It’s Not Time To Give Up On Office Cubicles Yet, Here Is Why

Office cubicles seem to have fallen out of favor with most employers. This unfortunate fall is due to the rise of the open space office culture. The free space frenzy brought with it the promise of collaboration and productivity. However, this gospel bore no fruits but brought more stress to many employees.

Studies indicate that in open offices, employees have less face-to-face interaction, making the collaborating goal non-existent. This and many other reasons make the open office a less enterprise-friendly option. In fact, 38% of workers in America now prefer a cubicle for the sake of privacy and silence.

Read on to familiarize yourself with other reasons why you should consider dropping the open office culture and embrace office cubicles in your company.

Improves Your Employees’ Focus.

Focus yields results, and if you’re the boss, you know that good results are an indicator of productivity. Focus among your employees is a major determinant when it comes to productivity.

The ideal way to achieve this is by incorporating office cubicles. Office cubicles provide adequate personal space for your employees to focus on their work. The inevitable distractions caused by movements and open office chitchats affect concentration significantly. But with office cubicles, it’s easy for your employees to work productively.

Provides Personal Space.

As stated earlier, focus is necessary for productivity, so providing adequate personal space to each employee is vital. Office cubicles offer enough private space so your employees won’t have to deal with distractions. You cannot rule out the possibility of having nagging employees who often fail to respect the personal space of their colleagues.

The walls in office cubicles not only provide a safe sanctuary from eavesdroppers but also from difficulties caused by things like facial expressions.

In a nutshell, office cubicles ensure respect for each other’s personal space in the workplace is adhered to.

Enhances Collaboration.

The reason most companies migrate to open office systems is to promote collaboration. However, office cubicles with lower walls or partitions play this role perfectly. The added advantage with office cubicles is that the walls help maintain concentration among your employees.

Coupling collaboration with concentration translates to less slacking at work. This further proves why you ought to prioritize office cubicles when creating an ideal workspace for your employees.

Reduction of Noise Levels.

It goes without saying that a busy open space with phones ringing and other office electronics beeping can be pretty distracting. Fortunately, with office cubicles, the noise significantly reduces due to wall partitioning.

Unregulated noise is often distracting, and any distraction is an enemy of productivity.

Encourages Uniqueness and Openness.

Unlike offices with closed doors that might assist slackness, office cubicles encourage openness because they are not too concealed to cause discomfort. While still encouraging openness, the idea of them is cubicles means that your employees are unique in their output as well.

Office cubicles are not a thing of the past, they are more efficient than the new idea of open office culture. So it is high time you reconsider this office culture. Once you’ve given it a thought, reach out to credible companies like Strong Project for all your office needs.

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Helping Your SaaS Clients Scale

SaaS is a very specific niche. And when you launch your SaaS marketing agency, you will be in one of the most exciting industries around right now. There are so many options for you to explore too, from free trials to content is king models.

With that in mind, here are some tips for helping your SaaS clients scale.

Content Marketing.

Every article that talks about marketing should have content marketing in there somewhere. It is almost impossible to compete if you aren’t offering more than just your services. Your job here is to create content that is readable, shareable, and valuable.

Content will drive traffic and continue to drive leads too. This is in contrast to many other forms of marketing, which will only work when you’re paying for them. There is a lot of inspiration for the different types of content that you can produce. Look to the larger SaaS companies, and you will see consistent content, with user value that supports their work and the user.

Free Trials.

It would be best if you were confident enough in the product of your client that free trials are a no-brainer. When you give people the opportunity to try out products, they can get a feel for the company and what they do. They are a self-serving marketing tactic, usually very little is required to generate leads from trial sign-ups.

But you are going to have to make sure that people have a positive experience and that what your SaaS client says the product does is the truth. To do so, make sure that your SaaS client provides onboarding support, both automated and personal. As a SaaS marketing agency, you’ll want to make sure that you track people on the free trial in order to turn them into product qualified leads (PQLs). Once this happens, they are much more likely to buy the products and you can market to them appropriately.

If you find there is a lack of full-price uptakes, you will have to work out what isn’t working. As such, gathering feedback is vital.

SEO.

