Make sure you have effective internal communications!

A strong business is built on the foundations of clear communication as it is imperative to ensure the workplace runs smoothly. Whether this is communicating to new starters, current employees, or customers, there are many ways in which you can do this. A few examples include mentoring, setting team goals, and organising general training. We wrote a whole blog about this which you can check out here.

Plan ahead!

Planning is key if you are intending to take a break as it ensures the people who are covering you, your client/customers, and your employees all understand what will happen whilst you are away. Inform your employees of the duties required and assign deadlines so that they work within the specific time frame. Make sure you inform your client/customers of the designated next line of contact so that any queries can be resolved. Managing your workload up until this point will lessen the stress closer to the time. You can see our tips of this here.

Leave another person in charge!

You cannot overlook that whilst you are away, you need someone who you can trust to manage the business. This person will be responsible for running the business, making sure all tasks are completed to a high standard, acts as the first point of contact, and will be the person who can contact you in an emergency. Asking someone to cover your role will keep the business functioning in the desired manner and keep up productivity whilst you are not there.

Stay in touch lightly!

There might be a time where you do need to be contacted or you need to contact the business. Whether it be an emergency, an authorisation code, or even if you want to check-in and make sure the business is still running smoothly, it might be wise to not abandon ship completely.

Use software you can access worldwide!

Whether this is Zoom, Xero, or Skype, use tools that are trustworthy and have worked for you before so that you know your business is taken care of whilst you step back and enjoy your holiday.

Taking time away can be extremely stressful when you own a business, however it is vital to take breaks for your physical and mental wellbeing. Upon return, you will feel refreshed, more productive, and well-rested to tackle anything and everything. If you are interested in hearing more ways to handle your business whilst away, contact me today at: jackie@jaxstarsolutions.co.uk

Jackie Forster

Jaxstar Solutions is a valuable resource used by Small Businesses and Corporate organisations to help in the day to day running and operational side of their business, enabling them to get back out there and do what they do best…sell their products and services to make money.

They help you save time!

Being able to summarise what you need to say in a short amount of time is key for saving yourself and your audience time. However, this doesn’t mean having a presentation free from waffling, it simply needs to be both clear and memorable. This opens the door for the audience to retain the information more clearly and removes the potential for confusion.

They make you unique!

Living in the modern world, a blog post, social media, or email are all preferred chosen methods of communicating compared to in-person options. Therefore, having strong presentation skills sets you apart from the crowd. In a world where everything has moved digital, being able to project your confidence and your energy means people can connect with you easier and prevent any confusion.

They help you to network!

Whether it be an online or in-person event, presenting is key for meeting new people and building branches between yourself and other businesses, warm up potential leads, and create brand awareness. Being able to present who you are, what you do, and engage with people through body language, humour and clear conversation builds a rapport with people and increases your chances of being remembered. It also gives you added connections that you could potentially refer other people on to and support that process of maintaining excellent business relationships.

They help to boost sales/gain new clients!

If you were given the choice, you would opt to watch a bright, sharp presentation that gives you all of the necessary information in a concise manner compared to a boring, dull presentation from someone who doesn’t want to be there. Put simply, the main benefit of good presentation skills is the fact your audience is more likely to purchase your product or service.

You set a precedence for the business image!

Similar to the above, people are more likely to be inclined towards a business with a fresh vision and values. You can immediately communicate who you are just through your confidence and the way you speak. People do tend to judge others by their appearance and the vibe they give off, so make sure you are full of energy and give a good impression! If vision and values are something you are struggling with, you can read our latest blog here.

If you feel you might need some added support with your presentation skills, you can contact me here and we can figure out a plan on how best I can support you!

Jackie Forster

Jaxstar Solutions is a valuable resource used by Small Businesses and Corporate organisations to help in the day to day running and operational side of their business, enabling them to get back out there and do what they do best…sell their products and services to make money.

So, what is a vision statement?

Put simply, a vision statement defines the purpose of the business. For example, it focuses in on the goals and future aspirations that the business owner might have. It is usually, unifying, inspiring and communicated to all colleagues clearly to ensure that each employee understands their part to play in the process. More often than most, the vision statement will stay the same regardless of the strategy the business is implementing.

And, what are values?

Values in their entirety are the core beliefs that the business might have. They can vary dependant on the business however, most centre around the idea of ensuring high quality customer service, what the business is striving for or how they wish for employees to feel whilst at work. They are the core principle that informs both potential customers, current employees, and new employees who the company is and what they believe in. Values make way for everything the business does to be as authentic as possible through incorporating and practising the values throughout everything they do.

Why are they important?

Setting out both your vision and values is laying foundations for your business. This includes your goals, aspirations as well as the plan to both achieve and uphold them. Without knowing these two attributes, you and your employees would struggle to understand the direction and goals of the business. Having vision and values is known to increase motivation and productivity as all employees understand their role within the development of the business.

