Business

We’ve all been there. You hear something clank around inside your car, or the engine starts to die in the middle of the highway, or you start to wonder what that weird smell is coming from the hood of your vehicle. Something went wrong, and you’re not sure how to fix it. It’s time to take your car into the shop, but you’re worried it will be a complicated, frustrating process that may end up costing you an arm and a leg. Unfortunately, the mechanic industry gets a bad rap for taking advantage of unsuspecting customers and being a pain to deal with. But it doesn’t have to.

If you run an automotive shop, you detest these negative stereotypes. You got into the business to help people and use your vehicular expertise to get drivers back on the road safely and securely. You want to provide a great service to your community, and you want to do it efficiently and smoothly for your team and your customers. There are always opportunities for improvement. As you search for the right tools and tricks to make your automotive company run smoothly, remember that the right equipment is at the heart of what you do. Great equipment for your mechanic shop isn’t only about tools, lifts, and machines, it’s also about the software and skills of running a successful business. Even your attitude and your mission statement affects how your customers respond to your business. So as you’re looking for ways to make everything run more smoothly, consider these tips, tricks, and pieces of equipment that will absolutely do the trick.

Improve your communication channels.

No matter what business you’re running, communication is key. You need to be able to appropriately and effectively reach out to customers and let them know what’s happening with their vehicle. Get the best software and equipment to help you with outbound calls and customer service. Having an outbound call center allows you to reach out to customers rather than wait for them to come to you. With cloud-based technology, you’ll be aligning your networks with ease and getting better lead generation. Take a load off of your workday and allow your call center to help you in new and exciting ways.

Motivate your team.

While your auto shop isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, it’s still a great idea to set goals and have a growth strategy to move forward. To form a true team, you need to get everyone on the same page. Take the time to set your Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) and be transparent about what you need from your mechanics. Getting advice from WorkBoard OKR podcasts can help you talk results, leadership, and overall company growth. If you really want to be the best in the business, you need your results velocity to soar and your whole team to feel motivated by your goals and driven to reach designated outcomes.

Clean up the garage.

Auto shops can get messy. Mechanics are called grease monkeys for a reason. But walking into a shop with tools all over the place, grease stains on the floor, and precarious materials left lying around can be incredibly dangerous. One of the ways to show customers you take pride in your work is to keep the shop as clean as possible. This will also help with efficiency.

It may be time to invest in equipment that will make cleaning your garage a breeze. Something as simple as garage floor containment mats can catch unwanted debris from the vehicles you’re working on. These can be custom-fit to any garage and are easy to pull out and clean. So don’t let a car that is caked in mud or bringing in melted snow and rain affect the rest of your shop. Make containing the mess one of your strategic priorities so you can leave the containment edge in its rightful place.

Keep up-to-date with your machinery.

First and foremost your auto show is responsible for fixing cars. You won’t be able to do this without state-of-the-art, updated machinery. There are so many different systems that work together to make your car run smoothly, be sure you have a solution if any of these systems run amuck. Maybe it’s automotive lubricant systems or vehicle exhaust removal or a pump to refill tires. Whatever machinery and equipment you are using, make sure it is up for the task and ready to operate day in and day out.

One of the biggest trends in automotive mechanics is the use of pneumatic equipment. Rather than relying on electric energy, these tools get their power from compressed air. This creates a safer environment with less risk of fire or combustion. These air compressor tools can be used on a majority of different projects.

Utilize effective lifts and storage.

Working on a car is not always an easy task. You may need to get under the vehicle to understand what is really going on. Rather than constantly laying on your back and sliding under low-sitting cars, can you utilize a lift system? Most auto shops use lifts so you can view and fix cars at a more comfortable level for you. This can also help with storage if you need to keep a car overnight and want to pull other vehicles into the garage. Just make sure you use the best lifts you can find. You don’t want any risk that cars could fall or be dislodged from a certain height. This could be a dangerous problem for everyone involved.

Get the right hand tools.

This may seem like an obvious tip, but when you’re looking for the best equipment for a smoothly run auto shop, don’t forget to update your toolbox. While that rusty old wrench may look good for your overall handyman aesthetic, it may not do the trick the same way a new one would. Invest in great hand tools that can help you with little jobs. You never know when you’ll need a hammer or a screwdriver, so don’t ever be caught without one.

Make scheduling easier.

Another helpful piece of digital equipment is an easy scheduling system. Your office staff spends so much of their time taking inbound calls to make appointments. Save them the trouble by making it easy to sign up and schedule online. Not only will this save you time, but it will simplify the overall process for your customers. This will leave them eager to come back and work with you again.