If you are working on your content, then you will need to be looking into SEO as well. Each piece of content that is produced for your client should have the right keywords, and the correct context also. Be smart with your keywords, because you will have to be budget savvy here. Bidding on product and service keywords for your PPC efforts will quickly eat your budget, but bidding on the problems your service solves will give you more bang for your buck.

For off-page SEO, you will have to invest in link building. However, you need to make sure to build high-quality links for your clients, not just any links you can get like comment and forum spam or non contextual backlinks on private blog networks. You have to take into account that social media shares from authority and influential accounts will benefit you too. So create an in-depth distribution plan to make sure that your content efforts are best optimized toward SEO.

These are just a few tried-and-tested SaaS marketing strategies that should be built into some of the packages that you will be putting together for your future SaaS clients. As a SaaS marketing agency, you have a considerable scope to test and refine simply because there is a wealth of data, market segments, and possible clients. From B2B to bloggers and influencers, know the problem your SaaS client is solving, and you can pitch ongoing projects to them perfectly and gradually expand the scope of your services.

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3 Ways To Get Back Up When Your Career Knocks You Down

by Chuck Crumpton, author of “The Jagged Journey: A Raw & Real Memoir about the Non-Perfect Path of Life & Business“

Life can change in an instant. And sometimes a sudden job loss or a severe drop in your business is the manifestation of that hard reality.

Along with a significant loss of income, getting fired, being replaced in a company restructuring, or losing your business can cause one to feel a lost sense of identity and purpose. Feelings such as sadness, fear, powerlessness, anger, resentment, and confusion can be overwhelming and make it difficult to move forward. The next step might be difficult to see, let alone take.

It all came crashing down on me when I was fired from a lucrative job that seemed to be going well. The next few years were a roller coaster ride to a better place – my own global consulting firm in the healthcare industry. Along the way I learned lessons about how to get up and move forward when life is knocking one down.

Everyone has peaks and valleys. But from the small business CEO who’s struggling mightily to the dedicated and long-valued employee who’s suddenly shown the door, the valleys can be very hard to pull themselves out of.

From that personal pain, however, can come an amazing growth experience that allows you to overcome difficult challenges, embrace vulnerability and transparency, and feel the joy of becoming a better you.

Here are three ways to rebound when your career knocks you down:

1. Don’t let losing your job or business define you.

Don’t take it too personally. What you do, or did, is not who you are. People who consider losing their job or company as a sign of inadequacy are less likely to forge ahead quickly and with conviction than those who viewed their loss as a chance to grow in self-awareness and build resilience. Make a list of your strengths and accomplishments to rebuild your confidence. Potential employers will be attracted to people who have shown they can stay positive and confident despite a setback.

2. Develop positive daily rituals.

It’s easy to get stuck in a rut, especially when tough times happen. But what you do every day can bring change over time.

Instead of worrying, take action. In place of doubt, have faith. Focus on the future; get small but important things done each day that advance your cause for a new job or new business plan. A small part of your life is decided by uncontrollable circumstances or mistakes you made, but the majority of your life is decided by your responses to those circumstances or mistakes.

3. Plug into your network.

The best-fitting jobs sometimes aren’t advertised. Finding those jobs that are often filled by word of mouth require tapping into your list of contacts.

Reach out to people you know and who know your capabilities well. Enlist their support in making connections that could help you. They may know of openings that you wouldn’t find on a job board. The old adage, ‘It’s who you know,’ can be the key to opening the next door.”

When one door closes, another door opens, although the hallway in between can be very long and filled with obstacles. It takes patience and perseverance,  but what you can learn along the way definitely leads to a better place.

 

Chuck Crumpton is the founder and CEO of Medpoint, LLC, a global consulting firm serving medical device and pharmaceutical companies in the U.S., Europe, Asia, and Latin America. He is the author of “The Jagged Journey: A Raw & Real Memoir about the Non-Perfect Path of Life & Business“. He’s a featured keynote and session speaker at multi-industry events in the U.S., Europe and Asia for global organizations.

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The 5 Components Of Resting Hard

by Katy Kvalvik, founder of Southwestern Empowerment

Small business owners and entrepreneurs are familiar with the saying, “Work hard, play hard.” I believe there’s something missing from that well-known adage. I encourage you to make your 2020 mantra, “Work hard, play hard — REST hard.”

