Mission Statement for Your Business

Magic of a Mission Statement – Small Business Instruction

When you create a business, you bring forth an entity which has its personality; a living thing. A mission statement expresses the essence of that personality and its nature of being. Defining your mission statement is not, therefore, an empty exercise. Rather it captures and radiates the core purpose of the business and serves as the driving force in everything you do.

Apart from the overarching opening I’ve just presented, why else would you spend time crafting a mission statement? The very act of thinking about your mission statement helps to clarify your business’s goals, standards, and values. These, in turn, form the foundation by which all interested parties know, understand and buy into your vision. And the foundation by which your company will flourish.

Of all the business planning elements, I believe this one provides the most direction. It pulls together disparate pieces and creates focus. Decision making becomes easy, as does strategy formulation. Your marketing messages appear clear and consistent. A strong mission invokes the company’s public voice. In other words, your communications and marketing materials speak in a way that reflects the character of every facet of your business.

A mission statement can be as short as a couple of words or as long as a few sentences. Make it vibrant. Make it mean something. Use active verbs and the active voice but most of all, make it inspire action. You want it to make a powerful impact.

Make your mission broad enough for expansion. Let me explain this by example. Take Starbucks; they could have had a mission: “To make the best coffee in the world”. It’s a decent enough statement, but it is limiting. See how their actual statement broadens the scope; “To inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighbourhood at a time.” Do you see the difference? Without a doubt, Starbucks lives its mission, and the scope is wider than just coffee.

To get your thinking in gear, I have presented some questions. Take a look, think about them and write your answer. When you have finished, pick out the most important points and put together in one, two or three sentences. And lastly, find out what other people think before you finalise it.

ASK YOURSELF THESE QUESTIONS

� Why am I in this business – what made me want to do this?
� What do I do – define who you are, what you offer, and price, quality?
� How do I do it – how am I different to the competition?
� Who do I serve – persona?
� What image do I want to portray – how do I want my business to be perceived
� What value do I provide?
� What are the defining characteristics of my business – what philosophies or values guide me?

� Event Management
� Campaign Management
� Copywriting
� Market analysis and strategic marketing planning
� Create/manage social media programme
� Create/manage your digital programme
� Create and implement a marketing communications strategy and plan
… and more.

Why Work With Me?

� Excellent subject matter expertise – skills, knowledge and experience
� Flexible, no-nonsense, outsourced marketing support for your business
� Passion for mastery and success
� Results driven
� Holistic viewpoint – working on business success and personal value congruence

Tips for Developing a Reliable Distribution System

Developing and distributing products to others may sound fairly simple on paper, but the reality is that there are plenty of challenges that make distribution much more difficult than it otherwise should be. If you’re thinking about starting a business that relies heavily on effective distribution, then you’ll want to know what to expect ahead of time. In order to help you prepare effectively, this guide will outline some of the biggest obstacles that are commonly associated with distributing to a wide range of clients, as well as some of the best tips for overcoming these challenges.

Make Sure Your Products are Environmentally Friendly

One of the most overlooked aspects of distribution is the environment. While it’s good for companies to design their services with the environment in mind, this tip is more focused on how the environment actually affects the business, rather than the other way around. Certain products can be negatively affected by the weather, especially in situations that involve extremely hot or cold environments. If you want to avoid environmental hazards from negatively impacting both you and your customer’s experience, then you’ll need to invest in safety features that protect your products from the elements.

Focus on Reliable Transportation

Reliable transportation is one of the most important aspects of any distribution system, as you don’t want to have to repeatedly explain to clients why their goods or materials haven’t arrived yet. Although you can try to develop a distribution system from scratch in order to save money, it’s usually better for new businesses to simply invest in another service that already takes care of that. For instance, some distribution companies even offer distribution testing as a means of determining exactly how effective the process is. This information is incredibly valuable, as it can help you figure out what is working and what isn’t.

Developing a distribution system from scratch can be an incredibly stressful process, but it’s not impossible. Hopefully, by following these tips, you’ll be able to gain some insight into the most challenging aspects of the business and understand how to better overcome them. If you still have concerns about building a new distribution system, then there are plenty of companies out there that will help you develop a testing method so that you can figure out exactly what direction you should take your company in.

Cloud Computing and Small Businesses

Many hosted services are offered over the web for a variety of business needs. The general term used to refer to all of these is cloud computing. Cloud computing allows online companies to use resources over the internet rather than build and maintain their own in-house infrastructures.

Cloud computing is a trendy term that can be heard everywhere these days. Simply put, it refers to storing and accessing information and applications over the web instead of getting them all stored on the hard drive of your computer.