Allow for customer feedback.

Your relationship with your customers is the most important thing. Whether you’re reaching out to potential customers or giving the best results to your loyal ones, you want to share your strengths with your community. That being said, be aware that you can always work to improve. Allowing space for customer feedback can help you recognize issues you weren’t aware of. Giving this option proves that you actually care about the job that you are doing and that you aren’t trying to rip anyone off. Show that your shop is truly a collaborative setting by listening to the people you serve. This will also help things run smoothly in the future because you’ll be able to solve those issues that were holding things up.

 

Businesses with storage warehouses for their products rely on a lot of equipment to help with the efficient movement of their products. One of the most common equipments used in warehouses is the flatbed trolley.

While trolleys are simple enough, business organisations should keep in mind that not all trolleys are created the same. Some trolleys are specifically manufactured to carry only up to a maximum load limit. Likewise, the nature, shape, size, and weight of the load to be transported should also be considered when planning to purchase a trolley for your organisation. Here are some of the factors that you need to consider.

Know the Type of Flatbed Trolley that You Will Require. There are many types and variations of flatbed trolleys and carts, depending on how they will be used. Flatbed trolleys may differ in the materials they are made of, from the traditional wooden base and steel frame to plastic-clad versions for use in clean environments. Trolleys may also differ in their wheel options to cope with different types of ground conditions. Likewise, trolleys can come with options such as dead man breaks that stop the trolley when the handle is released. Some trolleys may come with options such as built-in weighing scales and even engine-powered trolleys that enable the users to move heavier weights with minimal efforts. Knowing your company’s specific requirements for moving loads will help you choose the right type of flatbed trolley.

Design a Pathway. If you are using a warehouse for storage, you must design a pathway that your trolleys can roll through smoothly. When creating a pathway, you must account for your trolleys’ maneuverability and create pathways that can accommodate two trolleys passing each other and being able to maneuver them on the way back. When you have an efficiently-designed pathway, your storing and delivery times will speed up, and you will also ensure that you are prolonging your trolley’s lifespan.

Consider entryways, exits, and spaces. A flatbed trolley’s main purpose is to move or transfer loads with minimal risk of getting damaged. When choosing a trolley, you must consider the entryways of your warehouse and your delivery vehicles. For example, how big your delivery vehicle will also determine whether you will need a trolley that can be rolled up a ramp and fit into the vehicle or if you will need a trolley that has its powered lift table.

Establish a maximum load for your trolleys. Flatbed trolleys are rated according to the maximum load that they can carry. Most flatbed trolleys that weigh 4 kg can carry a maximum load of 150 kilograms. However, stating the maximum load to your employees may not be the best guide. Instead of counting the load weight, you can train your employees to load the trolleys with a maximum number of boxes instead. Likewise, even if the maximum load is 150 kg, you should not load the trolleys up to their maximum limits. This practice will help prolong the lifespan of your trolleys.

Label Your Flatbeds. Suppose you are using multiple flatbeds in your warehouse, it is best to label them according to their load limits, type of products to be loaded, acquisition date, condition, and the person accountable, to name a few. Properly labelling your equipment will ensure that your flatbeds are where they are supposed to be and are used where they are supposed to be used.

Lastly, it is important to invest in maintaining your flatbed trolleys, such as making sure that the wheels are working smoothly and all the parts are in order.

 

The Coronavirus pandemic showed up and turned all of our worlds upside down. Life as we knew it seemed to shift into a complete unprecedented reality almost overnight. Panicked news headlines lit up our phones by the hour with infuriatingly contradictory reports of what we should all be doing in light of an evolving global pandemic. Then, we finally started to gain some clarity from the world’s leading medical professionals, and ultimately were given the chance to develop our own action plans. Grocery stores were able to catch their breaths, restock those toilet paper aisles, and the blind panic finally dissipated into a general state of hopeful acceptance. With these changes that have come about through the Coronavirus, many of us have transitioned to working our jobs from the cozy confines of our respective quarantine caves.

The risks associated with leaving our homes are too great, and fortunately, with all the technology that we have at our disposal, we can still go about with that pursuit of excellence, and the productive workday from home. Offices as we know it might never fully return. With that all being said, let’s take a look at some specific reasons why you and everyone else should be working from home given the chance.

It’s considerate to those around you.