People often think taking time to rest and relax equals unproductivity, when in fact the opposite is true. In order to be successful high-performers and get the best results, we need a balance of work, play, and rest.

Here are the five components of resting hard:

1. Comprehension.

For most high-performers, resting hard is a foreign concept, so don’t worry if this is you! Educate yourself on what it means to rest hard, decide which methods appeal most to you, and start experimenting. Here are a few ideas to get you started: journaling, meditation, breathwork, stretching, yoga, watching a movie, creative/imagination time, walking, hiking, and spending time in nature.

2. Self-Awareness.

What recharges your batteries? This answer isn’t the same for everyone. Some people thrive on quiet alone time, like taking a walk in the woods or watching a documentary or funny movie. For others, spending quality time with friends or family fills them up and rejuvenates their energy levels for the next round of busyness. Awareness is the first step in empowerment. You need to know where you get energy and what drains you.

3. A Self-Care Routine.

As counterintuitive as it may sound, structure creates freedom.

Hard rest isn’t going to become a regular part of your life without planning. The key is to create a rest routine that is part of your daily schedule. It’s okay to start small. For example, establish morning and night routines that become second nature so you can focus during the day and sleep well at night. You don’t have to go to the gym or do food prep for two hours, or meditate for an hour to get results. Start small with 5 to 10 minutes of light stretching or 10 minutes of journaling, and work your way up to blocking off time on the weekend and expanding your daily rest regimen.

4. Time Management and Boundaries.

Plans are important, but so is sticking to them! Once you have your plan, it’s time to practice making healthy boundaries for yourself. Make a to-do list and a won’t-do list. Your to-do list will be fairly easy: it’s all the things you know you have to get done, and by when. (And now you know to include rest time and activities on that list!) For your won’t-do list, include things you know drain your batteries and distract you from your goals (i.e., needless social media scrolling, negative Netflix binging, online shopping outside of your budget). Also include any events, dinners, or extra projects you need to say “no” to in order to avoid overwhelm.

5. Resilience and Stress Management.

Resting hard allows you to respond rather than react to the many triggers in life and business. When there are tough decisions to be made or the chaos of life happens, are you able to move through those moments and handle them with grace? Having these tools and strategies on hand can give us the space we need to take a step back, not be hard on ourselves, and not be hard on others. It gives us an opportunity to be relaxed and present versus being part of the problem.

If you’re looking for ways to optimize your performance and enjoy life, you will gain a lot from building rest into your routine.

 

Katy Kvalvik is the creator of the Harmony Method® — a blueprint for work-life harmony — and the founder of Southwestern Empowerment, a company that provides personal and professional development services to transform and inspire today’s leaders. She has been inspiring women and men all over the world to be empowered, lead their best lives, and achieve optimal, lasting results since 2009.

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Crucial Things You Need To Know About Your First External Audit For Series B

by Bryce Welker, founder of Crush The CPA Exam

You are sure to be happy when your business reaches a Series B financing round because it usually means your company has a higher valuation. However, that can make the auditing process much more complicated than it was before. You must be aware of the standards your company has to meet to pass its first external audit so you can implement the right procedures and maintain the correct documentation.

Don’t know where to begin? Well, check out the following crucial things you need to know about your first external audit for Series B.

Your Records Must Conform to GAAP.

For your business to pass its first external audit, you must maintain your company’s records according to GAAP, which stands for Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. The Financial Accounting Standards Board establishes these standards. The principles provide guidance on how to correctly record transactions across all possible business events. Before your financial statements can be filed with the SEC or distributed outside of your business, an external auditor must ensure your records adhere to GAAP. A certified public accountant (CPA) will perform the audit. A CPA will affirm to the IRS that your company’s financial statements are truthful once he or she has audited bank statements and other documentation to eliminate any errors. CPAs are the most highly-qualified type of accountant to perform an external audit for Series B given the rigorous examination process.

There are three main areas of GAAP that are commonly the most problematic for companies undergoing their first Series B external audit. These are:

•       Revenue Recognition issues.
•       Share-based Compensation.
•       Accounting for Income Taxes.

Accounting for Income Tax.

