Increase Your Business Opportunities With a Winning Website

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Now more than ever before, people are spending more time working from home. While the world is facing a global pandemic, businesses are putting strict measures in place to ensure that social distancing is adhered to so that this virus can be contained.

Life as we know it has become a new kind of normal. Some countries have had to impose stricter measures than others, but where possible, business owners are trying to think outside the box to keep their income flowing.

What Your Company Website Tells People

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For a long time, people have been using the internet to navigate through pages of information to find what they need. With advances in technology, online purchases continue to grow at exponential speeds. But what makes your company stand out from the rest? 

Your company’s web page can be the deciding factor on whether you attract new business. Having a basic site is no longer enough.

Brainboxlabs.com mentions a specific approach when it comes to building a website. They believe that every single company is unique and needs special consideration. By taking elements of psychology and how people think, together with statistics on human behavior, you can develop a solution that creates a winning web presence for your company.

The Competitive Edge

When you have an information-packed, up-to-date, and attractive page, you automatically draw people in. There’s such a thing as too much information; the same applies to having too little. To have a competitive edge over all the other players in the market, you need your company’s site to strike a balance.

You need to have the right amount of accurate information. It’s essential to share existing customer reviews too. This helps potential new clients to trust you from the beginning. Don’t just share the positive feedback. Let your loyal customers see that you have had some challenges along the way.

Round The Clock Access

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If your business sells products to either wholesalers or retailers, make sure that your online store is available all the time. This allows customers to shop from your site at their convenience.

You don’t have to worry about operating the site to ensure that the business continues all the time. A good website will factor all these things into it when it’s built, making sure to offer the best functionality and service to your client base.

Easy Navigation

We already touched on too much information or not having enough of it. Let’s face it; technology is an incredible and overpowering force sometimes. But it’s not for everyone. You can get the most complicated interfaces to do the most magical tricks on your site, but if the general public doesn’t know how to navigate their way around, you’ll lose their business.

You can have a winning site with all the bells and whistles, and it doesn’t have to be challenging to navigate. Keep in mind that unless you’re catering for a very niche market, you’ll probably have a wide variety of people from all walks of life visiting your website.

Conclusion

You can’t expect to win at business if you don’t have a winning website. Take the time and allocate the necessary funds to create a website that will win customers over every time.

Raffaele Riva Leads AUREA to Greater Achievements

In 2008, AUREA Multi-Family Office was founded under the leadership of Raffaele Riva. Since that time, Riva has grown the business into an international company with subsidiaries throughout the world. AUREA does business as Aurea Consulenti Associati SA and Aurea Gestioni Patrimoniali SA in Switzerland. In London, the company is known as BGB AUREA. Meanwhile, AUREA serves clients under the name of Milano Fiduciaria in Italy.

AUREA Becomes an International Leader in Finance

Today, AUREA helps clients through a range of international financial services. The company offers services such as asset management, audits, wealth management, private investments, trusts, estate planning, budget assistance, corporate restructuring, insurance and charitable contributions. Clients can also get help with club deals, extraordinary transactions, real estate, mergers, acquisitions and financial planning.

Raffaele Riva works with international financial experts to help high-profile clients achieve their financial goals. He began his career running startup companies. From 1997 to 2008, Riva sharpened his skills by founding startups and learning about international business logistics. Before long, he became the senior executive of a multinational conglomerate.

As a student, Riva graduated from Milan’s Catholic University of the Sacred Heart. After getting his degree in economics, he went on to become certified as a national public accountant. Then, he began a post-graduate program in 1997 at the Canton Ticinino Management Business School. Following this, he started another post-graduate program at Switzerland’s University of Applied Sciences and Arts.

Riva is a dual citizen of Italy and Switzerland. Thanks to his education and citizenship, he is fluent in French, Italian and English. After starting AUREA, he became the board member of the organization’s subsidiaries in Europe, Central America, Canada, South Africa and South America. Because of his experience auditing and handling accounting operations for top corporations in the United Kingdom and Italy, Riva has developed an impressive reputation for navigating investments and wealth management.

When he started AUREA, Raffaele Riva wanted to help high-end investors and entrepreneurs make the best investment choices. With this goal in mind, Riva hired a team of employees so that he could work with specialists from around the world. Since that day, he has rallied an impressive team of asset managers, hedge funds, insurance companies, international tax specialists, international banks and mutual funds together.

