bettercallpaul Archives - Page 10 of 49

New Video: Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness – Speaker Bureau

The Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness has developed a Speakers Bureau to train those who have gone through homelessness to share their story in public.

This was an impromptu project that MICAH knew that video would help tell about this important brand new program. They didn’t have a budget set aside, so we worked with them on the cost to keep it within their reach.

For more on the Speaker’s Bureau: http://mihomelessvoice.org/

#BetterCallPaul – October 2018 Recap

ICYMI- There were several new videos launched in October: We have videos from the Arts Council of Greater Lansing, Elder Law of Michigan, The Dolinski Group and Check in Michigan

All talking about anything from grants to new homes to internships. Check it out search out those videos on our UnoDeuce YouTube channel: http://bit.ly/2jklgle

#BetterCallPaul – CJ Clark on How He is Able to Keep Young Adults Engaged

In this segment, CJ Talks about how Living Water Ministries talks the talk and walks the walk as well as gives leadership over to the staff.
This is the draw for working in his organization.

To watch the whole conversation: https://wp.me/p8q8pr-1Dh

For more on Living Water Ministries: www.elcalivingwater.com

Check In Michigan – Short Term Rentals B&B owner’s perspective

In part 3 of a 5 part series on local control of short term rentals, Mike, a Bed and Breakfast owner in Jonesville, MI, talks about how the current law doesn’t really help the local community.

For more on this subject: www.airbnbwatch.org/michigan
For more on Check In Michigan: https://www.checkinmichigan.org/

#BetterCallPaul – CJ Clark Talks About His Love of Wolverine

In this segment, Paul and CJ talk comic books and CJ explain why his favorite character is Logan, better known as the Wolverine.

For the whole conversation: https://wp.me/p8q8pr-1Dh

Guest Post: How recognizing small wins can improve the productivity of your employees

Recognizing small wins is one of the key drivers to motivate employees at the office. According to the Globoforce, 78% of employees say how they would work harder if they were better recognized. However, finding ways to reward and retain employees is one of the most difficult tasks nowadays.

Millennials have become one of the largest generations in the global workforce and most of them expect numerous recognition programs and built-our rewards from their employers. Besides financial compensation, they also want frequent praises, volunteer opportunities, and recognition at the office. Here are a couple of tips on how to reward your employees and boost their productivity levels at work.

1. Provide your Employees with Regular Feedback

Regular feedback is one of the most important motivation tools and it also increases productivity at the office. The best approach is to sit down with your employees once a week to discuss their productivity and provide feedback. Of course, it is always better to focus on the positive things, since recognizing your employee’s achievements boosts their morale.

2 Rewarding Things that Matter

It is important for companies and big businesses to reward things that actually matter to the overall objective of the business. For example, instead of focusing only on big wins, organizations and companies should also reward their employees for smaller achievements. To prevent your team from feeling unsatisfied at work, make sure that these celebrations are frequent and consistent.

3 Becoming a Team Player

Employees who perform well as team players should get recognized and rewarded on a regular basis. Celebrating their achievements can benefit the profitability of your company. Recognizing the wins of team players also preserves a healthy work culture and encourages other workers to become good team players.

4 Include Corporate Travel as a Reward

The truth is that many employees work from 9 to 5 from Monday to Friday and a break from that daily routine might do them good. Traveling for business purposes or going on a 3-day team building event is the best way to combine leisure activities and work. You can take your employees on a business conference to another city or send them on a scavenger hunt game. This experience will make them feel more appreciated, which is always good for business.

5 Create Social Opportunities for your Employees

Everyone knows that unhappy workers are usually less productive. To keep your employees satisfied, it is important to create social opportunities and increase happiness in your company. Although competitive pay and benefits are important, employees also need to have good working conditions, career progression, and flexible working.

6 Perks and Rewards Programs for Employees

I’ve already mentioned that the work environment is dominated by young employees nowadays and most of them expect to be rewarded in different ways for their work. There are many jobs available on the market and young employees are always looking for office jobs that come with different perks and reward programs. Perks like tickets to business conferences, free training courses, and events that build connection among workers are known to boost productivity and expand knowledge.

7 Ordering Snacks after Small Wins

Ordering snacks to the office after small wins may be a good idea. By doing this, you will show your employees that you appreciate their effort to complete the assignments and finish the project on time.

To sum it all up, rewarding and recognizing your employees comes with many benefits and advantages. Celebrating small wins also increases productivity and creates a healthy work environment at the office.

Rachel is a mother of 2 beautiful boys. She loves to hike and write about travelling, education and business. She is a Senior Content Manager at Populationof an online resource with information about demographic statistics of world population.

New Video: The Dolinski Group – First Time Homebuyer Makes Their Dream a Reality

Earlier this summer, we journeyed to meet Pete and Ellyn as they talked about buying their first home with the help of Alex Craig of the Dolinski Group. They were moving back from out of state and were very pleased with the welcoming help that Craig had given them when coming to a new community. Plus, their children are just ecstatic that Alex was born to sell them this house.

For more on The Dolinski Group: http://www.dolinskigroup.com

#BetterCallPaul – The Don McNabb Blooper

On this episode of #BetterCallPaul, watch our esteemed leader make a Division 1 College mistake with Don McNabb.