How can I create my own vision and values?

Keep your vision statement short, simple, and forward thinking. Your vision statement should be clear and direct as it becomes easier for other people to understand. It should aim to focus on the future and be centred around your values.

As for values, this should be centred around how you want your customers to feel as well as how you want your employees to feel. Do you want your workplace to be team focused? Do you want the workplace to be a trusting environment? Ask yourself these questions and then go from there. Ensure that they are authentic and true to you as the business owner!

If you feel you might need support with establishing vision and values, you can email me on jackie@jaxstarsolutions.co.uk or contact me here.

Jackie Forster

Jaxstar Solutions is a valuable resource used by Small Businesses and Corporate organisations to help in the day to day running and operational side of their business, enabling them to get back out there and do what they do best…sell their products and services to make money.

If you are hiring new staff…

When hiring new staff, having strong contact with them through the onboarding process is key in making them feel comfortable as well as guaranteeing an easy transition into the business. From arranging an office visit, ensuring the contract is in place and making everyone aware of the relevant policies prior to starting work means the staff are educated on their expectations as well conscious of how the company deals with different scenarios.

Mentoring

Within your company, having a mentoring program is great with improving communication and staff morale. By establishing a mentor system in the workplace, it allows for employees to be guided through the workplace process and in time, develop a fluent understanding of both their workload and the vision of the business. It also eases potential anxieties surrounding approaching the boss of the company and instead offering a safe space for issues to be discussed openly and an effective chain of command to occur.

Setting goals

Setting goals could not be more important for your business. We wrote a whole blog on this that you can check out here. In summary, this is a great way of raising both productivity and also team morale. By setting a review date for these goals allows for an employee to reflect on their progress within the job and see if they are meeting the needs of the business. As well as this, it gives a vision for the business and allows for both employees and the business owner to know the direction in which the business is heading.

Training

Organise general training! Whether that be through the use of videos or physical training, it is important for the team to be provided with the same level of training as well as be able to communicate freely about any issues that they might be having. It creates an environment that is built on support and communication which is vital for any business.

Acknowledging communication errors and putting different methods into place to establish a healthier communication chain will only benefit the business in the long term. However, if this is something you are struggling with, you can contact me here to see if I can help.

Jackie Forster

Jaxstar Solutions is a valuable resource used by Small Businesses and Corporate organisations to help in the day to day running and operational side of their business, enabling them to get back out there and do what they do best…sell their products and services to make money.

Social Media

Social media is arguably the most powerful method of setting up a profile for your business and it comes completely free. From Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tik Tok and Linked In, there are several options you can use to suit your target audience as well as see the evidence that using the latest trends can do for your business. Keep your social media constantly updated and active to ensure you are reaching new people and interact with your audience as well to increase brand awareness.

Free Resources

Utilise the use of free graphic design websites such as Canva. This is a completely free website that comes along with hundreds of templates to choose from suited to each social media platform. It is an excellent gateway into designing templates before potentially upgrading to Photoshop once you start making money.

Google My Business

Google My Business is a key feature you can use to boost your business profile and ensure that your business ranks higher within the Google algorithm. You can add basic information, a website link (WordPress is great for starting off!), regular posts from your social media, reviews, and contact information for potential customers to reach you through. It is a highly recommended resource that will assist in raising awareness for your brand!

Use Free Blogs

Use other business’ blogs for free advice and top tips! There is no such thing as too much knowledge when you are starting up your own business, so it is imperative that you keep educating yourself to keep growing as a business owner. We have lots of informative blogs on our website that you can access through the blog section here.

Newsletters

Sign up to related newsletters where you can get top tips from professionals for absolutely free! For example, we offer a newsletter which you can sign up to here where we share Jackie’s personal top tips for business success as well as exclusive content that you would be one of the first to see!

All of the above are excellent options to start off your business success. However, if a Business Support Manager is something you are likely to want when starting up, you can see the packages and services Jaxstar Solutions provides here.

Jackie Forster

Jaxstar Solutions is a valuable resource used by Small Businesses and Corporate organisations to help in the day to day running and operational side of their business, enabling them to get back out there and do what they do best…sell their products and services to make money.

I have collated a list of the top 5 systems I would recommend to both smaller and larger businesses to ensure that you are managing yourself and your business in the most effective way possible.

LastPass

LastPass is a password management system that adds an extra layer of security to your accounts. It manages all of your logins and makes recommendations to ensure that your passwords are as strong and unique as they possibly can be therefore improving your online security. You can use LastPass on both a professional and personal level as well as modify how you share data with others in order to keep yourself protected.