Through his expert team, Riva is able to help client transactions and investments occur throughout the world. His organization provides exceptional products for private individuals and corporations. Whether someone is looking for traditional or alternative investments, Riva’s company is able to help.

AUREA Brings Together the World’s Most Discerning Clientele

Clients come to AUREA for many reasons. Some people are looking for wealth management experts, and other clients need help creating a real estate trust. Global conglomerates arrive at AUREA in search of corporate investment opportunities, tax assistance and auditing support.

When it comes to managing client accounts, AUREA uses a contemporary business model. This model helps AUREA give clients personalized services. Many of AUREA’s clients are in high-income brackets and have holdings across multiple regions. Unlike traditional firms, AUREA is able to provide customized services because of its status as a multi-family office. Rather than stick to traditional investments, AUREA personalizes one-of-a-kind strategies for each client’s personal goals and preferences.

Raffaele Riva is the chairman of the board at three of the organization’s subsidiaries. At the final subsidiary, he serves as the vice-chairman. Because of these roles, he is able to work personally with some of the firm’s elite clients. Clients love his attention to detail and international experience. Over the years, Riva and his firm have developed a remarkable reputation for handling complicated transactions across various national borders.

By constantly providing value for his clients, Riva has managed to build an international organization. The organization strives to bring in the world’s foremost experts on taxes, financial planning and wealth management so that its clients can achieve their goals. Through Riva’s leadership, AUREA is poised to continue this track record of growth into the foreseeable future.

Presentation Skills Training For Successful Business Leaders

If you want to be a successful business leader, then yo u are going to need to dedicate yourself to developing many skills. Things such as raising capitol, managing your finances , and presentation skills are all abilities that you must become proficient in. Unfortunately, many young entrepreneurs are ill-prepared when it comes to giving presentations. Because of this, their venture struggles because they are unable to deliver a speech that helps them with investors or at the major conferences.

Imagine this…A successful looking entrepreneur strides confidently into a conference room, sets up a tri-fold display and a flip chart, boots up his laptop and checks to be sure the projector equipment in the room works with his laptop’s software. He watches confidently as people begin to enter the room because he is positive he has a fantastic looking presentation and he is more than prepared to give it.

Another entrepreneur rushes into a conference room at the last minute and fumbles to set up his presentation in front of an impatient audience. His props look more like a grade school project than business materials and, after twenty minutes of struggling with the projector equipment, he finally makes a halting start on his presentation. 

Obviously, even if his ideas weren’t as good, the first entrepreneur made a much better impression on his audience. However, all is not lost. Presentation skills training can help the second entrepreneur give better presentations in the future. According to the Coaching Institute, when business owners invest in coaching and training, they are more likely to succeed than those who do not.

Presentation Skills for Nervous Speakers

Some small business owners can make amazing charts and put together fantastic PowerPoint presentations. No matter how much they practice their presentations, though, these business owners are not confident public speakers and don’t have the skills they need to get their ideas across to their audiences. For these people, public speaking skills training could make a big difference.

Public speaking classes are available at community colleges, universities and business schools worldwide. According to the professional public speaking website Keynote Speaker, a business person looking for public speaking classes that will help improve his or her presentation skills should look for classes through a business school or a seminar geared toward business people. 

However, if no business classes are available locally, he or she will still be about to learn general public speaking skills in classes geared toward college students who aren’t going into the business field.

Visual Presentation Skills Training

Even the smoothest speaker needs a few props to get his or her point across. If someone who works in a big corporation lacks the skills to put together a wonderful presentation, he or she can just pass the job on to someone else.

Unfortunately, since most small businesses have a handful of employees, if any, this isn’t always an option for many entrepreneurs. This means that knowing how to make their own visual presentations is essential. Besides the traditional colleges and seminars, busy business owners can try taking online training or can contact their local public library to see if classes on using presentation software are available.

Once entrepreneurs who decide that they need to brush up on their presentation skills begin to look for help, there are many training options. They can find the help they need on local college and university campuses, through business schools and seminars, or even on DVDs.

Tips on Dealing With Speaking Jitters

If you want your business to be recognized in a crowded field that is saturated with hundreds of new startups each day, then you are going to need to learn the art of public speaking. It’s no secret that many CEO’s and thought-leaders are turning to the stages of TED or attending major conferences in their industry to give a presentation so they can position themselves as an authority.

