Buying Options: Try Before You Buy

Running a small business involves more than just selling products or services at a profit – effective investment in new equipment can make a significant difference to your monthly bottom line. With that in mind, it’s usually a great idea to consider various options before you buy to make sure you’re getting the best possible value, and that the equipment you’re considering is right for you.

Leased laptop for work

So here’s a guide to the options for testing and purchasing new equipment in order to see if it’s right for your business.

Try Before You Buy

When considering investing in any new equipment for your business, it’s a great idea to first see if the equipment you’re looking into is available for either hire or hire purchase.…

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How to Run your Business from The Beach

We’d all like to think that we’re indispensible. And leaders are no different. Some leaders don’t take holidays, fearful that their business will collapse in their absence.

Happily, thanks to modern technology, communications and working practices, it’s now entirely possible (and even desirable) for leaders to keep a business running effectively from the comfort of a sun lounger.

Entrepreneur on the beach

If you’ve been running your business without a holiday, you need some tips for managing things effectively from a distance.

1. Delegate

The first thing you need to be able to do is delegate. To achieve this you need to have people you can trust and you need to give them clear instructions with specific milestones and smart objectives.…

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Creative Ways to Build a B2B Network Online

Networking with other business professionals is one of the fastest ways to grow your business, believe it or not. Not only can you share leads with each other but once you have established a working relationship with your peers, there are a number of other incentives that can be beneficial to the growth of all parties involved. Here are a few creative ways to build a B2B network with the intent of working together to grow your businesses.

Building an online B2B network

Social Media – Social Networking

One of the fastest ways to build a B2B network is to take advantage of social media. There are a number of really powerful social networking sites out there, but perhaps the one designed especially for businesses would be LinkedIn.…

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Service and Utility: Choosing the Best Truck and Flatbed for Your Industry

Owning or renting a fleet for your business shouldn’t be hard, but it often is. And, when you need to replace a truck or flatbed, or buy a new one, for your needs, there are several things to think about that most people won’t or don’t tell you.

Kenworth T880 Flatbed

CM Flatbeds

The first question you should be asking yourself is, “what will I be hauling, and how much will it weigh?” That right there will drive every other decision you make. Payload weight is determined by the GVWR – the base weight of the vehicle plus occupants, cargo, and any additional equipment and tongue weight.…

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MBA vs. MSA: Which One is The Best for CEOs? (Infographic)

If the lack of an advanced degree is holding you back from realizing your true potential, maybe it’s time to invest in yourself and your business by enrolling in a graduate program. Depending on your career goals, a Master of Science in Analytics (MSA) or Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree may be just what you need to take your organization to the next level.

Postgraduate student

How a Master of Science in Analytics Education Helps Business Owners

In today’s business climate, technology is constantly changing the way you do business. An MSA degree will help you keep pace with these changes and use the data you collect as quickly as it is obtained.…

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How to Choose the Right Energy Company to Power your Business

If you happen to live and/or start a business in part of the country where you have the advantage of choosing what company you get your energy from, you need to take this decision very seriously. If you take your time and do the necessary research, you can save yourself a significant amount of money on your future energy expenses.

An electricity company worker installs an energy meter

Do not simply start using the first energy company you come across. You owe it to yourself to take a hard look at all of the available candidates to find the one that gives you the most value for your money.…

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4 Reasons Why Events and Exhibition Stands Go Hand in Hand

Tradeshows and commercial events are gaining steam in every vertical market because the fight for limited corporate spending budgets has been gravely intensified by uncertain markets.

Busy trade show

New and old companies alike will often visit trade shows and their ilk to scope out the competition; silent sharks swimming through a current of vendors and exhibitions, passively observing their competition take another bite out of the market.

Just kidding. There’s nothing predator-like about being a silent observer. You might feel like James Bond scoping out your competition, you might even engage with them and act like a customer undercover to learn more about their strategies but as you engage them – you’re standing inside the most powerful tool in their arsenal: their exhibition stand.…

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How to Crowd-design your Way to Entrepreneurial Success

You don’t need to seek out the services of a fancy design firm, or risk wasting hours of time communicating with an online freelancer to get the best logo, website and other graphics you need for your business.

Logo design samples

In fact, after using an online design marketplace for the first time, you’ll soon realize that the traditional method of requesting samples (which can easily be copy/pasted – ie., stolen) to attempt to identify if a designer has the skill-set you’re looking for – then picking a designer or firm you think might work out – then going through the hassle of waiting on delivery and revisions – potentially ending up with something that you’re not happy with, but which you’re so often expected to pay for nonetheless!…

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How Comindware Process Change your BPM

Business Process Management (BPM) is all about making sure that business processes and workflow is executed in a more effective and efficient manner. BPM also concerns about your company’s capability to adapt to changes.

Business Process Management

With that said, you need BPM software (BPMS) that is reliable and easy to setup to help you manage your currently active business processes.

The problem is, not all BPMS is created the same. And many BPMS fall short under the “integration” category: While those software are perfect in managing business processes, integrating them with, for example, project management is a painless experience, if not impossible.…

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Supply Chain Management: Benefits to Outsourcing and What to Look For

Outsourcing… to many small business owners and startups, the term outsourcing essentially means expense. While it is true that outsourcing various tasks will result in some type of expense, in many instances, the return on investment makes the initial costs worthwhile.

Supply Chain Management

Though there are some responsibilities that can easily be handled in house, there are others that are best left to companies and professionals who have the experience and means to get the job done in a more effective manner – such as supply chain management. An experienced third-party logistics or 3PL provider can deliver the best distribution services so your customers are always satisfied and will always come back.…

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