According to Audit Analytics, accounting for income tax is one of the most common areas for accounting inaccuracies and failing control requirements. That is because tax laws are incredibly complicated, and tax calculations incorporate all of your company’s other transactions. They are, therefore, the last thing to address when preparing your financial statements. GAAP requires the representation in financial statements of the tax results for every one of your business transactions. You may want an Enrolled Agent (EA) to help with your tax returns. An EA is slightly different from a CPA in that they are authorized by the US Treasury to represent you before the IRS for various tax related matters. 

Revenue Recognition.

This accounting principle determines the exact conditions in which revenue is recognised and accounted. Typically, income becomes recognised when a specific significant event has happened, and the amount of revenue is reversible. Determining and implementing a consistent representative policy can be more challenging than it sounds.

For example, should you recognise revenue if you have a signed service contract, but you have not yet collected all of the data required to onboard a client to a software system? Because revenue recognition rules are relatively broad, they frequently require interpretation before application. The more you discuss and document your company’s policies, the more you will understand the policies and the more likely you can apply the policy properly. Common errors in first-time audits of revenue recognition practices typically fall into two categories:

•       The improper adherence to your agreed company policy.
•       The improper interpretation of revenue recognition’s rules in setting your company policy.

Share-Based Compensation.

Start-ups, investor-backed businesses and high-growth companies heavily use share-based compensation. That can affect your first-time audit in two main ways: with stock option expensing and 409A Valuations.

Stock Option Expensing. 

When you want to issue financials that are GAAP compliant, you need to expense your stock options. Even if something is not a cash transaction, you still need to cost it. Do not be tempted to use a simple rule-of-thumb process for this and do not entirely ignore the issue. You should begin expensing stock options as soon as your business has full-time employees. Valuing stock options can involve tricky maths, so if you do not have a corporate finance background, it can be best to get an accountant to advise you about stock option expensing. 

409A Valuations .

Private companies that have no liquid market for their shares can generally find the value through a 409A valuation. To ensure your 409A valuations pass the external audit:

Create or pay for a valid 409A valuation whenever you grant stock options.

Make your 409A valuation defensible by selecting a 409A valuation company that can help you navigate complex issues.

 

Bryce Welker is an active speaker, blogger, and tutor on accounting and finance. As the Founder of Crush The CPA Exam, he has helped thousands of candidates pass the CPA exam on their first attempt. 

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What Is EAT And Why It’s Vital To Your SEO Strategy

Expertise, Authority, Trust (or E-A-T) has been in the SEO lexicon for some time, but since ranking well on Google search engine results pages (SERPs) is becoming more difficult, it is now featuring more prominently in a wide range of strategic SEO discussions.

Let’s take a closer look at why E-A-T is now such an integral part of a powerful SEO strategy.

Expertise.

In order to maximise the traffic your site is driving from Google, you need to communicate your expertise in ways that engage your target audience. Every page on your site needs to have a clear purpose and must be presented in a manner that delivers clear benefits to your viewers. You already have the knowledge, but now you need to devise ways to deliver that information to the right people, at the right times.

There are a few key ways to create expert content. The first is to identify what your ideal audience is searching for and use this knowledge to meet (and ideally exceed) their needs and expectations. The second way is to investigate and understand searcher intent. Remember, there is a distinct motive behind every search a person makes and optimising your content for your audience’s intent is a critical part of any effective SEO strategy in 2020.

Authority.

It’s one thing to be an expert but to make a real impact in competitive spaces you need to establish yourself as an authority. There are several ways to monitor the authoritativeness of your digital presence, including the number of links from authoritative and relevant websites that are pointing towards your site which is one of the most powerful white hat SEO tactics.

Keeping track of your Domain Authority score will help you to determine how authoritative your site currently is and encourage you to identify ways to further enhance your score. Building your brand online is one of the best things you can do for your business and creating engaging content that your audience will share across social media will boost your authority and allow you to strive for even greater success.

Trustworthiness.

Search results pages (SERPs) are already hyper-competitive and with more businesses aiming to make an impact online throughout 2020, ensuring that you are doing everything you can to stand out for the right reasons is imperative. Businesses that haven’t invested in the creation of a trustworthy and robust online reputation will have a far more difficult time maintaining a competitive position online.

