Month: November 2019

White Mountain Partners Landscaping Shares How to Grow Your One Man Landscaping Business

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An increasing number of people are starting landscaping businesses, with this being one of the more popular one-person companies to be established. Whether this is a side gig or a full-time opportunity, quite a large number of people may not know how to grow their firm successfully.

Much of this can be because there can be quite a broad range of advice to take advantage of. As a result, many people may not know what to focus on. This could mean that they’ll quickly become overwhelmed with it and not know what they should do.

Despite this, there have been a variety of tips and tricks that have been much more effective in recent years. This should mean that they’re some of the better-recommended ones to follow. There are several in particular that you should follow, each of which should be effective for any one-person landscaping company.

Now, let’s get started with the top tips from White Mountain Partners Landscaping.

Start Early

Quite a large number of people might believe that the best time to start a landscaping business is in the summer. After all, this is one of the more significant times when people will need work done. However, this doesn’t mean that you should start then. In contrast, it’s recommended that you start as early as possible.

Typically, it’s recommended that spring is when you should start your efforts. A significant number of people will need work done then, which could then lead to more work in the following months. As such, an early start can be much more effective than you might have thought.

Focus On Word Of Mouth

Your clients can be one of your greatest assets when growing a landscaping business. This is especially true when it comes to word of mouth marketing, which is often one of the more effective ways of expanding any company. As such, it can be well worth asking satisfied clients to pass along your information to friends or family who may need landscaping work.

Use Social Media

While word of mouth marketing will be quite useful for your company, this shouldn’t mean that you should neglect other efforts. Instead, social media can be one of your biggest allies when expanding the firm and gaining new clients. This is because of how many people you’ll be able to reach on it.

You may have to spend a significant amount of time on this, although it’s well worth the effort. Potential customers are waiting to be reached, so using social media effectively will be one of the more beneficial ways of getting to them.

By using each of the above, you should find that you’ll be able to scale up your landscaping business. These will each take a certain amount of time to be effective. As a result, you’ll need a certain amount of patience when doing so. This is the case for all businesses, regardless of what stage of operations they’re in.

It’s recommended that you use all of the above together, as this should then let you see the most results possible. Naturally, you’ll have to spend a significant amount of time on making sure that your customers are satisfied. Combined with the above, you’ll soon start seeing your landscaping business grow

Daniel Doyle Pleasantville NY Shares 3 Tips For Learning and Growing as an Entrepreneur

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Starting out as an entrepreneur can be truly intimidating.

If you came from a corporate and very structured working environment, suddenly taking on the role of entrepreneur can be a real shock to the system. The same thing can be said if you’ve worked for bosses throughout you’re professional career and now you’re the person who’s in charge.

It’s easy to lose your way as a new entrepreneur. To help out those who are just about to embark on their new entrepreneurial journeys, Dan Doyle Pleasantville NY highlights some tips that are sure to help.

Let’s get to those tips now.

Clearly Define Your Goals

Before you take on any new career, it’s important to set your goals.

Goals are crucial to your success an entrepreneur because they give you a clear target to aim for. You can go from week to week, month to month, and even year to year knowing that you are making steady progress if you are able to hit your previously established goals.

Defined goals for your business will also help you react more appropriately to the situation at hand.

If your business has a rough month, you will become aware of that immediately. From there, you can make the adjustments necessary in the hopes that results will be better the following month.

On those months that turn out to be more lucrative, you can set aside that extra revenue and use it for a rainy day.

Goals are great for motivational purposes, but don’t overlook how useful they can be just as guiding lights for your business.

Do Not Hesitate to Seek Out a Mentor

Everyone has to start from square one. Even if you are the most gifted entrepreneur, you will not know everything you need to right away.

Because of that, it is highly recommended that small business owners find mentors in their field.

To further demonstrate the importance of having a mentor, take note of some statistics included in this Forbes article which highlighted a survey from the global financial services, technology, and data platform Kabbage, Inc.

Per the survey, 92 percent of small business owners said that mentors can have a real impact on whether or not an entrepreneurial pursuit will turn out successfully. On top of that, 89 percent of the small business owners who operated without a mentor said that they wish they did have one.

The bottom line is that there is no substitute for having experience in any line of work. For entrepreneurs to be as successful as they can possibly be, they will need help that can only be provided by an experienced mentor.

Don’t Worry about Your Business Operating Flawlessly

As a new entrepreneur, it’s inevitable that you will make mistakes at some point. You shouldn’t worry too much about those mistakes however.