If there’s one thing that Covid-19 has taught us it’s that it’s a ferocious and invisible monster that can spread like wildfire. The world’s gained the bitter insight at this point that Covid-19 will infect people like crazy, if people are gathered around in close quarters. So, choosing to set up your own home office, where you’re able to carry on with your work responsibilities in such a way that you’re also not exposing other people to potentially catching the Coronavirus, is the right move.

You might even be able to get the kind of home office going with the natural light and the stand desks that has you feeling way better than you ever did back in the actual office. Just make sure you do your due diligence on best practices for creating a home office. You don’t want to put all that hard work in, and then realize that your new workspace is anything but a great place.

You’ll actually have less distractions.

While the office environment can be a fun one, and it’s undoubtedly great to fraternize with those co-workers in a physical space, you can actually end up not getting as much work done as you would’ve if you’d been able to fulfill the day’s responsibilities in isolation. Having the opportunity to churn out all that work from your home office space is a new way to get more work done than you ever thought possible. Seriously, there must be some CEOs out there that are going over their quarterly reports and genuinely shocked by the surges in productivity that they’re able to note. It shouldn’t be too surprising. Humans are social animals, after all.

You’re setting a good example.

There’s always going to be the toxic company culture out there that passive-aggressively encourages its employees to turn up at the office regardless of the maelstrom of foreboding news headlines about the importance of not leaving the house. You have the chance though, to go against the grain, and express your own righteous core values about trying to keep other people healthy and safe. As long as you navigate that decision in a respectful manner, you might actually end up getting other people at that company to look at the remote work lifestyle in a whole new manner. That’s what it’s all about.

We’ve touched on a few key reasons why it’s important for you and everyone else to work from home during these difficult times. The main point of it all is to join in the collective effort to promote the well being of your fellow human beings. Some of us are lucky enough to be able to get most (if not all) of our work done from our home office spaces. It’s just on us to commit to doing that. And if you ever find yourself in a place where you feel like you need a new home altogether, in order to work remotely successfully, then use a resource like John Foresi from Venterra Realty. They’re just one amongst a wealth of helpful realtor companies that are all scrambling to help people get situated in awesome new apartment communities. It’s completely natural that Covid-19 has inspired so many to uproot their lives and finally move into new spaces. Spending enough time in one space for a while will do that.

 

Welcoming new employees into the fold isn’t always easy. Often times, natural stressors lead to tension between team members. This can produce a knock on effect that lasts for months or years. Opening up to new employees and making them feel at home in the office is an essential task for startups and big businesses alike.

Pair new employees with mentors.

Pairing up new employees with a mentor that can show them the ropes in your industry and office is a great way to help break the ice. If you work in a startup you likely manage a small, tight knit team that prizes hard work and ingenuity. These are the building blocks that underpin successful entrepreneurs, but they can easily make a new employee feel frozen out of the team building and strategizing processes that occur within these small business niches. Utilizing mentors cuts this problem out, almost entirely. Any new employee will need to acclimate to the people and processes that make your small business tick, but with the help of a seasoned veteran to grease the skids this onboarding process can be made far easier and lends strength to your overall business.

An advisor can help introduce new hires to their teammates and break the social tension that pervades these new meetings. But advisors also assist in teaching the best practices employed by your office and the nuances that go into entrepreneurial success in your particular niche market. Top tips for entrepreneurs often cite these onboarding tasks as some of the trickiest to navigate. Getting it right will put your startup in a great position to reach its milestone goals and offer a great place to work for new employees from their first step inside the building. It begins with a mindset of friendly competition and support that will carry your venture forward, no matter your market.

Find the right office space for your market.

The strength of a business plan is only one aspect that drives a successful entrepreneur. You also have to be able to execute that vision in order to grow a successful business to its maturity. This means utilizing all the tools at your disposal, financing the venture and selecting appropriate work space that will foster the creativity and passion necessary to accomplish the visionary work that your firm engages itself in.

Working with a realtor to select the perfect office location is an essential task in the startup process. Placing your offices in a hub city that will entice top talent to join your ranks is crucial, but you also want to locate yourself within the network of clients that are likely to use your services or buy your products.

Take it from Venterra Reality’s John Foresi—location is critical to finding success. Online businesses are not immune to location constraints either. From web development to digital marketing or sales functions, finding the right property remains an important aspect of the business development process. In addition, the internal features of the space you will call home are crucial to providing new employees with a welcoming environment that makes them excited to get up in the morning. Inclusions like vending machines or pool tables in the break room allow your team to blow off steam during their down time and these amenities foster bonding amongst individual team members. A group of friends working toward a common business goal create far better products than professional strangers, so creating this inviting atmosphere is absolutely critical to finding ongoing success that punctuates your overriding business strategy.

