Tag Archives: business

Lifestyle, Tips

Keeping Connected As A Team Beyond Zoom

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zoom, video conferencing, meetings, business, covid, covid 19

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Zoom has reported a not-insignificant 170% increase in revenue and 250% rise in the value of their stocks since the start of the pandemic – and it’s easy to see why. The advantages of being the first video calling software out of the gate back in March 2020 are clear to see – but is it all set to change?

Consumers are fickle – back in the Tiger King and banana bread stage of COVID-19, we flirted endlessly with Houseparty… until the security breaches persuaded us elsewhere.

Right now, other platforms are emerging with different features all vying for the top spot in virtual networking. With 80% of organizations expected to use cloud services by 2025, let’s explore some of the best platforms to keep remote workers connected.

Asana

Touted as a platform to empower remote workers to plan and coordinate work, Asana is a great alternative for project planning with a visual edge.

On one dashboard, you can structure work to suit your team’s needs, setting priorities and deadlines and assigning tasks from one location. Asana eradicates the need for those ‘just checking the progress on xyz project’ emails as you can transparently see where a job is at, and who it currently lies with. From medical malpractice attorneys to marketing experts, this is great when collaboration is key. 

Used by the likes of Google, Nasa, and Sky, Asana is a tried and tested project management system, capable of handling the smallest tasks to the biggest, global launches all on the same browser.

Microsoft Teams x SelfDrvn

Integrating gamification with a traditional collaborative, virtual workspace, SelfDrvn has recently joined forces with Microsoft Teams to boost employee productivity… with games.

SelfDrvn is an employee engagement platform, optimized to empower and drive remote teams. Encouraging collaboration and togetherness, the software promises to motivate teams towards company-wide goals, urging them to ‘give their best every day.’

Now the service as a solution (SaaS) platform has integrated with Microsoft Teams, a raft of new workplace initiatives will be seen, from talent recognition, appreciation badges, reward points, and levels.

With employers struggling to see how their employees are performing at work without them being in their eye line, this SaaS provider gives key insights to behavior and habits to better commend workers for doing a good job.

Final words on connecting beyond Zoom

Buffer’s 2020 State of Remote Work report shows that 98% of those interviewed would like to continue remote working in some capacity for the rest of their working lives. The biggest struggle they list as their blocker? Collaboration and communication, followed by loneliness.

We are only fresh into the remote working world, but we need to continue to prioritize employee collaboration and communication if the initiative is to succeed. By using some of the tools we have listed above, you can improve the dynamics between your teams and enhance their working experience for good – and who knows what the next big thing in remote software will be.

Lifestyle, Tips

How To Sell a Car: Speed Up the Process

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Most people dream of the day they can sell their car and buy a new one. This is usually because you’ve reached your goal of saving up enough money, or you want a change. No matter if you are looking at selling your car, or even trade in your car, this should be an exciting process, not one that drags on for weeks. Follow these simple steps to help you speed up the process so you can enjoy your new car sooner than you think.

sell a car, car sales, vehicle, money, automobile, trucks, business, new car, used car

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Be Patient

Being patient is essential when you are selling or buying a car. It is important not to get too frustrated with selling a vehicle, as it takes time and effort.

There are many reasons why you might have decided to sell your car, such as getting a new one or having too much on finance and wanting to pay it off.

Whatever the reason is for selling, there will always be factors that make it difficult, like slow valuers, not enough interest in buying the vehicle, and more.

However, if you take each scenario with patience and work hard to find other ways of selling, then at least you have tried everything possible to quickly sell the vehicle before giving up.

Seek Alternative Options

This is a good idea if you are selling an old car that isn’t worth much. For example, with edmunds car value, you can trade it in for something newer or use it as a down payment on another vehicle.

This will also help speed up the process since they won’t have to go through the trouble of valuing your car and seeing what they would offer instead.

Don’t forget, dealerships love people who walk into their store with cash already in hand, so don’t feel awkward about using this option.