The Harvard Business Review highlighted studies which indicate that perfectionists suffer from higher levels of anxiety, burnout, and stress. You will encounter enough challenges during your first year as an entrepreneur. Don’t allow worries about being absolutely perfect be included among them.

Dan Doyle Pleasantville NY understands that new entrepreneurs are in for a big challenge, but it is still one they can overcome. By heeding the tips included above, new small business owners will be able to weather the early storm and enjoy the successes that are waiting on the other side

A Brief Guide to Health and Safety in the Workplace

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If there is one thing that can hamper production in the workplace, it is a lack of emphasis on health and safety. In order to promote a productive environment filled with healthy employees free from safety hazards, more attention and resources should be devoted to ensuring the workplace does not place anyone at unnecessary risk.

Duty of Employers

Ensuring a safe environment falls in the lap of the employers. Employers have a legal obligation to guarantee a healthy workplace for all of the employees that are hired. This also goes for contractors, members of the general public and potential customers.

Whatever the size of the business, employers have a litany of responsibilities to make sure the environment is safe. From identifying actual or potential safety hazards to implementing measures that can be taken to reduce the risk of a potential adverse event, employers must fulfill all of these obligations.

Employers also act as reporters, because if diseases, accidents, injuries or dangerous occurrences take place as a result of an unsafe work area, records of these events have to be taken.

The Rights of Employees

Employees are entitled to have certain rights when they work, and it is mandated by law. The rights and responsibilities of employees contain rights for employees as well as their responsibility to operate in an appropriate manner. No matter what happens, none of these rights can be withdrawn by an employer. For more information on the importance of workplace dynamics and how to create a productive work environment, Robert Butchike has many valuable resources that can be used.

In terms of the rights that employees are entitled to, they are primarily concerned with interventions that seek after their own well-being. For example, employees have the right to report to their employer and potential safety risks and about their own health so that special accommodations can be made.

Employees also have the right to have any potential safety and health risks controlled as far as possible. If there is reasonable concern that something could affect one’s physical well-being, employees also have the right to leave the work area without discipline. This among many other rights are what the employee has access to when they work. However, there are also responsibilities to bear in mind.

Responsibilities as an employee entail taking care of your own safety and health and not to put others at risk. Any training provided by the organization should be attended and adherence to health and safety policies is required.

Also, if there is any pending health-related issues that could affect work performance, they should be reported well in advance so that work arrangements can be made.

Common Workplace Issues

There are common issues that any workplace can be subject to that should mitigated as much as possible. One primary concern is the work space in which all employees should have sufficient areas to work. Other potential safety issues that should be monitored is temperature, ventilation, fire safety and guidelines on manual handling. Experts in the industry such as Robert Butchike can serve as a valuable resource in this regard

What is the Role of Data Governance?

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There are many things that a business requires in order to remain successful. One of the most important assets that a business has is its data. This data can be accessed from anywhere and could potentially be shared between teams within the organization. However, with data comes great responsibility, and danger can always lurk where an important financial asset such as data exists. That is why it is important for businesses to practice proper data governance.

What Is Data Governance?

This is a term used to describe interventions that companies take to enforce rules regarding data use. These are a wide range of policies that cover a variety of issues. All of these policies include, but are not limited to backing and storing data securely, maintaining data in a consistent manner, restricting access as needed and assigning accountability to specific people.

Basically, anything that involves a company’s data will be covered with proper governance. This serves as a priority for companies that want to protect data from potential cyber criminals.

Data is an ambiguous term that can refer to a litany of different aspects of a business, and thinking about the rules that encompass its protection can be confusing.

Who Is In Charge?

Understanding who is in charge will help govern data exponentially. Usually, there are different authorities focused specifically on governing data.

There is usually a data governance council, C-suite executives and managers. Those in the actual council tend to be in charge of the higher-level data decisions. This will end up translating into specific policies that the employees will have to obey.

C-suite executives are responsible enforcing the policies and explaining clearly how these policies will affect stakeholders. As for other team leaders and managers, they will be enforcing new policies as well and they will have to understand how these policies will relate to their team specifically.

The Significance of Governance

It is better to implement a governance strategy sooner than later, because it can be quite a hassle. Having a plan to govern data is a multi-faceted ordeal that involves changing habits, frequent planning and a lot of workarounds just to get the data to be secure. In addition, there will be a lot of trial and error moments to determine what works and what is ineffective.

Cyber crimes are consistently on the rise, and recent years, ransomware attacks have been on the rise. These kinds of attacks will target a company’s data specifically, and if criminals gain access to it, they can destroy it altogether. The most vulnerable organizations that are subject to these attacks are small businesses who do not place adequate focus on governance.

