On January 1, 2016, I stepped into a new role as President, United States Channels Group (USCG) at Xerox.…

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7 Essential Types of Insurance for Every Small Business Owner

As a business owner, you might be wondering what kind of insurance policy you should get. Here are the 7 essential types of insurance for every small business owner:

Business insurance

1. General Liability Insurance

This insurance is a necessity for all businesses—whether big or small, home based or mainstream. It can protect you and your small business from a variety of claims such as bodily injury, property damage, and any other problems that you, your employees, or your products or services have caused or are alleged to have caused.

2. Commercial Auto Insurance

This kind of insurance covers vehicles owned by your company and anything inside it—your employees, products, or equipment.…

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Best Small Business Loan Providers in Canada

Unlike big enterprises that can apply for bank loans easily, smaller businesses have a harder time raising the capital they need. Banks tend to be strict with their loan requirements and they also require loan applicants to provide a business plan, a good credit history, and collateral.

Small business loans

Fortunately, going to the bank is not your only option if you need for a loan. There are many other sources of financing you can consider. In this article, we’ve listed four of the best small business loan providers in Canada:

1. Merchant Lenders

Since 2011, Merchant Lenders has been helping startups and small businesses in the country.…

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5 Tips for Hiring Better Sales Account Executives

Salespeople play a crucial role in the success of any organization. After all, they are the ones who generate the revenue a company needs to grow. One common mistake that hiring managers make is focusing too much on the numbers and other details that are already on a candidate’s resume.

Job interview

While it is important to know what a sales representative is capable of, taking the time to ensure that he or she is a good fit for the business is even more critical. The key is to use a style of interviewing that draws out themes that give essential insight into the candidate’s motivations.…

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Your No-Nonsense Roadmap to Effective Crisis Management

Sooner or later, every company experiences a crisis that threatens its reputation and revenue, which are of course inextricably linked. For the uninitiated, the experience can be truly terrifying.

Crisis management

In crisis management, as in much else, fortune favors the prepared. Before you get in over your head, follow this crisis management roadmap.

Lay the Groundwork with a Transparent Corporate Culture

While your company’s next crisis remains a gleam in fate’s eye, lay the groundwork for your response with a transparent, forthright corporate culture that respects your employees and stakeholders. The more information you share, the better.

“Understanding that employees want to feel they contribute to their company’s success, it is key that employees be exposed to the company’s strategic goals and objectives,” said Lovell Communications president Rosemary Plorin in a recent Inc.…

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7 Concurrent Marketing Strategies for Your Small Business Success

Your small business success is propelled by several factors. The most significant of which is marketing strategy.

Creating marketing strategy

You may have the best products and the best employees, but they may become useless without some regular and concurrent marketing programs. Selling is one thing, but marketing is something else. If you want to really succeed in growing your business, you should always have two or more marketing strategies that can be implemented altogether at the same time.

In the UK, most entrepreneurs are aggressively implementing various marketing strategies. Some of them give away promotional products, we will discuss this strategy later. Others are doing the same thing along with unique marketing approaches.…

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How to Choose the Right Furniture for Your Office Reception Area

The office reception furniture you choose for your reception area can help promote a positive image of you and your company. Nobody likes being stuck waiting –  but if they must, they may as well be comfortable.

When selecting office reception furniture, here are a few thing to bear in mind:

  1. Comfort
  2. Colour and material
  3. The durability and construction

Attractive Office Reception Furniture

Forget about standard, boring reception furniture. There’s a vast array of furniture out there to help make your reception area speak volumes about your business and how you take care of your guests and clients.

If you happen to be short on space and still need to make a good first impression, then just keep it simple.…

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What Makes a Good Training Institute

Training institutions can be abundant, depending on the type of industry that they’re training for. At times, they might even have to offer discounted prices on their training packages just to lure in prospective trainees. Often, though, the most established and effective training institutes won’t necessarily have to resort to such measures in order to attract new customers.

Business training audience

But what exactly makes a certain training institute good or effective?

1. An Effective and Efficient System

An efficient system is beneficial to both the training institution and the students that they will ultimately be training. In order for a training institute to be effective, they have to have a good solid curriculum, and competent instructors.…

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7 Things Managers Need to Know About Handling Remote Teams

There has been a serious misconception that productivity and colocation are two inseparable factors for success. The need of a swift business expansion in emerging startups has encouraged a new approach towards management that favors remote teamwork as a time-saving and cost-effective solution.

Remote team meeting

Despite being extremely popular, especially among tech companies, remote team management is still an evolving concept. As such, it comprises a wide array of management techniques which vary from strict surveillance and employee evaluation to a more relaxed approach that puts freedom over tight regulations.

Open Your Doors To New Horizons

One of the many benefits of telecommuting teams is the lack of limitations when it comes to hiring a talented crew member.…

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