Book-Keeping Software

Having an organised system to manage your invoices is vital when having your own business Although there are many to choose from, my recommended one is Xero. It is a system I both know and love to utilise for all my business needs and therefore cannot recommend it enough. One of the most prominent parts of Xero is the ‘on the cloud’ function. This means you can access the software no matter where you are.

Related to Xero, Hubdoc is a free add on to your Xero account which integrates and makes loading your receipts and bills easier. It is an extremely user-friendly service that allows you to send your bills and receipts straight across to Hubdoc and through configuring Hubdoc, it sends the information straight across to Xero making the upload process much easier. It is also able to remember different bills meaning that the next time it receives the same bill, it will remember the relevant details. This is an extremely underrated service which I couldn’t recommend more.

Dropbox

Gone are the days of notebooks and notepads to carry all of your information, client information or very important documents. Different apps such as Dropbox now allow you to use the cloud in order to store different documents and media. This can then be shared with the relevant people you wish to access these documents and ensures everything is in one place compared to losing pieces of paper on your desk or amongst emails.

Adobe Sign

Anybody who owns a business understands the importance of a contract. Adobe Sign is a much quicker process for the business by having an online copy with an electronic signature to legally bind the document. By using this method, it is less likely to be lost in filing cabinet.

Clockify

Managing your time and workload can be a real struggle especially when you have other commitments. Clockify is a free time management service that allows you to track your productivity as well as more importantly, your billable hours. Working across all devices, you can track your timings from anywhere with all the data being synced online. For more tips on how to manage your workload effectively, you can read my latest blog here.

For any additional questions to these tools, please do not hesitate to get in touch and we would be more than happy to assist you in utilising your account.

Jackie Forster

Jaxstar Solutions is a valuable resource used by Small Businesses and Corporate organisations to help in the day to day running and operational side of their business, enabling them to get back out there and do what they do best…sell their products and services to make money.

What is MFA?

Put simply, MFA is an extra layer of protection that triple checks who you are when attempting to log in to an account. It has proven to be extremely successful through using a combination of something you already know such as your username and password along with something else.

This can include an authentication app you download onto your mobile phone or tablet as well as the typical ‘select all the lampposts in the picture’ message request you may see from time to time. Overall, it helps to prevent allowing anybody apart from yourself from accessing your account even if the password is known or easily guessable.

When should I use MFA?

For as long as passwords continue to exist for authentication purposes, there will always be the risk that people choose a machine guessable password therefore becoming increasingly susceptible to a cyber-attack or hacking attempt.

If you are a business owner, big or small, MFA should be used whenever and wherever possible to protect yourself and any sensitive information you might hold within your business. This can include your primary email, different financial accounts, Google account or even your social media accounts.

MFA will never be a bad thing for a business to use. This is because it will always be set up to re-verify people, question first time users and prompt when the authentication has been determined as a risk. For example, if somebody on the other side of the world is attempting to log into your account.

Choosing MFA           

If MFA is something you are looking to set up, several different social medias have now implemented measures to ensure that your account remains secure. An example includes LastPass, the password manager that allows for a strong and unique password to ensure your accounts remain protected.

Another example of this is Xero Bookkeeping Services which is an innovative and award-winning software that can assist. Xero has recently rolled out MFA putting an extra lock on the door of keeping your data safe through their mobile app. To find out more about this service Xero provide, click here: Xero Multi-factor Authentication | Xero UK

Jaxstar Solutions can help you utilise your Xero account through our Xero Review and Fix Package. To find out more, click here: Xero Review and Fix Package – Business Management Support (jaxstarsolutions.co.uk)

Jackie Forster

Jaxstar Solutions is a valuable resource used by Small Businesses and Corporate organisations to help in the day to day running and operational side of their business, enabling them to get back out there and do what they do best…sell their products and services to make money.

What are business goals?

A business goal is a goal that a business aims to achieve within a set period of time. These can be set on a general scale for the entire business, broken down into the different departments within the company or individually assigned to each colleague. A goal to work towards ensures progression providing it is realistic and suitable. By ensuring your goals are both realistic and suitable, this will increase your ability in achieving them.

Why is it important to set business goals?

Goals are a very powerful tool when it comes to outlining desirable outcomes. They bring attention to these potential outcomes and can set the company’s direction as well as provide motivation. Ensuring you follow the SMART model for setting goals will mean you are setting yourself up for a higher chance of success. By following this method and with a collective effort working towards the goal, it makes it easier to measure the success of the goals.

What are SMART goals?

SMART goals are an acronym used to outline:

Specific: Having a goal is excellent. However, having a specific goal means that the likelihood of success is higher as it has a clearer vision on what the potential outcome might be.

Measurable: Being able to collect data and analyse a goal means you can identify any areas where you are succeeding and highlight any potential issues. This means from the start of setting the goal, it is being monitored to guarantee success.