Keeping these in mind when planning expansions that take on new employees will help you make the onboarding process easier and streamline these individuals’ integration into the company structure seamlessly.

 

Despite the pandemic, many businesses continue to open. Entrepreneurs are working with government officials to understand COVID-19 regulations and to find ways to open their doors while staying safe. Even as the pandemic continues to spread across the country, business owners are optimistic about the future and looking ahead to their new ventures.

If you are part of this group of people and are ready to open a restaurant next year, follow these steps. You can make a big impact in your community and grow your business quickly even with lockdown restrictions still in place.

1. Invest in quality equipment and supplies.

As you start to acquire items for your restaurant, you may be tempted to look for used items that are heavily discounted. While there are some things you can pick up on the cheap (like a couch in your waiting area that you plan to upcycle) your restaurant equipment is not. You want your commercial kitchen to function at its best, and there is no guarantee that the items you get continue to operate unless you buy it new. Even restaurant appliances that seem like they are in good shape could have hidden flaws. Invest in high-quality commercial cooking equipment before you open your doors. Your cooking staff and customers will appreciate it.

2. Take steps to reduce your environmental impact.

The foodservice industry has a significant impact on the environment. Restaurants throw away a large amount of uneaten food and contribute to sewer buildup from used cooking oil. The oil, fat and grease that gets dumped down the drain has to go somewhere, and it usually ends up congealing with other solid waste that humans create. This may be gross to think about, but it is important to know where your cooking oil is going.

Look for ways to reduce your environmental impact as a restaurant owner. For example, you can work with a company that offers used cooking oil recycling to take away your old vegetable oil in gallons and use it for biofuel. You can also find a composting source and use biodegradable utensils and napkins when serving customers.

3. Follow COVID-19 safety protocols.

You have an opportunity to develop a restaurant concept that meets or exceeds COVID-19 guidelines in your area. For example, you can look for a location that has outdoor seating that is safer for diners or opt to have fewer tables at first for greater social distancing. If you are opening a bakery or grill in a high-traffic area, consider getting a takeout window that customers can walk up to. These steps will allow you to stay open and thrive during the pandemic.

4. Form partnerships in your area.

As your new restaurant launches, identify partnerships and relationships that you can form with others around you. For example, offer a discount to a store across the street with each purchase and ask that store to offer the same.

These partnerships can boost the word of mouth marketing related to your business and bring in new people to try out your kitchen and meet your chef.

5. Focus on quality ingredients.

Restaurant diners are increasingly focused on where their food comes from, opting to eat at new restaurants that have farm-to-table practices or use organic produce. Keep this in mind as you choose your vendors. Ask them where they get their supplies and how their vegetables and livestock are raised. Look for top quality products and items that can win over food-conscious customers so they know the meals they order are ethical as well as delicious.

Opening a restaurant will have its challenges in 2021. However, you can take steps to increase your chances of success and win loyal customers over.

 

These days, it’s hard to operate a business without incorporating technology of some kind. As the years go by, competition has stiffened, and every startup has to develop strategies that separate them from the crowd. At first glance, that’s a bit hard to do when there’s an array of new tools popping up overnight. You have to do some in-depth research to figure out which ones actually suit your business goals.

You’re not going to get ahead in business if you don’t ask yourself what tools you need and how to incorporate them correctly. With that in mind, here are some vital tools for startups.

1. Security Tools

Although great for business, having an online site comes with many risks. Companies need to look for ways to guard themselves against the various online attacks while also giving their employees the privacy to conduct day to day activities. With that in mind, getting a private IPv4 address is a good start. If you’re unsure where to look, companies like IPV4 Connect can help. Their tried and tested platform is safe for buying and selling clean and safe Internet Protocol Version 4 (IPV4) blocks.

They collaborate with IPV4 address block owners and regional internet registries to ensure that they offer a certifiably clean IPV4 address space. Their team of experts equally researches IPV4 address subnets located in APNIC, ARIN, and RIPE. They also specialize in blacklist reporting and routing record removal. Some notable names they’ve extended their services to include Zoom, Deloitte, Procter & Gamble, and Radware, among others.