Storing or running programs from your hard drive is called local storage. This means that everything you need is physically there with you, making access to data easy and fast, especially for the one computer and the others connected to it through a local network. This was how many industries functioned for a long time before the cloud came along.

The “cloud” refers to the internet. This calls back to the times in office presentations when the internet was represented by a puffy cloud that accepts and gives information as it hovers above everything.

You may be using cloud computing at some aspect of life without realising it. This applies to online services that you use to send email, edit your documents, stream films or TV shows, listen to music, play games online, or store files and images. Cloud computinga makes all these things possible behind it all.

The first services to use cloud computing are a couple of decades old, rising fast so that a wide range of organisations are already using the service. This includes startups to big corporations as well as non-profits and government agencies.

Cloud computing at a glance

According to a study by the IDC, 50% of information technology will transition to the cloud within 5-10 years. Among the industries that rely heavily on data are the financial sector, telecommunications, technology, health care, government, advertising, retail, gaming, energy and data services.

Furthermore, 82% of companies have found significant savings in moving to the cloud. 60% of businesses already make use of cloud-based IT for operations. 82% of companies are also planning for a multi-cloud strategy.

These stats show that cloud computing holds much promise as a rising industry as well as a valuable resource for companies to take advantage of.

Cloud solutions for business

There are three different types of cloud solutions that businesses can choose from to find the best fit – private cloud, hybrid cloud and public cloud. Each offer different features and benefits. But with each type, the end result stays the same: cloud computing can be done wherever you are, at any time.

Private cloud

Private cloud works in industries with concerns for privacy, including medium businesses and more established enterprises that need to meet standards for security and compliance.

One example is IoT companies, such as those who trace customers through their phones. Other examples include health data companies, e-commerce sites that store credit card data, industries with high intellectual property concerns, and companies that emphasise data sovereignty.

Private cloud is managed by an in-house team of IT personnel or by a private host.

Private cloud offers complete control and flexibility, enabling businesses to manage their own dedicated resources within a third party datacentre.

Hybrid cloud

Hybrid cloud is for companies that prefer the security offered by private cloud. This type of cloud solution is best for workloads that are highly dynamic and prone to changeability. This includes enterprises that can be split into two spheres, sensitive and non-sensitive.

Hybrid cloud also works best for businesses with seasonal data spikes, big data processing, and those with workloads involving API compatibility and requiring solid connection to a network. Hybrid cloud takes its name from the fact that it is managed by both in-house and external resources.

This mix of private and public clouds offer blending of such services as Office 365 for email with other applications that businesses don’t want to be made available in a shared environment.

Public cloud

Public cloud is for industries that have a significant amount of data with no major concerns for privacy. Companies that use this service opt for a pay-as-you-go structure. This type of cloud solution is managed by third party providers.

Industries that use public cloud include those in development and testing, development platform, training servers, one-off big data projects and websites with public information, product descriptions and brochures.

Public cloud is perfect for services, applications and storage that are made publicly available as well as those that use shared resources that are managed by the cloud provider.

How Can I Keep My Business Moving Forward In 2017?

2017 is almost half over. At this point, many business owners are examining their company’s progress thus far while also thinking about what changes can be implemented to ensure that the second half of the year is marked by substantive growth. Below you’ll find three tips you can implement now to keep your business moving forward this year:

1. Utilize Testing Services.

One great way to keep your business moving forward in 2017 is by using testing services. These services are designed to ensure that all of the commercial equipment being used in your facility works correctly. Taking this step will decrease the likelihood of accidents and injuries. In the event that you’re looking for a gas station testing ca company, note that the professionals of FASTECH’s Compliance Testing can assist you. Before you hire a testing company, be sure to go online and read the reviews that former and current customers have left about the business. This step will empower you to determine whether the testing company’s professionals are known for offering excellent, expedient services to all clients.

2. Develop A Strong Ecommerce Campaign.

Another strategy you can implement to make 2017 a time of incredible growth for your organization is developing a strong ecommerce campaign. Doing so can help you connect and convert prospects across the globe in a savvy, organic manner that helps your company earn and maintain a cutting edge image. Some of the digital services that can be used to engender these outcomes include social media optimization, responsive web design, content marketing, search engine optimization, and content marketing.