Trust issues manifest themselves in myriad ways, including customer reviews, clumsy web design, and poor website security. You should be doing everything possible to provide your customers with a positive experience. Any complaints should be addressed and concerns assuaged before your brand becomes associated with any negativity.

There are many other ways to promote the trustworthiness of your brand, including:

• Displaying clear contact information, including the address of your store or office
• Having a clear and accessible terms and conditions page
• Ensuring your domain is secure using HTTPS
• If you are a transactional business, you must implement and display a clear returns policy

Why is E-A-T so important to SEO?

In early 2019, Google issued a white paper which confirmed that E-A-T is a key ranking signal and plays an important role in the ongoing battle against disinformation in search results.

Fake news is a huge issue and it is now more important than ever before for authors to be able to demonstrate their credentials in an authentic and trustworthy way. E-A-T should be viewed as an opportunity to positively differentiate your brand from your competitors and outrank them in SERPs. 

As Google continues to refine its algorithms, standards are consistently being raised. Moreover, the expectations of users are also constantly changing. As searchers, we all want access to the most accurate, relevant and highest quality information. So, as a business owner, you need to ensure that you remain at the forefront of search evolution to remain competitive.

Focusing too closely on whether E-A-T can be deemed to be a direct ranking factor risks slipping too deeply into an argument based on semantics. Instead, by using E-A-T as a framework in putting together a digital strategy, you will find yourself adopting a holistic approach to marketing and SEO.

Although there are no quick wins to be had here, investing in your expertise, authority and trustworthiness and devising ways to communicate this information to your audience will deliver a wealth of long-term benefits for your business, enhancing the credibility of your digital presence.

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The Ultimate Guide To Starting Your Own Business With No Money

Small businesses are the cornerstone of the American economy, creating over 1.5 million jobs every year. It’s no wonder many young adults in the country want to start their own businesses.

Are you one of these people?

Starting your own business will enable you to become your own boss. And if the business is successful, you’ll well be on your way to great riches. The story of many successful entrepreneurs in the United States begins with a small, successful business.

However, starting a business isn’t easy, especially when you have no capital. Need help?

Keep reading for the ultimate guide to starting your own business with no money!

Develop a Viable Business Idea.

Whether you have money or not, one thing doesn’t change: you need a good business idea to be a successful entrepreneur.

As such, the first step to starting a business is to develop a viable business idea. You could develop a product that solves a unique problem or offer a service that people want.

Coming up with a business idea isn’t just about brainstorming and picking out an idea that looks potentially viable. You need to do sufficient market research and establish whether your idea is viable. If it’s not, go back to the drawing board.

Without a viable business idea backed by in-depth market research, your dream to own a business might not come to life.

Draw a Business Plan.

Drawing a business plan is a must, whether you have startup capital or not.

This plan is a document that fleshes out the details of your upcoming business. These include its name, address (can be a home address), legal structure (sole proprietorship, partnership, LLC, or corporation), products and services offered, sales and marketing strategy, capital requirements, and financial projections.

A business plan will give you a clearer picture of just how much money you need to start the business and keep it going until it’s producing a sustainable profit. This is the amount of money you need to raise.

Raising Capital.

You have no money, so raising capital is a necessary step.

Here, you realize the importance of having a viable business idea and a detailed business plan. With these, you can approach a friend or relative who has money sitting around and ask them to fund your dream. They will assess the idea, study the market research report, and scrutinize the business plan. If they like what they see, they could decide to fund the business idea.

Another fundraising strategy is to go in for a personal loan. If you’ve got good credit and proof of income, you could get approved for a loan, which you can use to kickstart the business.

Take steps to enhance your chances of getting approved for the loan, such as improving your credit and paying off existing debt. If you have multiple debts, consider debt consolidation. Check out Debt Hunch for more information on debt consolidation loans.

Other options including running a crowdfunding campaign and approaching equity investors.

Starting Your Own Business with No Money Is Possible.

You have a business dream, but you have no money. Your situation isn’t uncommon.

The good news is it’s possible to bring your dream to life. Starting your own business with no money might seem out of your league, but with this guide, you know the steps you should take.

All the best and keep reading our blog for more business tips and hacks.

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