To watch the conversation: https://wp.me/p8q8pr-1HB

#BetterCallPaul – CJ Clark Talks About His Varied Background

In this conversation segment, CJ Clark, the executive director of Living Water Ministries, talks about his varied art and science background and how he ended up running a non-profit.

For the entire conversation: https://wp.me/p8q8pr-1Dh
For more on Living Water Ministries: http://www.elcalivingwater.com

Guest Post: It’s OK to Find Yourself Help in Running a Small Business

Did you know that out of 27,2 small businesses in the U.S. almost 9,9 are women-owned? What this stat doesn’t explicitly say is that among these female entrepreneurs, there are a lot of women who also have another equally (or even more important) job – they’re full-time moms. Running a small business is extremely demanding and challenging, and it’s only logical that you want to be fully involved in order to make sure that everything is taken care of properly and that your vision is followed down to the tiniest detail. Still, the number of commitments will grow, and this will eventually take its toll on your family life, not to mention that it will most definitely rob you of your “me” time, which is why outsourcing and asking for help is an absolutely valid and welcome option.

Use productivity tools

Every mompreneur knows that good organizational skills are the key to running everything from a household to a company. Luckily, these days when we’re blessed with all kinds of tech gadgets and widgets, it’s much easier to automate certain tasks. There are lots of helpful tools which you can use to boost your productivity, meaning that you’ll be able to work less and achieve more. Even if you’re a home-based SMB owner, it can be hard to manage your time effectively as you always have to juggle between business responsibilities and family chores. A good thing is that these tools, such as Slack, allow you to manage your team remotely and organize online meetings, while Trello lets you create a to-do list, prioritize your tasks, and see how each member of your team performs. When it comes to being a mom, although you can’t always be there for your kids and check whether they got to school on time, you can use an app like Pumpic, to monitor how they spend their online time and keep track of their whereabouts with the help of GPS.

Go social

Social media platforms are frequently blamed for being counterproductive as many people use them for the wrong reasons. The truth is that you can leverage the power of Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn to help your small business thrive and to find a number of helpful communities in which you can read the latest news from your industry, connect with other business professionals, and get some good advice and support. One of the most important starting points when it comes to using social media platforms for your business is picking the right channels. Naturally, Facebook, with its 2.13 billion monthly active users from all around the world is a logical choice regardless of your industry. Instagram and Pinterest, as visually oriented social networks, offer a wide range of promotional possibilities for fashion companies, or those selling handcrafted jewelry or artisan goods. LinkedIn is inevitable if you’re in a B2B industry, as you’ll be able to get in touch with other professionals and potential clients very easily. Apart from being used for promotional activities, social media platforms are extremely effective when it comes to:

Lead generation. You can use relevant keywords to identify prospects and leverage social media to nurture them;
Customer service. More and more people turn to social media channels in order to get information about a product or service, as well as for troubleshooting. Keep your response times as short as possible and make sure to solve every issue as that will improve customer satisfaction and help you score tons of great PR;
Engaging your customers. By providing great content and incentives, you’ll keep your audience engaged without having to use some expensive and time-consuming marketing strategies.

Use social media management tools, such as Buffer or Hootsuite, to post your content on a regular basis, schedule your posts in advance, and put things on autopilot.

Hire the best people for the job

Many small companies start as one-person businesses, but as they develop, more people are needed to keep things running. It can be hard to find someone who is your perfect match and who will be passionate and motivated as you are, but it’s not impossible. Sharing the reins of control with someone new, whom you don’t know yet, can be tricky, but it’s a necessary risk if you want to grow your business and have time to watch your kids grow too. The first thing on your priority list should be hiring a team of experts, that is, people who are skilled and experienced enough to be able to contribute to your thriving business. References and recommendations are the best methods for finding people you can trust your company with. Make sure to check out employment laws in order to understand your responsibilities and prevent some legal issues. Another useful tip about hiring a new employee is that you shouldn’t always listen to your gut instincts because 85% of people lie on their resumes. Do your research well before you welcome anyone aboard. Finally, set your expectations clearly and ask the same from your new employees, because communication is crucial for any successful business relationship.

Manage your money

Stats say that 82% of small businesses fail because of poor cash flow management. This is why you need to acquire some basic money management skills. However, since there are lots of things to deal with, such as delayed invoicing, taxes, paying bills, and various expenses, it’s best to hire a professional accountant. This way you’ll protect yourself from making bad financial decisions, and free up more time to spend with your family. However, even if you have your financial matters under control, running a small business often requires additional investments, which is why obtaining caveat loans can save the day and help you overcome a rough patch easily and with no fuss.

Growing your small business and raising your kids at the same time is very demanding, but it doesn’t have to be exhausting and messy if you’re well organized and surrounded by a team of hand-picked employees who will help you carry physical and psychological burdens of entrepreneurship.

Emma Worden is a startup funding consultant from Sydney. She enjoys reading and writing on different aspects of entrepreneurship, usually finance and marketing. If you want to read more of her work, you can find it at https://bizzmarkblog.com/