3. Purchase Printing Products To Advertise Offline.

While online advertising is immensely important in a society where online shopping has become the norm, it’s still advisable to use traditional marketing methodologies. This is the case because not everyone uses the internet. Moreover, advertising online and offline can help you optimize the brand recognition process by ensuring that prospects are learning about your product or service line in multiple spaces. One great traditional advertising methodology you should consider implementing is the use of printing products. Some of the products you may find advantageous for company growth include:

� Booklets
� Appointment Cards
� Brochures
� Catalogs
� Banners
� Coupons
� Door Hangers
� Envelopes
� Business Cards
� Forms
� Graphic Design
� Flyers
� Labels
� Invitations
� Letterhead
� Mailing Services
� Newsletters
� Tickets
� Postcards
� Manuals
� Posters
� Prescription Pads
� Rack Cards
� Presentation Folders
� Table Tents

Start Moving Forward Now!

Business objectives are realized through the consistent implementation of proven strategies. Three growth strategies that can help your company attain profound levels of expansion are outlined above. Start implementing them now so you can begin seeing results!

Faster Writing

Would you like to write a great blogpost or email in half the time without losing quality – and perhaps even making it better in the process?

Here’s how:

1: Create an outline. Your outline is your plan, and it’s going to make your entire task easier for 3 reasons:

a) Having a plan diffuses procrastination. When we look at a project our mind tells us it’s big – too big. This causes stress, which makes us want to avoid the whole thing. By having a plan, we can break the writing down into manageable, stress free steps.

b) Having a plan keeps you from wandering off topic. If you have a simple outline to follow, it’s just a matter of filling out each section of the outline. But without a plan, you could waste a great deal of time writing about things that in the end don’t even pertain to your main topic.

c) It makes research super easy. Once you have an outline, researching can be as simple as Googling each item on your outline. Without a plan, your research can lead you into never-ending time-wasting circles.

2: Once you’ve got your outline, set it aside for an hour or a day and let it bake in your brain.

By setting it aside, you can let your mind focus on something else. Meanwhile, your subconscious is still working on that outline. You’ll be surprised by what your subconscious gives you. All of a sudden you’ll realize you left out the most important part, or you’ve found a much better way to illustrate your main point.

3: Write every day. Writing, just like anything else, is a skill. The more you do it, the better and faster you will get.

Write even when you don’t ‘fee’ like it. As Stephen King has said, “Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration. The rest of us just get up and go to work.”

Or as another writer stated, “I wait for inspiration to strike. Fortunately for me, it strikes every day at 9 am.”

Even if you absolutely, positively do NOT want to write, tell yourself you’re going to write for just 15 minutes. Then start writing. You can write anything – anything at all – but you must write. Pretty soon you’ll be working on your project and wondering why you were feeling such resistance to something you actually enjoy.

4: Use deadlines in your favor. Without a deadline, there is no stress. With no stress, your brain puts off the task of writing for later. After all, writing takes brain power, effort, thinking and decision making – things your brain would rather put off until later. Or never.

But when you have a deadline, you have stress to get the job done. The closer the deadline, the more stress. To relieve the stress, you’ve got to get busy. Now your brain is telling you to, “Write right now!”

If self-imposed deadlines work for you, then you know what to do. If not, you’ll have to find a way to get others to hold you accountable for your deadlines. For example, telling your blog readers that your next post goes live on Tuesday at 10 am PST should work nicely.

No blog readers yet? Have a friend hold you accountable. If you don’t make your deadline, you owe them dinner.

5: Focus on the “feel goods.”Back when I had a regular job, I loved my days off. I especially loved them when I knew well in advance that they were coming.

But if I found out that morning that I wasn’t working, then half the joy of having time off was gone. There was no anticipation. No looking forward to that day off. Frankly, I felt ripped off if I didn’t know I wasn’t working until that same morning.

You can use this knowledge to self-motivate yourself. Think about how great it will feel to hit publish or send. Think about closing the file and doing something you love as a reward. Think about the accolades you’ll receive for finishing the project, or the money you’ll earn, or whatever it is that motivates you to keep working until you’re done.

6: Turn off the internet. Some folks, me included, tend to get distracted by the internet. We think we’re going to ‘sneak off’ for 5 minutes to check Reddit, and an hour later we still haven’t gotten back to work.

So whenever possible, just disconnect your wifi. Turn off your cell phone. Remove anything else that tends to distract you. And then go to work.

7: Speed up your typing. If you’re not able to type at least 50 words per minute, maybe it’s time you improved your typing skills.

It’s difficult when your thoughts are coming faster than your fingers can tap them out. But you have options:

� Type faster. There are plenty of free and paid courses online that will teach you how to touch type faster.

� Use a voice to text program such as Dragon Naturally.

� Record yourself and have it transcribed.

Writing by itself isn’t hard. It’s all the baggage we attach to it that makes it difficult. But if you can think of writing as simply assembling the pieces to a puzzle, you’ll do it much better and faster.