June Business Micro-Articles

Are You Stuck In The Self-Employment Trap?

Many people go the self-employment route in order to have more control over their days, in search of a better work/life balance.

Reality soon becomes very different: long hours while you pour everything into the business. This leads to burnout.

What actions can you take to avoid or escape this trap?

• Delegate More Tasks. This is hard to do, especially when you want things to go just right.
  Turn your attention to hiring one or more employees who are up to the challenge and can meet your needs.
  It might take a while to find the ideal match, but it’s worth it to find someone who can take on crucial tasks and help you achieve your goals.
• Inspect Your Systems And Processes. Across the board, you need systems and processes in place.
  When you have a framework to follow, it makes it much easier to reclaim your time and energy. Inc., Feb. 18, 2021

Make The Most of Your Remote Workforce

More people are working at home. With a spread-out workforce, businesses face new challenges that they didn’t face with the traditional in-office model.
Now, as businesses adapt, they are looking for ways to get more out of their remote workforce.

1. They’re Reorganizing. Businesses are taking a hard look at their internal structure, along with systems and processes.
   They’re shifting the way they hire by raising their expectations. Along with that, they’re redoing the way they onboard and train.
   They’re relearning to do everything remotely, and tools like Slack and Zoom are taking center stage.
2. They’re Investing In Technology. Businesses are bringing new tools and tech into the mix.
   They’re investing in communication and collaboration tools.
   They’re relying heavily on the cloud and VPNs.
   They’re also buying devices like laptops and PCs for their remote workforce to ensure everyone is using the same, approved technology – which makes support and security more efficient. Inc., Feb. 27, 2021

Use Technology to Make Your Business Stand Out

Today’s workforce is more tech-savvy than ever before. This means your business should be as well.
You want to attract good talent, and leveraging your own tech prowess can be a way to do just that.

Think about how you engage with social media.

Is it something that’s just there or is it something you’re using to actively reach out and connect with customers, potential customers, and your community?

TikTok, for example, relies on a powerful algorithm to reach specific audiences.
Businesses can take advantage of that to get content, including ads, to relevant eyes.
According to Hootsuite, TikTok pushes for five million daily impressions for certain ads.

Taking it a step further, you can mix AI with human communication.
Chatbots are more advanced than ever and can seriously impact lead generation.
Chatbots also direct users to real people to continue the conversation on specific terms. Basically, there are more ways to customize how you communicate, and it’s worth investing in. Forbes, March 12, 2021