However, many entrepreneurs will not seek this opportunity because they are deathly afraid of giving a public speech. In fact, 75% of the public are afraid of speaking in public mostly because they don’t want to make a mistake or be seen as incompetent. We recently interviewed Chris Johnson of the professional speaking website MotivationalSpeakerz.com and asked him about this and here is what he had to share with us:

To the average person, says Johnson, “Apart from poisonous snakes, making public speeches is the most frightening thing in the world.”

Johnson confesses that he remains nervous even after having made hundreds of speeches and presentations. However, he is not quite as nervous as he used to be. He says: “The only people who don’t seem to be nervous, in my experience, are those who are the most tremendous bores.”

Hints From Johnson on Clinching a Sales Presentation

Nerves are not only common, they are natural. As a matter of fact, nerves appear to improve the quality of presentations. Nerves are a manifestation of the fact that the presenter cares. And because he cares, he tries harder.

So how can the presenter learn to live with his nerves and minimize the stress? Johnson describes three ways:

  1. “First, remember that no client comes in hoping to see a poor presentation of lousy work. He is looking forward to seeing a good presentation of excellent work. So he is not to be feared.
  2. Second, unquestionably the best way to combat nerves: be better prepared. Whenever I am going to make a presentation I have rehearsed in my mind several times how it is going to go. I even go to the extent of visualizing the audience’s reaction (which is always enthusiastic!).
  3. And third, get mentally prepared and do whatever you can to create a positive mindset. I enjoy reading positive and quotes from websites like Motivation Ping as I find that they put me in the right frame of mind before giving my presentation.

I have anticipated all the things that might go wrong. I have considered what I will do if the audience turns out to be difficult in some way. I will have reflected on the type of people that are going to attend. I will have mastered my material.

 Finally, I find it useful to spend a little time – maybe only three or four minutes – on my own, to compose myself.”

Treat the Creative Work with the Respect it Deserves

Nerves are bad for the creative work too. Johnson says that the presenter must not “rattle” his way through a piece of work. After all, it’s the creative work that tends to get clients excited. It is the physical manifestation of everything they have paid out and will pay out money for. Therefore, the creative work must get it its due.

If creative work is good, then it can stand a fair degree of explanation as to why. If the ad executive who is making the presentation cannot explain why, then maybe he hasn’t thought things through properly; or, even worse, the work just doesn’t make sense.

How to Deal with Presentation Nerves

Although it is natural to be nervous before a presentation, it is a good sign as the nervous presenter tries harder to succeed. Chris Johnson shares two tips on how to conquer presentation nerves.

The first one is to remember that the client is not some kind of monster. He is only eager to see some great creative work since he is paying for it.

Secondly, the presenter should be fully rehearsed and prepared.

Summer Fun in the Great Smoky Mountains

Finding the perfect summertime activities for your family can be challenging. There are so many factors to consider, from different interests between family members, to different skill levels depending on age. But if you can decide on the type of summer adventure you want, choosing the right town to visit can become much easier.

For thrill-seekers, head to Tennessee, where there are so many Pigeon Forge attractions. From indoor skydiving to zip-lining and go-kart racing, your adrenaline will be pumping in no time!

The town of Pigeon Forge was established in 1788, when settlers first reached the area. At this time it was still governed by North Carolina, and drew the longing of dreamers from all over the area with its lush forests, beautiful views, and rich natural resources. 

Pigeon Forge itself gets its name from the iron forge built in 1820 by Isaac Love, followed by his son’s construction of the Historic Old Mill in 1830. The employment of the now-extinct passenger pigeon to deliver messages between settlers in the area also influenced the name, and calls back to a simpler time. With fine art, history, and family fun – and a skew towards the adrenaline-seeking types – Pigeon Forge is the perfect place to take your family this summer. 

Hiking trails in this beautiful area abound, and trails that lead to beautiful views and waterfalls are some of the most fun to experience! Andrew’s Bald and Laurel Falls are two favorite hikes for those who want to experience both. As each hike is an easy drive from Pigeon Forge, you can spend part of the day outside and come back with enough energy to enjoy a delicious picnic or meal on a patio in town!

Another great way to enjoy the beautiful mountain trails is on a Llama Trek! Take in the views on a trail accompanied by trained guides and fluffy, adorable pack llamas. They can show you where all of the prettiest wildflowers grow, while you breathe the fresh mountain air. 