2. Media and Gaming Editing Tools

Yes, there are generic tools that every company should have in their repertoire to drive business growth. Nevertheless, you won’t get by without some industry-specific tools. For example, if you’re in the legal sector, software like Clio is a good fit. Likewise, for those who require an accounting tool, there’s Xero and Quickbooks. In the gaming & media industry, however, you’ll need the best CPU for video editing.

Every video editor knows that it takes more than creativity to produce good work. But with the right CPU, users can do everything from choosing the right footage to creating motion or getting a particular angle. Altogether, having sufficient CPU power streamlines the entire editing process. If you need the CPU to run best video editing software, it might be best to check on review sites like Econsumermatters.

They’re stocked with a wide range of topics and products. Their verdict when it comes to the best video editing CPU in 2020 is AMD’s Ryzen Threadripper 3960X. This CPU, in conjunction with excellent editing software, offers turbo speed, and the core processor carries out a range of functions such as streaming, encoding, rendering, and playing simultaneously. All of this carries a lot of weight for filmmakers and game developers.

3. Custom Software Development Tools

Sure, there is a wide array of software available for both generic and industry-specific use. But the best product is often custom-made. So, if you’re after a uniquely designed tool with features specific to your business, you’ll likely benefit from the help of a software development agency like Devsu.

They develop custom software, digital products, and cloud services. With a talented team of tech experts, they deliver speedy results and up to date products to streamline workflow. Their processes include custom software development, testing, quality assurance, cloud computing, product design, and DevOps, among others.

4. Social Media Management Tools

With social media at the core of marketing and image management, it’s a cardinal sin not to be covered on that front. There are several ways to amplify your startup’s social media marketing, but the best choice you can make is to get a social media management tool.

Altogether, you can use software like Hootsuite, Buffer, Sendible, or Social Pilot to interface on multiple platforms simultaneously. A large part of what you can do depends on the option you pick. However, for the most part, you can track competitors, create content, and engage followers.

5. Communication Tools

Regardless of the sector, communication is something you can’t skimp on. Communication tools should come into the mix to cut through the workload in a timely and aligned manner. Your teams and personnel should be able to liaise on a central platform. It makes it a lot easier to remain on the same page, especially with time-sensitive products. Again, there are lots of options out there, so you have to find something that’s not just suitable for your business needs but equally incredible in terms of pricing. Altogether, it’s not a bad idea to key into some of the benefits of using communication tools.

6. Video Conferencing Tools

Everyone and their grandmother know how much havoc COVID-19 has wreaked on the world as a whole. The effects and impact have, of course, trickled into the business sector. For one, the physical workspace has been rendered obsolete, and working from home has become the order of the day. With this switch, video conferencing tools like Skype for Business and Zoom have become a must-have for all businesses. They make it a lot easier for businesses of all sizes to hold meetings and communicate without being in the same location.

7. SEO Tools

In this online business age, SEO can be one of the major things that gives you an edge over your competitors. If the aim is to rank highly on Google and help you with organic research to that effect, then you can’t do it manually. Options like Ahrefs and SEMrush are a good fit for most businesses across the board. With them in the mix, you can double down on keyword research and backlink analysis. You can equally carry out advertising research, traffic analytics, and product listing ads, among other features.

8. Customer Relation Management (CRM) Tools

Customers are an integral part of every business—new and old. So, it’s essential to set up systems that ensure you only offer your best performance. That is where a dedicated CRM tool comes into play. Once you find the right fit, you can easily store present and prospective customer information, track their interaction, and generally keep the relationship in the sweet spot. If you can swing it, a cloud-based CRM system is even better for the fast-paced nature of the business world. That provides better accessibility and, in turn, streamlines business operations.

9. Project Management Tools

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This tool is a particularly useful tool for managers across all business sectors. If you’re going to stay on top of one complex task after the other, you’ll need more than a to-do list. With one of these tools in your repertoire, you can prioritize important tasks and develop a strategy to tackle them. Some advantages of adding this tool to the mix include an effortless workflow, better task management, synchronized calendars, and schedules, as well as project tracking.

10. Human Resource Management Tools

Human resource management is probably the heart of every organization. So, it makes sense that they’d need dedicated tools to carry out their duties effectively. Once most of their processes are automated, it’s a lot easier to manage employees in a timely and less costly manner. Everything from handling applications to payroll and even training can be streamlined.

Picking the right tool can be a hassle, and you can guess why. Due to how useful these tools are, they’ve managed to saturate the market. But a good place to start when looking is to figure out how the features assign with your business goals and also take a look at the affordability.