Achievable: When setting a goal, we might not set one that is actually attainable. One way of making sure it is achievable it should challenge you but also defined well enough to actually be achieved.

Realistic: Ask yourself, is the goal within reach? Do you have enough time and resources? If the answer to these questions is no, then it probably is not realistic enough.

Timely: Set a time limit so you have something to aim for. This will create motivation and drive for all parties involved to push for the deadline.

How do I set these goals?

A good place to start when setting a goal is to break it down into the steps in which you intend to take in order to achieve it.

In turn, this will create a sense of achievement as it will show progress is being made slowly instead of never feeling that sense of fulfilment.

Once these goals are established, assign each objective to the relevant employee or team member who will see it through to completion.

Measure the progress on a regular basis. For example, if you aim to increase your social media following, keep track of this so that you can adjust your goals if they seem too difficult to achieve.

As a Business Support Manager, I can support with growing your business and taking back control of your time and money. You can contact me on 07811 393520 or email me on info@jaxstarsolutions.co.uk

Jackie Forster

Jaxstar Solutions is a valuable resource used by Small Businesses and Corporate organisations to help in the day to day running and operational side of their business, enabling them to get back out there and do what they do best…sell their products and services to make money.

Lawfulness, fairness and transparency

This principle is one of the most important areas which gives total transparency in relation to data. When data is collected, organisations must be clear about why it’s being collected and how it’s going to be used.

Purpose limitation

Businesses or organisations must have a specific and legitimate reason for collecting and process people’s personal data. This area ensures that the personal information can only be used for a specific purpose and can not be used for any other reason, the data subject has provided their explicit consent.

Data minimisation

Under the GDPR, data must be “adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary in relation to the purposes for which they are processed.”  This means that businesses should only store the minimum amount of information needed for the purpose. It says that organisations can’t collect personal data on the off chance that it might be useful in the future.

Accuracy

The personal information must be accurate, fit for purpose and kept up to date. Meaning, businesses should review the information held regularly to determine if it needs to be deleted or updated. Individuals hold the right to request that incorrect or incomplete data can be deleted and rectified within 30 days.

Storage limitations

Once a company no longer needs the information for the purpose it was originally collected for, it must be deleted or destroyed unless other terms are agreed. The GDPR does not state how long you should keep personal data. It’s up to your organisation to determine this, based on the purposes for processing.

Integrity and Confidentiality

This area is primarily based on security. Your business is responsible to ensure all the right measures are taken to keep personal data safe, this could be protection form internal threats such as accidental loss or damage, unauthorised use, as well as external threats such as theft, malware and phishing.

Accountability

This final area states that businesses must take responsibility to ensure the data complies with the other principles. This means that organisations must be able to give evidence and the steps they have taken to demonstrate compliance.

For more information about GDPR or to get your business reviewed, get into contact with our team today on 020 3362 4436

Jackie Forster

Jaxstar Solutions is a valuable resource used by Small Businesses and Corporate organisations to help in the day to day running and operational side of their business, enabling them to get back out there and do what they do best…sell their products and services to make money.

Anybody in business realises just how hard being successful can be. At times, balancing your workload can be an extremely challenging task. Therefore, allowing different responsibilities to pile up and resulting in you becoming overwhelmed very quickly. To a certain extent, it is about working smarter than working harder. This means using your thinking skills to lessen the tasks and interpreting extra steps so you use your time wisely will mean you can get things done quicker. Here are three tips to ensure you are not over-exerting yourself and staying on track for success:

Figure out your priorities and handle them first! The reality is that there will be times where you simply will not get everything accomplished. On days where you have an overwhelming amount of work to accomplish, you should aim to order these by urgency and address them accordingly. By doing this, you then have more time to focus on tasks of less importance later in the day. I have actually written another blog on this topic which you can find here.

Discipline over motivation. This goes for many different situations in life, not just business. You will not always feel ‘up to’ a task and temptation to slack will inevitably come about. At these times, it is vital to keep yourself accountable and train yourself to push on regardless. Discipline is where success and progression come from.

Delegate when necessary. One person is highly unlikely to finish an entire workload completely by themselves so if you have a team or expert at hand, use them to ensure the work is completed to a high standard. This then frees you up to focus on the tasks only you can handle.

Either way, there are many ways in which you can manage a workload to stay on track and get everything completed to a high standard. If you are interested in hearing more ways to handle your workload effectively, contact me today on: jackie@jaxstarsolutions.co.uk

Jackie Forster

Jaxstar Solutions is a valuable resource used by Small Businesses and Corporate organisations to help in the day to day running and operational side of their business, enabling them to get back out there and do what they do best…sell their products and services to make money.