On a hot or rainy day, you may be looking for a fun activity indoors. Flyaway Indoor Skydiving can be just the ticket for a day of exhilarating fun! Offering flights for individuals aged kid to adult, indoor skydiving makes it possible for you to experience the thrill of flight in a totally safe, controlled environment.

A visit to the Smoky Mountain Alpine Coaster is another fantastic choice for family fun and excitement, rain or shine. A ride down this state-or-the-art alpine coaster offers you unique views of the mountain landscape, while you experience the thrill of speed. Take in the views and the fresh air by coasting alone, or with a family member!

As you can see, Pigeon Forge offers no shortage of activities for families big and small to enjoy this summer. Whether you are looking for outdoor adventure or indoor thrills – or a combination of both, a trip to Pigeon Forge will provide long-lasting memories to enjoy and savor for years to come. 

Eco-Friendly and People-Friendly Design Elements for Your Office

Your small business is growing – people love what you’re providing, and every day you come in to a bustling environment filled with activity. Your team is working well together, and you’re actively looking for new ways to make it even better.

Armed with a dream, lots of hard work, and positive intentions, you’ve made this idea a reality. And now you’re looking for ways to maximize your employees’ productivity while creating an environment of thoughtful care and sustainability.

Utilizing a workspace that takes the needs of the ecosystem AND your human team into consideration can be the best answer to do so. Thoughtful planning and design of your office space can allow access to shared resources, as well as promote networking, business growth, and innovation. And, you can rest easy knowing that you are minimizing your ecological footprint while nurturing and supporting your employees.

So, where to start when it comes to crafting a space that makes your employees feel safe and nurtured, nourished in their creativity, and free to successfully collaborate as a group? All the while, maximizing your energy efficiency and minimizing your ecological footprint? There are several important things to consider that, when implemented, will have a lasting positive effect on the growth of your business and the satisfaction of your employees.

First, consider the building itself – its design, location, and sustainability when it comes to upkeep. You want to select a building that offers a sense of longevity for your employees: a space that makes them feel secure and able to make themselves at home; a space that makes them feel proud to come into work every day. Securing a great support system with experts to call when you need a specialized service – like an interior designer, a talented landscaper, cleaning services, and industrial roof installation – ensures that help is only a call away when you need it.

Are you affected by light and air quality in your workspace? Studies show that your employees are, too, and it’s affecting their productivity. Air quality has been cited as the most impactful factor in physical wellness, and that’s understandable – every breath we take becomes part of us, after all! Investing in a high-quality air filter is an important step in creating a welcoming space, and don’t shy away from fresh air, either – when it’s warm enough, opening the windows to fill the office with the scents of nature has a lasting effect on stress and tension.

If you’re constructing your building from scratch, you have the opportunity to put in ample windows and skylights to allow the natural sunlight to filter in. Not only will this allow you to fill the space with plants, but it will also cut down on energy bills – another score for your bottom line! 

Keeping a comfortable temperature is one of the most basic needs (and common complaints) from employees in offices across America. Luckily, there are many developments in eco-friendly building design that can help you lower costs while ensuring that your workers are able to think clearly in a cozy environment.

If you’re concerned about keeping your space warm, common for those creating a workspace in cooler climates, these shingles made from recycled materials can assist you with maintaining a comfortable temperature. Even the choice of color for your roof can pay huge dividends. Choosing a white-colored roof can help keep your space cool and cut down on air conditioning bills in the summer, which can easily become very expensive. 

You’ll find that this is what it takes to maximize the efficiency, productivity, and longevity of your business: building a team that collaborates well, taking care of their needs, and putting a few simple techniques into practice that will minimize your impact on the environment. You can create that with a thoughtfully-designed coworking space, and you will see the benefits for years to come.

Tips for Small Businesses: 5 Ways to Slash IT Costs During the Coronavirus Pandemic

COVID-19 has greatly reduced income for a multitude of small businesses. As in-office workers have transitioned to remote working and storefronts have closed, businesses are left scrambling to cut costs.

If you find yourself in that position, it may be time to look at how your IT costs could be reduced without sacrificing quality or security.

#1: Get rid of unnecessary subscription software.

The first step you need to take if you have recently downsized or if your business has transitioned to fully remote is to review your current software subscriptions. While you were in the office, your team likely used a plethora of apps and subscription software services, but if you’re feeling the negative financial effects of the pandemic, it’s time to see what options you can eliminate.