For the sake of peace of mind and security of data, undergoing the process will prove to be a necessary evil that will pay off dividends for a business in the long term. Even if a business is subject to a cyber attack, having a strong governance council will have an adequate plan in place.

Governing data should be a priority for every business, and neglecting it will put one of the company’s greatest assets at risk

How to Start a Debt Collections Agency

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Having a clear plan for starting a debt collections agency is very important in order to see it prosper. There are multiple facets that have to be considered, but if there is adequate planning, you will be able to start a successful agency. Here are the steps as to how to accomplish that.

Plan

As the popular saying goes, if you fail to plan, you are planning to fail. Before you start a debt collections agency, you need to work out the specifics and consider some important questions.

Some of these considerations include the name of your business, how long it will take for you to break even, the startup and ongoing costs as well as your target market. Some of the expenses that you will have to financially prepare for include transportation, office equipment, office rent, legal insurance and marketing tools.

Form Legal Entity

After you’ve gone through the preliminary planning phase, the next step is forming a legal entity. What does this entail? The reason you want to form a business entity because you will not be personally responsible in the situation that your agency gets sued. You could basically view it as a way of making sure that your bases are covered.

One other thing to consider is to use a registered agent service for privacy purposes. For most small businesses, LLC’s are great options. You can visit Pacific Collection Group for further resources on what may be needed.

Taxes

The next step in forming a debt collections agency is to register for a variety of federal and state taxes before you can open up for business. You need to apply for an EIN (Employer Identification Number). Fortunately, this process is not only simple, but it is free of charge. This can be done through the IRS website.

Open a Business Bank Account

For the sake of asset protection, you will also want to create dedicated credit and business banking accounts. If you make the mistake of mixing in your personal and business accounts, you will be risking your personal assets if your business faces some legal trouble. Within the business world, this is also known as piercing your corporate veil.

Take Care of Legal Matters

In order to start up an agency, there will be a series of things that you need to operate. One such thing is to get the necessary licenses and permits to run the business. Otherwise, you may facing hefty fines that you’ll have to pay.

Insurance is also highly recommended for business owners of any capacity. If you plan on hiring workers, you may also want to consider workers compensation insurance as a legal requirement.

Define Your Brand

No that you have the essentials to start a business, the next step is to define your brand and establish an online presence. In order to promote and market your agency, you will have to pitch businesses over the phone or through personal communication at networking events. Pacific Collection Group is one such resource that can be used for further pertinent information

3 Ways Mentors Are Essential For Career Success

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No person who becomes a success are able to do on their own. In today’s day and age, having mentors has proven to be a great asset for many, and it is not surprising to see why.

Whether it is a close friend, a colleague or a professional, having a mentor can give that necessary jolt to your career. There are numerous ways that mentors can benefit you. Here are five reasons as to why getting a mentor is important to help give your career great success.

Education

One of the best ways that a mentor can help you in your career endeavors is by educating you. The reason why their education is extremely valuable is because they have something that you don’t, which is experience. As the old saying goes, you can’t beat a man with experience, and they can provide you with advice that you can apply in the workplace.

A mentor is also just like you in a lot of ways. They may have made some of the mistakes that you are making right now, but just like them, you want to learn from those mistakes so that it doesn’t become a pattern. Having a mentor will help alleviate this issue and increase your confidence.

The best part about all of the education that they give you is given free of charge. This means you will be able to understand certain intricacies that you otherwise wouldn’t have known about without having to pay a dime. For more information on the importance of having mentors, Pedram Zohrevand is a resource that can help you.

Help You Focus

With the amount of responsibilities that you have on your shoulders, it can be very easy to stay off track and lose focus. Fortunately, mentors are there to help you keep your eyes on the prize. Everyone has bad days, but you cannot allow those bad days to deter you. Mentors will give you a certain level of focus and level-headedness that your boss or even your friends cannot provide you with.

Along with the experience that mentors have at their disposal is the ability to change your perspective. They have been in your situation in all likelihood, and only they know effective methods to keep focus that you couldn’t get from anyone else.

Networking

In today’s day and age, networking and forming connections with others can prove to be so important, especially when it comes to career advancement. Having a mentor can serve as an effective conduit to link you to effective sources to further your career.

Mentors have the capacity to introduce you to people who have a similar mindset. For all you know, some of the connections that you are introduced to can lead you on the road to getting a certain position that you may have been eyeing for a while.

As you can see, mentors are effective in many ways and can help expedite your professional development. For more information on the benefits of mentors, Pedram Zohrevand is an expert that can provide you with valuable information