POST CATEGORY : Management

Small Business Advice: Keeping Your Restaurant or Cafe Competitive

Whenever anyone tries to start a small business, it’s an uphill battle. But particularly when it comes to trying to start up a restaurant or café, there is even more competition that you have to work against. That’s why it’s important to gather and follow as much small-business advice as you can.

Busy restaurant

Specifically when it comes to cafés, restaurants, or eateries, be sure that as a small business owner you buy good cookware and dishes, work to establish a theme, make your food purchases as efficient as possible, and do in-depth research about your competition.

Following all of that advice will take you to the next level of ownership.…

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Negative Restaurant Reviews: Best Ways to Respond

A common misconception among many local restaurant owners is that it’s best to take the high road and ignore negative reviews. The thinking being that it’s better to walk away than fight, further damaging your reputation.

Bad restaurant review

There’s a big problem with this thought process. Over 90 percent of consumers now read online reviews of a local business before deciding to make the trip. Of those who make up this rather overwhelming group, only 13 percent will consider visiting a business that has a 2 star rating or lower.

You can try using all the tools in your arsenal, like a kitchen display system that can help you in preparing and quoting orders more efficiently, to improve overall guests experience; but you know how it goes: No matter how well you run your restaurant, you just can’t expect all of your guests will be happy with your services.…

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6 Employee-Motivation Strategies to Try (and 3 to Avoid)

According to a 2013 Gallup study, unhappy workers cost the U.S. economy as much as $550 billion. That’s because workers who aren’t feeling their best are less productive than those who consistently wake up on the right side of the bed.

In a piece about the study’s implications, Entrepreneur contributor Catherine Clifford encourages bosses to do more to motivate down-in-the-dumps employees. She notes that it’s “not rocket science.”

Motivated employees

“Workers want to be recognized when they do good work, have their personal life respected and have friends at work,” she writes.

Clifford identifies three important facets of what’s increasingly become a core concern for managers and business owners: employee motivation.…

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3 Website Essentials to Boost Service Business Sales

Service businesses are interesting. Small towns may only have one electrician that has a monopoly on the industry, but other cities may have dozens of electricians all vying for the same business.

It’s a difficult situation to be in, but there are ways to use your website to boost sales.

Browsing business website

People flock to the Internet to review companies, search for the best prices and find a service provider to meet their needs. It’s an industry with many possibilities, and since there are many service providers (in most cases), a website needs to stand out from the crowd.

But how?

That’s the question.…

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High-Tech Ways to Combat Construction Site Theft

Each year, thefts of equipment on construction sites and farms cost U.S. businesses and individuals between $300 million and $1 billion, according to a report by The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB). Thefts vastly outnumber fires, vandalism, collisions and a variety of other accidents and incidents that threaten security on construction sites across the nation.

Surveillance camera in a construction site.

From valuable copper wire to expensive pieces of equipment, construction sites are packed with items that attract thieves. But traditional forms of security, such as having guards on-site, are costly and often ineffective at stopping thieves equipped with modern technologies.

Luckily, construction companies have a wide range of options when it comes to utilizing cutting-edge security to keep their investments safe.…

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Why Outsourcing Your Accounting Makes Sense for Small Business Owners

Were you aware that out of all the new businesses established each year, that only 20% of them make it through their first year? And of that twenty percent, only half of them survive 5 years. Even though there are plenty of reasons why they don’t succeed, in many instances it relates directly to finances.

As money is required to operate, entrepreneurs must not only learn how to generate profits but manage those profits accordingly. Accounting and bookkeeping, for this reason, are of the utmost importance to a company’s lifespan.

Outsourcing your accounting

Why DIY Accounting Isn’t Always Efficient Enough

It is not uncommon for an entrepreneur to take on accounting and bookkeeping responsibilities in the first few years of their establishment.…

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4 Tips on Making Your E-Commerce Venture a Success

Selling products online is a great way to expand the reach your company has. The easiest and most effective way to showcase the products you have to offer is by having an e-commerce website created. This type of website will allow users to browse your products, add them to a cart, and pay for them with ease.

Online florist

Achieving success with an e-commerce website will require a lot of hard work and time. Below are some of the things to focus on when trying to make your e-commerce venture a success.

1. Being the First to Market is Not Always Beneficial

The first step in achieving e-commerce success is ensuring your site if ready to go before launching.…

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Efficiently Running a One-man Service Business

Running a service-based business has a lot of advantages. You can help customers in your community, offer residential or commercial services, and you can choose to specialize in a certain area of business.

Plumbers can choose to offer sewer repairs, electricians can choose to work just on new homes being built.

One-man plumbing service

Trades are in high-demand, and the growth in these fields continues to grow as the population continues to grow. The environment is perfect to start a service business, but running that business efficiently is difficult.

A major downfall in many businesses is efficiency.

How does a service business stay efficient in the early stages of business?…

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3 Fatal Conference Booth Mistakes that Small Business Owners Make – and How to Avoid Them

There are plenty of good reasons why small business owners should consider presenting at — rather than just attending — conferences. For one, it’s an opportunity to showcase their products and services to a high volume of prospective customers and to attract interest from potential suppliers, vendors, influencers, and other strategic partners.

Tradeshow booth at a tech event

However, some small business owners fail to achieve significant — or in some cases any — return on investment from their conference-booth spend. And while each story has its unique variables and nuances, typically it’s the unfortunate result of making one, some, or all of the following fatal mistakes:

1.

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Beyond Office Hours: How a Virtual Receptionist can Help You Win More Business

A receptionist is essential to any growing business. The more time you and your front line staff spend talking on the phone when you could be working for your clients, the less money you’re making at the end of every month. This is a big problem considering there are only so many hours in the day to get everything done, and still ensure 100% customer satisfaction.

Calling customer service beyond office hour

A virtual receptionist adds a level of flexibility to your customer service plan, enabling you to take only the most important calls, and even allowing you to keep your phone lines open for calls long after the business closes for the day.…

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