If you use a software sparingly, consider removing it to cut costs for the time being. Many software services do not want to lose you as a customer, and may even consider pausing your subscription or cutting costs dramatically for a month or two to keep you on as a client.

#2: Consider software alternatives. 

If you’re still using several software subscriptions but can’t cut down on many of them, it may be time to consolidate your current software services into one alternative.

If one employee prefers Dropbox, while another prefers Google Drive, make a decision on which one you’ll keep, and then get rid of the rest. This goes for multiple overlapping software options, from messaging apps like Slack and Microsoft Teams, to video conferencing including Zoom, Skype, and WebEx. In each of these scenarios, each group of these can be consolidated down to one option.

Having everyone on the same software will also allow for a more cohesive work environment, which is absolutely necessary when workers are all remote. If you’ve ever asked employees where a file is, only to find two similar files with discrepancies between them, you know the importance of congregating all documents in the same place, whether it be Dropbox, Google Drive, or Microsoft Office Suite.

Of course, you must choose the software that caters to your business needs. Small medical practices can partner with an IT support in New York that knows the HIPAA compliance to integrate the system, including software, that aligns with that compliance. Consolidating software can be time-consuming, but it will reduce unnecessary costs and produce a more professional atmosphere.

Not sure which video conferencing is the best option for your team as you work remotely? Check out this breakdown here to see what best fits your business.

#3: Switch to VoIP phone systems.

If your team has switched to remote working, there’s no need to pay for your expensive office phone services. Frankly, if you haven’t switched to VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) phone systems and VoIP handsets before now, you’ve been wasting money.

While VoIP has only recently become fairly popular, it’s been around since the 1970s, So, why don’t more people take advantage of the Internet-based option? It’s likely that businesses are simply not aware of the benefits, one of which is a greatly reduced cost in comparison to a traditional landline.

It is estimated an average landline phone system costs a business $50 per line, each month. VoIP lines are much more affordable at less than half that price and are easy to install. If you haven’t made the switch to VoIP, this is an easy way to save on your IT costs. If you are unsure about switching, call your current landline provider and let them know you’re able to save substantial costs by switching; they may be able to offer you a discount on your current plan.

#4: Reevaluate per-user agreements.

Do you have any software or equipment subscriptions or agreements that charge per user? If so, you may be overpaying during the COVID-19 pandemic. With reduced work output for many businesses and smaller teams being put to use, you are likely overpaying for any per-user subscriptions. In some cases, you may find that you are not using specific software at all, and it may be time to cut those agreements completely.

Go through the list of subscription software you use with your employees to see where you can pair down these services.

#5: Outsource your IT.

It may be time to look outward to cut some IT costs. If a single in-house IT provider isn’t able to keep up with IT needs, you may need to consider decreasing your IT costs significantly by outsourcing your IT with a Managed Service Provider. Some of the benefits of outsourced IT professional team include the following:

  • Reduced costs. Managed IT services generally come at the cost of a single salaried employee. Rather than hire one in-house IT professional who can’t meet all your IT demands, it’s wise for businesses to outsource to a fully equipped team of professionals with various IT backgrounds and specialties to meet your needs.
  • Round-the-clock support. Many Managed Service Providers offer 24/7/365 support, meaning you can get the help you need to solve IT issues no matter when they occur. This is a huge benefit when compared to in-house teams who generally only work during business hours.
  • More time to focus. Don’t spread yourself thin; outsourcing IT allows you to have every employee focus on what your business provides and put all effort towards the core functions of your business.

The COVID-19 pandemic is far from over and will continue to cause financial struggles for many businesses.  Using these five tips for your small business will help slash costs during the crisis and will set you up for success long-term.

With Help from Technology, Freight Hub Group Streamlines Offerings

Like many parts of the economy, the field of third-party logistics has undergone significant changes in recent history. One of the key drivers of these changes has been technology and the ways in which it can allow customers unprecedented access to information and customization. To explain the impact this is having in greater detail, we turned to the case of Freight Hub Group. Founded by CEO Luis Lopez, the South Florida company is a great example of how the industry’s leaders are changing the scope of how we ship and store goods locally and nationwide.

About the founder

To better understand Freight Hub Group as a company, it is first useful to understand the story of Luis Lopez, the mind behind its operations. The CEO was first introduced to the logistics industry through an unlikely avenue — his passion for golf. While playing the sport in high school, he crossed paths with some of the notable people operating in Miami’s logistics industry at that time. From those contacts, he landed a job in the field and promptly began a self-motivated education that introduced him to some of the fundamental concepts of the work.

