Month: February 2020

You worked hard to get to where you are now, and you put a lot of effort into helping your new business get off the ground. Thankfully, your effort paid off, and you’ve reached a place where you would consider your business a success. Now that you’re here, however, you want to avoid the tendency to coast. There are still goals to reach and challenges ahead, and complacency never pays off.

One way to avoid complacency is to listen to other voices regarding what you should do next. You may be the driving force behind the success of your company, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t benefit from the input of others. Make space for your employees and others invested in the success of your business to have a say in how you move forward. Don’t miss out on the invaluable opinions and ideas others may have by failing to ask for feedback and input.

Another way to avoid complacency is to invite creative people into your business operations. If you’ve been doing the same thing for awhile, it may be time to think outside of your original box. While you’ve succeeded up to this point, a creative approach can help you see what you should do next. Implementing creativity into how your company works can be scary, especially if you are not a creative person naturally. Don’t be scared to color outside the lines a little.

Success is the product of a good idea, hard work and perseverance over time. Once you’ve obtained a certain level of success, it can be tempting to put your feet up and relax. While you should certainly enjoy what you’ve earned, you shouldn’t be content to stay there forever. Don’t allow your current success to keep you from moving forward, pushing ahead and chasing after new goals.

By Meagan Kerlin for Vertu Marketing LLC

One of the most important aspects of owning and operating a business is differentiating yourself from the competition. This is particularly true if you are operating a company in a crowded niche. You have to stand out from the crowd while staying true to your brand and the heart of your company – but how? You have to pinpoint some ways to differentiate your company and catch the attention of customers and clients.

An important aspect of differentiating your company is committing yourself to quality. There are too many companies that focus on quantity alone, overlooking the importance of quality. Simply focusing on the needs and expectations of your customers and striving to meet them will set your business apart. High-quality results will also give you good publicity because impressed customers and clients are going to tell others about what they experienced when they worked with your company.

Another way to differentiate your company from the rest is to listen carefully to what your customers want. Is your primary market concerned with speed and efficiency? You’ll need to deliver results fast. Do your clients want a very specific end result? Work diligently to meet those expectations. If you want to stand out from the competition, take the time to get to know what your clients really want and need.

Finally, you’ll differentiate your business from others by becoming the most convenient option. Find ways to make your company accessible, from having a well-built website to streamlining your transaction process. It shouldn’t be hard work to do business with your company. The easier the process is and the better the results are will make it more likely that happy clients will come back again and again.

Standing out from the crowd is important, and it’s probably not as difficult as you assume it will be. Think about ways you can deliver better results to your clients and make the process easier for them, and you’ll be the preferred provider in your niche.

By Meagan Kerlin for Vertu Marketing LLC

You are in a management position because of your leadership skills and your ability to guide your team. You worked hard to get in the position you are in, and you want to do your job well. The problem is, being in a management position or in any type of leadership role can leave you feeling overwhelmed. This doesn’t mean you aren’t capable of this job, but it may mean that you need to make a few adjustments to your leadership and management style.

Thankfully, a few small adjustments can help you feel better about your responsibilities and job duties. One thing to consider is adjusting your communication style. Think about how you talk with your team. Do you have too many meetings? Should you implement a better email system? Simple changes to how you exchange information can help you free up time, give you more mental space and help you feel less overwhelmed in your daily job duties.

Another tip for overwhelmed managers is using delegation. Delegating tasks empowers talented team members and can remove things from your plate. It can take time to figure out a system of how and when you need to delegate things, but this is one of the keys to good leadership. You can be a good manager without feeling like you have to do everything yourself.

As a leader, one of your jobs is to move your team forward and propel them toward the next goal. In order to do this, you need to be able to see the big picture, which can be difficult when you feel too overwhelmed with your daily job responsibilities. If you are struggling with seeing beyond today or this week, this may be a sign you need to make some adjustments. How can you change and adjust so that you can be a better manager and leader?

By Meagan Kerlin for Vertu Marketing LLC

When some people leave for work in the morning, they are able to leave their personal lives behind and not enter back into that world until they return home that evening. There are others who actually work with family members and significant others, and sometimes it can be messy when personal relationships overlap with life in the workplace. If you work with someone you care about, you understand how important it is to know how to balance the personal aspects of your daily life with your work.

One thing that will help is to have clear and candid discussions with the other person about how to navigate this tricky situation well. Perhaps you are business partners and will have to make difficult decisions together, or maybe one of you holds a higher position than the other. These dynamics can be complicated when there are always personal feelings and complex relationships at play. Communication is crucial, both at home and in the workplace.

If you are with the same person everyday, it can begin to affect how that relationship works. It’s good to take breaks sometimes, perhaps going out with friends or enjoying hobbies alone. This can help you keep your personal relationship healthy, which in turn will make it easier to work together Monday through Friday.

One of the trickiest parts of working with someone you care about is when there are disagreements. In personal relationships, partners don’t always agree, and this can be the case in professional relationships as well. In the workplace, it is especially important for partners to keep it professional at all times. Keep personal feelings out of work-related discussions and disagreements. Otherwise, you may muddy the waters, making it difficult to reach any kind of practical and beneficial agreement.

Having some basic rules in place as to how you will handle personal relationships in the workplace can prove invaluable. These can lay the groundwork for a successful work life and peace in your personal life. It can take time and effort, but it is possible to work with a loved one or close friend and make it work well.

By Meagan Kerlin for Vertu Marketing LLC