Consult and Get the Right Values for the Job

This is probably the most critical step in your car selling process. First, get hold of a reputable mechanic who can assess the condition of your car. Next, seek out at least three different valuers to get an idea of how much they think you should sell it for. You need to make sure that these are people with experience, not just anyone off the street.

Once you have all this information, take some time and look through everything carefully before coming to conclusions about what price is reasonable for you to ask for or accept if someone offers a trade-in deal. 

Look at the Bigger Picture

Looking at the bigger picture is essential. But, unfortunately, many people are in a rush to sell their car when they need to take time and think about what’s really happening, why they’re selling the vehicle, and what kind of opportunities might be coming down if they wait longer than expected.

Selling your vehicle is an important decision that requires patience and understanding and help from qualified professionals.

Doing this will help you take in the big picture of why you are selling your car. This will ensure that everything goes smoothly when parting with your vehicle, no matter what.

Understand and Focus on Why You Are Selling

The real reason you are selling your car is to get rid of it. There isn’t always a tangible benefit in doing this so if possible, try to seek alternatives or understand why you want the sale done sooner rather than later. If there’s no big rush, then consider looking for other options like trading-in.

Conclusion

In conclusion, to speed up the process of selling your car, be patient with yourself and seek alternative options like trade-ins. Look at the bigger picture to understand why you are selling while seeking other sale methods.

Life, Lifestyle, Tips

Burnt Out and Overwhelmed? Having a Poor Business Structure May Be the Reason

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Everyone has heard the advice that it’s better to work smart than to work hard, but many business owners assume it doesn’t apply to them. More often than not, they assume that working 60-hour weeks and finding themselves constantly busy is a sign that their companies are becoming more successful. Unfortunately, constant work can leave entrepreneurs feeling burnt out and overwhelmed, and poor business structures are the most common underlying cause of this problem.

The Importance of Delegation

Delegating tasks to competent employees or third-party contractors is the best way to improve a business structure and reduce stress, but few business owners know how to do this effectively. Those who find themselves stuck doing too many tasks that fall outside the purview of general managers need to recognize the problem before they can make any changes.

To get an idea of whether this is a real problem, keep track of 100% of the time spent at work for one to two weeks. Analyze the resulting timesheet to see how most of that time is getting spent. If most of the tasks on the list are things that business owners don’t enjoy and aren’t very good at, it’s time for them to start finding ways to delegate those responsibilities.

Making Use of Outside Resources

Some tasks can be delegated effectively to existing employees. Others are best left to outside specialists. Bookkeeping Services are a perfect example.

Most small to mid-sized companies don’t have it in the budget to hire full-time bookkeepers. Instead, business owners either take on this work themselves or delegate it to managers who don’t have the specialized training required to do the work well.

Not all tasks can be delegated to just any employee. Delegating tasks to employees who don’t have the skills to complete them efficiently can still create extra work for business owners since they’ll have to check every step of their managers’ work for accuracy. It makes far more sense to hire an outside specialist.

Stop Making Excuses

Many business owners put off changing the structure of their companies until they are already overworked and overwhelmed, making up excuses about why they should be doing 100% of the work themselves. Being too busy all the time is not a sign of success, but of poor business structure, and making excuses for it can hold business owners and their companies back from reaching their full potential.

Try a Stress Test

It’s common for business owners at successful, growing companies to assume that their companies could not survive for even a moment without them. Sometimes, unfortunately, that’s true. A company that can’t operate for even a week without the business owner at the helm is not structured correctly, and things will only get worse for the already overworked owner as it continues to grow.

To see if the company’s organizational structure is up to snuff, put it through a stress test by taking some time off. Aim for at least a week of no contact. Take a vacation and avoid taking a single email or call, and see what happens. If things keep running smoothly without the business owner at the helm, that’s a good sign that the company’s organizational structure is solid.

The Bottom Line

Everyone from office workers to business owners deserves to have a life outside of work. For the average employee, managing work-life balance is relatively easy since the entire company’s success does not rest on his or her shoulders. While business owners inevitably have more responsibilities than the typical office worker, they still deserve to get enough time off to have meaningful lives outside of work. Restructuring can help them avoid burnout without risking damage to the company’s bottom line.