That education touched on a range of items, such as storage techniques and shipment requirements, however, one of the main areas that caught the eye of the future entrepreneur was the way in which the shipment of hazardous materials was handled. Even at that early age, he recognized that there was an opportunity to be found in making this process work better for customers. Years later, when he went into business for himself, the first company he founded focused on making the shipment and storage of hazardous materials more accessible to customers. One of the ways in which he accomplished this was to offer same-day pick-up, bringing a flexibility to his work that remains a calling card of his businesses to this day.

Company principles

That spirit of customer-centric service eventually led the entrepreneur to found Freight Hub Group. The company was conceived of to offer a full range of third-party logistics services to customers around the Miami area. This not only includes previous focuses like the pick-up, storage, and delivery of hazardous materials but also works to provide advanced shipping and storage solutions for a range of goods.

This breadth of service offerings is largely accomplished through the large-scale adoption of technologies designed to improve business effectiveness and empower customers in a variety of fashions. When it comes to storage, this use of technology manifests through fully-equipped storage yards that can accommodate a wide range of goods for varying lengths of time. State-of-the-art tools are available for oversized loads in order to improve the company’s ability to handle shipments of unique weights and sizes. A full contingent of security equipment operates 24/7 to protect goods and provide customers with peace of mind. Together with extensive indoor and outdoor space, these pieces of technology offer a complete suite of storage options for customers of many different needs.

TruckHub Service

One of the standout pieces of technology that has helped Freight Hub Group define itself as a notable company in its field is its proprietary logistics management platform. This software was created under the direction of Luis Lopez after testing out existing products to see what he could use to improve his customers’ experiences. Though he tested plenty of applications during that search, he was unable to find one that met the long line of features he wanted to provide to his customers. Rather than settle for less, he decided to create his own software.

That software would eventually develop into what is now known as TruckHub and has become a cornerstone for the company’s shipping operations. The all-in-one transportation management system allows dispatchers, shippers, and drivers to seamlessly connect and provides customers with up-to-date information on the status of their deliveries. The easy to use platform features GPS live tracking, user-friendly dashboards, on-board communication, access to analytics, and more. The flexibility offered by the platform speaks to the very core of the company’s goals, which has long-pursued the ability to offer its services to customers on-demand to better meet their changing needs.

Subdivisions

To help organize the company’s vast array of services, it has subdivided its operations into four main components — Dray Hub, WHSE Hub, FTL Hub, and LTL Hub. Together, these subdivisions allow the company to better concentrate its resources on the specific needs of individual customers, while still offering a range of flexible options under one umbrella. This approach again uses the power of technology, via web-based individualized quotes, to provide customers with the ability to best meet their own needs.

The company’s storage subdivisions focus on drayage and warehousing to ensure that goods are properly cared for. Based near both the Port of Miami and Port Everglades, the company offers easy and flexible options to accommodate a large number of drayage needs. Warehousing options provide short-term and long-term solutions that can also accommodate goods requiring special attention such as liquor, pharmaceuticals, and hazardous materials. Delivery options are similarly diverse and include a wide range of trailer sizes to provide the most efficient deliveries possible. Refrigerated trailers and specially licensed drivers again allow the company to accommodate a variety of goods including perishables, liquor, and certain chemicals.

While the logistics industry has long been a necessary fixture of the world’s economy, it has undergone a number of significant changes in recent years to better account for the changing face of technology. These technological shifts have shown up in a variety of areas such as shipment capacity, warehouse security, and more flexible pick-up and delivery abilities. The above overview of Freight Hub Group, under the leadership of Luis Lopez, helps to show this shift in action. This is perhaps best exemplified by the ways in which the company’s TruckHub software empowers customers and connects delivery personnel to each other. To learn more about this still-changing field, look to the company for more information about its ongoing technological initiatives.

Tips to Improve Safety in the Workplace

As an employer, it is your responsibility to do what you can to make the workplace as safe as possible, and with strict safety regulations in place, it can be a struggle to ensure compliance. Of course, there are aspects where you have no choice to comply, but there are other things that you can do to make the working environment a little safer, and here are a few examples.

  • Manual Handling Training – More often than not, a back injury is sustained because the worker was not lifting the object in a correct manner, and if you call in a specialist manual handling expert, they can tailor a short course for your employees that will help them to understand safe lifting techniques. A short course like this could save you thousands of dollars in compensation, plus it could dramatically reduce absenteeism due to personal injury, and if you would like to know more about manual handling training, a Google search will help you locate a nearby specialist.
  • Protective Clothing – If you search online for industrial workwear, you will find local suppliers of top-quality boots, overalls and hard hats, to mention but a few of the items they would stock. You could, for example, offer to pay a portion of the cost, if the items are not essential, and by asking your employees what protective clothing or equipment they need, you can make a list.
  • Regular Safety Meetings – These are always a good idea, if for no other reasons than they bring safety to the attention of everyone. Thirty minutes per week is all it takes to discuss the safety record and in the event there were accidents, investigate the causes, which will help people prevent further occurrences.
  • Check your Signage – Make sure that all safety signage is where it should be and legible from all angles, and replace any missing signs as soon as possible. No Parking, no smoking and loading bay signs are all vital warnings that need to be in place, and by running though the premises once a week, you can check every location.
  • Be Proud of a Good Safety Record – You should have a large sign near the entrance to your business premises that informs people how many days since your last work accident, and the longer the period of accident-free, the prouder your employees will be. When you have a long record to protect, your workers will be that much more resilient about safety in the workplace and this will ensure an ongoing 100% record.

There are many online providers of courses that promote safety in the workplace, and the specialist provider can tailor the content to best suit your business. Assigning one employee to oversee basic safety guidelines is always a good idea, and that person can coordinate and ensure that all signage is in place and fire extinguishers are tested, while also making sure that employees have access to protective clothing and equipment.

How You Can Get More Bang for Your Buck Out of Your Investment Properties

Entrepreneurs that have delved into a variety of industries always seem to try their luck with investment properties. Building up a portfolio of investment properties can allow you to retire years in advance as you can rely on the consistent monthly income. Maximizing income from each property should be priority as renters are willing to pay for a quality apartment that comes with perks. Property management companies allow for people to make truly passive income as you will not have to deal with collecting rent or finding renters. Below are a few tips to help maximize your income from your rental properties.

List the Property on a Variety of Platforms

Entrepreneurs that have delved into a variety of industries always seem to try their luck with investment properties. Building up a portfolio of investment properties can allow you to retire years in advance as you can rely on the consistent monthly income. Maximizing income from each property should be a priority as renters are willing to pay for a quality apartment that comes with perks. Property management companies allow people to make passive income as you will not have to deal with collecting rent or finding renters. Below are a few tips to help maximize your income from your rental properties.

List the Property on a Variety of Platforms

Airbnb is an extremely popular platform to list your income properties on. You can even set up a cleaning service to deal with the property after it has been rented. Damages can be incurred by certain renters on this platform though so keep this in mind. Renting out properties for the extended future is going to maximize overall income. Offering extended leases that could be multiple years in duration that include a discount can be just enough to convince a renter to sign a longer lease.

Refinishing Can Give a Rental a Newer Look

Something as simple as bathtub or sink refinishing can give a bathroom entirely different energy. The last thing that you want to do is have to revamp a property year after year. Refinishing counters or sinks can allow for a newly renovated feel of the property. Take the time to see what refinishing companies in your area can handle the project for your investment property. You will find it is far more affordable than taking on the headache that is associated with large home improvement projects.

Amenities Can Drive Up Rental Costs

Picking a property in the right condo or townhome community can come with a number of perks. A vacation rental is going to be far more likely to be rented if there is a pool or even gym access. The best thing that can happen is to have seasonal renters that come back year after year. Being able to rely on rental income every year due to those from colder climates moving to warmer places is a godsend. Parking can be a huge perk in certain cities where a renter would have to pay a large amount monthly to park their car on their own.

Partner with a College in the Area

The ability to rely on a college in your local area to produce exchange students that need housing can be immensely profitable. You will be receiving rent from the college and exchange students oftentimes will take care of the property far better than an average college student. Being able to house graduate students is an even better deal so reach out to university officials to see if an arrangement can be established. A student is not going to risk their time in the US by damaging the apartment or condo they are renting.

Investing in the right property can generate income for years to come while the property itself appreciates in value. Maximizing the income made off of the properties can be used to put back into the property or can be saved to invest in another property.